Map of Marchbanks road course, circa 1960

This map shows the course layout for the first Marchbanks Road Races on Sept. 17-18, 1960. (The yellow square is caused by glue from a piece of tape on the other side of the race program leaking through). I just bought a program from the Marchbanks Road Races held Sept. 17-18, 1960. I'll post the entire program later but I wanted to share a cool map that I had never seen showing the layout and dimensions of the 9-turn, 1-8 mile course.

The course was the site of the first road races at the newly rebuilt and renamed Marchbanks Speedway. The weekend features 13 races in a variety of sports cars, open-wheel cars andmotorcycles. There even were two "Ladies" races. 

The program said Marchbanks was "the only course in the West where the spectators can see everything that goes on from one convenient location in the grandstand, the only course where the entire perimeter of the course has a solid guard rail to protect the spectators, and, of course, the only Western course with this exciting banking," a reference to the track's famed high-banked Turn 1. 

Knowing that this was one of the first races at the rebuilt track, the program refers to the track's lack of landscaping and "polishing up." "Experts are betting that it

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Video of 1968 Champ Car race at Hanford

A 10-minute "Car and Track" video of the Fall 1968 Champ Car race at Hanford has surfaced, and it provides some nice insight in to the track. 

I've been on the lookout for the long-rumored video of Champ Cars at Hanford, so it was thrilling for me to stumble across this footage on YouTube. 

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Marchbanks inducted into West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame

The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame has announced B.L. Marchbanks will be part of its 2012 class of inductees. 

Marchbanks will be included as part of the Phoenix hall's "historic division" governing people from 1930-1970. 

Hall of Fame Chairman Ken Clapp said of the nominees, "In some cases these gentlemen are nearly forgotten ..." 

Indeed. 

Kudos to the hall for recognizing Marchbanks later rather than never.  

Here's a video of Clapp remembering Marchbanks, although it should be noted most of the accompanying visuals have nothing to do with Marchbanks or the speedway. 

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RELATED STORIES: Read more about Marchbanks Speedway and Hanford Motor Speedway in my Marchbanks section, including the regularly updated "History of Marchbanks Speedway, aka Hanford Motor Speedway."