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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE B y all rights, Nelson Ledges Road Course in Garrettsville, Ohio, should have really never been much more than a club racetrack that garnered little at- tention outside of the relatively small world of club-racing par- ticipants and enthusiasts. But in motorcycle-racing circles at least, the two-mile-long Northern Ohio circuit became famous over the years because of one thing—the 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges en- durance race. What started as a fun gathering of friends for a low-key 24-hour event morphed into a big-time road race that attracted some of the biggest names in American racing. It also attracted thousands of fans, who, to be perfectly hon- est, were only marginally there for the race. Instead, they were there for the crazy 24-hour blowout party fueled by alcohol, weed and other sundry mind-altering sub- stances. At night venturing into the infield was like walking into a surreal netherworld full of smoke, fire and fog, complete with hundreds of zombie-like figures wandering the shadowy recesses in a daze. Last month there was a re- P116 THE NELSON LEDGES REUNION awards, being the airfencing of that era, but with age, the tires became rock hard and a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. While better than hitting Armco, as a rider you did not want to end up in the tires. According to Smith the idea of a Nelson Ledges Reunion was first dreamed up at the 82nd reunion of Youngstown, Ohio's Pirate Motorcycle Club. Lean TrackDays was hosting an event at the track during the weekend of August 17-18, and Smith talked to the organizer about simultane- ously hosting the Nelson Ledges Reunion, and they agreed. Smith immediately put together a poster and began putting the word out. This was in May, meaning Smith had a relatively short time to get info out on the reunion. Thanks to Smith's efforts, word spread union of racers who raced the track put together by longtime motorcycle en- thusiast and ex-racer Larry Smith. It was a smashing success, so much so that what was initially planned as a one-time gathering of the Nelson Ledges tribe, possibly could become a repeat affair. First, a bit about the track. According to its website, Nelson Ledges Road Course (named after unique rock formations in the area) was constructed in 1958 on a small rural potato farm outside of Warren, Ohio. There was no design plan, no million-dollar study, and no mega contracts with architects, engineers, or planners. It was two men (Marvin Drucker and John McGill) with a bulldozer and an idea to build a racetrack. The original track was dirt and only one-mile in length. Paving came next and then the addition of "The Carousel" in 1962. Later the bridge was added, the pit lane was extended and paved, and tires were added for barriers around the track. Those discarded tires from nearby plants in Ak- ron, initially won the track safety Nelson Ledges in its heyday in the late 1970s.