Fact Check Please

[Paul P.]

I am the feature editor for my local Vintage Corvette club.

For my latest project I have an article listing the Corvette color names that are associated with race tracks. You can see it at http://www.vintagecorvettessocal.com...olor-names.php

So far you are the only people to see the article; it is not live on the web site and I have not publicized it to the membership. I try to be conscientious about such things as accuracy etc. so if there are errors no real harm is done.

Any mistakes? Did I miss any Corvette colors that are associated with a racetrack?

Thank you.

~Paul

[Mark H.]

Re: Fact Check Please

This might be splitting hairs because they didn't say "Indianapolis", but in 2001 and 2002 there was the color "Speedway White". Usually when somebody says, "Speedway" people think of Indianapolis.

[Don H.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Paul
1965 Yellow was Goldwood, not Goodwood Yellow.

[Mike B.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Paul,

For your Marlboro Maroon stats a minor edit is needed. Marlboro Motor Raceway (closed) is located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I used to live there. There's also a Lower Marlboro, Maryland further south in the state. Their names befit them very well. When I was a kid Southern Maryland was a huge tobacco producing area.

Great article, Mike

[Floyd B.]

Re: Fact Check Please

>> ...when somebody says, "Speedway" people think of Indianapolis.

I live on the Florida coast, so when somebody says, "Speedway," I think of Daytona.

[David D.]

Re: Fact Check Please

In your first sentence, change "C3" to "C2."

[Mark F.]

Re: Fact Check Please

~Paul,

Would the 1st sentence read a bit better like this below ? Just an opinion on my part...

For whatever reason, the C1 generation did not include any colors named after racetracks; that changed with the C2 generation.

Also, the '67 Elkhart Blue car sure looks like Marina blue to me...I know it could be lighting, camera angle, etc...just a thought

[Edward J.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Is Riverside red in 63 a racetrack color?

[Don H.]

Re: Fact Check Please

One could certainly surmise that it is, as you could Laguna Blue (Laguna Seca) in 1966.

[Duke W.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Riverside International Raceway just east of Riverside California and just north of March Air Force Base opened in the 1950s and closed circa 1987. It was a hotbed for big time sports car racing and drivers such as Phil Hill and Dan Gurney cut their teeth on that track. I recall it might have even hosted a F1 race circa 1960.

In its heyday it hosted Trans-Am, Can-Am, F5000, and NASCAR races with up to 70K+ spectators. I raced an E-production '58 TR-3 with SCCA on that track in the mid-seventies and ran my Cosworth Vega in untimed marque club track time events in the eighties, including the last year it was open.

In October '62 the new Sting Ray made its racing debut (along with the Shelby Cobra driven by Ken Miles) in a 6-hour enduro at Riverside. The Cobra was clearly faster, but broke along with several of the six Sting Rays, but Doug Hooper kept his Sting Ray running to the checkered flag. It was the last time a production C2 Corvette won its class in a major SCCA/FIA road race for several years.

A shopping center and housing are now on the property.

Duke

[Rob V.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Daytona Blue was a 1963 and 1964 color.....

[Tim G.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Good call on Laguna Blue, Don.

[Patrick B.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Adding to what Mike said, Marlboro Motor Raceway in Upper Marlboro, MD has special significance to Corvette history. Even though it was a pretty small sports car track, the introductory races of both the original Stingray racer and the 1963 Grand Sport took place there. The attached pictures are of both cars at Marlboro. The Grand Sport looked like a regular 63 Corvette at that race before the big flares and special hood were added in the famous pictures of the Nassau race. Dick Thompson drove both cars. He was a native of nearby Washington, DC and Marlboro was his home track. The tumbling down grandstand and much of the pavement still exists. It did not become a housing development because it is in a flood plane. The chief competition in both races was Roger Penske driving a Porsche.

[Mike E.]

Re: Fact Check Please

Steel Cities region of SCCA has been around since the 50’s. The Steel Cities raceway existed for about 20 years, I believe, but was more of a motorcycle venue. My impression is that the SCCA region’s “home track” was at Cumberland, MD. Steel Cities (Pittsburgh) was the headquarters of Gulf Oil, a very prominent player in Corvette racing. So the 71-72 color was race-related, but not pinned to a track of the same name.

[Gary C.]

Re: Fact Check Please

add 2014 Corvette Lime Rock Green - Limerock Raceway in NY

FWIW in the 50's & 60's many military bases hosted SCCA races primarily thanks to Gen Curtis LeMay

Gary
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