The Exposition dirt track was bumpy and dustyand drew a large crowd. According to the YouTube detail page, the track "was located along South Street between Higuera and Broad Street."
Couple fun things to look out for:
The close promixity of speeding cars and crew members casually walking alonside the track (the pits were not segregated by a wall as is common in modern tracks).
The dust plumes that follow the cars along the backstretch. They reminded me of the dust left by the Roadrunner.
A nice pass on the backstretch that begins halfway out of Turn 2.
A very quick pitstop in which a crew member deftly removes the damaged undertray of a car. Not sure they could make the repair any faster these days.
I'm regularly amazed with the scope of racetracks back in the day. I mean, how many tracks have you been to that have overhangs over the stands?
I finally saw the movie "Senna," which has been released throughout the world for more than a year but screened only sparingly in major cities in the States.
It's now available on Netflix and Amazon streaming, and it's well worth watching, whether you're a racing fan or not.
Ayrton Senna, for those who don't know, was one of the greatest Formula 1 and karting drivers ever, delivering electrifying performances that left fans, viewers and competitors slack-jawed. He was also a Class 1 jerk, blinded in a nonstop quest to finish first that left many friendships and relationships by the roadside.
Senna won three world championships in the late 1980s and early 1990s before dying in a horrific race crash in 1994. "Senna" chronicles his meteoric climb to the top of motorsports, his unwavering love of God, and the complex relationships caught in between.
The film is 106 minutes long and uses only archival video, some of it rare in-car footage that captures Senna's mad skills and just how magical Formula 1 was during those days. But it's the scenes showing interpersonal relationships, or lack thereof, that are captivating and keep the pace moving quickly. Throughout it all you're taken inside the mind of a complex man, particularly toward the end as he struggles to overcome a slow car and the death of a fellow racer on the same fatal weekend. You can sense his end is near, not because you might already know the story but because you can see it in his eyes and body language. It's disturbing in a way, but powerful nonetheless.
I became a hardcore auto racing fan in 1985 for two reasons: I moved out on my own and finally had access to cable sports channels and found myself getting up at 5 a.m. on Sunday mornings to see what fresh trick Senna would pull out of his hat in shaping Formula 1 his way.
Some would argue his aggressive driving has changed all racing in a negative way, putting an end to what was long a gentleman's sport. There's some truth in that, but he also brought a level of intensity and drive that influenced many people outside the sport. He had a sole focus and gave his life in pursuit of being No. 1. He may not have died happy but I think he died satisfied.
My friend Bill shared this video with me. It's a amazing but sad collection of old-time auto racing crashes titled "Killed Myself When I Was Young." Sadly, I'd bet only half of these drivers survived these wrecks.
So, watch it not as a celebration of carnage but as a historical document on how awesome and incredibly dangerous racing was back in the day. Low retaining walls, minimal runoff areas and trees on track; primitive, if any, seat belts, helmets, fire suits or roll bars; no fuel cells or safety glass; and spectators within feet of the track. Driving an old-time race car took bravery beyond belief.
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 10:50 PM 