In the 60s, racing circuits popped up all over the United States to fill the high demand for racing entertainment. Before long, more tracks could be built than sustained by the industry many closed the gates and fell into neglect, later being developed into shopping centers and housing developments.
The Stardust International Raceway was opened in 1965 in the Spring Valley of Las Vegas, Nevada. The facility included a 3-mile, 13-turn road course and a quarter-mile drag strip. Owned by the Stardust Hotel and Casino, the track was built to attract high rollers to the hotel. When the hotel was sold in 1969, the track was abandoned with drag racing events finally ceasing in 1970. Later, the land was bought by Pardee Homes and the Spring Valley community was built in the track’s place.
Stardust hosted Can-Am races from 1966 through 1968 with John Surtees winning the first two and Denny Hulme taking the last. A Trans-Am race was held in 1967, won by Mark Donohue.
(Editor’s Note: This is an installment in an ongoing series looking at the stories behind helmet designs of SCCA members. Want to share your story? Jot down a few words about your helmet, share a bit about what went into creating the design, tell us about the artist, take a couple pictures of the helmet and send it along via email to [email protected].)
A racing helmet doesn’t need a kaleidoscope of colors to have meaning. Heck, some of the most iconic helmets have very simplistic designs.
Take for example the lid of Spec Racer Ford driver James Chartres. His design is simple, but carries a lot of meaning for him. It’s a clean look meant to add a little color to a helmet without having to do a full paint job.
“I’m Australian, and Kanga, which is short for Kangaroo, was the obvious choice for a motorsports team,” Chartres said. “I self-created the logo based on a kangaroo hopping at full speed using a simple blue, black and white color scheme.”
Utilizing Australia’s unofficial symbol of speed on your helmet? Good on ya, mate!
