Riverside Today (2001)
 

Website visitor Bill Wilkman lives near the site of Riverside Raceway and in September, 2001, took a stroll through this hallowed ground.  What Bill saw and photographed no longer exists; it was bulldozed and a housing development took its place.  His description of the raceway grounds in 2001 follows:
 

"If you go to the intersection of Day and Eucalyptus in Moreno Valley, you'll be right at the centerpoint of the old racetrack frontage.  It was located east of Day Street between the 60 Freeway and Cottonwood Avenue.  The track remnant photos I took are near the intersection of Day and Cottonwood.

The old sign remains at the northern boundary along the 60 freeway, east of Day.  The parts of the raceway (including the exciting turns 6, 7, and 7a)north of my photos have been replaced by a combination of vacant land, a Costco store, and the Townegate Shopping Center. "

These are the photos he took that day.  Click on thumbnail to see full-sized photo and text.


 

 
These pages are discussed in a thread on the "Atlas F1 Nostalgia Forum".

Frequent contributor Bob Norton explored the remains of the Paramount Ranch course.

 
 
Website visitors respond to the Riverside photos:

"This almost brings me to tears.  These photos, a few of them at least, are
an absolute must for your website.  They form a window into a glorious past
filled with the hopes and dreams of many courageous and talented young men:
Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Dave McDonald, Billy Krause and hundreds of others
including myself. They also bring us to reflect on the loss of those who
died here: Ken Miles and Pat Piggot come to mind.  The graffiti and somber
skies in the photos help capture the poignancy.

Please convey my personal thanks to Bill Wilkman."

David Norton
(dnorton@flowserve.com)
Sr. Product Engineer, Technical Services
Temecula Engineering
(You control your attitude, so why not make it positive?
 
 

"OMG, it is like viewing the corpse of an old friend...."

Many thanks, John McCann

PS: My latest invention, the CarporT, is on p.130 of the current (Sept)
issue of Motor Trend Magazine (www.carportcarcover.com).
 
 

My (ex-pro motorcycle racer) brother Tip McPartland's Riverside memories.  (Too long to post on this page.)
 
 

Frank Sheffield offers his memories:

"Those dead Riverside International Raceway photos nudged my lachrymals,
as did Tip's memories. I always knew there was a hierarchy of
risk-seeking in racers and their cohort. Two-wheelers were (are) right
up there near the top..."

(More from Frank)    (Check out Frank's website, too!)
 
 

"Thanks so much for the Riverside raceway memories. I still pass by there
on my way from Lancaster to San Diego but I can't bear to stop and see
what's left.

I lived in Corona, CA from 1965 to 1970 and visited Riverside Raceway
for just about every event there was.  I remember both roasting and
freezing and seeing the most magnificant racing imaginable.  I would go
home and sit in my big brother's go-kart and "drive" the course lap
after lap.  Finally, in 1985, I took the Keith Code motorcycle
roadracing course there and then raced there and at the nearby Willow
Springs raceway.  When I next get together with my brothers I will try
to pull out our old pictures and programs and see if we have anything
"special" enough to send in."

Thanks again!

Jim Harris
Senior Flight Test Specialist
Lockheed-Martin SkunkWorks

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