Paramount Ranch Racetrack

Last updated
Paramount Ranch Racetrack
Location Agoura Hills, California, United States
Time zone UTC -8 (UTC-7 DST)
Coordinates 34°07′16″N118°45′16″W / 34.121°N 118.7544°W / 34.121; -118.7544
Owner National Park Service
Opened1956
Closed1957
Road course
SurfaceAsphalt
Length~2 miles
Turns11

Paramount Ranch Racetrack (sometimes called Paramount Ranch Raceway) was a motorsports racetrack located at Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains in Agoura Hills, California. A total of seven events were held at Paramount Ranch from 1956-1957. After a series of fatalities in short proximity to each other, the track gained a reputation for being a dangerous circuit. After two seasons, Paramount Ranch Racetrack was closed.

Contents

Background

In 1956, the owner of Paramount Ranch decided to build a road-racing facility. He approached Ken Miles and Dick Van Laanen to design the road course. They designed a paved road course nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) in length. The road course included 11 turns with uphill and downhill sections, a straightaway just shy of 3⁄4 mile, a bridge and underpass as well as a lake opposite the start/finish line. Bob Bondurant described the course as “unforgiving but a real challenge”. [1]

Events

A total of seven events were held at Paramount Ranch. Five events were sponsored by the California Sports Car Club (CSCC) and two by the United States Auto Club (USAC).

August 18–19, 1956 (CSCC)

DateRace NumberLaps/Time LimitClassWinnerCar
Saturday, August 18, 195618Production sedans up to 1500ccFred WoodwardAlfa Romeo
Saturday, August 18, 195628Production under 1500ccEd Barker Porsche Speedster
Saturday, August 18, 195638Production over 1500ccRudy Cleye Mercedes Benz 300SL
Saturday, August 18, 195648Formula III and Formula Libre Bruce Kessler Cooper-Norton
Saturday, August 18, 195658Modified under 1500cc Richie Ginther Porsche Spyder
Saturday, August 18, 195668Modified 1500cc to 3000cc
Saturday, August 18, 195678Modified over 3000cc
Sunday, August 19, 1956812Consolation under 1500ccRobert ChamberlinMGTC
Sunday, August 19, 1956912Consolation over 1500ccBruce KesslerCooper M IX
Sunday, August 19, 1956101 hourUnder 1500cc main eventRichie GintherPorsche Spyder
Sunday, August 19, 1956118Ladies raceRuth Levy Porsche Super Speedster
Sunday, August 19, 1956121 hourOver 1500cc main eventHarrison Evans Ferrari Monza

[2]

November 4, 1956 (USAC)

250 miles (402 km) USAC National Championship Stock Car Road Race. 32 cars entered the race with Sam Hanks winning the race in 3 hours and 36 minutes while driving his red and white 1956 Mercury finishing ahead of Johnny Mantz. [3]

November 17–18, 1956 (CSCC)

DateRace NumberLaps/Time LimitClassWinnerCar
Saturday, November 17, 1956130 minProduction sedans up to 1500ccJack Dair
Saturday, November 17, 1956230 minFormula IIIJean GeslinCooper Norton
Sunday, November 18, 1956345 minProduction under 1500ccDale Johnson Porsche Carrera
Sunday, November 18, 1956445 minProduction over 1500ccBob Oker AC Ace-Bristol
Sunday, November 18, 1956545 minModified under 1500cc Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ken Miles Porsche Cooper
Sunday, November 18, 1956690 minModified over 1500cc Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ken MilesPorsche Cooper

[4]

March 9–10, 1957 (CSCC)

DateRace NumberLaps/Time LimitClassWinnerCar
Saturday, March 9, 19571n/aProduction sedans under 1500cc - Canceledn/an/a
Saturday, March 9, 1957210Production under 1300ccFred Woodward
Saturday, March 9, 195736Production 1300cc - 1500ccEd Barker
Saturday, March 9, 195746Production 1500cc - 2000ccBob Oker
Saturday, March 9, 195756Production over 2000ccJack Bates
Saturday, March 9, 195766Formula IIIRalph Ormsbee
Saturday, March 9, 195776Modified under 1100ccFrank Monise
Saturday, March 9, 19577a6Modified 1100cc - 1500cc Flag of the United States.svg Bob Drake
Saturday, March 9, 1957810Modified over 1500ccEric Hauser
Sunday, March 10, 1957910Production under 1500ccE. Forbes-Robinson
Sunday, March 10, 19571010Production over 1500ccJohn Haggerty
Sunday, March 10, 19571110ModifiedFrank Livingstone
Sunday, March 10, 1957121 hourUnder 1500cc modifiedBob Drake
Sunday, March 10, 1957138Women's race and production sedans up to 1500ccRuth Levy
Sunday, March 10, 1957141 hourOver 1500cc modifiedJerry Austin Jaguar D-Type

[5]

April 28, 1957 (USAC)

100 miles (161 km) USAC National Championship Stock Car race was won by Troy Ruttman driving a 1957 Ford. Ruttman finished 41 seconds ahead of Sam Hanks, followed closely behind by Jimmy Reece. [6]

June 15–16, 1957 (CSCC)

DateRace NumberLaps/Time LimitClassWinnerCar
Saturday, June 15, 195718Production sedans up to 1300ccWillie West
Saturday, June 15, 1957210Production 1300cc - 1500ccE Forbes-Robinson
Saturday, June 15, 1957310Production 1500cc - 2700ccJim Parkinson
Saturday, June 15, 1957410Production over 2700ccJack Bates
Saturday, June 15, 1957510Formula IIIJean Geslin
Saturday, June 15, 1957610Modified under 1000ccRico Verrecchia
Saturday, June 15, 1957710Modified 1000cc - 1500cc Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ken Miles
Saturday, June 15, 1957810Modified over 1500cc Flag of the United States.svg Chuck Daigh Troutman-Barnes Ford Thunderbird
Sunday, June 16, 1957930 minProduction under 1500ccE Forbes-Robinson
Sunday, June 16, 19571030 minProduction over 1500ccJim Parkinson
Sunday, June 16, 19571110Modified & Formula IIIPete Woods
Sunday, June 16, 1957121 hourUnder 1500cc main event Flag of the United Kingdom.svg *Ken Miles Porsche 550 Spyder
Sunday, June 16, 1957138Women's RaceRuth Levy
Sunday, June 16, 1957141 hourOver 1500cc Main Event Flag of the United States.svg Chuck DaighTroutman-Barnes Ford Thunderbird

Multiple MGTDs crashed during the first race resulting in five people being injured including one driver that was hospitalized.

This was Chuck Daigh's first overall win in a main event and also the first time a Ford V8 powered car won a major sports car race in the US. In the under 1500cc main event, Ken Miles was subsequently disqualified several days later due to a rule infraction when judges ruled that Miles made a brief pit-stop in a restricted area to accept a drink of water during the one-hour race. Runner up Jack McAfee who was also driving a Porsche 550 Spyder was declared the winner. [7]

December 7–8, 1957 (CSCC)

DateRace NumberLaps/Time LimitClassWinnerCar
Saturday, December 7, 1957110Production under 1300ccWillie West
Saturday, December 7, 1957210Production under 1500ccJimmy Moore
Saturday, December 7, 1957310Production 1500cc-2700ccWilliam Love
Saturday, December 7, 1957410Production over 2700ccJerry Austin
Saturday, December 7, 1957510Formula III Formula Libre, and Formula II Bob Drake
Saturday, December 7, 1957610Modified under 1000ccJim Parkinson
Saturday, December 7, 1957730 minModified 1000cc - 1500ccJean P Kunstle
Saturday, December 7, 1957830 minProduction over 1500cc Flag of the United States.svg Dan Gurney Ferrari 375 Plus
Sunday, December 8, 195798Production MG's onlyRay Pickering
Sunday, December 8, 1957108Production over 2000ccJerry Austin
Sunday, December 8, 1957118Modified under 1100cc, Prod under 2000cc and Formula III Ronnie Bucknum
Sunday, December 8, 1957121 hourUnder 1500cc main event Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ken Miles
Sunday, December 8, 1957138Ladies raceLinda Scott
Sunday, December 8, 1957141 hourOver 1500cc main event Flag of the United States.svg Dan GurneyFerrari 375 Plus

Two fatalities and two others were injured on what would be the final event at Paramount Ranch.

During the third race, Hugh Woods driving his Corvette crashed into a guard rail entering turn 1. The steel railing sliced through the car and Hugh’s right leg was severed. He incurred injuries to his left leg as well and fractures in both arms.

In the next race, a very similar accident occurred involving George Sherrerd driving his Jaguar XK120. Sherrerd hit the steel barrier which was still projecting after being hit by Woods in the previous race. The steel sheared through the car and through Sherrerd. He was killed instantly.

Turn 1 was generally not considered a dangerous turn on the track. The consensus was that both drivers just went into the turn “too hot.” It was subsequently revealed the guardrail was installed incorrectly and was facing backwards.

In the fifth race, Rolf Roth hit a hay bale leaving turn 11 and flipped his Formula III. Roth suffered a broken left wrist. Roth’s roll bar was credited with saving him.

In the final race of the event, nearing the final lap of the race, Jim Firestone driving a Frazer Nash Bristol lost control near turn 2 and hit a stack of tires and his car flipped. Firestone was ejected and was hit by the car which crushed his skull and neck. He was DOA upon arriving at Northridge Community Hospital. [8]

Today

The National Park Service maintains the entire ranch including the racetrack as an historic site. Today, very little remains of the racetrack. As of 2015, the bridge still remains however it has been blocked off so vehicles cannot drive over it. The road underneath the bridge has been overgrown with trees and shrubs. Home construction in the neighboring hillsides has caused water runoff which has destroyed the original layout and terrain of the land from when it was constructed. Much of the roads are no longer discernable. While there is some sentiment among park rangers to repair the circuit and return the track to its former glory, there are no definitive plans in place. [9]

In November 2018, Paramount Ranch suffered near-total destruction during the Woolsey Fire. [10]

Film and television

Paramount Ranch Racetrack has been featured in several movies filmed in the 1950s and 1960s; most notably Devil’s Hairpin, Spinout, and Munster, Go Home!. [11]

It was also featured in television shows over the next decade, including Perry Mason "The Case of the Runaway Racer" (1965).

Notes

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        References

        1. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Paramount Ranch Remembered. Photo Data Research LLC. pp. 10–13. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        2. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 17–29. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        3. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 45–50. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        4. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 59–64. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        5. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 100–113. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        6. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. p. 133. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        7. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 138–150. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        8. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 168–183. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        9. ↑ Art Evans (2006). Remembering Paramount Ranch. Photo Data Research. pp. 230–234. ISBN   0-9705073-7-2.
        10. ↑ Hibbard, James (November 9, 2018). "Certain Westworld sets burn down in California wildfire". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 9, 2018.
        11. ↑ "Storied history: Paramount Ranch Racetrack".

        Bibliography

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