Jim L, 56BN2 wrote: I would appreciate .....listeners sharing experiences
they had racing during the '60s at the SCCA track located at Marlboro,
Maryland.
Maybe some history on Marlboro will carry this thread a little further along
in the right direction...if you are interested. Marboro Park Speedway was
located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland....15 miles east of Washington, D.C. on
Rt.301. It was the center of early SCCA racing in the Mid-Atlantic
area...serving as the track for SCCA driving schools, regional, national and
FIA-sanctioned races. Marlboro was originally an oval track and in 1955,
thanks to the "Lavender Hill Gang" of racing enthusiasts, it was expanded to
a 1.8 mile road course with tight, twisty turns that were both counter and
clockwise, along with a long 2,500 foot straight. There was a section
closest to the highway..that appropriately was referred to as the "heel and
toe" of the boot.
Marlboro became home to the annual Governor's Cup, The Marlboro Cup, the
Thanksgiving "Turkey Bowl", the Refrigerator Bowl races...as well as some
famous six and twelve hour endurance races. Over the years, there was one
particular character that became synonymous with Marlboro...that was Richard
"Tex" Hopkins....the man in the lavender suit with that long cigar.. who had
patented his own style for "jump starting" each race. If you ever saw him in
action.. you know what I mean. Later on, in 1967 and 1968, two Trans-Am
races were held at MPS...attracting some of the largest crowds to Marlboro to
watch a new dimension of motorsports.. which would in turn would propel the
enthusiasm for sedan racing to new heights in America as well as abroad.
Threats of safety, noise pollution, zoning issues, and residential/commercial
growth in Prince Georges County all added to the sudden demise of Marlboro
Park Speedway in 1969. Ironically, old MPS sits practically undisturbed
...over 30 years later...undeveloped and perpetually in the midst of a flood
plain! I recently drove past Marlboro ...and from the highway, I could see
the remnants of the grandstands and what looked like the toe of the boot
sticking out!
Back to the past. Looking over the entry list from an April, 1962 Governor's
Cup National SCCA race, here are a few of the cars and nationally known
stars: Duncan Black ( Daimler SP250), Bruce Jennings ( King Carrera 356
Speedsters), Bob Tullius ( Group 44 Triumph and Dodge Dart), Bob Holbert (
Porsche Spyder), Joe Buzzetta ( Porsche Spyder), Bob Grossman ( Ferrari) ,
Roger Penske ( Cooper FJ and Tellar Spl), Mark Donahue, (Elva FJ) , Ed
Lowther (Lister), Dr. Dick Thompson, (Corvette), Don Yenko (Corvette/Yenko
Stinger), George Alderman (Cooper FJ), Chuck and Suzy Dietrich
( Elva FJs), Hal Keck ( Lister), Art Tweedale (Elva), Charlie Kolb
(Maserati)...and many more...sorry if I overlooked some of you out there!
I attended this particular Governor's Cup race in 1962.. as a junior in high
school. I hitch hiked 50 miles from Baltimore... when my friends opted to go
to the Orioles' game instead of to the races. I suspect that was a bold
thing to do.. but it was the early sixties and "hitching" was a still
relatively safe! I never, ever forgot what I saw....some great cars and
great drivers....some of which/whom I would reconnect with as I became a
vintage driver 25+ years later.
Marlboro....like Cumberland were two wonderful race courses in Maryland that
didn't survive....as other venues of motorsports did elsewhere. But the
Marlboro memories and the distant scent of castor oil are still recognizable.
Perhaps some of you will also share some stories as well....
Lee Raskin, Brooklandville, Maryland ( Arnolt-Bristol and 356er)
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