Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1541018
"T his is the one where they say, 'You shoulda been there.' And it's re - ally true." Where you should've been, according to the Cycle News headline, was Hopetown, Cali - fornia. Just hitch a ride back to 1971 and line up for the Hopetown Grand Prix, an annual event put on by the Dirt Diggers motorcycle club. It was a fun event, taking place at a facility named after its comedian owner, Bob Hope. "If there was a type of terrain," wrote Cycle News' Ron Schnei - ders, "that particularly turned you on (it's 1971, ya know), you could be sure of finding it on the longish three-mile course. There were long straights, sweepers and a power-sucking hill for guys who like explosive excite- ment. Tight, tricky turns and off- camber stuff with complicated lines…[and] any kind of traction you wanted from damp sand…" Not to mention the most well- known Hopetown track obstacle, a giant mudhole." The Hopetown track was just a small parcel of the 2000-acre ranch property, which had been originally owned by Western movie star Ray Corrigan. In the 1930s and '40s, moviegoers loved their Westerns, and Cor- rigan purchased the sprawling acres in Simi Valley as a location site for filming. Old West street fronts, outlaw hideouts, and country schoolhouses sprang up, providing settings for hun - dreds of movies and television shows. The Lone Ranger, Have Gun Will Travel and even a few Star Trek scenes were shot at "Corriganville." He even opened it up as an amusement park for tourists. In 1966, Corriganville became "Hopetown" when the famous comedian purchased it, with plans to develop the prop - erty into commercial real estate. The name had changed, but the good times continued, just as they had since 1958. In 1971, however, "a dark cloud hung over the Dirt Diggers' annual clas- sic" when organizers received an entry from someone claim- ing to be California's notorious Zodiac Killer. The serial killer (who was never found) had already committed at least five murders in the San Francisco area and may have killed many others. The note promised that he would strike again over the race weekend. It could've been real or a hoax, but either way, the police and, eventually, the FBI were brought in to investigate. The situation was apparently deemed under control, and rac- ing was allowed to proceed. CNIIARCHIVES P124 BY KENT TAYLOR (Right) The Hopetown Grand Prix of the early 1970s was a hugely popular race that focused on fun. (Far right) The race even attracted superstar racers like Joel Robert. Hoetow! Hoetow! You hould bee there.