Below is a 1996 picture of the ‘65 Plymouth Satellite my son and I bracket raced for many years at Carlsbad Raceway. It ran low 11’s with a mild (but stroked) 440.
Thanks,
Dave Conley
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Request for Information:
Hi,
I am trying to get ahold of Michael Brennan. My dad has a 1967 Camaro Funny Car that I believe was his at one point. As far as I know, Michael sold it to George D. Brown Jr. At one point the car was supposedly a pro dragster, but I would like to get some info on it. If you can help me that would be great.
Thanks,
Tiffany Marzano
Note: If you have information for Tiffany, please contact us at carlsbadraceway at carlsbadraceway.org (use the @ symbol and remove the spaces) and we will pass the information along to her. Thanks!
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Our old 1947 Luscombe -- Either my dad or I am landing at the end of the dragstrip under the powerlines
(circa 1984).
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I, took these pictures in May 2002 at the Battle of the
Imports. I do not know who the people driving are except the VW
Paradise dragster at Carlsbad Raceway May 2002. Modest exhibition run
at 185mph. I'm pretty sure Kris Lauffer was driving it that day. -- Chris Fish
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I'm not sure how to title this text, so many memories by all these great mx names I grew up watching and reading about.
It's great and it hurts a little to miss it so much. I raced an nhra pro/stock bike in the late 80's and early 90's. we would sneak down to your place to practice and tune. I had a rush of some very fond memories from that time that I had forgotten until coming across this site. thank you.
I now own what is believed to be Sandy Belond's first dry lakes roadster. A car he built and raced before the war.
I was hoping someone might be able to help me with some questions I have about it and some about Sandy. For instance I see he is a SEMA Hall of Fame inductee but there is no photo of him available. I would like to remedy that and I have a few friends at SEMA that could probably make that happen but it is almost impossible to get a photo of the man.
I am currently writing a bio for another early dry lakes pioneer, Jack Mickelson, to be posted on Wally Park's son's site the Society of Land Speed Historians. I already have a lot of info on Sandy put together and it would be so easy for me to work the text into a bio if I can simply gets some dates and places aligned.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and if none is possibly thank you again for the wonderful memories.
--Michael Brennan
Got info? Send it via the contact page, and we will forward to Michael
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I am in need of pictures of Brad Lackey's 83 YZ490 that he raced in the USGP.
I am building a replica bike and need all the photos I can get so that I will not miss any details.
I am hoping that maybe you guys can pass along my request.
Thanks
--Lendon Smith
If you have pics send them to us via the contact page and we will forward to Lendon.
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Johnny O' smoking the 250 support class @ the 1985 USGP.
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Ron Lechien riding that 500cc Honda like a 125, pulled a big lead in 2 laps then swapped out.
Wow was he fast!! 1985 USGP.
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David Thorpe riding well @ the 1985 USGP.
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Magoo looking good on the KTM. (above) |
Warren Reid in the pits @ the 1985 Four Stroke Nationals, and then riding an ATK @ the 1985 USGP. What a talented and versatile rider! (below)
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Thanks to Dave Martinez for the above photos.
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Comments:
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Dude, this is so cool. I would go to Carlsbad with my dad for the outlaw motorcycle bracket drag race series. It was an atmosphere and collection of individuals like no other. I’m so glad I found this site. I know our participation took place at the tail end of the life of the track, but it still found a place in our hearts. That “ol’ broken down hill billy” track was perfect for cutting teeth and learning the ropes of doing a proper run down a ¼ mile. I do say that as a term of endearment. I learned how to do my first burnout there. If this email address is still up and running, shoot me back a reply when you have a moment so I know this isn’t ending up in outer space. Your efforts are admired and respected. -- Harly Legowski
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I am from tucson and attended all the usgp races, boy can i remember. The sign off the freeway heading north saying motocross, very cool. Open beachs no mass developement. The euro feel going inland to the track all the farmland. We had a track in arizona same fate, arizonacyclepark huge uphills and downhills, completly lined with snowfence and believe it or not the most rich black no dust loam you could ever ask for, the city of phoenix dumped all there organic matter there it was unreal. I over heard Willie Baurer think thats the correct spelling, any how he was talking to Perrie Karsmakers and stated this was the best soil he had ever ridden on. Any way I only rode carlsbad once. The freeway up hill and long fast downhill what a rush.I don"t know but when the open or 500 class went away as far as I was cocerned motocross died. Now with the beheading of two strokes. Its a real shame. I was able to get the full vip treatment when the Bowmans and Roger Decoster brought the usgp for its short run at glen helen in the early 90s The Bowmans lived in scottsdale and really gave it a try. Now we have notting. I"m not even sure if unadilla gets its 250gp any more. Carlsbad will always be king , I walked down into where the track use to be some years back and after I got chased out I almost cried. I contacted sports illustrated and the gone wide world of sports to try and find out how or if they had usgp cds. Hardly new what I was talking about. I have some footage but would like to upgrade for the future. Thanks -- Bill Peel
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My dad and I flew up to the Reno Air Races again last Sept. (something we never got to do when we were having our own races). As usual we stayed with my good friend, former Raceway employee, high-school buddy and MX local, Jess Harmon. Going through a bunch of old photos, we came across these prints of his high-school racing days. --Jeff Grismer
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Raced at Carlsbad many, many times. Wish I had kept my time slips. Any chance of getting a decal or any other forms of memorabilia? Thank you! --Tyler Ciena
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If you have any memorabilia, send an email through our contact form and we'll pass it along to Tyler.
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As Woody can tell you, I was a VW guy, that was there the day Carlsbad
opened, and because I was covering a VW show in Denver for the magazine
I worked for, I had to miss the last day at Carlsbad....This photograph
was taken by Glenn Miller, of the most famous VW racecar of all time,
the EMPI Inch Pincher.. see that gangly kid sitting on the front end
loader tire? That's me....I'm guessing here, but I'm gonna say 1966 or
1967....
-- Dave Cormack |
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Below is a photo of my 1991 Camaro Z-28 at Carlsbad Raceway in the fall of 1990. The 91's were released in April of 1990 and this was one of the first and few to hit San Diego streets with the competition package.
I sure do miss the Carlsbad Raceway. I lived south just over the hill and on the nights I couldn't go to the track, I could hear the cars running! Many of the people on my street were also racers and ran at Carlsbad at one time or the other. The weekends were spectacular as Palomar Airport Road was like a parade of race cars on trailers or being driven to the Raceway.
Thanks for the memories and all the great times.
Bruce Schryver |
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This picture (below) was taken during practice. This is the bike that Rick Johnson won on in 1985. He rode that bike in practice because his 1985 race bike was being worked on in the pits during practice. Funny thing is when Rick came back to the pits after practice he asked his mechanic whose bike that was he rode-it was horrible. The mechanic looked at him and said "That's the bike you won on last year".
--Dave Martinez |
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| This picture (below) was taken during the first moto, Rick Johnson leading. That is the bike that wasn't ready to ride in practice that morning. --Dave Martinez |
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The first pic is of me (David Barr) in 1981 on my YZ 250 at the bottom of the uphill at Carlsbad
Photo by Dan Fogarty. The club I was in was CMC.
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The other two pics (below) are of my son Cameron on his very first motorcycle the first day he got it. |
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A new rider is brought into the world. Too bad Carlsbad Raceway is gone.... |
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USGP Pics below by
Adrian J. Castenada
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I have attached several photos I took of David Bailey at Carlsbad Raceway, I believe from 1985.
In 1978 I started attending the USGP's, 125/250 MX Nationals, Golden State Series, and ABC Superbikers as a spectator at Carlsbad Raceway, and later raced MX there in 1981-82 on the actual USGP course.
I have many great memories of Carlsbad including a seeing the Brad Lackey / Andre Malherbe / Hakan Carlquist / Heikki Mikkola battles for the world championships, a 15 year old Rick Johnson devastate a field of the fastest local racers before he could compete in the Nationals, Marty Moates winning the 1980 USGP, and Magoo Chandler winning the Superbikers in 1982.
I have also included a photo of myself at the Palm Ave riding area (south of Carlsbad raceway) in 1981, a very popular riding area off the 805 freeway in Chula Vista California back in the 70's and 80's. This riding area is long gone, but the new "Chula Vista Quarry Raceway", where Rick Johnson and Jeremy McGrath now race off-road trucks, is right across the street.
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Rick, thanks for the photos. I especially like this photo (above) of [David] Baily due to a fond personal memory. In the early 80's or late 70's, Roger [DeCoster] came to my dad and me to brainstorm ways of making as much of the track 2 to 3 lines as possible.
The primary example of a single line was the last 90* left turn at the bottom of the 2nd Downhill (the one David's taking in your photo). You had a tight right and then that immediate 90* to the left before your final immediate right turn. Then you were into the Far Section leading up to the Drop-off.
My dad, Roger and I (mostly my dad & Roger) came up with the idea of adding a nice sized "bump" to the inside line. The three of us (mostly me) then added the idea of making the outside line into kind of a sweeping banked turn. Our brainstorming was followed by my brother working it with the tractor until we had something for Roger to test ride. It opened that section of the track so well that we implemented the idea throughout the entire track. I should call Roger and thank him again!
John Taylor and I maintained those types of lines, and that particular "bump", on through the last MX. In fact, when I gave Marty [Moates] the Last Lap at Carlsbad, a solo lap, he rode that same "bump." Thanks for the good memories.
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Hi there, my name is Mike Clancy, and I found your site doing a search for a classmate about the Raceway. Back in the late 60`s, my Dad would take me to the drags and it was great!! I couldn`t hear anything my Mom said for two days. Years later I got to race there doing motocross and the TT course for the Tankslappers Gran Prix and the A.M.A. District 38 series as well as the Christmas Gran Prix. All will hold a special place in my life. I now live in the midwest since 2001 and have read and seen reports about the track's demise, but the memories will last forever. Thanks for maintaining the site, love the night pics of the area. Here are some shots of my best memories racing at "NIRVANA". Peace. -- Mike
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I was the one of the announcers for Racing Enterprises Motocross and an avid racer. I spent some of the best times of my life racing and announcing races there from 90-97. I’m proud and privileged to have had the experience… Much love and respect to Frank and Myra, the track staff and volunteers, and my fellow racers.
CARLSBAD FOREVER!!!
-
Walter Crawford “Wally”
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Some of you may not know that Carlsbad Raceway is something of a phenomenon since it operated almost 17 years beyond its notice to vacate the premises. Here is a copy of the 1st letter to vacate.
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Just for fun...a Carlsbad Raceway fender cover from the early 1960s.
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| Now some night photos.... |
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Sorry the night photos aren't more clear but it is hard to fly the plane in circles through the approach path of the airport, at night, as low and slow as you can, looking through a camera viewfinder, while trying to hold the camera steady enough to get a clear shot in such low light. I'll try a better camera and have my dad go with me to do the flying next time. --Jeff
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Some are still inquiring about current races at Carlsbad. The Raceway officially closed in August of 2004 and there have been no races there since that time. This site is for reminiscing about good times gone by. The Carlsbad Raceway Business Park now stands where we once raced. Thanks for your interest, and we can always use more photos or scanned items to help jog
our memories....
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Go to old
Raceway demolition and
Business Park
construction pics
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Holy-Days Interesting Facts
Click Here
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Duplication, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this site without the consent of Carlsbad Raceway Corporation is prohibited.
All
rights reserved Carlsbad Raceway Corp. 2004-2010. |
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