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Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:18 pm

I want to feel the water here, any interest in Volkswagen racing at Ascot Speedway .

Besides the drag strips and baja racing, most guys cut their teeth on hometown tracks such as Ascot Speedway.

Lets start with I.D.R.A. at Ascot 1969

Now for some color

That's Ron Stebles after winning a heat race. William Hardy offical, got to love the hat and cigar!!!

Sat Dec 31, 2011 8:34 pm

Wow, those are great pics. I'd love to see more!

Sun Jan 01, 2012 4:56 am

I got one of those buggies, the number 5 one.

Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:28 pm

Very Cool!!!!

A close friend of the family was Ernie Waring, the Chief of Tech for the Ascot Sprint Buggy racing. He was also Chief for NORRA racing for the Mexican 1000 (later called "Baja 1000"). He gave me my 1st ride in a buggy in 1966. It was his Burro. He also later became my brother's Father-In-Law. I remember going to the buggy races at Ascot a number of times in the late 60s and early 70s.

Like yfz450, I have a Hi Jumper Ascot buggy. Mine is a fastback while his is a squareback like the #5. #5 and #294 may be Funco frames. They are very tough to tell apart. I grew up right up the street from San Fernando Buggy Center where the HiJumper frames were made. Ernie also was General Manager of San Fernando Buggy Center in the late 60s. I also have a Glitterbug Fiberglass buggy made by SF Buggy. And I have the modified pan from a SF Buggy pre-fiberglass buggy which belongs to a friend. So I'm hooked in with this.

The "Sandmaster Sheriff" #8A was built by Scott McKenzie. Scott is often recognized as the inventor of the VW-based offroad buggy. HE was partner with Don Arnett in Sandmaster. After that partnership broke up, Scott continued in his business under his own name, which is still one of the biggest supply houses for offroad racers. Sandmaster had some of the biggest name drivers on their roster for sprint buggy and desert racing. Like Bobby Ferro and Gene Hirst. Later Scott prepped the Funco Class 1 car which Malcolm Smith and Bud Felkamp drove to dominate desert racing in the late 70s and even was copied in the Tamiya R/C offroad buggy.

Love to see more of these photos!!

Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:20 am

Oh Ya! Ascot was the best! 8) Post all the pics you have. :D
I grew up in Hawthorne, by LAX, and could hear the sprint cars form our house on Saturday nights (the nights we wern't in the Ascot stands :lol: )
My dad took us to the Ascot buggy races in the early 70's, they were called Super Sprint Buggies and they ran a class for Bajas too.
This is the place that a gentleman named Bill Mears and his wife came to race with their two boys, Rick and Roger from Bakersfield. This is where they were tagged with the "Mears Gang" name.
Rick Mears ran the number 21 buggy and would start at the back of the pack and every time we were there, he won.
My dad also took us to the Flat Track Motorcycle races, Sprints, and Figure 8 races.
Later on (1982)I raced Motocross at Ascot Park, and in '88 Quad Speedway at Ascot Stadium which was next to the big track on the corner of 182nd and Vermont
In 1986 I bought a Blue '74 Power Wagon, and could be found pushing Sprint cars on most saturday nights until they shut down in 1990. A sad day :cry:
I sure miss good ol Ascot.
Keep those picture coming Colorado Aircooled.

Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:05 am

I have a bunch of Ascot stuff and hope to find more.

I knew the sandrails raced at Ascot and were fan favorites. Nice to see the VW's Bugs and Ghia's racing there too. :twisted:

Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:13 am

Just to make it more fun they had to make a pond on the track. I was never lucky enough to go to Ascot myself. Over the years I have seen many pictures of the drivers who also raced both Pikes Peak and Ascot. Seen several of their pictures of the cars on Ascot being airborne,but didn't know about the ponds (big puddle) :P

Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:26 am

Below is Ron Stebles #36 , and Don Guth # 1 ( above #23 Don Westerdae and Don )

Drivers from Ascot that raced Pikes Peak that I know of:

Roger Mears
Rick Mears
Bud Whitfiield
John Whitfield
Ron Stebles
Dick Conners
Jim Chamberlin
Jack Middlebrooks
Danny Arant
Gary Potter
Gary Lee Kanawyer
Bill Brister
Doug Dreager
Nancy Reader
(and a sure a few I missed)

I mention this because my other thread on the Samba that got me going was VW's that raced the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Here in Colorado the only VW's racing on Oval tracks we full body cars at the time. Once these Ascot drivers invaded Pikes Peak they changed the way racing was done on the Hill Climb.

I do have more ! Hope you guys out there dig out those old dusty boxes of pictures and find pictures in color to post. The more the merrier. :!: Those pioneering drivers and builders got the ball rolling for all of us, and deserve some recognition :D

Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:10 pm

:D Some of the stuff from the other thread.

This last picture shows Mike Griswold far left, the builder of the Grizzly race car and then Bill Mears (tallest) ,Roger driving and then Rick behind his dad. Last person so far is unknown.

EDIT 1/11/12 The tallest in the Mears Gang shirt is Scott Mckinzie, Thanks! :D

Here is the #21 Mears car. It's a Grizzly car with Speed Unlimited sponsorship.

Sat Jan 07, 2012 7:46 pm

The tall guy looks like Scott McKenzie. Keep the pics coming. 8)

Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:13 am

The track changed names over the years. Ascot Park, Ascot Speedway and what else ?

Have several driver profiles :

Al Martino

Bud Musser

Arthur Sanford

Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:26 pm

:D I need to give Ron credit, he sent me most of this Ascot Park information. Ron also raced Pikes Peak in 1973 and placed 3rd in open wheel class just behind Roger Mears (winner) and Bud Whitfield in 2nd.

This is the car he also ran at Ascot and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 1973

Bob Oliver designed the car, co-owned with Tom Coy .It ran a 2180 supercharger motor (150hp on the dyno) at Ascot. Unusual semi-monocoque construction body tub with 1000's of rivets. DDS, Jerry Magnuson and Speed Unlimited were the engine masters.Car only weighed 900lbs.

:D THANKS for all the help with this Ron ! :D

Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:53 pm

Roger Mears in a Hi Jumper

Rick Mears

Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:59 pm

Dick Conners

Greg Murdock (driving a Grizzly)

His shop teacher was Mike Griswold. How cool is that!! Your high school teacher gets you into racing !!!

Jim Fay

Don't have many profiles for sedan drivers :(

Just noticed that Ascot ran races FIVE days a week. Now that kicks A#$
Most tracks in the mid-west area only ran the weekends.

From the 1971 Ascot program:

SAT 8:30 C.R.A Sprint Cars
SUN 7:30 C.A.M.R.A. Fig 8 Races
WED 8:30 C.M.C. Moto-Cross
THUR 8:30 A.D.R.A. Dune Buggy :D
FRI 8:30 A.M.A. Flat Track Bikes

Was this the normal schedule or holiday or ???

Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:59 pm

sunday figure 8s were my favs. as a kid,to bad its all gone,has been for many years.

Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:16 pm

Tim Lightfoot

Mike Keen

Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:29 pm

:twisted: Love the slant chopped bug :evil:

1975 Ascot the #77 car is Gary Potter's Grizzly and the Screaming Yellow Zonker # 5 was Gary's car that he sold to Ron Spencer . They both had those seaweed style flames. Would be nice to see these two cars in color.

Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:18 pm

:D Got an update on this picture of Ron Stebles ! The guy on the right of the offical ( Bill Hardy) is Bill Trunk the owner of Ron's car. The other guy is Art Allen.

While we are at it, a couple more trophy winners at Ascot

That's Gary Lee Kanawyer who went on to win the Pikes Peak Hill Climb a bunch of times.

Rick Mears in 1971

Later years the Newman-Dreager race cars started taking over the ovall tracks in California. Here is Doug Dreager at Fremont (?)

Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:49 pm

Have to give props out to local drivers in Colorado back in the day :!:

From a "Pikes Peak Speedway" program 1974

You notice Bud Whitfield, he moved from California to Colorado and was a racing legend here too !

Jay Stewart at an oval track in Colorado, he later raced the Pikes Peak Hill Climb several times in a FUNCO. He still races hill climbs in the C.H.C.A.

Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:50 am

Cool pics. The white pants make me laugh.
My oldman raced Sprint Cars and Midgets at Ascot for many years. He flipped over the wall and into the parking lot in a Sprinter and broke his neck in the early 70s. He survived but pretty much ended his racing career. I was going to the races at a week old.