Abandoned Race Track: War Bonnet Park Raceway. Oklahoma's first dedicated road course.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- If you enjoy this tour of historic War Bonnet Raceway Park, check out what happens when I visit a track that's still open for business: • Track Features
While in the Tulsa area for other, soon to be disclosed, reasons I had the chance to stop by the former War Bonnet Raceway Park. Now known as Keystone Loop this erstwhile racetrack was actually the Sooner State's first dedicated road course. Water management and safety regulations unfortunately led to it's demise as a racetrack and later re-purposing as a residential loop.
Historic photo credits follow outro. I do not own any of those. Fair use for non-commercial purposes.
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Corvette offered a gold metallic color called War Bonnet Yellow in 1971-72. Now I know where they got the name.
I worked timing, scoring and with crews on the corners. I remember one race where the drivers were to stay left entering a short bridge on the northwest side of the track. That instruction was due to a 4inch deficit dropping down while exiting the bridge. Sitting in the timing tower, we all saw a bouncing tire and wheel flying along at...oh about 80 or 90 mph. It flew into the pits hitting a car and eventually stopping. James Garner showed up for one race promoting his “Gran Prix” movie. It was also on the day that man landed on the moon and was broadcast on the loud speaker system. On the 45th anniversary of the landing, Garner died the next day.
I love when tracks are actually repurposed into roads like this. Just like Augusta. The history is never lost. Wish all racetracks went this way.
I grew up at Warbonnet during the heydays. My dad Rex Apker was the chief starter and my mom was timing and scoring, when she wasn't racing.
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. Hopefully I've done it some justice. It definitely felt like it would have been an interesting track to drive at speed.
@Tony Wilson As much as my channel is probably always going to *look* like a car channel in some capacity or another, you're correct in that the real story revolves around the people, places, and culture....in the midst of which happens to be a racetrack. Thanks for watching and I too hope I can make it to Australia in the next several years.
I was just reading this - www.southwesttulsa.org/images/History/SWTulsaHistoryBook2004.pdf page 192 and came across a story about your family and this raceway.
My husband and i were SCCA and Mustangers of Tulsa and worked in the timing and scoring tower. If I remember correctly, Rex was the start/finish flag man. Loved the race track, so many great memories.
I remember Rex quite well from my days racing in the 70's.
Just drove it tonight, I live just west of Tulsa. Pretty cool to imagine racing on it back in the day. Love the videos.
If you want to know more, Bob Moore who built the track is still alive and he is my wife’s Grandfather. He does have some good stories about it.
www.southwesttulsa.org/images/History/SWTulsaHistoryBook2004.pdf have you read this book? I just dicovered it and it is mentioning this raceway so i came here and found this.
This explains why the OK SCCA regional newsletter was called the War bonnet. I was active in the late 70s and never knew about this track.
Great video. At least these residents have something to talk about.
And folks that's the coolest thing that ever happened in Mannford
My brother played a soccer game at the fields within the old infield, he commented to me that the road looked like a racetrack, and lo and behold, it is!
When I was a teen my father and I visited this track. While maneuvering for a good look at the track i suddenly found myself right behind Paul Newman and James Garner. They were both considering going racing at that time. I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Lol, that's awesome. Definitely sounds like one of those, "is this real life" moments.
They should run go carts on the track one time a year or vintage race clubs have a day at the old track
As you alluded to in the video, safety was a problem at War Bonnet. When Trans-am came to town in '68, the race was red flagged when a car went off at turn 1, thru the wire safety fence and into the spectator area. Injuries were restricted to a couple of broken bones, but it did indicate a bit of a problem. It's a shame, because i think War Bonnet along with Lynndale Farms & Greenwood Roadway represent the biggest missed opportunities in US road courses. By the way SCCA historian Pete Hylton wrote couple books called "Ghost Tracks" & "More Ghost Tracks". I purchased them thru SCCA about 10 years ago, whether they are still available i have no idea. More recently Martin Rudow wrote a book called "Lost Road Courses".
I'll have to look for the "Ghost Tracks" books. I own "Lost Road Courses". I think in '68 safety was still a problem at most tracks. Some of the biggest issues at War Bonnet could probably have been addressed with runoff and appropriate barriers, but that would have needed lots of money and space around the track.....I gather there was a serious lack of the former even if the latter might not have been a problem.
I remember that race. My husband and I were in Timing and Scoring. Scared me watching it happen. Very lucky no one was seriously injured.
We belonged to Mustangers of Tulsa and we had slalom races on the course and that tight turn before start/finish was needless to say, was interesting. So much fun at all of the racing. Loved it.
I live just a bit away in Tulsa but I’ll be sure to check it out at some point
Sadly, this reminds me of my hometown track. Not a track like this but a drag strip. Much to our dismay and fueled hatred for the country supervisors who were instrumental in shutting it down. Shutting it down in favor of building homes nobody can afford, in an economy so bad homes already are sitting empty. Sacramento Raceway Park locked up permanently last October after the completion of the Governor's Cup. (Annual fall race) It had the drag strip, oval dirt track and a motocross track. I races there as a high schooler in our annual "High School Team Drags" and also on the motocross track. I'll miss it and so will the thousands of fans and drivers that entered its staging beams. I remember the likes of Gary Ormsby (1989 T/F champion), John Force (16-time F/C champion) when he couldn't beat anyone, Shirley, Garlits, Snake (my favorite driver back then and 4-time F/C champ), Mongoose, 240 Gordie, Frieman's Quickie. Pro Gas grew up on that track too. The Folsom Flash and the Riolo Bros dueling '55 Chevys. Man, I miss those days. Thanks for the memories.
I was in high school when War Bonnet opened. By the time I was old enough to start racing (then it was 21), the track was no more.
I ran enduro karts there with the International Kart Federation. We ran clockwise and I’m pretty sure it was on the short course. The surface was coming apart and I hit a chug hole in the left hander before that downhill, off camber and narrow hairpin that ends the lap. Lost my chain and ruined a good day.
Certainly they ran F5000 or formula A, as we owned a car that ran there here down in New Zealand, you should look on the formula 5000 web site as they have a lot of programs and results, can help if you need it', just let me know
Thanks for the tip, I know some of those smaller formula cars ran nearly everywhere back in the day (and even now to an extent). It's also pretty cool to hear about the vehicular connection between rural Oklahoma and New Zealand.
Thanks the car is back in the states now as we sold it 2 years ago, I was always intrigued by the War Bonnet track when researching our car as it wasn't on my radar, I think it would of been a great track in the day, thanks for taking the time to go there and do a lap for us, our car was a 1968 Lola T140 high wing car, in fact if you search on TH-cam for Dunkley F5000 you'll see some video from NZ and when we went the the states and ran at Laguna, cheers P
@@pauldunkley494 Yup, that's awesome. I looked it up and found the videos you were talking about. What's insane to me is a car like that on a track like War Bonnet. I'm sure the surface was better in it's heyday, but even the width of the track and some of the dips and crests would've been brutal for a formula car like that.
11:07, It appears someone flew their Cessna 172 to the track! Just above the third place car in the what I would guess is spectator parking
Lol, I had not even noticed that myself. Good spot.
@@LapoftheWorld One has to wonder where he landed, perhaps on the start finish? haha
My older Brother and I were at a race there in the late 60's. I don't remember all the different typrs of racecars that were. The main race was won by Dr. Lou Sell. A team mate of His at the time was Dick Smothers (Smothers Brothers)
I live near tulsa I had no clue that this was nearby
Wasn't there a much longer course used as well - nearly 6 miles ? See the map at 11.13. After the 1st right , left ess following the start, turn hard right then under the bridge where the cars bottomed out according to the video and follow that road all the way around to rejoin a couple of hundred yards from the point at which you left the original course. I believe this version was abandoned when the land around the bridge over the little inlet ( creek ? ) started to sink taking the bridge with it !
That's interesting. I think I just glossed over that larger loop on the map having not found record or mention of any circuit longer than the 2.4 mile loop we drove ever being used for racing. Having said that looking at from Google's satellites, you can definitely see the remains of the south-western leg of that big loop from near the inlet up to what's now a farm pond, but if you extrapolate the path it would connect where you mention. Definitely makes me want to go back and dig a little more through old papers or something to see if it was just very short-lived, or if the bridge collapsed before it could be used, or if I just misinterpreted something.
@@LapoftheWorld I remember reading about the longer version with some pictures in an article a few years ago. Just come across your channel and really enjoying it. 👍 Live in the UK so my circuit visits pretty much restricted to Europe especially old disused French and Belgian road tracks
@@chrishall2211 My goal is to get over to the UK and Europe in the next year or few and take a bit of a track tour. So far the only one over there I've driven is the 'Ring (not a bad place to start, but still).
@@LapoftheWorld Not done the Ring but just over the border in Belgium have done old Spa, various versions of Chimay, Mettet, Floreffe, Mons and in France, Rouen, Le Mans, Dieppe 1907 and the 1930's circuit, Tours, Bourg en Bresse, Cadours, Pau ( street circuit and 1930s circuit outside town), Monaco, Caen, Reims, St Gaudens and probably a few more ! 😁
This needs to be scanned......
Just stumbled on your channel from Grassroots Motorsport. Really enjoying the videos. If you get back north, you should check out Meadowdale International (now Raceway Woods Park) just outside of Chicago. Has some pretty interesting history and the circuit is still pretty much intact.
Thanks for stopping by! I have Meadowdale on the list somewhere. I'm gearing up to try and hit a number of active tracks next year in addition to a few more abandoned or never-opened facilities as I enjoy the history even if I can't drive them at speed! 'Always welcome the recomendations!
@@LapoftheWorld Excellent, if you get back this way, come run Road America again with the Kink. Its a completely different experience, it could almost be considered a different track.
I'd definitely be down for that. Road America (and that region in general) is beautiful.
In late 1967 or early 1968 I participated in my first motorcycle road race on the short track. The course was run counterclockwise and there were several races according to engine size. My twin 100 Yamaha was one of several in that race. Most riders were short track scrambles racers and I think Doy Davis(?) won our class on a twin 100. Anyone have any more info on that one and only motorcycle race that I know of, on that track?
If you want to know more, Bob Moore who built the track is still alive and he is my wife’s Grandfather. He does have some good stories about it. I will send him and his wife the link to this. They will enjoy it.
That's awesome! I hope it does the track some justice, and I'd love to hear any anecdotes. It's rare to get information from any original source like him anymore.
Just imagine....... if a beutiful track like this..... and others like Augusta had kept going, American manufacturers might have developed cars that went round corners.....😉
Hi folks and thanks for watching. Please check out my new series for 2021: Track of the Week! th-cam.com/video/PPEzx4wO9mw/w-d-xo.html Learn about some of the more extreme, obscure, or interesting tracks in the world as I dig through information and work with local sources to discover each unique circuit.
LOL I live 2 miles down the road from that track.
Now you have to go find the Marlboro racetrack...because Marlboro Maroon was not named after cigarettes'. Hint, it is in Upper Marlboro Maryland.
That one I'd found and is already on my map though I haven't made the trip up there yet. Maybe once the Northeast thaws out in the spring.
Imagine a 427 Cobra goin around this balls out. Wow.
Bike crit racing on short course would be fun.
And now i know how corvette got the color name "War Bonnet Yellow".
Cool trivia! I hadn't connected those dots myself but lots of Chevy colors in that period were named for racetracks and I found a few sources corroborating this connection.
very cool!
So, who else is here thinking about taking a hot lap? 😁 .... On second thought now that ive seen more the video, they really built up around the track :/
I grew up there.
Chevy Corvette colors were often named for race tracks. That included War Bonnet Yellow.
images.app.goo.gl/fgoN4CTqh7ctp9vF7
That is not far from my place!
Dale JR is doing same show you are doing lol
I'm sticking to road courses, and not just abandoned ones. That said, I will watch his with interest and probably some production budget jealousy lol 😁
@@LapoftheWorld I wonder if he got the idea from you lol have you seen the promo for his show.
@@mollycaz1 I have. It looks awesome. I won't claim any inspiration there, but if anything I've done played any part in his efforts that would be a great story.
Lap of the World it looks like a great show i can not wait to see it. Maybe Dale watches you channel that would be very cool. I have a question can you find out what happen to a old Indy car that is only car to in Indy 500 and only Indy car race at Daytona . It sat on the roof of a widow glass company in Indianapolis for years Ray Everingham had a show about old race cars on this one showthey took the car down to restore but never told what happen to the car.
@@mollycaz1 I'm not that well connected with car collectors/restorers. I'm better than average at finding information, but this is the best I could do in an hour or so of looking: oilpressure.com/2020/01/20/an-update-on-the-jones-maley-special/
this track wont pop up on google maps
Possibly not on Google, but I've added the pin to my own map that I've curated of every road racing track in the world - www.lapoftheworld.com/the-map/
Wonder if the layout could be scanned for digital recreation for such purposes as iRacing?
I'd suspect so. Often times there is existing LIDAR data that can get video game modders halfway there. In the case of War Bonnet, there would need to be some tweaks I suspect to smooth out where the road has settled at the creek crossing and re-widen it to its original track width.
I never heard this one
I hadn't either until I started my own dig for abandoned tracks. Just so happened I was picking up a car in the area, so swung by to do some filming.
War bonnet, as in the Santa Fe locomotive livery?
I don't know if they're related, but I do know my wife is yelling at me to come to bed because I've been watching train videos now for two hours on a work night....on the plus side, I now know what that amazing paint scheme is called 🤣
👍
Did I ever link you my Google Maps list with all those race tracks?
I think so, after the Augusta video, I remember adding several former or temporary tracks shortly thereafter.
@@LapoftheWorld ah. Probably did then.
Please make a video on Dallas International Motor Speedway in Lewisville, TX. Unfortunately none of the track surface remains I think, but would make an interesting story.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_International_Motor_Speedway
Added to the map. I'll pin the Starbucks that is now where the pits used to be as a stop when I visit some of the other DFW area circuits!
More action less talk.
You look like adam the woo
I wish my sub count also looked like his 😅