- Frank Sheffield: Long Beach, 1976
- At Long Beach in 1976, I was a Safety Steward assigned to the last turn
before Start/Finish. The organizers had embellished Dan Gurney's original design by placing a pattern of
"Bott's Dots" (like those used for freeway lane dividers) at the apex of this turn, which levels the
course at the top of a rather severe incline. From the start of practice, it was obvious the "Dots,"
installed to delineate the edge of the course, were ineffective. The cars were loaded to the opposite
side, and their inner wheels just skipped right over the dots. The defining feature was a temporary
concrete barrier, since become a familiar feature of city street courses, brushed now and then by one of
the more adventurous drivers. Emerson Fittipaldi was one who sacrificed fibreglass at this site.
Any road, drivers complained about the Dots. Gurney came to see, and told the Chief Steward his Dots
didn't do what they were intended to do, and were a potential disruptive influence. Gurney spied my orange
shirt, and asked my opinion. I said that if they did what they were supposed to do, they were a necessary
evil with equal influence on all racers, however, the limiting factor was much much stronger in its
influence, and very effective. Pretty soon a crew came and removed the Dots.
Mercedes sent one of the Championship-winning GP cars Fangio had driven. Fangio drove it around the
course a number of times. I still think his was the only smile wider than mine that day. I have a film,
somewhere.
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