Film: 1950 Bridgehampton Sports Car Road Races
A very rare film documents the June 10, 1950 Bridgehampton Sports Car Road Races.
The race received a mention in Gram Spina's 'InstaGRAM Report: Bridgehampton Street Circuit History' post, but very little is known of this particular race. In fact, when checking with Google A.I., no results for the 1950 race were found.
However, this newly viewed YouTube film and a look at the actual program for the race gives a little more information into this rare race that indeed, did happen.
Greg O.
1950 Bridgehampton sports car race. Bridgehampton NY. Rare!
Does anyone have any guesses as to where on the course the photographer filmed some of these scenes? Give your rationale in the comments section.
The 1950 program for the race.
While many know the iconic shape of the permanent Bridgehampton track layout of 1957 to it's demise in 1999, many also are not aware that there was a fairly 'standard' 'street circuit' that was run in the first races in Bridgehampton from 1949-1953.
The Bridgehampton 'street circuit' was utilized for the June 10, 1950 race under the auspices of The M.G. Car Club, Sports Car Club of America and the Motor Sports Club of America.
The course started at the corner of Ocean Rd. and Sagaponack Rd. taveling clockwise. A right turn on Main St. led the racers to Bridge Ln. and over the small bridge over Sag Pond. with another right turn back to Ocean Rd.
The racers would get a thrill catching air on the Bridge Lane bridge as seen here.
The streets are all still there in their original configuration, now surrounded by mansions and estates as seen in this modern Google satellite view.
Entrants and Drivers for the 1950 Event
Drivers for this race were some very well-known people for their day with the most notable being Briggs Cunningham and Miles Collier.
Miles Collier's extensive car collection became the Revs Institute, for which he founded. Revs Institute is a haven for scholars, preservationists, and passionate connoisseurs of automotive history. The museum in Naples, Florida is a working facility and home to the Miles Collier Collections — over one hundred significant automobiles built between 1896 and 1995.
Cunningham had 5 cars entered with only one of those racers that did not qualify.
Another driver on the list was Dave Garroway. David Cunningham Garroway (July 13, 1913 – July 21, 1982) was an American television personality. He was the founding host and anchor of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961.
Garroway at the wheel of his favorite car, a 1938 SS Jaguar 100, which he restored and raced in this race.
The above title photo I used for this post is Dave Garroway and his #24 Jaguar spinning out.
Results
The big winner of the day was car #14 of Tom Cole in the Allard J2 Cadillac.
Comments
that is filmed at the corner of Bridge lane and Ocean road , heading toward the start finish line