Chilhowee park and race course (story)

[Les]

Here you go.
Local club racing
A police car stopped on Magnolia Ave...watching for a while and then getting back into the car and going to cruise to check out other stuff.
A Chevy Citation XII was on the course just a few minutes later.
The XII went airboune over the fence and landed right where the police car had been

[dfoulk]

I saw a Porsche 912 go through that fence. If I remember correctly, it was in 1977.

[Les]

The bottom curve is really tricky at Chilhowee Park. You gain time on the upper end and pad seconds for the bottom where you have to back off to make the curve. You then make up for more time in acceleration and flat out for the finish line.
Umm...did you know Frank? He was known as "Daddy Rabbit"

[TedV]

Know Frank? Some of his car parts are still here in the neighborhood.

[MikeKelly]

The Citation went through the fence in 1984 or 1985.

It belonged to Fred Drumheller - one of ETR's first two safety stewards (before you had to have safety stewards).

Fred wasn't driving - the Citation went through the fence during $1 "fun runs". I could name names (it wasn't me, lol). It also wasn't anyone I've seen or heard of in the last 30 years. He went straight from a fun run in a "really fast" DP MG midget (10" or 12" slicks, all FTDs of the era), and into a "really fast" V6 FWD (and on to Magnolia Ave).

The Citation was a well prepared SS-B race car (V6, 5 speed, cage, various other mods).

Fred said if you were "legal", you were in the back half of the pack. If you were a "really good driver" in a "really fast", "legal" car, you were in the front of the back half of the pack.


They didn't do "fun runs" for a loooong time after that.


Be careful what you wish for on fun runs...


My memory is that the bottom of the loop at Chilhowee used to be a lot closer to the fence / Magnolia (and the fence wasn't nearly as sturdy then).

[John Brown]

Drumheller... hadn't thought of him since I saw a photo sequence shot of him destroying the Saab at Road Atlanta.

[MikeKelly]

If memory serves, he broke his neck on that one.


He recovered - the Citation replaced the destroyed Saab...

[Les]

You Guys go and talk and add more.

[MikeKelly]

Legend has it that ORPD set up radar adjacent to the OR mall course one year and threatened to write tickets if anyone exceeded 25 mph (on course).

That would have been early 1980s...

[joe henslee]

ORPD did in fact set up radar when ETR first returned to he shopping center lot at the request of Mall management in 82' maybe 83' I believe. I had to debrief post event the Monday following with the Mall manager. Seems ORPD reported to her some funny little red car had exceeded 80 mph on a diagonal straight mid course. I explained while the car could accelerate quickly, it also stopped as quick forward, sideways or backwards . The manager seemed "OK" with that explanation. I also explained the "average" speed of the "average" cars was within "normal highway speeds". We were allowed to continue using the lot.
Regarding Fred D. and the Saab at RA, I believe he also took out the caution light mounted to the side of the bridge ...... above the track surface about track centerline . Too much aerospace background from the Saab family of engineers.
Fred's X-11 Citation was also infused with some GM "skunkworks" "X" feature parts that aided "location in the pack" hang ability.

[MikeKelly]

Seems ORPD reported to her some funny little red car had exceeded 80 mph on a diagonal straight mid course.

Was that you, Dan Arnold, or Lee Graser?

Just guessing...

[Les]

Keep this thread moving along. This is what younger drivers who come along hunger for.

[joe henslee]

guilty and proud! ....the Scorpion sportsracer.... (photos circa 88'-89' ~~)

[Les]

Hi...thanks for posting.