this is interesting and a little strange considering the thread I put up just the other day ... from today's San Francisco Chronicle ...

R.I.P. Altamont Speedway (includes fotos)

Altamont Speedway Fades Away

Excerpts:

"When I got up there, some of the older guys told me to stay away, it's cursed,"

"It's the curse of Altamont," said former track promoter Kenny Shepherd.

"I don't think anyone can make this place work," said Ken Clapp, a NASCAR senior consultant who oversaw its western operations for 25 years. "It has always been a nightmare."

The track has burned through nine ownership groups in all. The original owner sold it after three years.

The next in line rented the place out for the "Woodstock of the West" concert featuring the Rolling Stone in December 1969. A crowd of 300,000 trashed the place beyond use. A teenager was stabbed to death by a Hells Angels security guard. Racing did not return for three years.



The gates are locked at the abandoned, or no-longer-in-use Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy Ca Thursday, May 21, 2009.



A warm harsh wind cuts through the abandoned, or no-longer-in-use Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy Ca Thursday, May 21, 2009.



Horses graze on the southern end of turn one at the abandoned, or no-longer-in-use Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy Ca Thursday, May 21, 2009.


Full Article:


(05-24) 19:00 PDT Altamont -- Altamont Speedway has died its thousandth death, and no one bothered to show up for the funeral.

It was too sun-baked by day for auto racers in their fireproofed suits, too wind-blasted by night for fans in their layered hoodies, and too noisy on weekends for a few lawyered-up neighbors.

With no proper sendoff, the half-mile track, perched on the back side of Altamont pass, shut down some time after the 2008 season ended in October. The last oval, asphalt track in the Bay Area is closed for the sixth time in its 43 years, and many think this could be the once and for all of it.

"It's the curse of Altamont," said former track promoter Kenny Shepherd. "I wouldn't call it a surprise. It's more a shame."

A shame, Shepherd said, because Altamont Speedway sits in the dark and cold on Memorial Day weekend. This is the most celebrated holiday of the racing calendar, from the Indy 500 to the little big shows at small tracks across America.

Aside from the wandering horses and wild squirrels, all that raced within Altamont's property lines Saturday was loose foxtails and tumbleweed in the 30-mile per hour gusts.

Its current owners hope to get a new use permit and restart the track, possibly by next season. Anyone who knows anything about its long history of false starts and colossal failures share the same plea: Let the dead be.

"I don't think anyone can make this place work," said Ken Clapp, a NASCAR senior consultant who oversaw its western operations for 25 years. "It has always been a nightmare."

Doff Cooksey Jr. has a goatee hanging off his chin, tobacco chew sticking in his teeth and a mean streak flying out of his 21-year-old mouth.

He towed his late-model Chevy from Brentwood to Stockton 99 Speedway on Saturday fixing to break even with a $1,500 winner's check. Fifteen hours later, all he had to show for an eighth-place finish was a $350 payday and $500 in damages after 150 laps of paint-exchange racing.

The sides are scraped. The front end is busted. And now, he's got to load up the bent mobile for a midnight run back to Brentwood, almost an hour away if his trailer catches the green lights on crooked Highway 4.

"I'm glad to have a good place to race, but I'd rather be at Altamont," Cooksey said. "I love racing to death but I can't be traveling every weekend, not in this economy."

Altamont Speedway was his hometrack, just 20 minutes from his house. Cooksey started racing there as a 13-year-old. At age 20, he finished second out of 25 regular drivers in last year's late-model standings. Every race is a haul now. Altamont It was the last Bay Area track left on the oval asphalt circuit. San Jose Speedway died in 1977. Oakland Speedway went away in 1954.

All that's left locally are dirt tracks in Antioch, Calistoga and Petaluma. Infineon Raceway has a drag-race program and brings in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series for a road race once a year.

But, for those interested in NASCAR's signature style of racing - left turns on asphalt - the closest options are in Stockton, Roseville and Madera.

Only five of Altamont's 25 late-model drivers are known to still be racing on a regular basis. If Altamont is dead indeed, it's taking a crop of Bay Area race teams with it.

"There's just nothing left for us in the Bay," said Doff Cooksey Sr., who runs a helicopter spraying business. "I can't be doing this all the time like I used to. We work seasonally seven days a week. I gotta get up for work at 4:30 Sunday morning."

The Cooksey family thinks re-opening Altamont would save NASCAR racing in Northern California. Those who tried to run the track wonder why.

Kenny Shepherd thought he would make things different when he was named track president and general manager in 2006. They all do when they buy into Altamont Speedway.

"When I got up there, some of the older guys told me to stay away, it's cursed," Shepherd said. "I knew going in it was a nightmare. and the odds were so big against us. I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out."

The track itself is considered fantastic. The surface is as fast as the straightaways are long. Smaller tracks are like bullrings, where the winners are those who best avoid the pileups. Altamont runs more like a sprint to the finish with elbow room.

Too bad everything else makes it such a miserable place.

No one seems to know why, but the original owner built the track in the howling center of the Altamont Pass wind corridor. The later it gets, the stiffer the breeze and colder the night.

"They put them windmills on those hills for a reason," current track president Jeff Macey said.

The restrooms were rank no matter how hard the cleaning crew scrubbed. The water in the local well had too much sulfur, giving it the aroma of rotten eggs.

"I've never seen anything like it," Ken Clapp said. He's run some 4,150 single-day shows at 18 race tracks. He was Altamont's promoter for a brief time in 1973.

"It was always something. Grass fires, traffic jams, power failures were imminent. The losses were huge. For every home run, there were 99 failures. I can easily count $12 million that's been lost there and I think it's probably a bigger number than that."

Yet, new owners keep diving in, convinced they can be the ones to turn the track around. The track has burned through nine ownership groups in all. The original owner sold it after three years.

The next in line rented the place out for the "Woodstock of the West" concert featuring the Rolling Stone in December 1969. A crowd of 300,000 trashed the place beyond use. A teenager was stabbed to death by a Hells Angels security guard. Racing did not return for three years.

"You talk to all the operators and it's the same thing," Shepherd said. "It's a piece of Bay Area property. How can I lose on it? Somehow, someway, they all end up losing."

Current co-owner Mel Andrews wonders why he never got the message.

Andrews is a Southern Californian who invests money for a living and races vintage cars as a hobby.

He wanted to get into track ownership. In 2006, he bought into Altamont as a lead investor in Lakeside Motorsports-Altamont, LLC. He's been losing money ever since, more than he cares to disclose.

"I probably was not aware of the history that it had," Andrews said. "The people that were the lead in running this either weren't aware of it or they weren't as forthright as I would wish they'd be." I kept putting more money into it, so I became a much bigger investor than I had ever dreamed.

"Given what I know now about its history, I would not have gotten involved."

Truth is, no one could have seen what was around the turn.

The group spent $1.8 million in upgrades to a track that was dormant from 2002-05. It operated under a conditional user permit from Alameda County, but it expired in 2006.

The renewal process took on a death of its own.

A new neighbor brought complaints and land-use lawsuits against the track because of the weekly noise. The state Department of Fish and Game held up the track's environmental impact report because the proposed project - adding a sign, awning and caretakers' house - could endanger the San Joaquin kit fox and California tiger salamander.

The county allowed the track to operate last year with restrictions. Races could only run during the day and had to end before nightfall. Current track president Jeff Macey said those rules "strangled" them.

"It's hard enough to get people out there to start with," Macey said. "Then to get them to come there in the heat of the day? That really hurt our fan base."

With the restrictions the county put on us, there was absolutely no way we could be functional as far as making a profit."

That's why the track is closed today. Big events always drew big crowds at Altamont, especially on Memorial Day weekend, but they were never enough to outweigh the weekly overhead of a full season.

"As much as it seems a shame t have it sit their empty," Edwards said, "it's better than having to write a check every month to cover the losses."

Jeff Macey has been in auto racing for 35 years as a mechanic, driver, builder, owner and track manager. He remains president and general manager of Altamont Speedway, but he couldn't just sit and wait to see if racing comes back.

So, he took the job of competition director at All-American Speedway in Roseville, where he oversees large car fields and even larger crowds just outside Sacramento.

Macey is using the same formula he had at Altamont: take care of the drivers, bring in big events, and make it affordable for the fans. It turns out, the formula works just fine.

"It must be working because the grandstands are packed and we've got great car counts," Macey said. "Altamont always had its own set of problems. What has there been, how many owners? That tells you it's never been totally successful. If it had been, someone would have kept it for a long time."

Shepherd, too, is enjoying post-Altamont success. He took over a closed-down Madera Speedway in 2007 and brought it back to life. This year, he has Chowchilla Speedway back in operation.

"The same business model I'm using here just did not work at Altamont," Shepherd said. "No matter what you do, you can't get crowds out there."

Perhaps they can draw fans some of the time, and maybe that's how asphalt racing can return to the Bay Area.

One idea Edwards has is to re-open the track on a part-time basis with perhaps one big race per month. That, or sell the place to someone who wants a personal track to play in.

For now, he's focused on getting through the permit process with the county while pushing forward plans to build a road course and motorcycle park in Tracy.

Shepherd thinks he has the best idea of all, if only it were possible.

"If we could move Altamont race track, pick it up and slide it down the mountain in either direction, it would be an absolute home run," Shepherd said. "Even if you take away the political and neighbor pressure out of the equation, I still don't think it makes it financially because of where it sits.

"That's just a tough place to be."

E-mail David White at dwhite@sfchronicle.com.


URL for original article: [www.sfgate.com]


plexi

Nice update Mr. Plexi

Thanks millions.. !

Is it the lower parts to the right at the second picture that were the stage area?

dont know, I will leave that to others better versed in its topography and in the historical site than me


maybe i can tell u in December

stage was left center - in the distance - near where that little road is (in the middle photo)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-25 17:23 by hbwriter.

funny....looks just like tim's backyard...

well it's 10 times better kept than I thought. you might even say it seems like a nice place

thanks for the great read and photos, Tim.

I remember Altamont been discussed sometime during the last year and I answered they got a new well-equipped homepage (www.altamontracing.com) - though no word about the Stones at all in their history...
Everything looked quite promising by the new promoters (that must have been Macy and Sheppard) as mentioned by Tim/Plexi. They have done some investment. You can see the results: tracks and buildings look quite good; a variety of ovals and circuits was possible to race. Very professional looking (I know a bit about that business because I come from motorsports journalism).
Sometime after that I came across Altamont on this (very seriously handled) website: www.motorsportmemorial.org. Immediately, after that incident I clicked the mentioned Altamont website but it was gone. Now Plexi seems to have (ano)the(r) reason why.

Underneath is a quotation from MotorsportMemorial and though the driver might have died of a heart failure before the crash something like that can mean the end to a raceway/racetrack/circuit, especially if it's a provincial one. In addition to that: the driver was from the neighbourhood which might have resulted in an end of the local support to the investors (from elsewhere!).

Anyway, the killed driver is part of the curse on the racetrack though there only had been one other deadly accident before (in 2002). Unfortunately, the article by Plexi doesn't give any clue to effects on ownership then.

Court Summerfield
Complete name: Court D. Summerfield
Birth date: 04.Feb.1961
Birth Place: Tulare, CA, United States
Death date: 10.May.2008
Death Place: Tracy, CA, United States
Nationality: United States
Gender: male
Age at death: 47

Accident date: 10.May.2008
Series: stock cars [no further details yet available]
Race: 24 Hours of LeMons
Event: race
Country: United States
Venue: Altamont Motorsport Park (California)
Variant: 1/2-mile paved oval

Role: driver
Vehicle type: car
Vehicle sub-type: stock car
Vehicle brand/model: Volvo 242 Turbo
Vehicle number: 39

Notes:
Court Summerfield was driving the #39 Team Cant Am Volvo 242 Turbo at the 2008 24 Hours Of LeMons, at Altamont Motorsports Park, California. The car went suddenly straight on a turn and crashed into a wall. He was pronounced dead shortly later at the Sutter Tracy Community Hospital.
Summerfield was travelling at about 50 mi/h and left no braking marks. No other cars were involved. An inquest determined that there was no mechanical failure or unsafe track conditions. It appeared that the driver was not conscious prior to impact.
Court Summerfield was a resident of Alameda, California, where he worked with his wife at her family's restaurant, Ole's Waffle Shop.
The 24 Hours Of LeMons is a parody of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only cars costing less than $500, including modifications and tuning, are admitted to the race. Expenses for safety, such as roll-cage and safety belts, are not considered in the $500 limit. Cars don't actually race for 24 hours; usually an event is composed of an endurance race of 13 hours, and several qualifiers in a weekend. The event in which Court Summerfield died had about 90 entrants.
Some sources indicate the name of the victim as Cort Summerfield.

Sources:
California Birth Index, 1905-1995.
Website 24 Hours of LeMons, page [www.24hoursoflemons.com] .
Website Jalopink, page [jalopnik.com] .
Website SFGate, article "Alameda man dies during amateur Altamont race", page [www.sfgate.com] .
E-mail by Hélio Rodrigues, dated 24 May 2008. [name: Cort Summerfield] .
E-mail by Jim Michels, dated 25 May 2008.

To conclude that by going back to the Stones. The article complains about the losses of oval-race-tracks in the Bay area (to all non-Americans: an oval track is something like Indianapolis but not the way the MotoGP or the Forumula One did). The original idea of the free concert was in a San Francisco park but the it moved to Sears Point - another motorsprts arena. A non-oval, still in use in the highest US-motorsports series. No matter of Hell's Angels, Satan and what-/who-ever, there it would have been Woodstock West!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-25 22:19 by JJHMick.

are the "Sources" yours or just part of a larger piece, i guess i am unclear about that.

does seem a little spooky, tho, the way that guy died during the race.

cursed?


plexi

Drivers dying thru motor races aint too unusual.

As I was preparing an answer to Plexi, Baboon came across. Yes, he is right, it ain't unsusual that drivers die in races due to health problems! No matter if those health problems had been there before and now became lethal under stress conditions.
If a victim of an accident can be traced to such physical reasons they are not counted as traffic casualties. I worked for a local newspaper in Germany as an editor and I had to count about ten killed during my time there, two of which were heart failures. Just rolling off the road into a bridge (no suicide!) or into a field, still "sleeping" behind his wheel.
Baboon, my e-mail is not hidden, I "seriously" can make out my point of view, including some (Norwegian?) reference, if you like to.
Off this goes, to Plexi more to follow soon.

To Plexi, it is not (necessarily) "spooky": As mentioned to Baboon, such deaths happen even under less stressful conditions than a race more often than one might imagine. You can ask any ambulance personell: They will tell you that the shock of the accident is very dangerous in itself and that the strongest guys might fall with no wound visible.
To Plexi: we came across with that Nuremberg/Nazi party area (I mean the party, not a party...) subject where the place turns into a motorsports racetrack once a year [and my Charlie Watts t-shirt].
The Motorsports Memorial website is very helpful to understand reasons why somebody (as they only count them) died. You can find out about long-forgotten race tracks, famous ones still in use, motorcycle and and yuotmobiles all over the world and so.
You will find out that people most in danger at motorsprt events are spectators at rallyes...
You will find out that motorcycle races are not that much nmore dangerous than car races as you might have expected. And if: Casualties usually are overrun by others or crash into barriers like walls - that probably shouldn't be there in a motorcycle race venue...
American specialty, oval-races, are somehow more dangerous (not because of the incredible high speed but because you crash into a wall!) than the "European style" gaining positions by out-breaking (if that's the right word) a competitor before a bend/turn/curve instead of overtaking him/her (Ms. Danica "Pretty" f.e.) out of the wind shadow (if that's the right word, too).
The website lists even casualties in air races and motor boat races since about 1897!

Something more for you to look up:
[www.the-fastlane.co.uk]
- on the left you can scroll down your home state (Montana got none...)

I reckon this site here you refer to JJHMIck aint no scientific reasearch
or study. There just have to be mis-sources.
How do you (i.e) know that Montana has any particular thorough statistics
for this matter.. ?
Excuse me, but I grew up among magicians & conspirationalists...

The bad luck in 1969 mainly was due to the choice of the local Angels as security if ya ask me.
Plus I take it that most of the other casualties at Altamont Festival are myths.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-05-25 23:51 by Baboon Bro.

Baboon, about "Memorial": I know someone who knows someone who... but I trust them. More so: I know people who were in charge when such a thing happened and therefore I can value how the website deals with it.
If they happen to get to know something they will add that to their list. It always happens at the beginning of a new year. There is some search function and you suddenly come across a "new" one and it had happened in Morocco in 1929 or something alike.
They handle that matter very respectfully. My most terrible day - outside private relation, of course - has been on a motorcycle national championship weekend with two casualties (see Speyer/Germany). I had watched the accidents from some hundred meters distance without recognizing details but was sitting in the press container weeping with strangers about the death of strangers.

I know we're getting a bit off topic here. I am a motor sports fan - there is nothing worse than witnessing a bad race car accident. Clearly one doesn't know at the time (unless it's obvious) the extent of the drivers injuries, but the extreme violence involved always make one fear the worse.
You don't even have to be at the track - remember Senna, Gilles Villeneuve, Jo Siffert, Lorenzo Bandini, the unbearable scene as Roger Williamson perished before our eyes in a pitifull crash at Zandvoort, 1973 (the list goes on and on) - all televised as it happened - all sickening.

That is a trip considering we were just talking about that not long ago. As far as it's being cursed. I think it's more of it being out in the middle of nowhere and racing just isn't that big in california anyway.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

Quote
turd
I know we're getting a bit off topic here. I am a motor sports fan - there is nothing worse than witnessing a bad race car accident. Clearly one doesn't know at the time (unless it's obvious) the extent of the drivers injuries, but the extreme violence involved always make one fear the worse.
You don't even have to be at the track - remember Senna, Gilles Villeneuve, Jo Siffert, Lorenzo Bandini, the unbearable scene as Roger Williamson perished before our eyes in a pitifull crash at Zandvoort, 1973 (the list goes on and on) - all televised as it happened - all sickening.

Sorry to revive this dying thread. There is an incerdibly funny piece of black humour plus thriller plot on all those tragedies by a famous Austrian thriller author: Wolf Haas, "Ausgebremst" (hard to translate: overtaken on the brakes/overtaken by braking later). He is making up a conspiracy out of all those accidents (don't forget the various plane crashes of drivers in the 70s!).

dont be sorry to revive this "dying thread." some threads get brought back to life months or even years later.


p