David!!!

Take it easy! Some of us have tons of stuff to do before we get to reply... I hear ya - I hear ya!

We're interested - honest... I've never heard of the film or at worst, I can't remember... but I am interested in checking it out.

A couple of replies here...

Jason, thanks. I checked the Los Angeles Times as I figured Shav Glick would have something on Sandy Reed's passing in his Friday motorsports column.

I definitely remember hearing Sandy Reed on the P.A. at Ascot and Riverside.

David,

I've heard of "The Sound of Speed", and saw pictures and references to it in the Scarab book, but since it's been out of general circulation...I can't comment on it, but have repeatedly heard that it's great footage.

You know, it was kind of hard for widespread viewing when it was stuck in a warehouse for years

I've always noted the parallels of Riverside and Westwood...rumors of their closures persisted for years before it finally happened to both

How many "final" races at both tracks?

This is really depressing, ,this is the way how a racing circuit disappear under the buildings of the population.
The satelite photo is sad,it´s impossible to see where is the layout of the track,and you see how the mall obliterate the last traces.
The people ,who live or will live over there,willl never know they are living over an historical site.
It´s a case very similar to the Zandvoort track.

I Finally got a response after a year of trying! Really, all I wanted to know was: had any of you guys seen "The Sound of Speed"? Because if people in this forum have not seen it then it is obviously lost again! No one over the last year would admit that they didn't know about it.
No we can start looking for ways of "getting it out there". It really is worthwhile. Hence the histrionics but I did want a response.

I have now started a separate thread titled "The Sound of Speed".
David B

1988/1989 were the final races at Riverside, starting with the final NASCAR race held in June, 1988, with Rusty Wallace winning and Rubin Garcia doing an early demolition project. Another final race in '88 was the SCORE Off Road Championships with a racer named Mears winning that one (future NASCAR star Robby Gordon raced there too). 1989 had one race and Richard should be able to help out on that one.

Jason, we will take that under consideration...

JaviM, That is what the RIR Monument Project is all about. To help insure that everyone knows of the famed circuit.

Richard,

I was just recently surfing the net and saw a sad sight to Riverside, someone posted a pic of Riverside during the transformation from racetrack to mall and it has just brought a tear to my eye seeing something like this die like that.

Here is the link: http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/riversid.html

Virginia International Raceway has been dead and re-activated as a racetrack, why don't we bring back Riverside from the ashes??

Interesting to see the shortened track JT2018.

How many meetings were run on the short track? I remember somewhere seeing sad photos from the "final" Riverside race meeting, does that mean that meeting was on the shortened circuit?

Would the famous road circuits used during the current Champ Car series survive if the series itself does not survive its second chance?

What’s the latest on that “new” Riverside being planned?

Chris.
www.MotorsportArchive.com

The Riverside idea in Chattanooga is just a wish, the other Riverside (Motorsports Park) might be in the stages of building unless I am wrong.

if memory serves me correct, the new piece of pavement was in place in the time frame of late 1988 and Cal-Club until a racer died there in 1989 and the track officially closed up for good,

I was present and raced a Chevron B24 at the very last race held there, a vintage event organised by VARA. The track was unchanged then and used the esses, turn 6, 7, 7A and 9. NO OTHER RACING EVENT took place after this race, but the Skip Barber racing school had several sessions on a shortened track that bypassed some of the curves (7 and 7A). I attended one of those sessions as I took my company's employees there for a day of F-Ford schooling. Shortly after, the track closed for good.

T54

Yep that was the very last one... but just shortly before that one there was a WKA Kart race where yours truly continued to wet his feet in his early racing career. We used the original circuit too, tracing the tire-tracks of the legends.

...UPDATE...

The outcome of the current discussions have revealed the following:

The Fritz Duda Company and others are now interested in assuming the effort. They very much appreciate our efforts so far, but have asked us to refrain from acting upon their behalf due to the trademark and other exclusive rights held with the Riverside International Raceway Corporation. Of course, concerning the legalities of the matter, we must comply with this request.

There are ongoing elements having to do with the vast amount of holdings (memorabilia) that RIR Corporation owns and before they can attend to the RIR Monument Project, these elements take priority.

I hope and trust that the effort so far, will meet with the same consents and approvals by the “powers-that-be” as the governmental bodies that granted its development. Rest assured, that in due course the Riverside Monument Project will come to fruition.

To those individuals like Paul Barr, Frank Sheffield, Bob Key and others who have contributed greatly, their time, money and effort, I extol my deepest appreciation.

There will be a personal letter forthcoming to all who have contributed monetarily, explaining in detail the changes in the direction of the project.

In the end, this only inures to our benefit as the impetus of this effort has given proper notice to those in control and I have assurances that in some form or fashion, the RIR Monument will be given full consideration.

I am told that I shall be kept apprised of the resumption of the RIR Monument Project when it gets to the forefront of the RIR Corporation’s agenda. When that happens, I will continue to keep you all informed of the latest developments.

Again, thank you all very much for your support.

Thanks for alll your efforts! I also would like to mention that Riverside had not only auto racing activities but was also THE track for motorcycle road-racing in the 60's and 70's. AFM, CMC, WERA and other organisations ran regular races there, and the likes of Randy Mamola, Kenny Roberts and Freddie Spencer mixed it with more humble participants such as Yours Truly seen below with a 45HP works Morbidelli 125cc GP in turn 7A, circa 1978. That's before there were real tires.



There is also an excellent book by Art Evans (Fabulous Fifties) that describes in detail the early days of Riverside, if this was not mentioned already.

Please keep us posted so that we may contribute in some form.
Regards,

T54

Phil,

Thanks for your inclusions of Motorcycle Racing at RIR. Know they have not been forgotten either...

Part of the inscriptions on the RIR Monument include the following:

For more than 30 years, RIR hosted motor racing events ranging from Sprint cars to Formula One, NASCAR to IMSA, Drag Racing to Motorcycles to Off-road Racing. Truly, something for everyone could be found on the hallowed ground at Riverside International Raceway. It was an important feature of Moreno Valley regional history, and lives on in the hearts and memories of the thousands who competed, worked, and enjoyed the racing there. To them, this monument is dedicated.

We contemplated listing some of the great individual efforts and names associated with the racing at RIR, but the list was too long to effectively incorporate into the inscriptions.

For a complete review of the inscriptions and to view illustrations of the monument, please refer to Frank's website - http://fsheff.com

I will certainly keep you apprised of any new developments!

Keep up the great work Richard

Richard, keep it moving forward!

Great Job.

Henry

Since we were talking about the RIR monument, NASCAR racer Joe Weatherly has on his headstone Riverside International Raceway (the 1957-1968 version without the other courses) as a final joke from his NASCAR buddies. Here is the link:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?p...=Joe+Weatherly&
and keep up the good work Richard.

Hello everyone:

I'm a newcomer to this board, but not to Riverside International Raceway.

In 1983, I attended my first race, which was the last year F1 raced at Long Beach. I immediately became enamored of the sport. Up until that point, I had only seen racing on television, and I quickly learned that seeing a race on TV and seeing a race in person are two completely different things. What you don't get on television is the glorious, earth-shattering sound of the racecars, and the unmistakeble smell of high-octane (or methanol) exhaust.

From that day in 1983, my interest in auto racing quickly grew. I started to go to races at Riverside. I remember as if it were yesterday the first time I went there--I was amazed at how open the track was. I was used to the Long Beach Grand Prix, where security was so restrictive you couldn't get close to the action without credentials. At Riverside, I kept looking around, waiting for someone to kick me out, but I was able to wander around pretty much at will.

From 1983 to 1986, in those three short years I developed a lot of fond memories. I went to the Jim Russel Racing School at Riverside. Driving a Formula Ford through the Esses, down the back straight and through Turn 9, etc, the same track the professional racers used will forever be etched in my memory. I volunteered with a group of enthusiasts called "Mother Mueller's Mothers" (that's a pic of my worker's badge isssued by the Raceway) and worked many weekends at the Raceway assisting with timing and scoring. (Damn, the inside of the Trilon was brutal in the summer!) I worked NASCAR, IMSA, Can-Am and SCCA races. Remember Al Holbert and Derek Bell in the Lowenbrau Porsche 962's? The Jaguar IMSA cars? Terry Labonte winning a NASCAR race in the Piedmont Airlines-sponsored Monte Carlo? (I THINK my memory is correct on that one).

Anyway, after 1986 I got married and since my new wife didn't share my enthusiasm for auto racing I drifted away from volunteering at Riverside. A few years later I read about the track closing. Over the years since then, I'd think about it every now and then. I still went to the Long Beach Grand Prix every year, to VARA races at Tustin (now defunct, also) and CART, historic and Grand-Am races at California Speedway in Fontana.

I always though about driving out to Riverside one day just for kicks, to see what was left of the old Raceway. Last week it was a slow day at work, and I was surfing the Internet and found this website, and others, with the depressing photos of the of bits and pieces of abandoned, weed-covered racetrack up until a few years ago. Even more depressing is the more recent photos that show absolutely no trace of the Raceway whatsoever.

Regarding the most recent post updating the progress of the memorial--I sincerely hope that the memorial doesn't get lost in the Duda Corporation bureaucracy. Corporations seldom have the passion that volunteers do what it comes to things dear to the heart.

doubleR,

Welcome to TNF and thanks so much for sharing your remembrances of RIR and for your support. I'll certainly keep abreast of the situation and will do everything within my powers to make it known, that there are a great many eyes watching to see that the follow-through doesn't become lost in the day-to-day rumblings of corporate controllers.

Thanks, Richard.

If you ever need help with anything I'd be glad to volunteer my time--just ask. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure the memorial comes to fruition.

Red Racer,


I was really sad when I got my checck back from you in the mail !

I'm sorry that the project has run into some "road blocks".


Do you think you can start a new thread to keep us apprised of the progress of events ?

I've got some stories I could add about Riverside, but am too in my cups right now to type coherently.


adios amigos

Not nearly as sad as I, when I realized I was forced to send it back...

It's more of a detour than a road block, but we'll keep you and everyone else advised here on this thread. Seems like a good spot still - since this is where it all started. Don't fret, we'll stay after them.

So, let's have them stories man!

Oh, btw, what does "too in my cups" mean? ( )

Couple of nice Don Fuller articles about RIR:

Riverside Remembered
The track that epitomized racing in Southern California

Riverside Raceway: The Hot Tarmac
A textbook study of professional racing

Richard, the research continues and thought you would enjoy this page from the "Augusta 510" race program. Check the third paragraph:

http://www.historicmustang.com/pgm10.html

Riverside had an influence far beyond southern California.

Henry Jones

. . . "IN ONE'S CUPS" = drunk, besotted with the sauce, blasted, wasted, blotto, borracho, ubriaco, messed up,

add your own synonyms !

I visited the site of the Riverside track the day before this year's Long Beach meeting. It was on my "to do" list and as the Moreno Valley shopping mall was built at the north end I knew I could keep my wife and daughter happy while I looked for any signs of previous life.

I was amazed to find nothing at all - virtually the whole southern end of the site has been redeveloped. As some of the houses are currently being built I suppose this has just happened. My son was map reading and informed me each time we drove over what would have been part of the original track - those early posts with photos/maps were very useful here.

I suppose the demand for housing is understandable but I thought there may have been a mention of its history at the mall, but we were only there a brief time, and maybe I missed it. I could only pay my respects by buying a sandwich and driving around the venue before heading off to Disneyland in the afternoon.

I hope your plans for a memorial work out - it would be appropriate for the many racers who lost their lives at this once great track.

I also saw a couple of guys wearing Riverside T-Shirts walking along Shoreline Drive on race day with the names of many of the greats on the back. Is that part of the fund-raising?

BTW Borsari I'm sorry we didn't connect up at Seal Beach or at the circuit - maybe next time!

Frank,

Thanks for posting links to those articles

Henry,

Thanks so much for that reference... Interesting to read about the homage to RIR from the creators of AIR.

David,

No, I'm sure those were just enthusiasts of the old track... having nothing to do with our program.

Had you reviewed this thread a bit more closely, you would have seen that the TownGate Community Center, now open, has a permanent display of RIR memorabilia as well as the children's playground area also devoted to the racing theme that once graced the area. The Community center is located just off of Eucalyptus Ave. in one of those residential communities.

Perhaps next time your in the area you can find it then. Thanks for your well wishes and I'm fairly certain it will still happen - just not exactly on our schedule.

Another person that was at Riverside Raceway passed away, and this one was related to NHRA Drag Racing: http://www.nhra.com/2004/news/june/062601.html C. J. "Pappy" Hart.

Scott Baker has added a "worst picture on the site" feature. It is a newspaper article with photos of the "Goodyear Tower" suffering the ultimate indignity.

Baker Racing pictures

--
Frank S

That article makes me want to cry

I always thought that there was an Airprot their years ago then they built the track ,I had no idea that it came for the Old L.A. airport.amazing.But very sad to see it go and the track .

I guess the Riverside International Raceway Corporation has effectively blown off any idea of the memorial that was being planned.

Typical corporate mentality.

Just a tiny view of the tower in the left-hand column,
second picture, click the picture for a larger view.

Click on the link, then click on "location," then enlarge the aerial view.

Talk about adding insult to injury.....



http://www.fritzduda.com/towngate/index.html

I just wanted to tell you that I did a little project for the old Riverside Raceway on Wikipedia.org and you guys can boost the tracks history a bit. The link for this is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_International_Raceway and I am willing to see more things done for this.

Well it looks dry to me here.




And a question to all the Riverside lovers here, I'm searching for pictures of the NWC 1988 race. Anyone has some?

FYI - I am still calling, inquiring and leaving messages. Sorry to say, there is no real promising news to report at this time. However, I will continue the effort.

Why don't we just say to heck with them and do it on our own?

doubleR,

I won't make you go back and read the entire thread of how we find ourselves at this point in the story. I will keep it very short and hope it will suffice.

With no offence directed at other tributes or to diminish in anyway the efforts of others who have undertaken them...

I designed the RIR Monument to suitably reflect the immense heritage of the facility and to those lives that were inextricably linked to it. Because of my design and the subsequent usage of the name and material in order to raise the required funds - it is this infringement on the Riverside Raceway Corporation's trademarks and copyrights and is prohibited unless they approve of it in writing.

You would now say, "why didn't you get those approvals from the beginning?!?" Well, as a matter of fact, I did contact the parent company (Fritz Duda Co.) on several occasions; at the inception of the idea, once the concept was formulated, during the government entitlement process / approval and again when the fundraising effort commenced. It was only after we started collecting money that I heard from them in any "official" capacity.

I don't want to toss up a tombstone type of monument. For one thing, we'll need to go through the government approval process all over again. The site has already been determined and a great deal of effort (including officials from the City of Moreno Valley) has been expended to create a suitable setting. There's no way I'll be a part of an effort that has the RIR monument appearing in another iteration or going somewhere else.

Mr. John Loper is back with the Fritz Duda Company and I have renewed my contact with him... I hope to hear something soon.

Here's a link to some great racing action of a Keke Rosberg, during the last CanAm race of the 1980 season...

I thought you might be interested...

Keke Rosberg - Riverside 1980

Hey guys-
Was doing a search for Riverside history in 1974 and stumbled into this thread, which I read with great interest. I grew up in Arizona and never knew much about Riverside, other than the name had such great lore. I could feel some of that in the brief shots of the movie, Winning.
I understand all the work you guys have gone through to memorialize those who lost their lives at that grand old place and just to have some kind of monument to them and the many memories. I hope something will work out eventually.
So, the reason for my reply is that pieces of Riverside got spread all over the country in the form of old race cars, in which pedigrees have been lost, paint has faded and owners have died. I kind of feel like spirit of Riverside can still live in the documentation of these cars and their history.
Through sheer dumb luck I fell into one of these cars and I have struggled for months just trying to find a name. This 1969 Mustang was bought new by R.H. Elgin of San Gabriel and then was sold to co-owners Mike Simon (Simon rentals) and Jim Pickert from the Monrovia area. I don't believe any of these guys drove the car because the driver was an amputee with one leg who was allowed to run an automatic in the Cal Club, A-Sedan class. I believe it was the following owner who bought the car sometime in 72. The story goes that he raced until 1974 when he died suddenly. Upon his death he had completely stripped the car and revamped it with full Trans Am equipment, including parts that required inside contacts to obtain. He had access to hand-me-down parts from Trans Am cars. He somehow managed to come up with a "Watt's Box" rear locating device, which only appeared elsewhere on the Bud Moore team cars. Also, the Magnesium American Racing wheels on the car were stamped "Team Cougar BM," for the Bud Moore Cougar T/A racers.
So, after reading accounts on this thread from all the corner workers and racers that were at the track during 1972-74, I know somebody saw or knew this guy. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. The green paint does appear lighter in real life. Thanks,
Dave

Bump.........any positive or negative reports on this memorial project for RIR?

Henry

I remember the car, and the reason we let the automatic trans run, but for the life of me I can't remember the guys name. Perhaps you could contact CalClub region of the SCCA, they might have records. I remember a car like this running, but the photo looks more like a Solo 1 type of car, which also ran at RIR quite a bit.

Found this is the bottom of my toolbox the other day.



Damn, I miss that place.

Cheers,
Kurt

I picked up the 1958 movie "Roadracers" in the DVD bargain bin the other day...very enjoyable Riverside racing sequences but the plot, acting and dialogue...not so good.

In the credits at the end the "Cast of cars" lists:
Rob's car - Don Hulette
Greg's car - Eric Hauser
Wilson 110 and Seratti - Akton Miller

Otis Chandler passed away last Monday, February 27th.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ot...l=la-home-local

While he'll always be thought of as a newspaper man, I've always considered him as one of the men who (along with his father Norman) had a direct impact on sports car racing in this country. Through them, the LA Times sponsored the LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside from 1957 to 1987. Their sponsorship of that race allowed for large purses that attracted all the top drivers from around the world.

RIP...

Otis was a good man. I am so sorry that his family's newspaper, sold to the Chicago Tribune, turned into such toilet paper as it is today, losing more than 40% of its upset subscribers. Otis was none too happy about that situation.
Wonder what is going to happen to his museum, if the children will keep it going or dismantle it...

I doubt that anything will ever happen now that it's in "corporate hands."

Here's what our beloved raceway has become:



http://www.stonegateattowngate.com/map.html

I guess that puts "Stonegate" right smack on top of Turn Seven.

Sigh. Even, Sob.