OCIR - October 30, 1983

[Stephan S]

... this is the date OCIR went out of business. That's 25 years ago.
Here is a cool link: http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8316&Itemid=6

[speedwell]

he had a last drag race at ocir like the one at lions

[Rennsurfer]

Yep... I was there, that night. Still have a t-shirt, a O.C.I.R. license plate frame, and a few O.C.I.R. stickers that I bought from them, right before I sadly left.

We all drove our own cars. When they finally kicked us out... we all ventured to the vast grassy field, where we parked. Nothing was said prior to getting in our cars. Soon as we warmed up the engines for a short while, our group thought it was more than fitting to engage in doing donuts, burn-outs, and four wheel drifts all over the field till we were threatened by the staff. Laughed our arses off and headed towards the freeway and met up elsewhere to talk about fond Orange County International Raceway memories over a few barley pops.

God, I still miss that place. Spent a lotta time there.

 

[deano]

OCIR was so cool... I once called them during the week and asked about running a car for a feature. You know, a few runs by itself for some photos and times. They said come on down, no charge, as long as I could run the clocks! When we got there, we had the run of the entire place, including the tower. The guy shows me how to reset the clocks, and use the PA system. We ran this car, with and without NOS, and I was in the tower, and the driver staged and did his thing. We did some starting line launches and were done in a few hours. A total freebie! Same deal with the Roger Crawford wheelie-burnout at OCIR, and numerous dragster action shots. In comparision, about ten years ago, we wanted to shoot a car of Ron Lummus at Pomona, but we weren't going to start it. Just staged deal on the starting line. $1800 for three hours. If we fired the car, it was more $$$$. Impossible today.

[ESH]

Thanks for the link! 

[rick m]

My last trip to OCIR was the fall BUG-IN...of 1983.  It was the last one held.  On the way home, a friend and I discussed doing an event at the new FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, in Chandler, Arizona.  January 15th, 1984, we held the first Arizona Bug-Run.  Later, I went on to start the first BUG-O-RAMA to be held in Chandler, Arizona, in March of 1985.  Everything was less expensive and less complicated back then.

The old California tracks will live on in Infamy...OCIR, LIONS, RIVERSIDE and all the rest that are no longer with us.  What an era...that set a lot of our lives in motion in this hobby.

Rick M