Some of you who’ve been in our merry band of Washington, DC Region SCCA members may recall that our racing activities began not under the aegis of the Washington DC Region, SCCA, but a small group of enthusiasts from the Washington DC area who became infamous for winning just about everywhere they raced in the early 1950s.

Ace Rosner, Dr. Dick Thompson, Bob McKinsey, Bill Kinchloe, Tex Hopkins and several others won with such frequency that Dr. M. R. J. Wylie said of them that they were “egregious pot-hunters” and they supposedly were most ungentlemanly in their winning ways.

About this time a British film starring Alec Guinness was popular. The film told the charming exploits of a small group of down-on-their-luck men who quietly stole many thousands of pounds in gold from a British bank. The film was called “The Lavender Hill Mob” and soon became the adopted name of these enthusiasts who were “stealing” trophies from their competitors on a fairly regular basis.

An important part of this story is in knowing that the members of the Lavender Hill Mob (the racers, not the bank robbers) were some of the earliest members of the Washington DC Region, SCCA. But not all members of the DC Region were Mob members. The Mob was even more restrictive in its membership qualifications than SCCA was at that time. (SCCA used to require, for example, two members in good standing to sponsor a membership candidate. And there were others ways potential new members were vetted!)

As many of you know. The MG-TC almost single-handedly began the sports car craze in the USA after World War II. MGs were the sports car that many of the Lavender Hill Mob cut their racing teeth on. Most of the Lavender Hill Mob were also members of the MG Car Club.

In the Washington DC area we did not have a road racing course and except for the first two SCCA President’s Cup Nationals (the first at Andrews Air Force Base and the second at Hagerstown Municipal Airport) we didn’t have a “street” circuit like Watkins Glen. Our racers did race their cars locally, however. The MG Car Club staged races on the 1/3 mile dirt oval at Marlboro Motor Raceway at least as early as 1953.

Although he would be known later for his many wins in factory-supported Corvettes, Dr. Dick Thompson was a member of the MGCC, the DC Region SCCA and a founding member of the Lavender Hill Mob. He learned to race on that oval at Marlboro. To this day, Dick (who would later be an SCCA National Championin Corvettes; our own Region’s RE; and Chairman of the DC Region, SCCA Competition Board in our Region) claims that the car control he needed with the Corvette was learned in his MG racing on Marlboro’s dirt oval.

The Lavender Hill Mob pined for its own road course, and in late 1954 convinced Marlboro owner Eugene Chaney to pave not only the oval, but to extend a course to and from the oval to make a genuine road racing circuit. To sweeten the pot, each Lavender Hill Mob member pledged $50 each to help with the paving. Interestingly, the contract the Mob drew up with Chaney indicated that the Mob would represent the track’s interest when negotiating with the Washington DC Region, SCCA — a policy that remained in effect until the mid-1960s.

On a weekend in May of 1955, with frequent thundershowers, the Washington DC Region, SCCA and the Mob staged the first Washington DC Region SCCA road races on the newly-paved .7-mile Marlboro course. The Region continued to race there until the end of the 1969 racing season, the same year Summit Point would stage its first sports car races.

Just before the 1957 season at Marlboro, Chaney saw the immense popularity of sports car racing and filled the full 28-acre site with another mile of road course to extend Marlboro to 1.7 miles with eleven turns. It would easily have fit within the perimeter of the current Summit Point main course.

One of the reasons Chaney expanded was because SCCA National told Chaney and the Region that a .7-mile course was not suitable for SCCA National competition. Once the course stretched to 1.7 miles, the Region was able to host its own first National race in 1957. (That’s not a contradiction from what was stated above. The first two President’s Cup Nationals were organized by SCCA National and manned locally by our Region.)
But that 1957 SCCA National was not the first National sports car race to be staged at Marlboro.

Despite the rather modest, but nonetheless challenging, .7-mile Marlboro course, in October 1955, the MG Car Club staged its first ever National race at Marlboro, two years before the DC Region would stage its first National. Appropriately, this MG National made national news with a lengthy article by second-place main event driver David Ash, in Sports Cars Illustrated.

The weekend’s main event was won by the late Duncan Black (of Black & Decker fame) from Parkton, Md., driving his Lester-MG. Black would later be an SCCA National Champion in years to come in two classes, EP with an A.C. Bristol and CP in his Daimler SP250. Third was Dr. Dick Thompson.

Many other Washington DC Region, SCCA drivers raced that weekend, among them Steve Spitler (who would, a few years later, tragically, be the first of two sports car drivers to lose their lives at Marlboro when he rolled his D-Jaguar); Spitler’s mother, (!) Rebecca Spitler; Dick Nash; Pinky Windridge; Foxy Carter; Frank Baptista (later known for many race wins in various Elva sports-racers); Art Tweedale, a Lola sports-racing stalwart and frequent winner, and “Cappy” Cappiello. Cappy would have a turn named after him — apparently because he lost it so often in what would become “Cappy’s Corner” — after Marlboro’s course was extended to its final 1.7 mile configuration.

The entry fee for the MG Car Club National was a whopping $10, with a $5 late registration fee. A “Victory Dinner” at Andrews Air Force base would close the weekend at $2 per person, but participants were advised: “gentlemen will wear coats.”

Take a few moments to view the photos with this article as well as the “supplemental regs” and other memorabilia like the tech inspection form included here.

Author’s note: Many, many thanks to Michael Eaton who shared this information and photos with us. Michael is the proud owner of a very historic MGA TwinCam. I am also indebted to Stan Smilow, who appears driving the “Motto MG” (the white car number 103) for his photos of that 1955 National.

Throughout its existence, the heart of Marlboro was a 1/3 mile oval. Here, the MGCC is gridding the cars on the “unused” portion of the oval. Once the race started, this portion of the oval was not used.

Here is the start of the main event. On the outside is Duncan Black in his Lester-MG #4. He is flanked on the inside by Stan Smilow in his Motto-MG #103. Notice the covered grandstands in the background.

Here, Stan Smilow has come off the oval and entered the road course proper. This led to tight Esses and ultimately a hairpin turn. The entire course was only .7 mile! “Motto” refers to the Italian coachbuilder, Motto. Motto bodied this MG and also styled early Ferrari roadsters.

These are the supplementary regulations for the MG National. The rules were fairly simple, and the entry fees are certainly worth noting!

This is a good diagram of the DC Region’s “home track” in 1955. In this configuration it was less than a mile long, but would ultimately have another mile added to it in 1957 — and all within 28 acres! The course is still there, although quite overgrown, across U.S. 301 from the old Upper Marlboro horse racing track in Prince George’s county.

Very basic, this is the 1955 tech inspection sheet for Stan Smilow’s Motto-MG. The car raced as an “F-Modified” car that weekend, since the rebodied MG was hardly a regular “production” MG.

No fancy credentials here, just a basic luggage tag served as the official Pit Pass for the weekend.

Earlier this month, Jackie Cooper, 88, passed away. He was one of the “Little Rascals” and in 1978 played newspaper editor Perry White in the film “Superman.” The child actor also appeared often on television in the 1950s and early 1960s.

But did you know that Jackie Cooper was a regular racer in early Washington D.C. Region, SCCA races? Cooper usually raced Austin-Healeys (100-4, 100-6). He ran in the 1955 President’s Cup Nationals at the Hagerstown airport course, and was a fixture in the early days racing at our first “home track” Marlboro Motor Raceway in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Regrettably, our archives do not indicate whether he was a member of the region or not, but we was, nevertheless, a regular competitor in our early races.

(Editor’s Note: This appeared in the SoloMatters, the official newsletter of The TireRack SCCA Solo Series. To receive SoloMatters please email solomatters@scca.com.)

A decade ago, Stock Class was hands down the most vibrant category in our sport.  The norm was double-digit fields in multiple classes at National Tour and ProSolos and many classes posting 50 plus car fields at the National Championship event.  In fact, from 2003 to 2008 at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals, the combined open and ladies Stock Class entry made up roughly 36 percent of the total event.  The high over that time period was in 2008, at 37.98%.  Since then, however, the numbers for Stock Classes have been in a steady decline, dropping to 30 percent in 2009 and fell again to 28 percent in 2010.  This trend has come at a time where Super Stock has seen significant growth, going from 14 percent of the total Stock Category in 2003 to 28 percent in 2010.  That leaves the remainder of the Category, which was 32 percent of Nationals in 2003, making up just 21 percent of the 2010 event.

To gain some perspective on the issue, I approached three drivers who have helped shape the sport of autocross over the last 20 years, Bob Tunnell, GH Sharp and John Rogers.  Bob Tunnell, the 2002 Driver of Eminence and 2007 Solo Cup recipient, is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport.  Along with wife Patty, they hold 18 Solo National Championships, many coming in the iconic 1995 BMW M3 that has won in every Category and now resides in E-Modified.  GH Sharp, a National Champion in his own right, served eight years on the Solo Events Board with a two-year term as the board’s chair.  During that time, Sharp established himself as a near universally accepted voice of reason within the Solo community.  While those two names are virtual household names in the world of autocross, it is likely that the third name has had the greatest impact on the sport.  You may know him better as “Woody” Rogers, of the Tire Rack.  As a national level competitor, John has enjoyed a 20-year Stock Class career that began with a 1988 CRX Si and one of the earliest R-compound tires to hit our sport, built by Yokohama.

To understand the current state of the Stock Category one needs to have an understanding of the evolution of the R-Compound tire.  For many the heyday of Stock Class competition was the early to mid nineties when the BFGoodrich R1 was the tire to have.  The R1 was reasonably priced, wore at an acceptable rate and, unlike previous R-Compounds, had otherworldly grip.  Eventually, BFGoodrich replaced the R1 with the G-Force, which never really amounted to a serious autocross tire and was quickly over taken by the Kumho Victoracer.  The Victoracer was similar to the R1 but was eventually out paced by Kumho’s new tire, the Escta 700 and offerings from Hoosier.  Hoosier was developing their own autocross specific compounds, and was the first manufacturer to produce a virtual slick with just a ghost tread pattern for the sake of appearances, but they had not yet reached the current dominance they enjoy today.  In Rogers’ opinion, the game changed in the early 2000’s when Kumho introduced the 710.  The 710 was another “virtual slick” that provided ultimate performance and reasonable wear. Hoosier was quick to respond with a new tire of their own and from there the guys in purple have never looked back.

To put the affordability of the R1 in perspective, in 2000, Bridgestone’s high performance street tire, the 225/45R17 RE-71 sold for $146 a tire.  Currently, it’s descendent; the RE-760 Sport has actually dropped the price to $137 a tire.  According to Rogers, this is due in part to the performance tire segment’s strong growth over that time.  In contrast, the BFGoodrich R1, in a 205/50-R15 sold for $128 dollars.  Currently, the same size tire from Hoosier lists on the Tire Rack site at $221.

Using 205/50R15 as a reference, here is some historical pricing for perspective:

Or 275/40R17

Many are quick to vilify Hoosier for their pricing.  Rogers however, points to the factors that drive the current cost of tires, most notably, the variety of applications, sizes and compounds.  The cost to build a single tire mold in a single size is around $40,000.  In the 90’s, BFGoodrich could get by with just a few molds and less diversity of materials as road racing and autocross used the same compounds.  Only about 25 sizes, ranging in diameter from 13” to 17”, were needed.  Rain tires were simply full tread dry tires.  Today, Hoosier makes tires in 40 different sizes ranging from 13” to 19” in diameter, separate compounds for autocross and road racing and a separate line of wet condition tires.  Part of this fracture is due to higher demands for performance, but the variety of vehicles and wheel sizes currently competing is as big, if not a bigger factor.   The end result is far fewer tires sold per size, driving production cost per tire up significantly.

Another factor at work is Hoosier’s position in the market.  Hoosier is a large race tire manufacturer, but remains small in comparison to most road tire manufacturers. To quantify their economies of scale, Hoosiers A6 annual tire production is on par with what a traditional consumer grade tire manufacturing plant produces in a few days.  While these larger companies have the option to view their motorsports programs as part of a marketing strategy and thus have an incentive to sell tires at or below cost, Hoosier’s entire business is motorsports.  The fact is, to stay in business Hoosier must make money racing and to do that they must make the best tire on the market.

It was, however, those larger manufactures, powered by marketing dollars, which created the climate of the late 80’s and early 90’s.  Companies like Yokohama and BFGoodrich became fixtures in the sport with on site tire support, big-rig trucks, generous contracts and lots and lots of contingency dollars.  These dollars were often matched, if not exceeded by automotive manufactures like Chrysler and more recently Mini. Tunnell recalled a particular ProSolo weekend in the early 90’s where he and Patty drove their Jetta to Montana and returned home with just short of $4000 in winnings.  According to Sharp, it was this kind of potential that fueled the success of the Neons in the mid nineties, contributing to the general health of the category at that time.  If it is not self evident that those numbers were driven by contingency dollars, the mass exodus when Chrysler pulled their program clearly shows that it was not the sporty appeal of the Neon that motivated Soloist.

For Rogers, contingency was a secondary motivator.  The money was the gravy on top of the satisfaction of a solid drive.  Sharp and Tunnell, on the other hand, point to contingency as a key motivator.  For the top drivers it was a huge part of the annual racing budget, offsetting if not eclipsing racing expenses.  Thanks to contingency dollars and tire contracts, Tunnell was actually able to autocross in the black for 3 consecutive seasons.  For less successful drivers, contingency was the promise that, should they do their best, there would be a reward.  This not only drove participation, but it also contributed to a culture where there was a premium value set on having a Stock Class package that could win.  If you did not, and you drove well, the perception was that your equipment was effectively costing you money. Today, contingency is still paid by many of the sports sponsors, however the earning potential has been far reduced from its height.

In light of the drop in contingency money and the rise in tire cost, shocks have become the insult to the Stock Class injury. Sharp, who was also the ‘S’ in SF Motorsports, a preeminent Koni dealer in the 1990s has a unique perspective on the the issue.  According to Sharp, in the era of the R1 shocks were also a similarly simple game.  The top of the line in those days was the Double Adjustable Koni Sport, or DAs as it has come to be known.  The DA Konis were based on a single adjustable street application, rebuilt to add compression adjustment.  Typically the cost of these shocks ranged from $1500 to $2000 depending on fitment and who did the DA conversion.  Since then, the sport has seen an influx of high dollar, sophisticated race-bred shocks from companies like Moton and Penske as well as Koni.  This new breed of shock brings remote reservoirs, finer adjustment and price tags ranging from $5000 to as much as $7000 for a set.  However, according to both Tunnell and Sharp, despite the perception, these shocks many not be the be-all-end-all of stock class performance.

In September of 2003 an article appeared in Grassroots Motorsports in which Tunnell tested a number of shock options on a competitive D-Stock BMW 330.  The test compared the Koni Sport and DA built by TC Kline to the more expensive Moton.  When the results came in, it was found that the Moton was only marginally quicker than the Koni Sport, and actually a tick off the pace of the TC Kline DAs.  What was more remarkable is that all of the aftermarket offerings were only marginally quicker than the original equipment shocks on the car. Sharp added that there have been several real world examples of drivers doing exceedingly well on stock shocks.  Most recently, Greg Hahn’s win in 2008, taking the B-Stock National Championship in a S2000 CR on stock shocks.

Tunnell, Sharp and Rogers all agree that the current shock rule is not the Stock Class problem, rather it is the perception that needs a review. Sharp added, “in Solo, and particularly in Stock, it’s usually the driver who figures out the course a little quicker, and who makes the fewest mistakes, who wins on a given day.  And he may be doing it with a car that’s not set up as well as the one you or I are driving.  It’s just human nature for our ego to regularly get in the way of making that leap of logic.”

Despite the agreement on shocks, the three do see different reasons for the shrinking Stock Class numbers.  For Rogers, who has recently transitioned to Street Touring R, it was the ultimate cost of Stock Class that pushed him away.  Prior to STR, Rogers campaigned a Stock Class RX-8.  While the operating cost of the RX-8 was significant, it was the cost of keeping up with an ever evolving ‘car to have’ mentality that really drove the cost. On the other hand, Tunnell sees the success of ST as a direct contributor, noting that this was the first rule set that the sport has developed specifically as a reaction to what potential new autocrossers would most be interested in.  It only speaks to the success of that attempt that many of the current new generation have skipped Stock to compete in ST.

Sharp, however takes a broader view citing the relative cost of competition and the ever-increasing gap between the Stock Class haves and have-nots.  The reality is, as our national economy has struggled, the cost of autocross in general has increased, while the number of people who can compete at the top level has decreased.  By virtue of this, many of those who are still able to compete are able to compete on a grander scale.  This drives a perception that to be competitive, you need to have the best shocks, the top car and you may even need to trailer the car to events.  All of these factors lead to a possibly false perception that it takes a lot of money to compete in Stock Class.  Sharp is quick to warn, “Racing will always be expensive.”  The question is, how expensive does it really have to be?

In looking for potential solutions, one place of disagreement is the direction of the Stock Class tire allowance.  While both Tunnell and Sharp admit to personal preferences and prejudice, they both believe that R-Compounds belong in all Stock Classes, both citing reasons that revolve around cost.  For Sharp the issue is venturing into the unknown. Right now, the only way anyone can outspend you is by having a fresher set of stickies. The cost to match that fresh set is a known, fixed cost. However, if street tires were introduced, then the testing factor would kick in.  Drivers with the resources to test and find the silver bullet would have a real advantage over those who could not afford to do so.  Tunnell’s concern is that the most dedicated competitors will still spend the money to have the very best and freshest tires at all times.  As a result, the only reduction in cost would be in the price per tire which, as the demand for more specific tires increases, would continue to drive up the cost, effectively returning us to our present state.

Rogers sees another option.  With the caveat that Super Stock is a class for super cars and thus should have access to super tires, he sees a place for street tires in the remainder of the Stock Category.  Aside from the immediate potential cost benefits of lower cost tires, Rogers likes the idea of the reshuffle it would create.  Much like a rain condition, the reduction in grip category-wide would likely make room for more diversity at the top of each class.  It may also reduce the need for the ultra rare package cars.  Rogers points to the MX-5 as an example. The MX-5 has proven to be an autocross favorite since it debuted 20 years ago, and responded well to bolting on sticky tires.  However, the 3^rd generation NC Miata handled well with its OEM performance summer tires, but once the car was shod with R-Comps, the car became harder to drive, less balanced and for lack of a better term, unhappy.  The fix was the MSR package, which stiffened the car, giving it the ability to maximize the higher grip tires.  The other notable change, according to Rogers, is a possible reduction in the effectiveness of the high dollar shocks when paired with stock springs and lower grip tires.  Rogers, who test street tires on stock suspension cars on a weekly basis, is also quick to debunk the notion that street tires would make stock class less fun.  It would change the fun, but he feels strongly that the challenge of managing grip is as big a thrill as the ultimate grip of R-Compounds.

Each of these three competitors represent a different take on the stock class concept, and this factor alone may play as big a role in the stock class decline as any other.  Sharp’s attraction to Stock Class is to the idea of a level playing field.  For Tunnell, however, stock class is about the opportunity to innovate, to prove the notion of ‘the car to have’ wrong.  This dichotomy between the philosophies of Sharp and Tunnell is where drivers like Rogers can easily get caught out.  While the Sharps of the world are seeking parity and the Tunnells are looking to break new ground, Rogers represents the vast majority of Stock class competitors that are looking for an affordable way to be competitive and have fun.

Tunnell points out a meaningful division in National level competitors, drawing a distinction between the ‘vast majority’ and the minority that will do whatever it takes to win.  Those who will do whatever it takes will ruthlessly look for advantages whenever and wherever possible.  This mentality can be as simple as a fresh set of tires at each top-level event.  However, as the innovators of the sport push to find new ways to achieve, they effectively conspire with the ‘do whatever it takes’ minority to create a climate of rapid change.  Simply, once beaten by a different model, ‘doing whatever it takes to win’ dictates that a car change is required for success.   This ‘car to have’ shift breeds a perception that drivers such as Sharp and Rogers have to follow suit or become uncompetitive.  For those willing to do whatever it takes, this has become an accepted part of the game.

What is unclear is whether it is the ‘car to have’ that is the actual root of Stock Class success, or if it is the ‘whatever it takes to win’ attitude that determines order.  In reality, as long as the two are linked, the perception in Stock Class will remain that there is a singular, yet ever changing package to have. The end result is that each time the establishment is successfully challenged, the boat gets rocked and, if Rogers’ cost driven exit from Stock is any evidence, people fall off.

It is notable that all three, Tunnell, Sharp and Rogers are on hiatus from Stock Class at this time.  As mentioned, Rogers has recently moved to a temporary home in STR thanks to a joint project between Grassroots Motorsports and The Tire Rack.  Nonetheless, Rogers thinks his stock class days are behind him.  He enjoys the challenge of executing on street tires and despite being employed by a tire retailer, does not miss the cost of R-Compounds. Sharp has been away from the sport for a few years now but is looking for a path back in to Stock Class, most likely borrowing seat time from friends in the familiar and formidable Mini.  For Tunnell it has been a quest to claim a title in each Category that has taken him from Stock.  A quest he fears will end on Jeff Kiesel’s doorstep.  With a greater budget, Tunnell would like to stay in a Modified Class, but since other priorities have taken hold he too is contemplating a return to Stock.  The most likely formula; a BMW 1 Series M Coupe on Hoosier Tires, a front bar, an aftermarket exhaust and a set of Double Adjustable Konis.

The motorsports world has its share of urban legends. In our corner of the world, they may range from the stories of a certain formula car racer flying a private plane under the bridge between Turns 9 and 10 at Summit Point to astronomical straightaway top speeds recorded there at pro events. No doubt, you’ve heard others. For some of us in the region who go back to the days before Summit Point, there are some real whoppers about Summit Point’s early days.

If there’s any truth to the adage that a “picture is worth a thousand words,” then I’m confident you will enjoy this visual story. Through the kindness of former WDCR member Bob Hines, we now have some photos of Summit Point before its original paving. Perhaps these photos will dispel some of the stories of Summit Point’s genesis.

Bob explained that these pictures were taken during a tour of the facility by the region’s “New Track Committee,” Dave Meleney, Jerry Wolfson, Tom and Jean Balzer, Dave Roethel and others. Since the track’s first auto race was the October 1969 Vee Prix, it’s safe to assume these shots were taken months before that inaugural event. Bob could not recall the exact date of this tour.

Built on what was once the Kercheval dairy farm, Summit Point was originally supposed to have been 2.5 miles, but the rock outcroppings dictated a change of plan, and some of the original 1.8 mile course wended its way through a path of least resistance — drastically reducing the expense of unanticipated blasting and excavation.

The course was largely as we know it today, but without the carousel area. Turn 5 was more of an “esses” than a tight left. You would jog left then jog right, taking you to what we know now as turns seven and eight. On the outside of many turns were enormous grey boulders. Spectating was permitted the length of the main straight across from the Start/Finish line and on the outside of Turn 1.  By 1973 spectating on the outside of Turn 1 ended. Good thing, too!

Summit Point’s barn and silo were planned to have a unique distinction. Pat Goodman, one of the track’s founding trio, had plans to turn what had been the dairy milking area into what would be the “world’s longest bar.” Goodman had checked with the folks at the Guiness Book of World Records and verified that, upon its completion, thirsty racers could hoist a brewski or two at the track’s bar. Alas, this did not come to be. For a few seasons, anyway, it did serve as the SCCA registration area.

If you looked closely at some of the corner workers and flaggers at some of the early Summit Point summer race weekends, you’d see them carrying revolvers or pistols. This was not to discipline wayward drivers, but to defend the workers from the numerous copperheads and rattlesnakes trying to warm themselves in the sun.

Route 13 from Charles Town wasn’t always the slinky, smooth asphalt that it is today. In Summit Point’s early years, the road was not only more narrow, but what are now gentle rises and drops in the undulating road were sharp brows that could send you gloriously airborne. I recall quite vividly trying to follow a BSA-mounted rider on his way to the track. The jumps he’d make on Summit Point Road made Supercross look tame by comparison.

There are more stories worth sharing about Summit Point’s early days, and we will share more of them in these online pages. For now, let’s get a look at what would be our “home” track.

This first shot is labeled “the middle of turn three.” It’s easy to see the slight rise here, and the downhill towards turn four is just beyond the horizon. In this shot and others, check out how dense the brush and trees are.

Taken from where the Start/Finish line would be, here’s a view on the main straight heading toward Turn 1. For those of us used to the impossibly tight Marlboro Motor Speedway, Summit Point’s 3,000-foot straight must have seemed like the Bonneville Salt Flats.

This structure is not part of a Halloween Haunted House, but the building that would serve as the original control tower and announcing area. A third floor would eventually be added, and for many years, the first floor served as the emergency medical center, AKA, “quack shack.”

Here’s another view of what would be the control tower near Start/Finish. The darker area on the first floor would become the medical center. And before you envision advanced MRI machines, sterile walls and the atmosphere of antiseptics, picture instead four old plaster walls, one ceiling light and what remained of a very modest narrow bed (well, OK, just an ancient bare mattress thrown on an equally ancient set of bed springs), and you’ve got it. It was not exactly the Mayo Clinic.

Labeled “Turn 8” the huge water puddle portends what would be a recurring issue at Summit Point. Anyone remember the paddock in the middle 1970s when the water was waist deep? Or how about the 1987 IMSA GTO/GTU event where people on the outside of Turn 7 had water up to their belly-buttons?

This shot is taken in Turn 10 opening onto the main straight. Whatever happened to all the trees that were on drivers’ right?

Appearing very different from today is this view of Turn 6 or the ‘loop’. In the background is the barn where the “world’s longest bar” was to have been.

This jungle-like scene is “turn station nine before the bridge!”

Here’s the dirt road that would become Turn 3.

For several years, this little white house served as the track offices and occasionally registration. In 1970, the room in the foreground served as the press area for the SCCA National.

“A few enthusiasts attended several informal meetings and decided to push the idea of an autocross timing club,” wrote Don Riggs in the article.  “At one of these early meetings, the name Autocrossers, Inc was selected.  It shows that the group is not a general enthusiasts club; autocrossing is our thing.”

Step into the time machine and check out the original article:

The cover from that issue:

That year was another President Cup race, and it, too, was a major national event and attracted a huge crowd, movies stars, and broke a record for the Sports Car Club of America. This wasn’t on the Potomac, but it was close to the nation’s capital. Just a brief drive from South Capitol Street you’ll find Andrews Air Force Base. Andrews’ runways were the setting. And they weren’t racing hydroplanes, they were racing sports cars.

General Curtis E. LeMay, chief of the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command, was a racing enthusiast and a member of the Washington DC Region, SCCA. Not long before this particular President’s Cup, LeMay wanted to spur public support for the Air Force. Seemingly in contradiction to his edict that Air Force bases remain ready at a moment’s notice to defend our country, LeMay facilitated the use of various air bases around the country for sports car racing. Racing was migrating from actual roads, particularly after fatalities at Watkins Glen and elsewhere. Airport courses were a convenient choice: there would be no trees or streetlights to hit; crowd control would be relatively easy, and the racing surface, almost by definition, smooth.

In 1954 the U. S. Air Force, the SCCA’s D.C. Region, and SCCA “National” hosted the “National Capital Sports Car Races” decades before the Cadillac-sponsored American LeMans Series event held at the RFK Stadium parking lot. According to the official program, the entry list was large enough to “…break all previous SCCA records.” While that might sound impressive, it was “only” 142 entries; too small for our Region to break even on a typical MARRS race in 2009. But it was 1954, and sports car racing was still new and still quite a novelty.
The entry list included some of the biggest names in US sports car racing at the time: Briggs Cunningham driving an OSCA; Phil Walters (a.k.a. “Ted Tappet”) in a Cunningham-entered Ferrari; Bill Spear, Jim Kimberly (of Kimberly-Clark “Kleenex” fame), Bill Lloyd and Masten Gregory also piloting Ferraris; Bob Holbert driving not a Porsche, but an MG; M.R.J. “Doc” Wyllie in a Jaguar; our “own” Dr. Dick Thompson in a Porsche; Fred Wacker in a Cad-Allard; Loyal Katskee in a Jaguar; and our own Region’s Duncan Black (of Black & Decker fame) in his Lester MG; Jack Pry in a Jag XK-120; Lavender Hill Mob founder Bob McKinsey; Frank Baptista; Paul Norair, Dick Nash; “Tex Hopkins” and many others.
Who wouldn’t have wanted to race in this event?

The Master of Ceremonies was TV star Dave Garroway, the original host of NBC’s “Today” show, and guest of honor was Bob Hope! Jackie Cooper and Dale Robertson rounded out a cadre of TV/movie stars that weekend.

Although SCCA National supplied the chief steward and other officials, our region’s members officiated as well. The chief tech inspector was George Strathers while Dr. Richard Thompson Sr. was assistant. Dr. Dick Thompson Jr. not only raced, but also served as the course marshal.
Bob McKinsey served as race secretary, while Air Force officer John G. Fowler was the Race Chairman, with Bill Kinchloe his assistant. Strathers, Dick Thompson Jr., McKinsey, Kinchloe and Fowler all served the region as officials, racers and board members and in countless other capacities over the next several years.

The nine-turn airport course must have been fast. It used the major runways of the busy Andrews base and was a whopping 4.3 miles long. The course was primarily angular turns, but there was a chicane of sorts and a fast bend.
The main straight was 5,700 feet long. That’s over a mile. Imagine the Crosleys, Bandidnis, Giaurs and other small-bore production cars with that kind of straight!

At the other end of the spectrum were the Ferrari 375MMs of competitors Jim Kimberly and Bill Spear. These 4.5 liter V-12 monsters inhaled through three four-barrel Weber carburetorss, and the roadsters were light and spartan.
The Washington Star’s reporter, Dick Slay, covered the historic race with nearly an entire page. (He would continue to cover racing for the Star well into the 1960s, and was an honorary judge at the DC Region’s Gunston Hall Concours d’Elegance I chaired.) His story angle was Spear’s repeated breakdowns at three prior SCCA Nationals and his lone second at another behind Jim Kimberly. Kimberly enjoyed six straight national wins before Andrews.

For whatever reason, at the President’s Cup, Spear’s Ferrari held together and he grabbed the win for the 300-mile main event. Slay related that a “man from the Italian embassy” at the race told Spear: “…his people liked to see their Italian cars driven that way.” Early “tifosi?” It was truly an Italian day at Andrews: Second place was Bill Lloyd in a Ferrari and Briggs Cunningham, driving an OSCA, took third.
In the first of the day’s 10-lap supporting races, the DC Region’s Bill Kinchloe, also an Air Force officer stationed at the Pentagon, took top honors in his Austin-Healey, leading from start to finish. Dr. Dick Thompson garnered second in his Porsche and another DC Region racer, Roland McConkey, nabbed third in his Triumph TR-2.

Our celebrated “Flying Dentist” took second in the next event, once again, in his Porsche. Slay speculated that Dick might have done better but was driving with an injured foot ― an injury he sustained working with his riding lawnmower.

Another local podium finish was Bethesda hairdresser Charlie Wallace in his Jaguar XK-120 in event four, over an onslaught of similar Jags. Dick Thompson again did the Region proud in race five (all MGs). He took second in an MG-TD.

The weekend’s racing went off safely. Slay reported that there were no accidents, just the occasional spin out.
Ironically, heat was a bit of a problem for drivers and fans. Despite the early May date (May 1 and 2), course emergency personnel were busy relieving those suffering from heat prostration. Porsches, according to Slay’s report, were particularly “prone to overheating, as their engines were air-cooled.”

Slay’s article also noted the first two spectators through the gate on that big day: Johnny Moore, 16, of Alexandria, and his friend Michael Ramsey, also 16. The duo carried on Johnny’s racing hobby. Johnny was the winner of the previous year’s Soap Box Derby in the metropolitan area, and finished 10th at the National Finals in Akron, Ohio. The two drove to the race in Johnny’s station wagon and slept in the car the night before. You’ll be pleased to know that the two had Cokes and sandwiches for breakfast.

The National Capital Sports Car Races attracted over 60,000 fans on that sunny spring May day; enjoying temperatures in the high 80s. In addition to the racing, they also enjoyed celebrity entertainment, the Air Force Band, and performing units. Local area police must have had their hands full, as race-related traffic backups stretched all the way to South Capitol Street and as far in the other direction ― both before and after the event. Mind, there was no Capital Beltway in 1954.

The next day, winner Bill Spear accepted the President’s Cup trophy from president Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House.
While Andrews didn’t repeat the President’s Cup, the Washington DC Region awarded the trophy at many subsequent Marlboro and VIR Nationals. Eventually the President’s Cup appeared at the SCCA’s Runoffs.

Driving near Andrews on the Beltway today does not usually inspire images of brave drivers and exotic sports cars, crowds and race engine noise. It’s hard to grasp the image of one of the largest sports car race weekends in the country occurring in our own back yard. Andrews is still there, but the President’s Cup races are a distant memory.

Even the sports cars themselves are beginning to fade from memory. At the 1954 President’s Cup, though, you could find the paddock full of sports car with names like Frazer-Nash, Siata, Kurtis-Kraft, Allard, Crosley, OSCA, Bandini, Cisitialia, PBX, Cunningham, Kieft-Bristol, Singer, and Nardi. Even the race program featured ads for the Kaiser-Darrin 161, “America’s newest and finest sports car,” not to mention other domestics that have disappeared: “Wonderful things keep coming your way ― Chrysler Corporation — Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler, Imperial — Drive them! Price them! The smartest buys of all!”

(Author’s note: A special thank to Arnold Landvoigt who kindly loaned me his original 1954 program and the May 3, 1954, news clippings of the President’s Cup from the Washington Star.)

SIDEBAR

The Ferrari 375MM that won the 1954 President’s Cup raced in the Washington DC Region for a number of years. Dr. George Burke was the last person to race this car in a genuine competition setting. Burke would compete in the C Modified class of SCCA National racing, a class that would evolve into the more modern A Sports Racing.

The picture seen here is shot I took of Burke racing the Ferrari during an SCCA National at Marlboro Motor Speedway in 1965. He’s accelerating out of Cappy’s Corner toward the Oval. The car was hopelessly outclassed by the more modern precursors to the CanAm, the McLarens and Lolas.

It’s hard to say how long Burke would have continued to race the venerable Ferrari if he had not been involved in an accident at Marlboro.
It was not unusual in those days to run Formula cars with Modified. A Formula Junior driver came to grief on the oval and somehow managed to wedge his car into the guardrail on the outside of the Oval’s “backstraight.” The driver was not injured.
Whether it was a result of being directly behind the Formula Junior or the race traffic melee the Formula Junior incident precipitated, Burke ended up driving the Ferrari on top of the Formula Junior and its still-trapped driver. This would certainly have been cause for alarm. Burke apparently got out of the car immediately and went to the aid of the helpless Formula Junior driver. But both the Formula Junior driver and Burke were terrified to see that the Ferrari’s bumper mounting bracket — a scythe-like sheet of metal — was less than inches from the Formula driver’s throat. Burke made the decision to never race again.

The Ferrari was not damaged seriously in that accident and has been subsequently restored (although not by Burke).

We need your help! If you’re thinking about joining us for the 2010 Marlboro Reunion at the Jefferson 500, PLEASE register now! We’re trying to make sure we’re prepared for the dinner, Friday, April 30th at 6:00pm. To make sure we can accommodate everyone we really need to hear from you now as opposed to later.

The fee is $50 per person. Make the check payable to “Steve Lloyd” and mail to:

Bob Houston

Workers at the VRG Jefferson 500 may attend the Friday night Marlboro Reunion dinner for $30 per person. Pre-registration by April 15th is necessary; it is NOT handled by VRG.

Thanks for getting your registration in early!

Steve

Hello Marlboro Veterans and Fans!

Just a reminder that our 2010 Marlboro Reunion is coming up with the VRG Jefferson 500 at Summit Point on April 29, 30 and May 1 and 2. Our Marlboro Reunion is schedule for an earlier time on Friday, April 29th. It will be at 6:00 p.m., after the last on-track session.

Once again, we are encouraging any of you who own a car that actually raced at Marlboro to show it off at the Reunion. We will have exhibition laps Friday for this purpose, as we did last year. One big difference is that we’ve staked out a prime paddock spot for all genuine Marlboro veterans cars (between the paddock restrooms and the “Tin Shed.”) You’ll be in the middle of all the action and everyone will have a chance to see these true veterans.

In addition to the dinner Friday, we’re planning on “story telling” sessions somewhat like those held at VIR for their 50th anniversary. The only major difference is that we welcome anyone with memories of Marlboro to participate and swap stories, anecdotes, and lies. This will be very informal, and everyone is invited to join us for some tales you won’t believe.

The registration fee this year is $50 per person for the weekend admission (Thursday through Sunday) as well as the dinner on Friday. When you arrive at the track, just go to registration and you can pick up your weekend credentials. Please be sure to give us the names of each person attending, as we will provide Registration with that list. If you are a worker at this event, we do have a dinner rate for you.

Our dinner speaker for this year will be international rallyist and endurance racing star Vic Elford.

To register, please send your check and the names of the parties attending to:
Bob Houston

Please make the check payable to: “Steve Lloyd.” PLEASE NOTE: One big difference between last year’s Reunion and this one is that we’re not getting anything in the way of financial support. We are going to be totally self-funding with this Reunion. So that we can properly plan the dinner with our caterer and be certain we will be able to cover that expense and others, getting your registration in as soon as possible would be most helpful. If you think you are coming to the Reunion, PLEASE get your registration in to us as soon as possible. Thanks for helping us make the Reunion possible for you!

If you know of anyone who’d be interested in this event, please spread the word. We are contacting most of you via e-mail, but not everyone uses e-mail, so we don’t want to miss anyone.

Steve

Steve Lloyd, Historian
Washington DC Region, SCCA