Great footage. I was there every year since the first in 1948 I always watched near the start/finish line. Enjoyed every year, was in Korea for the ill fated accident in 1952 In 1953 the Race moved to a closed course, where it remains. I now attend the Watkins Glen Re enactment on the first Friday after Labor Day, fun day for me. I park my car at a garage just 300 feet North of the Concours d' Elegance.

As someone who grew up in the Watkins area a couple miles from the track in the 60s & 70s, I enjoyed seeing this.

@bartsimpson6767

Жыл бұрын

Me too, Horse heads...

Thank You... I came to the sport in '59, lived a mile from Fitch, and Lime Rock. Know the history well, how remarkable a find. As an eager 13 year old I was given SCCA Chief Starter Col.Terry Field's collection of many years of motorsport magazines, such as the complete run of Sports Car (SCCAs) and R&T beginning with both VOLs 1 ('48). To see what has been inscribed in my memory and to see it in motion AND color is just a delight to this old gearhead.

Amazingly solid footage of these events. Color is so bright.

Thank you @Reel Life! I’m planning on being there for the 2023 Vintage weekend in September.

Made me smile - spent happy times at Watkins Glen

High quality scan, removal of camera shake, correct playback frame rate, research and narration, and projector sound added in to cover the silent parts. Don't assume that no one noticed. I did. Great job!

@ReelLifeCanada

Жыл бұрын

Thank you kind sir, it's a delight to know that the attention to detail is appreciated. You'll be happy to learn, that I intend on re-transferring this wonderful reel later this year. There are enough minor improvements to be made with recent updates to my system, both hardware and software. Cheers!

Great footage! Cameron Argetsinger’s son Sam was my college roommate. His brother Pete took us on a late night ride around the course at extra-legal speeds. Crossing the stone bridge was the scariest moment I’ve had in an automobile. What a driver. What a race course…

great footage and history here. Thanks for getting it on-line

I basically grew up at the Glen. My stepfather raced every summer. Weekends were racing. Footage like this makes me appreciate auto racing and the Glen

Legend has it, my father and his best buddy were at this race. They drove over from Binghamton to spectate when they were 16. He wound up joining the SCCA just a few years later and was an active member over 55 years. Either way, we heard these stories growing up, the exploits of these famous drivers and how you could literally miscalculate stone bridge and drive into the gorge. Spent many many weekends in town, and my earliest memories include standing where the passenger seat would go in a Sprite, barely able to see over the door, while dad did donuts in the grass at the track, and begging for soda at the lodge. I half expect to see his car in some of these old films, a blue 63 Sprite with Snoopy on the rear fenders.

Great impressions also around the race itself. 'White House S" not only at the Sarthe. Thankyou from Munich :)

Wonderful. Another era. Forgotten heros.

Amazing footage,Thank You

Excellent job on this vid! Thank you for making it, awesome vintage racing plus i learned some cool racing history

Very nice footage and in such a high quality, thanks.

Great stuff! Thanks for this post!!!

Love it . I attended the F-1 races at the Glen from 1969 to 1980 . Seeing what once was is fantastic . My favorite race video of the Glen is the 1980 F-1 race which was the last time F-1 raced there . At the start you can see a tall scaffolding in the background with banners depicting the Renault, Lotus and Ferrari F-1 cars hanging from the scaffolding. That's me and my friends site at the race . We sure miss going every year . I guess all good things must come to an end . GREST MEMORIES !!

@bernardausterberry9795

8 ай бұрын

Nothing good or bad lasts forever. Remember the bog.

Absolutely Timeless Video , well done

Great footage and knowledge of the drivers and cars, thanks!

If you've driven the roads around the track, you can see how they might be fun but lethal to race on.

Amazing color footage. Thank you to all involved in bringing this to light.

Thank you!

Watching from Watkins Glen Marina tonight. Vintage Cup cancelled this year. What a drag.

Great footage never before seen. Bravo, from the man who wrote the book: "Watkins Glen - The Street Cars, 1948-1952." Published in 2011 by Dalton Watson Fine books. Wish you had reels from the last 2 years!

@ReelLifeCanada

4 жыл бұрын

Philippe thank you. Which two years are you referring too, 1951 and 52? I have another Watkins Glen reel from 1951, only a short 2 minutes of black and white at the start line in town, I believe. I'm afraid you'll have to look through my channel. I also have 1963 International Bahamas Nassau Speed Week Auto Race, 1950 Bridgehampton sports car race, and many vintage reel yet to be edited. If you also enjoy modern roadcourse, I have a few contemporary race I shot at Race City in Calgary in the 1990s. Enjoy.

great old footage! I agree with ThirdGear...after driving the old course in a reenactment, Milliken's corner is amazingly hazardous.

SUPER DOPE! DIG OUT MORE PLEASE!

I drove that same course in 1999 with my 65 sunbeam tiger !

Nice job!

Beautiful

thank you.

Hi Mark Nice shots o whites hallow bridge

the accident around 5:20 is not the Collier accident, wrong section of the track. the spectator injuries triggered a lawsuit which will turn up in a google search; don't have have the link ready to hand. what turns up is a copy of the court docket relating to the suit. Collier's accident was on the uphill run; he got into some gravel at the apex of a corner before the longish straight, got very loose and went off on the inside, rolling his car multiple times. his lap belt mounts failed and he was thrown from the car.

@ReelLifeCanada

4 жыл бұрын

Richard, I'm learning a lot more about the race, the track and cultural safety improvements in racing specific to the Glen. Thank you.

@RichardWelty

4 жыл бұрын

@@ReelLifeCanada there's a lot more to talk about. it's an interesting period with very rapid change. while the AAA contest board started requiring helmets in the 30s, the SCCA did not in 1948, but did require lap belts. safety was all over the map. famously George Weaver in 1950 was startled and dismayed by a spectator crossing the track in front of his car at the Glen, which started him on the path to leasing the the Thompson property in CT to build his road course.

Going flat out around Big Bend, wow, musta pumped up the pulse.

Kool sh!t,,,, actually have been around the old course a few times. Always amazes me when going across the railroad tracks, thinking of the cars getting "airborne". Then on the way back down the hill, speeding around "big bend", those brakes must have been begging for a brake while heading back to the start finish line!

I really enjoy these videos of vintage films. I always wish I could have been there.. I found myself wondering what the racers and spectators would have thought of the Watkins Glen race cars of today. I'm sure they would site some kind of magic. A couple questions came to mind: 1) Where was this original course in respect to the current Watkins Glen Intnl. raceway of today? And 2) Is there any more footage of other vintage races at the "Old" Watkins Glen? Thanx so much for posting this. It really is the best way to see what racing was and grew up from..

@halsolomon694

2 жыл бұрын

I drove the old course last time I was at the Glen for driving school. Part of it is kind of close to the raceway. Part of it goes right by Seneca Lodge. It’s well marked and you can drive it anytime. Don’t go to fast those roads can be rough and plenty of bends, rock walls , trees and peoples houses. Not that the Armco at the track is too forgiving either

This is GOLD 🦾💥🔥

The road up that hill looks almost exactly the same if it's where I think it is.

@darleneemery7997

26 күн бұрын

It's the road leading up to Seneca Lodge from the main entrance of the state park area.

Great video! How was it captured to digital?

@ReelLifeCanada

2 жыл бұрын

I have transferred 16mm and 8mm film footage for 30 years, I'm currently employing a 2k res scanning system capture suite, transferring the rendered files to a Mac Pro edit system using FCPx, from there, the footage is restored and edited. Software updates are constantly improving, with the footage benefiting as a result. I look forward to upgrading to a 4k system down the road.

I was shocked to see a lady riding along as a passenger in the speedster but I'm guessing that it was during the parade lap or at least I hope so. lol

Pro tip: As a spectator standing and watching a road race with no protective barriers, NEVER stand on the OUTSIDE of a turn.

what is the red car at 5:44 ?

I went to school with Doug Millikin bills son. mr Milliken got me my tks to the 1969 Glenn f 1 race on the perminant course my Milliken designed

is this real, I mean i know it is, but ya wow!

@ReelLifeCanada

3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! I enjoy preserving and sharing these old films, the motorsport films can be amazing.

Name of narrator?

@ReelLifeCanada

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry for the long delay, me. Francois Arseneault

I race there every year. First time was 1996 with a wet-to-dry race. My driver started something like 52nd and finished 11th in the F2000 race. What a shit show!

Back when Men were Men, had nerves (& Balls) of steel, & safety just an afterthought.

Jowett cars in the race.

Not nearly as exciting as Race City Speedway was..... ;-)

Boring

Just think of the insanity of having marshals spectators and safety vehicles on the edge of the track!! Glad we evolved expanded brain power over the last 70 years. I saw the last 3 GPs up at the real track. Beautiful footage.

Just mute the stupid narrative.

@kurtiswa-k-8346

Жыл бұрын

Narration on this video is equally as valuable as the footage... Clearly You just look at the pictures in a book as well...

@ThunderAppeal

Жыл бұрын

@@kurtiswa-k-8346 His 'narration' is straight out of a book, you wouldnt know that because you dont read them.

@todd3285

Жыл бұрын

How about we just block A-holes like you !!

@codymoe4986

Жыл бұрын

@ThunderApoeal...As opposed to him memorizing the script or just making it up as he goes? Shut your "mouth", open your ears, and gain some knowledge... I guarantee you don't know it all...