Paramount Ranch Racetrack (sometimes called Paramount Ranch Raceway) was a motorsports racetrack located at
Paramount Ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The fir ...
in the
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...
in
Agoura Hills
Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to
20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the S ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. 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.
Background
In 1956, the owner of Paramount Ranch decided to build a road-racing facility. He approached
Ken Miles
Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles (1 November 1918 – 17 August 1966) was a British-American sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his motorsport career in the US and with American teams on the international scene. He is an induct ...
and Dick Van Laanen to design the road course. They designed a paved road course nearly miles in length. The road course included 11 turns with uphill and downhill sections, a straightaway just shy of mile, a bridge and underpass as well as a lake opposite the start/finish line.
Bob Bondurant
Robert L. Bondurant (April 27, 1933 – November 12, 2021) was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. Bondurant was one of the most famous drivers to emerge from the Southern California road rac ...
described the course as “unforgiving but a real challenge”.
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
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapol ...
(USAC).
August 18–19, 1956 (CSCC)
November 4, 1956 (USAC)
USAC National Championship Stock Car Road Race. 32 cars entered the race with
Sam Hanks
Samuel Dwight "Sam" Hanks (July 13, 1914 – June 27, 1994) was an American race car driver who won the 1957 Indianapolis 500. He was a barnstormer, and raced midget and Championship cars.
Racing career
Hanks was born in Columbus, Ohio and l ...
winning the race in 3 hours and 36 minutes while driving his red and white 1956
Mercury finishing ahead of
Johnny Mantz
Johnny Mantz (September 18, 1918 – October 25, 1972)[< ...]
.
November 17–18, 1956 (CSCC)
March 9–10, 1957 (CSCC)
April 28, 1957 (USAC)
USAC National Championship Stock Car race was won by
Troy Ruttman
Troy Ruttman (born March 11, 1930 – May 19, 1997) was an American race car driver. He was the older brother of Jimmy Ruttman, and NASCAR driver Joe Ruttman.
Ruttman won the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, at the age of 22 years and 80 days. , he is ...
driving a 1957
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
. Ruttman finished 41 seconds ahead of Sam Hanks, followed closely behind by
Jimmy Reece
Jimmy Reece (November 17, 1929 – September 28, 1958) was an American racecar driver. He died in an accident during a 1958 Champ Car race at Trenton Speedway.
Indianapolis 500 results
World Championship career summary
The Indianap ...
.
June 15–16, 1957 (CSCC)
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.
December 7–8, 1957 (CSCC)
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
The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. It was Jaguar's first sports car since SS 100 production ended in 1939.
The XK120 is a highly desirable model. In 2016, Bonhams sold a matching numbers left-hand- ...
. 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
Frazer Nash was a brand of British sports car manufactured from 1922 first by Frazer Nash Limited founded by engineer Archibald Frazer-Nash. On its financial collapse in 1927 a new company, AFN Limited, was incorporated. Control of AFN passed t ...
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
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.
Today
The
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
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.
In November 2018, Paramount Ranch suffered near-total destruction during the
Woolsey Fire
The Woolsey Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018, and burned of land. The fire destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people, and prompted th ...
.
Film and television
Paramount Ranch Racetrack has been featured in several movies filmed in the 1950s and 1960s; most notably
Devil’s Hairpin and
Spinout.
It was also featured in television shows over the next decade, including
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
"The Case of the Runaway Racer" (1965).
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
National Park Service - Paramount Ranch
{{USAC Stock Car racetracks
Motorsport venues in California
Defunct motorsport venues in the United States
Defunct sports venues in California
1956 establishments in California
1957 disestablishments in California
Sports venues completed in 1956