Lost Circuits: Paramount Ranch Raceway
In 1927, Paramount Studios purchased a 2700-acre ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Located near the Agoura Hills between Malibu and the Conejo Valley, Paramount used the ranch to create a variety of large-scale movie sets.
In 1955, Paramount decided to add a permanent racing track to diversify the site’s use. Motor sport was soaring in popularity and the only purpose-built closed circuit in California was Willow Springs. Temporary tracks on public roads had largely been abandoned on safety grounds which left most activity to play out on comparatively unexciting airfield tracks.
Paramount commissioned local drivers Ken Miles and Dick Van Laanen to design a two-mile course around the undulating topography.
Miles and Van Laanen created a challenging figure-of-eight layout with eleven turns, a three quarter mile main straight and a bridge with underpass.
The picturesque setting was enhanced with a lake between turns eight and nine.
Construction work began in December 1955.
Paramount Ranch Raceway opened for its first event over the weekend of August 18th and 19th 1956.
Organised by the California Sports Car Club (CSCC), the itinerary comprised four preliminaries on the Saturday followed by four finals and a consolation race on the Sunday.
The main event, a one hour contest for sports cars, was won by Harrison Evans in his Ferrari 750 Monza. Third place went to Richie Ginther who won the under 1.5-litre class in his Porsche 550 Spyder. Ginther also took victory in the standalone one hour race for sub 1500cc cars.
On November 4th, the United States Auto Club (USAC) held a 250 mile Stock Car National Championship race at Paramount Ranch. Sam Hanks took the win in his Mercury.
The final event of 1956 was another CSCC weekend of racing over November 17th and 18th. The headline 90 minute contest for Modified cars was won by Ken Miles in his Porsche 550-powered Cooper Special. Driving the same car (famously nicknamed the Pooper), Miles also took victory in the 45 minute race for sub 1500cc Modified cars.
After a trio of successful meetings in 1956, even higher quality grids of cars and drivers arrived throughout 1957.
A superb line up of machinery turned up for the opening weekend of the season which took place over March 9th and 10th. During the course of the meet, Paramount Pictures also took the opportunity to film many of the racing scenes for the Cornel Wilde movie, The Devil’s Hairpin.
Jerry Austin claimed victory in the big one hour race for over 1500cc sports cars with his Jaguar D-type.
In the under 1.5-litre contest, Bob Drake’s Cooper T39 pipped Ken Miles’ Porsche 550 to the win.
On April 28th, the USAC returned to Paramount Ranch for a 100 mile Stock Car Race. On this occasion, Troy Ruttman’s Ford took victory from runner up Sam Hanks.
Having finished second to Jerry Austin’s D-type back in March, Chuck Daigh was crowned winner in the main race for over 1500cc Modified cars on June 15th. Daigh’s Troutman Barnes Special finished six seconds ahead of Austin’s Jaguar in the ten lap race.
In the sub 1.5-litre event, Jack McAfee took the win in Stanley Sugarman’s Porsche 550.
So far, the half dozen meetings played out at Paramount Ranch had done so without major incident.
However, the CSCC weekend of December 7th and 8th was blighted by two fatal accidents.
The first of these was preceded by a serious off during Saturday practice for Hugh Woods. Woods crashed his Chevrolet Corvette into the barriers at turn one. He fractured both arms, severed his right leg and did a substantial amount of damage to the barrier.
Later that day, during the ten lap Preliminary for the over 2.7-litre Production car race, George Sherrerd crashed his Jaguar XK120 at the same spot. The barrier had not been repaired and the exposed guardrail pierced through Sherrerd’s car.
The unfortunate George Sherrerd was killed instantly.
Further tragedy occurred during Sunday’s finale, the headline one hour race for over 1.5-litre Sports cars.
Jim Firestone lost control of his Frazer Nash on the penultimate lap. The car hit the bridge parapet and rolled several times. Firestone was ejected from the Frazer Nash and then hit by the car which fatally crushed his skull.
The event was won by Dan Gurney in Frank Arciero’s Ferrari 375 Plus.
It would be the last time competitive motor sport ever took place at Paramount Ranch; the studio’s insurers refused to cover any further racing activity at the site.
By this time, other permanent circuits had opened close by such as Riverside and Pomona.
However, Paramount Ranch was still used for filming. Movies such as Roadracers (1959), Spin Out (1965), The Love Bug (1968) and Herbie Rides Again (1974) all had scenes shot on site.
In later years, the entire Paramount Ranch facility was taken over by the US National Park Service.
Unfortunately, many of the historic movie sets were devastated by 2018’s wildfires.
As for the circuit, some parts still remain, but the surface is in a very poor state and the bridge has been blocked off as it is no longer considered safe for use.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Paramount Pictures - https://www.paramount.com/
