Pete and Laz

Pete and Laz
Yeah, Pete it's rough...but it's a runner.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Sacramento Mile is back...

Going to the race
The Sacramento Mile is back!! After, over a ten year absence- the mile race is back at the track at "Cal-Expo", site of the State Fair. Just got back from buying my ticket. A "cheap" seat in the bleachers...only about 15 dollars less than the nifty engine stand that "Bodger" just bought for his BSA Victor. Forty dollars, but that's less than half what the highest price tickies are going for. It does also include entrance to the fair, so I guess I shouldn't grouse too much.

I live about a mile from the old State fair grounds. That was where the "Mile" used to be held. Cal Expo was opened about '68, I believe. The new site is across the river to the north-east of the old site. I can hear the fireworks go off from my house. In fact they'll be going off in about 7 minutes at 10:00. Time to vacate the McWiFi, as Mat calls it....

With any luck I'll get a few pics of the race to post here. This will be Chris Carr's retirement race. He's from Stockton, not too far from Sacramento.  You can go to WWW.sacramentoflattrack.com for a look at ticket info. It says there, that the Mile has been  at Cal-Expo since 1959, which can't be, since Cal Expo opened in 1968. In fact I've been seeing info on races at the old fairgrounds till 1970. I know a fellow who has written books on dirt track racing, I should check with him and get the real skinny.

His name is Tom Motter. He was originally from the Bay Area, and raced "Quarter-midget" race cars. He has published several books on local racing. I believe somewhere I have a photo I took of him on a Ducati out at a local dirt riding area in the 60's.This was way before I actually met him. Yeah, somewhere-buried in the "archives".

Like fairs all over the United States, there are cows, sheep, goats, chickens,cotton candy, corn dogs,and deep-fried  Snickers?


2 comments:

  1. I'd actually like to see a couple of flat track races....especially if they're all 4 strokes....racing 4 strokes is a glorious sound.

    Deep fried Snickers....sounds like that Glasgow favorite, the deep fried Mars bar (Milky Way here). I love the candy bars, but not too sure about deep fried though!

    But then again I like haggis.....

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  2. Hey Bodger, have never had Haggis or a deep-fried candy bar. Guess I'm looking forward to both?
    Definitely check out the flat track scene. There was an abundance of four stroke wailing going on. It sounds like WW2 fighters coming at you. It's wild.

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