Sad photo of Orange County International raceway

[Fastbrit]

 

[.]

 

[Glauco]

is that how OCIR looks like today?

[wolfswest]

 
More pictures available how it looks today?  Sad, but I'm always interested how things looked like in the past and in the present.

Dem

[Fastbrit]

This was taken last weekend...

[Fastbrit]

Try this...

Or this Google link:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=33.665693,-117.745907&spn=0.01643,0.031908&t=h&z=16&om=1

[wolfswest]

Keith,

I can't see the last photo or is it my pc?  

Dem

[Fastbrit]

Keith,

I can't see the last photo or is it my pc? 

Dem

Your PC!

Direct link is: http://silverstone.fortunecity.com/bonneville/218/ociraerial/ocirair02b.jpg

[Glauco]

such a shame that something so important to some people can mean nothing to others, such a shame it had to close down and after all those years it has just been left there to fall appart...

[javabug]

What is that airstrip nearby on the Google map?

And don't feel too sad about the tower...if I read correctly somewhere, the tower is now at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix?

[Fastbrit]

such a shame that something so important to some people can mean nothing to others, such a shame it had to close down and after all those years it has just been left there to fall appart...

NO! That photo was take back in the 1980s! The whole area is now a high-class business park.

[team97]

Keith,

I can't see the last photo or is it my pc? 

Dem

Your PC!

Direct link is: http://silverstone.fortunecity.com/bonneville/218/ociraerial/ocirair02b.jpg

Keith, direct link is

http://silverstone.fortunecity.com/bonneville/218/ocir01/    Glenn

[Glauco]

such a shame that something so important to some people can mean nothing to others, such a shame it had to close down and after all those years it has just been left there to fall appart...

NO! That photo was take back in the 1980s! The whole area is now a high-class business park.

oops, sorry:p
still a shame it's gone.

[speedwell]

i love this one 

[Rick Meredith]

is that how OCIR looks like today?

It's a Multi-Million dollar Office/Light Industrial Park. My wife works in one of the buildings.

[Rick Meredith]

What is that airstrip nearby on the Google map?

And don't feel too sad about the tower...if I read correctly somewhere, the tower is now at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix?

The airstrip is(was) El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, now closed.

You're right about the tower being moved to Firebird.

[ST DRAGN]

What is that airstrip nearby on the Google map?

And don't feel too sad about the tower...if I read correctly somewhere, the tower is now at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix?

The airstrip is(was) El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, now closed.

You're right about the tower being moved to Firebird.

I work across the street from the Air Strip. At one time , O.C. was considring to biuld a race track along with Park & Wild life area..

[gibber!]

You're right about the tower being moved to Firebird.

I don't think it's there now though is it?
I don't recall seeing it....?

[Dominick Luppino]

The tower in Phoenix was built before the tower was taken down. I talked to the track owner, Charley Allan, he owned both tracks. The one thing he did say that came from OCIR was the grand stands.

The Bug Run1 was the first event held at the Phoenix track, which became the Bugorama's

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

The Power Pole Circled in the Picture just behind the starting line at OCIR  is the Pole Where DKP's Roger Graco Totaled his K Ghia his Berg Linkage stuck Wide open when he got on it when he was Leaving Bug In and his Choice was to hit someone else or hit the Pole well he chose the pole the car was Totaled and he broke both legs and one arm the Paramedics got him out of the Car and Proceeded to cut his DKP Club Jacket off him  for Medical Attention All Roger Kept Telling them DONT Cut The Patch" Dont cut the Patch"  Roger was in a Wheelchair for months and the DKP Members Got him another Ghia And Begain The Reserection of a All New K Ghia Glad To See That Both The Car and Roger  Came Threw It Ok  These Pictures just Reminded me of that Day at Bug In  Picture below was the First Car that was Totaled the Second Ghia Had 14 in Alloys.  Sarge any Pictures Of Rogers Second Ghia? with the alloys??

[Glauco]

the DKP Members Got him another Ghia And Begain The Reserection of a All New K Ghia

that's what I call friendship
did there happen a lot of crashes on OCIR? or nothing more than any racetrack?

[speedwell]

The Power Pole Circled in the Picture just behind the starting line at OCIR  is the Pole Where DKP's Roger Graco Totaled his K Ghia his Berg Linkage stuck Wide open when he got on it when he was Leaving Bug In and his Choice was to hit someone else or hit the Pole well he chose the pole the car was Totaled and he broke both legs and one arm the Paramedics got him out of the Car and Proceeded to cut his DKP Club Jacket off him  for Medical Attention All Roger Kept Telling them DONT Cut The Patch" Dont cut the Patch"  Roger was in a Wheelchair for months and the DKP Members Got him another Ghia And Begain The Reserection of a All New K Ghia Glad To See That Both The Car and Roger  Came Threw It Ok  These Pictures just Reminded me of that Day at Bug In

  sad 

[Glauco]

I wanted to know a little more about OCIR, so after a search on the internet, I found a simular picture

[Tony M]

It's a true shame that all the good race tracks have closed - OCIR, BAYLANDS, LIONS, CARLSBAD, ASCOT, ect.....  I did get to go to all of those tracks befor they closed.  Maybe the new track in Merced will make things better. Talk is they will have everything - drag, circle track, mx track, off road track, road race track. Might get some place new to have kick ass show and drags.

[Zach Gomulka]

Next time I park my butt in the grandstands at Firebird Ill pretend Im back at OCIR 

[dougmische]

The Power Pole Circled in the Picture just behind the starting line at OCIR  is the Pole Where DKP's Roger Graco Totaled his K Ghia his Berg Linkage stuck Wide open when he got on it when he was Leaving Bug In and his Choice was to hit someone else or hit the Pole well he chose the pole the car was Totaled and he broke both legs and one arm the Paramedics got him out of the Car and Proceeded to cut his DKP Club Jacket off him  for Medical Attention All Roger Kept Telling them DONT Cut The Patch" Dont cut the Patch"  Roger was in a Wheelchair for months and the DKP Members Got him another Ghia And Begain The Reserection of a All New K Ghia Glad To See That Both The Car and Roger  Came Threw It Ok  These Pictures just Reminded me of that Day at Bug In  Picture below was the First Car that was Totaled the Second Ghia Had 14 in Alloys.  Sarge any Pictures Of Rogers Second Ghia? with the alloys??

I was the 2nd car behind Roger that afternoon/evening.  I saw his rear tires smoking and the fronts smoking with the brakes locked up as he slammed into that pole.  I saw the pockets on his Sergio Valente designer jeans thru the back window as he went up and hit the steering wheel. 

Unless I have lost more memory than I am already aware of, he broke his right ankle, which was pressing as hard on the brake pedal as was humanly possible all the way up to impact, and he broke both elbows when he twisted his steering wheel into a pretzel, right before it slammed into his chest causing massive internal injuries.  (I still have in my possession the Porsche alloy wheel cap that was on the spare.)

Roger was first taken to the nearest hospital, Saddleback Memorial I think, and then he was transferred to UCI medical center in Orange, since his injuries were more serious than a non-trauma center could handle.  We drove behind and next to the ambulance that carried him, and in Roger's words, "The sound of 48IDAs all around were one of the things that kept [me] him going".  Keith Goss and I broke in to Al Martinez's Auto Body that night, where Rogers car had been taken, because we were worried that the 48's might be stolen, so we 'stole' them first.  It was when we got the carbs off the engine that we saw why his throttle had stuck wide open.  It was not the linkage, but the stop pin on the linkage arm on one of the carbs that had allowed the accelerator pump cam to go past the pump lever, and once there, it couldn't return.  Many people ask "why didn't he turn off the ignition?"  There was just no time, it just happened so fast.  One second, he's doing a burnout and getting a tad sideways, the next the car is in a pole.  Check out the distance from the access road to that pole.  Didn't take very long.

We waited all night until morning when he came out of ICU.  It was a night that I'll never forget.

Doug Mische

[louisb]

The Power Pole Circled in the Picture just behind the starting line at OCIR  is the Pole Where DKP's Roger Graco Totaled his K Ghia his Berg Linkage stuck Wide open when he got on it when he was Leaving Bug In and his Choice was to hit someone else or hit the Pole well he chose the pole the car was Totaled and he broke both legs and one arm the Paramedics got him out of the Car and Proceeded to cut his DKP Club Jacket off him  for Medical Attention All Roger Kept Telling them DONT Cut The Patch" Dont cut the Patch"  Roger was in a Wheelchair for months and the DKP Members Got him another Ghia And Begain The Reserection of a All New K Ghia Glad To See That Both The Car and Roger  Came Threw It Ok  These Pictures just Reminded me of that Day at Bug In  Picture below was the First Car that was Totaled the Second Ghia Had 14 in Alloys.  Sarge any Pictures Of Rogers Second Ghia? with the alloys??

I was the 2nd car behind Roger that afternoon/evening.  I saw his rear tires smoking and the fronts smoking with the brakes locked up as he slammed into that pole.  I saw the pockets on his Sergio Valente designer jeans thru the back window as he went up and hit the steering wheel. 

Unless I have lost more memory than I am already aware of, he broke his right ankle, which was pressing as hard on the brake pedal as was humanly possible all the way up to impact, and he broke both elbows when he twisted his steering wheel into a pretzel, right before it slammed into his chest causing massive internal injuries.  (I still have in my possession the Porsche alloy wheel cap that was on the spare.)

Roger was first taken to the nearest hospital, Saddleback Memorial I think, and then he was transferred to UCI medical center in Orange, since his injuries were more serious than a non-trauma center could handle.  We drove behind and next to the ambulance that carried him, and in Roger's words, "The sound of 48IDAs all around were one of the things that kept [me] him going".  Keith Goss and I broke in to Al Martinez's Auto Body that night, where Rogers car had been taken, because we were worried that the 48's might be stolen, so we 'stole' them first.  It was when we got the carbs off the engine that we saw why his throttle had stuck wide open.  It was not the linkage, but the stop pin on the linkage arm on one of the carbs that had allowed the accelerator pump cam to go past the pump lever, and once there, it couldn't return.  Many people ask "why didn't he turn off the ignition?"  There was just no time, it just happened so fast.  One second, he's doing a burnout and getting a tad sideways, the next the car is in a pole.  Check out the distance from the access road to that pole.  Didn't take very long.

We waited all night until morning when he came out of ICU.  It was a night that I'll never forget.

Doug Mische

Wow, sounds like he was really lucky not to have bought the farm.

--louis

[dougmische]

Wow, sounds like he was really lucky not to have bought the farm.

--louis
[/quote]

He came very close.  Lucky man.

[Sarge]

Speaking of lucky guys, you could add Ron Fleming's name to the list.  I was helping "crew" The Underdog the night Ron put it on it's top going through the lights...scared the crap out of all of us as it sparked like a fireworks show until it slid to a stop.  Ron's ex, Lisa was with us at the starting line and screamed for what seemed an eternity.  Ron escaped unscathed...I'll never forget it.

[deano]

Wasn't Gene Berg on the scene shortly after the accident?