Crater Camp

During the 1940's and 1950's, Southern California was a hot bed of motorcycle activity.  If you were into any type of motorcycle racing, whether it be offroad desert racing, hill climbs, dirt track or TT, you could find something going on almost every weekend.  One of the best places to check out during that time was Crater Camp.  It was located near Malibu State Park in Los Angeles in the undeveloped hills outside of town.  Crater Camp Field Meet, as it came to be known, was an informal weekend gathering of motorcyclist which featured a variety of amateur racing events.  All you had to do was ride out there, strap a paper plate over your headlight with a number on it and you were ready to race.  Check out this vintage footage from Elrod Racing.  It's only a couple minutes long, but it gives you a good feel for what it must have been like on an average weekend at Crater Camp.