posted 06-09-2005 09:02 AM            

The Rodeo Grounds
One of the other popular race tracks was located just on the outskirts of town. This track was actually the rodeo grounds in Lompoc where the T-Club had arranged to hold races too. Horses or horsepower were just as compatible on this track located on a mesa off of 7th street above Ocean.

Like the Beckwith Ranch track, dust was a problem on this dirt oval too. Unfortunately, a combination of dust and locked wheels would contribute to the only fatality of the T-Club races in Lompoc.

Bronc McLaughlin was racing out in front. In the haze of dust Chris Christiansen pulled up behind him and locked into his rear wheels. Apparently the angle and the impact of the crash sent McLaughlin’s car into a cartwheel. The front heavy car became airborne over the front end and spun over in mid air. Unprotected by a roll cage, Bronc’s head glanced a post supporting the rails around the track as the car spun over. The impact to his head was fatal. The spectators stared in disbelief as Bronc McLaughlin laid dead on the track with his crumpled car around him.

The racing community paid solemn tribute to the loss of one of the members of this brotherhood of T-Club racers.