Paramount Ranch Racetrack
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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.
| Location | Agoura Hills, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC-8 (UTC-7 DST) |
| Coordinates | 34.121°N 118.7544°W |
| Owner | National Park Service |
| Opened | 1956 |
| Closed | 1957 |
| Road course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | ~2 miles |
| Turns | 11 |
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]
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)
| Date | Race Number | Laps/Time Limit | Class | Winner | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 1 | 8 | Production sedans up to 1500cc | Fred Woodward | Alfa Romeo |
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 2 | 8 | Production under 1500cc | Ed Barker | Porsche Speedster |
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 3 | 8 | Production over 1500cc | Rudy Cleye | Mercedes Benz 300SL |
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 4 | 8 | Formula III and Formula Libre | Bruce Kessler | Cooper-Norton |
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 5 | 8 | Modified under 1500cc | Richie Ginther | Porsche Spyder |
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 6 | 8 | Modified 1500cc to 3000cc | ||
| Saturday, August 18, 1956 | 7 | 8 | Modified over 3000cc | ||
| Sunday, August 19, 1956 | 8 | 12 | Consolation under 1500cc | Robert Chamberlin | MGTC |
| Sunday, August 19, 1956 | 9 | 12 | Consolation over 1500cc | Bruce Kessler | Cooper M IX |
| Sunday, August 19, 1956 | 10 | 1 hour | Under 1500cc main event | Richie Ginther | Porsche Spyder |
| Sunday, August 19, 1956 | 11 | 8 | Ladies race | Ruth Levy | Porsche Super Speedster |
| Sunday, August 19, 1956 | 12 | 1 hour | Over 1500cc main event | Harrison Evans | Ferrari Monza |
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)
| Date | Race Number | Laps/Time Limit | Class | Winner | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, November 17, 1956 | 1 | 30 min | Production sedans up to 1500cc | Jack Dair | |
| Saturday, November 17, 1956 | 2 | 30 min | Formula III | Jean Geslin | Cooper Norton |
| Sunday, November 18, 1956 | 3 | 45 min | Production under 1500cc | Dale Johnson | Porsche Carrera |
| Sunday, November 18, 1956 | 4 | 45 min | Production over 1500cc | Bob Oker | AC Ace-Bristol |
| Sunday, November 18, 1956 | 5 | 45 min | Modified under 1500cc |  Ken Miles | Porsche Cooper |
| Sunday, November 18, 1956 | 6 | 90 min | Modified over 1500cc | Ken Miles | Porsche Cooper |
March 9–10, 1957 (CSCC)
| Date | Race Number | Laps/Time Limit | Class | Winner | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 1 | n/a | Production sedans under 1500cc - Canceled | n/a | n/a |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 2 | 10 | Production under 1300cc | Fred Woodward | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 3 | 6 | Production 1300cc - 1500cc | Ed Barker | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 4 | 6 | Production 1500cc - 2000cc | Bob Oker | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 5 | 6 | Production over 2000cc | Jack Bates | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 6 | 6 | Formula III | Ralph Ormsbee | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 7 | 6 | Modified under 1100cc | Frank Monise | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 7a | 6 | Modified 1100cc - 1500cc |  Bob Drake | |
| Saturday, March 9, 1957 | 8 | 10 | Modified over 1500cc | Eric Hauser | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 9 | 10 | Production under 1500cc | E. Forbes-Robinson | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 10 | 10 | Production over 1500cc | John Haggerty | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 11 | 10 | Modified | Frank Livingstone | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 12 | 1 hour | Under 1500cc modified | Bob Drake | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 13 | 8 | Women's race and production sedans up to 1500cc | Ruth Levy | |
| Sunday, March 10, 1957 | 14 | 1 hour | Over 1500cc modified | Jerry Austin | Jaguar D-Type |
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)
| Date | Race Number | Laps/Time Limit | Class | Winner | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 1 | 8 | Production sedans up to 1300cc | Willie West | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 2 | 10 | Production 1300cc - 1500cc | E Forbes-Robinson | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 3 | 10 | Production 1500cc - 2700cc | Jim Parkinson | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 4 | 10 | Production over 2700cc | Jack Bates | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 5 | 10 | Formula III | Jean Geslin | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 6 | 10 | Modified under 1000cc | Rico Verrecchia | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 7 | 10 | Modified 1000cc - 1500cc | Ken Miles | |
| Saturday, June 15, 1957 | 8 | 10 | Modified over 1500cc | Chuck Daigh | Troutman-Barnes Ford Thunderbird |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 9 | 30 min | Production under 1500cc | E Forbes-Robinson | |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 10 | 30 min | Production over 1500cc | Jim Parkinson | |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 11 | 10 | Modified & Formula III | Pete Woods | |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 12 | 1 hour | Under 1500cc main event | *Ken Miles | Porsche 550 Spyder |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 13 | 8 | Women's Race | Ruth Levy | |
| Sunday, June 16, 1957 | 14 | 1 hour | Over 1500cc Main Event | Chuck Daigh | Troutman-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)
| Date | Race Number | Laps/Time Limit | Class | Winner | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 1 | 10 | Production under 1300cc | Willie West | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 2 | 10 | Production under 1500cc | Jimmy Moore | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 3 | 10 | Production 1500cc-2700cc | William Love | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 4 | 10 | Production over 2700cc | Jerry Austin | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 5 | 10 | Formula III Formula Libre, and Formula II | Bob Drake | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 6 | 10 | Modified under 1000cc | Jim Parkinson | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 7 | 30 min | Modified 1000cc - 1500cc | Jean P Kunstle | |
| Saturday, December 7, 1957 | 8 | 30 min | Production over 1500cc | Dan Gurney | Ferrari 375 Plus |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 9 | 8 | Production MG's only | Ray Pickering | |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 10 | 8 | Production over 2000cc | Jerry Austin | |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 11 | 8 | Modified under 1100cc, Prod under 2000cc and Formula III | Ronnie Bucknum | |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 12 | 1 hour | Under 1500cc main event | Ken Miles | |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 13 | 8 | Ladies race | Linda Scott | |
| Sunday, December 8, 1957 | 14 | 1 hour | Over 1500cc main event | Dan Gurney | Ferrari 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]
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]
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).
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