[Banning]

One more excerpt to wet your appetites, lol

I still remember the nights standing up on the big berm on the side of the road in the middle of the main racing section appropriately called “Grandstands.” There’s a couple mile stretch of road on Mulholland Drive that was usually the main hangout from generation to generation, beginning all the way back in the early 60’s and probably years before as well.

A mile and a half section of the road climbs a small hill on the city side (south) from the west, crests the top of the hill and then heads down slightly on the Valley side (North) with Grandstands plopped right in the middle for a perfect view of all the action. When Charley made a pass and you just happened to be there it was quite a sight.

You could hear him coming very faintly and everyone would stop whatever they doing like a herd of gazelles hearing a lion in the bush, all eyes and ears would turn towards the sound and we would run to the edge of the dirt trail and wait to see if we really heard what we thought we heard. A ‘63 Corvette with racing tires that stuck out past the fenders and side-pipes blasting the exhaust sounds across multiple canyons. It was every kid’s dream car! As Charley would drive along this curvy section of road, his high powered head lights and blaring engine would come in and out of view and range.