15 replies to this topic

[Terry Walker]

I was surprised to see, via Google Map, that this artificial road circuit still exists, although long disused as a race circuit, and is now used as access roads to a funfair, ball parks, and kart track. You can drive around it next time you're in El Paso. You can even drive around part of it "virtually" through Google Map - Street View without leaving your chair.

Does anyone know the history of this unusual survival?

[JB Miltonian]

According to Road & Track, October 1959:

"Located at El Paso, Texas, on US 80 West (Westernmost point in Texas, on the Texas-Mexico border). A 2-mile course on the 30 to 50 foot wide macadam roads of Ascarate Park. Circuit runs partly along edge of Ascarate Lake. Excellent spectator facilities. Average speed is about 65 mph. Sponsored by El Paso 20-30 Club and SCCA (Pan American region), PO Box 3232, El Paso. Many accomodations available including 4 motels near course (3 with restaurants) with rates from $5.50 up."

There is a line drawing of the course layout as well.

[Lotus23]

Fascinating! I thought I'd heard of most SCCA circuits of that era, but Ascarate Park is a new one on me.

[RA Historian]

The SCCA actually ran two full blown National Championship events there, at the end of 1959, won by Pat Piggott in a Lotus 15, and 1960, won by Augie Pabst in the Meister Brauser Scarab.
Tom

[Terry Walker]

There's a good circuit map on Darren Galpin's site. What surprised me was that the circuit is still there, tarmac intact.

Ascarate Park start-finish straight looking in direction of racing:



The sweeping curves by the lake:

[275 GTB-4]

Marty Robbins....thank you for reminding me of El Paso

[pdgodwin99]

Interesting to see the old Ascarate Park again. Talk about a ghost from the past.
I ran the 1960 event but missed in 1959 since Uncle Sam had other plans (Ft. Ord, better known as Laguna Seca).
I recall Ascarate as a grubby little place, not at all scenic but then my recollection of nearly half a century may be flawed.
The only memorable thing that happened was a little excitement when John Kilborn's Lotus 15 was run down by an Arnolt Bristol right in front of my pit. Seems John, who was pitted next to me, had slowed to confer with a crewman and the Arnolt driver didn't notice his lack of motion. Fortunately he only mashed the left side of the already low Lotus down to a height of about six inches but John emerged unscathed. Being mostly concerned with John's welfare I didn't see what happened to the Arnolt but I can't imagine being launched at full chat did it any good.

Phil Godwin

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by pdgodwin99
The only memorable thing that happened was a little excitement when John Kilborn's Lotus 15 was run down by an Arnolt Bristol right in front of my pit.

John Kilborn or J.C. Kilbourn (Kilburn?) Seems that we get these two mixed up all the time. I think we went through this on another thread a while back. My recollection is that "Honest" John Kilborn drove Ferraris and J.C. Kilbourn drove a Lotus 11. If so, might the Lotus driver at El Paso in 1960 have been the second of the two? Not being critical, Phil, my memory gets clouded every now and then, and you may be right.
Tom

[Jerry Entin]

Phil and RA Historian:

Without digging into my pile of SCCA magazines, I am pretty sure it was J.C. [for John Charles] Kilburn in that El Paso event. Both Honest John Kilborn and J.C Kilburn were born in Illinois, but by 1960 J.C. had moved to Fort Worth, Texas. I doubt that Honest John would have made the long trip to El Paso, and I don't have him as a Lotus driver.

J.C. Kilburn is 78 years old now and still competes in the vintage circuit. His dad was an English brigadier under Queen Victoria, coming over to the U.S. in 1905. He was 65 years old when J.C. was born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1930. J.C. was a sickly child, suffering from bouts of polio and scarlet fever. During the summers he was shipped off to Montana to work as a ranch hand to improve his health.

In 1960 J.C. was hired by Alan Connell and his mechanic John Miller, to work at the Connell dealership in Fort Worth. He raced his own cars under the Black Bull Stable. He ran Austin-Healey 100Ms, Lotus 11s, Lotus Elites, Porsche Rs, Porsche RSK, Maserati 250S, Corvettes, Lotus FJ, Cooper FJ and Tecnos. No Lotus 15 though, unless he forgot to mention it.
all research Willem Oosthoek.

[pdgodwin99]

Jerry, thanks for helping me clear out some of the accumulated cobwebs.
You and RA Historian are of course right, it was J.C. not John. To compound my gaffe I ran into J.C. later in Connell's place in Fort Worth and I'm pretty sure I called him "Honest John". Well, a little to late to be embarassed about it now. Also, the Lotus could very well be an 11 but I just assumed it was a 15 since it looked a little larger to my unpracticed eye.
That same day we had one other piece of excitement when the course marshall called all the drivers and crews to the start/finish line and held us there for a half hour or so. Later learned that the police had
received a bomb threat scare and were scouring the pits for suspicious objects.

Phil

[raceannouncer2003]

Originally posted by Jerry Entin
In 1960 J.C. was hired by Alan Connell and his mechanic John Miller, to work at the Connell dealership in Fort Worth. He raced his own cars under the Black Bull Stable. He ran Austin-Healey 100Ms, Lotus 11s, Lotus Elites, Porsche Rs, Porsche RSK, Maserati 250S, Corvettes, Lotus FJ, Cooper FJ and Tecnos. No Lotus 15 though, unless he forgot to mention it.

Apparently he did race a Lotus 15...as discussed in post 39 on this page:

http://forums.autosp...y=&pagenumber=1

Now owned and raced by Dudley Cunningham, Carlisle, MA. Photo here:

http://www.flickr.co...57605017691779/

Vince H.

[Jerry Entin]

J.C. Kilburn in the #48 Lotus 15

Vince: You are right. I did post a photo of his Lotus 15. So I would think that makes my statement he didn't race one a pretty good error on my part.
From my past dealings with Vince I have always found him to be correct. Thanks for straighten me out.
Dudley Cunningham seems to have the car in better then new condition.
photo lent site John Miller Family Collection

[Frank S]

An Ascarate Park event that didn't take place (Stand by to disregard) :
On 24th September, 2008, I blew past the appropriate exit from I-20 at about four MPH, negotiating my first-in-many-years clutch-and-shift traffic jam on the way to Terlingua. I had printed a map to the course, and expected to take a turn around it, but completely forgot until the eventual rush of being freed from the clot of home-from-work commuters, some ten miles down the road.

Sorry.

--
Frank Sheffield
San Diego CA
USA

[Frank S]

Nice article about this course and its events - and other West Texas ghost tracks - in the March 2010 issue of SCCA's monthly magazine, "SportsCar".

[Rupertlt1]

See: https://forums.autos...4#entry10226127

 

A BIG COMEBACK was staged by Ralph Durbin of Warsaw, Ind., whose Arnolt-Bristol crawled over a 2-liter Lotus and rolled over during a preliminary race on the Saturday before the big Sunday competition. The Arnolt's mechanic, Juan Lopez, worked all Saturday night getting the car in racing shape; Durbin brought it in for a victory in its class the following day and was fourth overall.

Competition Press, 12 October 1960, Page 8

 

See Post #7. 

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 07 April 2023 - 06:47.

[lcbulldog]

See: https://forums.autos...4#entry10226127

 

A BIG COMEBACK was staged by Ralph Durbin of Warsaw, Ind., whose Arnolt-Bristol crawled over a 2-liter Lotus and rolled over during a preliminary race on the Saturday before the big Sunday competition. The Arnolt's mechanic, Juan Lopez, worked all Saturday night getting the car in racing shape; Durbin brought it in for a victory in its class the following day and was fourth overall.

Competition Press, 12 October 1960, Page 8

 

See Post #7. 

 

RGDS RLT

 

 

Durbin finished second in class behind Skip Horney according to the results published in one of the El Paso newspapers.  I tried to attach the article, but "not allowed". 

 

Mark