Occasionally a spark of inspiration can become the catalyst for
transition. Just such an occasion took place with the construction
of Thompson Speedway in 1940, a five-eighth-mile banked oval track,
dubbed "The Indianapolis of the East." A road course joined to the
oval in 1952 enlarged the track to form the first privately-owned
complex where sports car drivers could race safely. It transformed
the face of sports car racing in America, and hastened the demise
of the dangerous open-road events together with the majority of
flat and boring airfield race venues. These two volumes tell the
story of the ground-breaking racetrack and, as far as possible,
detail the drivers and cars that participated in the races. They
are profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs showing
well-known drivers such as Briggs Cunningham, Bill Lloyd, Bill
Spear, Lance Reventlow, Walt Hansgen, George Constantine and Denise
McCluggage in action driving Maseratis, Jaguars, Porsches, Coopers,
Ferraris and other makes that they imported from Europe and that
are now in such popular demand. Today, the Raceway has been
regenerated and runs as a successful venture under the control of
Jonathan Hoenig, great-grandson of the original owner. Volume One,
The Formative Years: 1945-1959, covers the years 1938-1960 and
describes the development of sports car racing at Thompson as early
as 1945. It explains the politics involved between land-owner, John
Hoenig, and Raceway manager George Weaver, and their unsuccessful
attempts to establish a working relationship. Their disagreements
led to the development of the Raceway's second layout by Weaver as
it separated from the Speedway Oval in 1958. Volume Two, Changing
Fortunes: 1960-1977, sees Hoenig and Thompson Raceway in Windham
County Court in 1961, the culmination of a long-standing dispute
over share holdings. SCCA policy changes in the first half of the
1960s involving the conflict between professional and amateur
status also contributed to the eventual demise of the Raceway under
Weaver's control in 1967. Subsequently, the venue was revived by
the Hoenig family, with a new track that incorporated the original
Speedway oval, but the fuel crisis, a lack of investment and a
general decline in spectator interest led to its closure again in
1977.
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