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1989 : Nissan again, part 1

By 1989 the manufacturers were getting more and more involved in Sportscar racing. Gone were the days when one talented team of drivers could enter the Championship with a slightly modified GT car and hope to win some races. Each major team wanted to be part of this now famous World class Championship. Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan and Toyota had top teams that could run for the title. The newcomer was Toyota, who had nothing to prove in GTO anymore, and wanted to compete with the best. Nissan, who had dominated the previous season, was still the team to beat, but the competition would be tougher. In fact, the Electramotive team, who remained particularly aware of this fact, had taken the decision to take part in the enduros, which meant that they would have to show how reliable their cars really were. So they showed up at the Daytona track with reliability in mind. Two cars were entered for Geoff Brabham-Chip Robinson-Arie Luyendijk-Michael Roe who shared the driving chores, splitting them into the two cars. TWR entered three cars for Davy Jones, Jan Lammers and Raul Boesel ; Price Cobb, John Nielsen and Andy Wallace ; Derek Daly, Martin Donnely and Patrick Tambay, all three of them new to the XJR9. Many Porsche 962s were still entered, with Brun Motorsport entering one car for Hans Stuck, Walter Brun and Oscar Larrauri. Bayside Motorsport was another top team with Klaus Ludwig, James Weaver and Sarel van der Merwe, the other car was driven by Bruce Leven, Rob Dyson, John Paul Jr and Dominic Dobson. Gianpiero Moretti had one all Italian team of drivers with Gianfranco Brancatelli, Massimo Sigala, Mauro Baldi and himself. Joest Racing fielded one car for Jean Louis Ricci, Claude Ballot Léna and Frank Jelinski and Jim Busby Racing entered two cars, one driven by Bob Wollek, John Andretti and Derek Bell, the other one by no less than Mario and Michael Andretti! The two remaining cars were less competitive. Tom Milner Racing had brought along a pair of Ford Probes which had not evolved that much. Tom Pumpelly and Ruggero Melgrati drove car #6 while Albert Naon, Lyn St James, Roth and Jean Pierre Frey were at the wheel of the second car/ While AAR had moved up one class, the team fielded the old Group C car which was run in Japan the previous year. Drake Olson, Chris Cord and Steve Bren drove the car. A Mazda 767B was the surprise entry for this race, entered by Mazda Motors of America, the car was to be driven by Yoshimi Katayama, Takashi Yorino and Elliot Forbes Robinson. A Fabcar, Buick powered, was an evolution of the 1988 version. Tim McAdam, Chip Mead and Bill Adam would drive this machine. Two Spice SE88P, one Buick powered, was entered by Ball Bros Racing, and driven by Steve Durst, Michael Brockman, Jay Cochran and Tony Belcher. The other car, a semi-works car, was driven by Costas Los, Dieter Quester and Jeff Kline. It was powered by a Pontiac engine. That would round up the GTP field. An interesting field of Lights cars would be seen too. S & L Racing had a SE88P Buick, which was the car they fielded in 1988. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman would drive it with John Williams. Three older versions were entered by Whitehall Rocketsports and Taymar Inc. Dan Marvin, who did marvels with his car, was here again and was co-driven by Alan Freed, Mike Allison and Scott Liebler. Jim Downing had an Argo JM19 Mazda powered, of course. He was partnered by Howard Katz, John O'steen and John Maffucci. Another car was to be driven by David Cowart, Scott Brayton, Jim Fowells and Mike Meyer. Tom Hessert had brought his successful Tiga GT288 Buick which he shared with Charles Morgan and John Morrison. A lonely, but reliable Fabcar Porsches could do well in such a race. John Higgins was partnered by film star Lorenzo Lamas, Buddy Lazier and Justus Reid. The remainder of the field was made up of a Badger Mazda, as well as older Tigas or Royale. The GTO class harboured a brand new look, with Toyota gone, and Lincoln Mercury, via Roush Racing, now entering Cougar XR7s. Those brand new cars would prove quite efficient. Pete Halsmer, Bob Earl, Mark Martin and Paul Stewart drove the first car, while Wally Dallenbach, Dorsey Schroeder and Mark Martin would drive the second car. They were backed by two older Mercury Capris. The main opposition seemed to be coming from the Rocketsports Oldsmobile Cutlass. Driven by Scott Pruett, Paul Gentilozzi, Jerry Clinton and Les Lindley, this car could really be a real threat to the Roush fleet.

Pete Halsmer, Bob Earl, Mark Martin and Paul Stewart earned yet another GTO victory for Roush Racing, this time they drove a Mercury Cougar XR7.

Roger Mandeville fielded his now familiar three rotor RX7. He was co-driven by Kelly Marsh and guest star Brian Redman. A pair of huge Buick Somersets brought some welcome diversity to this field. Several Chevrolet Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds would be seen, but no Corvette at all. The best amongst them being the Skoal Bandit car, driven by Buzz McCall, Jack Baldwin, Max Jones and Tom Kendall. No GTO Porsche were to be seen, too. The GTU field was dominated by Mazda, numerically speaking. However, Nissan was particularly agressive in this class, with Bob Leitzinger entering a very fast 240SX. He would be co-driven by his son Butch and Chuck Kurtz. Kryderacing also had a 240SX, for Reed Kryder, Zoltan Polony, Craig Shafer and Brian Goodwin. Team Highball led the Mazda troops, with a view to a new class win for Amos Johnson. Al Bacon, Bob Reed and Rod Millen were strong contenders too, but you could not override the Full Time Racing Dodge Daytonas. Tommy Riggins, Joe Varde and Kal Showket on the first car and Kal Showket, Neil Hanneman and PJ Jones on the second car. A single Pontiac Fiero, entered by Seventy Four Ranch, was driven by George Robinson, Bart Kendall and Johnny Unser. The remainder of the GTU class was a bunch of Porsche 911s. SP Porsche had the fastest of all, with Gary and Bill Auberlen, Cary Eisenlohr and Monte Shelton.

Bacon89 Al Bacon, Bob Reed and Rod Millen won the GTU class at Daytona, breaking Amos Johnson's attempt at making it five in a row.

The local team 901 Shop had some chances for the class win with Peter Uria, Jack Refenning, Freddy Baker and Rusty Scott. Sixty nine cars were lined in front of the pits. The practice sessions were dominated, as one could expect, by the Nissan ZX T GTP driven by Geoff Brabham. He posted a 1m39s182, well ahead of Jan Lammers 1m39s855, on the first Jaguar. The best Porsche 962s were led by Hans Stuck while Bob Wollek could not find out why his car was so slow in practice : things would be changed later as he was the fastest during the warm-up session. The cars would line up under a sunny weather and, at the green, it was Klaus Ludwig who took the lead, leading Jan Lammers and Arie Luyendijk. Frank Jelinski had a strong start and made up his way from sixteenth to fourth place. Jaguar and Nissan had a very difficult start as the two cars driven by Michael Roe and Derek Daly collided when entering the banking in the first lap. While the Nissan had a tire cut, the Jaguar was too much damaged and was retired. In the lead, the Bayside Motorsport car easily kept his position and, what's more, had the lower fuel consumption! The Jaguar XJR9s were the first cars to pit for fuel, which did not mean they burnt more fuel, it was probably a matter of strategy. Then it would be Bob Wollek and Frank Jelinski. Positions would be kept until the second refueling sessions, with the two Jaguar XJR9s pitting on lap fifty eight and sixty one, while Claude Ballot Léna and Klaus Ludwig on lap sixty six. While Klaus Ludwig and James Weaver easily led after two hours and a half of racing, night fell on the track. Davy Jones and Jan Lammers were still second but they had to push their Jaguar very hard.
Geoff Brabham was next, leading the two Porsche 962s driven by Bob Wollek and Mario Andretti. The surprisingly fast Joest car was next. Mauro Baldi, who held the position, suddenly felt himself without any brake system and hit the guardrail, braking his leg. The pace car was out for eighteen minutes. By now, Sarel van der Merwe, who had taken the wheel of the leading car, was in the pits with a broken throttle cable. He would lose twelve laps and drop in the standings to twentieth! The lead was now held by Davy Jones, whose Jaguar XJR9 was fighting with the remaining Nissan, driven by Geoff Brabham, and the second Jaguar, driven by John Nielsen. A hard fought battle. The only cars able to follow were the two Porsche 962s driven by Bob Wollek and Claude Ballot Léna. Hans Stuck had lost seventeen minutes for brakes repairs. Every other car was out of the pace. The single Toyota, driven by Drake Olson, would retire in the evening with an overheating engine. It looked like the pace was too much for some cars and even the best would be hit. Shortly before 1AM, Davy Jones, Raul Boesel and Jan Lammers retired with a broken engine. The race was now led by the Nissan, driven by Geoff Brabham, Chip Robinson and Arie Luyendijk, who enjoyed the fact to be here. The race then was about to come to an unexpected halt, due to the fact that fog was detected shortly after 1AM. The race was thus red-flagged. The race would be restarted at 5:38. The Nissan was leading the race, followed by John Nielsen, Price Cobb and Andy Wallace Jaguar XJR9 and Bob Wollek, Derek Bell and John Andretti in the Porsche 962C. In GTO, Pere Halsmer, Bob Earl and Paul Stewart was just ahead of the Chevrolet Camaro driven by Jack Baldwin, Tommy Kendall and Paul Dallenbach.

Wollek89 Bob Wollek, Derek Bell and Mario Andretti had a fantastic win at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The Nissan held the lead until the nineteenth hour, but the engine failed then. From that moment, things turned bad for the remaining Jaguar XJR9, which spun and was fighting with overheating problems. The Busby Racing Porsche 962 had taken the lead but the Jaguar was tailing it. At the end, Bob Wollek had maintained a one minute and twenty six second advantage. The closest in the 24 Hour race event. The GTO class was won by the Mercury Cougar driven by Pete Halsmer, Bob Earl, Mark Martin and Paul Stewart, who drove the car at the chequered. The second place was held by the sister car driven by Dorsey Scroeder, Wally Dallenbach and Mark Martin. The Lights class was won by class champion Tom Hessert, who drove his Tiga GT288 Buick with Charles Morgan and John Morrison. They won by a record margin of fifty five laps over the Tiga GT286 Ferrari driven by Uli Bieri, Martino Finotto and Paolo Guaitamacchi. The GTU class was won by Mazda, once again, but this time, it was Al Bacon, Bob Reed and Rod Millen who took the win. They managed to hold off the Leitzinger Racing Nissan 240SX driven by Bob Leitzinger, son Butch and Chuck Kurtz.

Hessert89 Tom Hessert, Charles Morgan and John Morrison took the Lights class win at Daytona with their reliable Tiga GT288 Buick. The team would switch to a Spice later.

The next race was to be held at Miami, for the now famous Grand Prix. Twenty five cars were entered, and the big names were here, ready for the show. A single Nissan ZX T GTP was entered, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson. The Japanese would be facing its usual opponents, in the name of Jaguar, Porsche, Spice and Toyota. Jan Lammers would drive solo the first Jaguar while Price Cobb and John Nielsen would share the second TWR machine. Porsche had strong hopes for that particular race, with Busby Racing entering one car for Bob Wollek and John Andretti. Bayside Motorsport had Klaus Ludwig and James Weaver while Momo Racing had Massimo Sigala driving. Joest Racing entered the French pair Claude Ballot Léna and Jean Louis Ricci, the last car being run by Tom Shelton, who was partnered by Derek Bell! AAR once again entered two different cars. The old car, which was the 88C, was to be driven by Chris Cord and Drake Olson, whereas the Eagle HF89 would be driven by Willy T Ribbs and Juan Fangio II. Four Spices were entered, and could play a very interesting role in such a race. Albert Naon and Jeff Kline ran the semi-works entry, powered by a Pontiac powerplant. Jim Miller used a Chevrolet engine on his own car and Bob Earl and Costas Los ran a Pontiac too. Steve Durst and Mike Brockman ran their familiar Buick powered car.
The GTP class featured a Phoenix Chevrolet, entered by owner-driver John Gunn, who was partnered by Jon Lewis and John Paul Jr. An interesting field of Lights cars was to be displayed, with a bunch of Spice Firebirds, led by Dan Marvin, who ran the Huffaker car. Scott Schubot ran his Buick powered 88P car solo and Tom Hessert would do the same. Jim Downing was co-driven by Howard Katz in an attempt to earn his first class win with such a car. Brent o'neill and Steve Shelton had an Argo JM19 Mazda.
Uli Bieri and Martino Finotto were driving a Tiga GT286 Ferrari powered, of course. The other Tiga was driven by Al Rocca and Tomas Lopez, and was Mazda powered. Rounding out the field were one sole Fabcar, driven by Chip Mead and Howard Cherry, and a Gebhardt, driven by Gary Robinson and Jan Thoelke. The practice session highlighted Nissan's goal, which seemed to be clearly aimed at the win. Bob Wollek was second, followed by Jan Lammers and Klaus Ludwig. The race, however, proved to be a Nissan domination. Leading for the most part of the race, Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson took their first win of the season. They finished seven seconds ahead of Price Cobb and John Nielsen, one a Jaguar XJR9. The big surprise for the race was the third place earned by local driver Albert Naon and Jeff Kline on a Spice Firebird. The Lights class was won by Scott Schubot, who finished two laps ahead of Jim Downing and Howard Katz.
The next race was an enduro, held at Sebring, for the traditional 12Hour race. Fifty three cars were entered, but the GTP entry appeared to be disappointing. Quality was not matched by quantity. However, the good news was that Electramotive was here for the first time, with two Nissan ZX T GTPs entered. Geoff Brabham, Chip Robinson and Arie Luyendijk shared the number 83 car while the other car was supposed to be maintained if the other one failed. Jaguar had some chances for the win with two cars entered for Jan Lammers-Davy Jones and Price Cobb-John Nielsen. Only five Porsche 962s would try to provide with a valuable opposition to the favorites. James Weaver and Dominic Dobson drove the Bayside Motorsport car and Bob Wollek, John Andretti and Derek Bell were to drive the Busby Racing car. Gianpiero Moretti, Massimo Sigala and Michael Roe would try to have a good run on the Gebhardt prepared car. Joest Racing entered one car for Frank Jelinski and Jean Louis Ricci. The last car was the Hotschkis Racing one, driven by Jim Adams, John Hotschkis Sr and his son. Two Spice Firebirds were entered, with the works car driven by Costas Los and Jeff Kline. Ball Bros Racing fielded a Buick powered car, with their usual drivers Steve Durst, Michael Brockman and John Cochran. AAR had opted not to enter its new car, and only the 88C was here for Chris Cord, Drake Olson and Steve Bren. John Gunn was here with his Phoenix, his car strongly looking like a modified March 82G. The Lights class was consistent, with the Spice Firebirds clearly the class of the field. Scott Schubot, Linda Ludeman and Tom Blackhaller were driving the S & L Racing 88P. The car was Buick powered, as was the Essex entry, driven by Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan. Another strong entry was the older Huffaker Racing car. Dan Marvin and Bob Lesnett were the drivers. Jim Downing, Howard Katz and John o'steen were at the wheel of the underpowered Argo JM19 Mazda. Brent o'neill and Don Courtney drove a Buick powered similar car. Martino Finotto, Uli Bieri and Paolo Guaittamacchi drove a Ferrari powered Tiga, with high hopes too. A Fabcar Porsche, driven by John Higgins and Lorenzo Lamas could count on its reliability. The remainder of the field was a pair of outdated Tigas, as well as an old Lola T616 Mazda. The GTO field was supposed to be dominated by the Roush Racing Mercury Cougar XR7s. They were driven by Pere Halsmer-Bob Earl and Wally Dallenbach-Dorsey Schroeder. They should have to fear a newcomer, however, in the name of the new Nissan 300ZX T entered by CCR. Although it was still under development, the car was fast. John Morton and Steve Millen drove it. Buzz McCall and Max Jones were on the Skoal Bandit Chevrolet Camaro, which was consistent. The other good surprise was the Andison Racing Chevrolet Corvette, driven by Richard Andison, along with Hunter and John Jones.

Roger Mandeville, Kelly Marsh and Gary Drummond ended up third in class at Sebring.

Roger Mandeville was partnered by Kelly Marsh and Gary Drummond on his three rotor Mazda RX7. The remainder of the field was made of some Chevrolet Camaros, with one lonely Oldsmobile Toronado and a Pontiac Firebird. The GTU class seemed to be devoted to Mazda but it was not to be. Nissan, Pontiac, Dodge and even Porsche could emerge as the winner in such a race. The strongest Mazda entry was the Team Highball car, driven by Amos Johnson, Dennis Shaw and Dan Robson. Al Bacon and Bob Reed were potential winners too. New team Overton Racing was here with drivers John Overton, Jeff Alkazian and Lance Stewart. Nissan had two cars, amongst which the Leitzinger Racing car was the fastest. Bob Leitzinger shared his car with Chuck Kurtz. Kryderacing had drivers Reed Kryder and Frank del Vecchio. Seventy Four Ranch fielded a Pontiac Fiero, driven by George Robinson, Bart Kendall and Johnny Unser. Kal Showket and Neil Hanneman shared the Full Time Racing Dodge Daytona. Several Porsche 911s were entered, but Luis Mendez would surprise everybody in being the fastest qualfier in the car he shared with Mandy Gonzales and Tato Ferrer. An unusual BMW 325 rounded out the field. The practice session again proved that the Nissan GTPs were extremely fast. The two cars were more than two seconds per lap faster than their opponents. The question was : would they last?

Nissan89sebring Nissan dominated Sebring from start to finish.

The largest crowd ever to be seen at Sebring would watch a very inpredictable race. At the start, Geoff Brabham took the lead and began to set a very strong pace. The second car, which was second, expired abruptly after fourteen laps, with a suspension failure. Second behind the Nissan was the Jaguar XJR9 driven by Price Cobb and John Nielsen. This car would soon have to pit for a long time to have its brakes repaired. While James Weaver and Dominic Dobson managed to end up in third position, they could in no way threaten the dominating Japanese car. In fact, Geoff Brabham, Chip Robinson and Arie Luyendijk led 316 out of the 330 laps completed; for what appeared to be the greatest domination in Sebring history. It was also the first time a Japanese manufacturer won this famous race. Porsche was defeated for the first time since long. The Lights class was won by the Huffaker Racing Spice Firebird driven by Dan Marvin and Bob Lesnett. They finished two laps ahead of Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert who drove a Spice SE88P Buick. The GTO class was won by the Mercury Cougar driven by Wally Dallenbach Jr and Dorsey Schroeder, who led the sister car, driven by Pete Halsmer and Max Jones. The Nissan 300ZX T lost a lot of time early in the race, and ended up low in the standings. The GTU class was won by the Pontiac Fiero driven by George Robinson, Bart Kendall and Johnny Unser. It was the first victory ever in this class by an American manufacturer. The car was prepared by Huffaker, who enjoyed two class wins for this race. Dick Greer, Mike Mees and John Finger finished second.
While the track had undergone some layout changes, it had become a major international venue in the IMSA schedule. Sports car racing, thanks to IMSA was as healthy as ever(to be continued).

Posted on 19 January 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

1989 : Nissan again, part 2

The next race was to take place at Road Atlanta, which was a very fast course. The race featured an extremely poor starting field, with only sixteen cars showing up. Fortunately, every possible winner was not missing and you could expect a hot race. A single Nissan, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson, had to face two Jaguar XJR9s. Jan Lammers had opted to drive solo while Price Cobb and John Nielsen shared the second car. Three Porsche 962s were present, with Bob Wollek and John Andretti still running strong. Gianpiero Moretti was partnered by Stanley Dickens on his usual Momo backed car, John Hotschkis and Jim Adams drove the last car. Drake Olson and Chris Cord were at the wheel of the Toyota 88C. Two Spices were entered, and Costas Los and Jeff Kline drove the works car while Jim Miller was co-driven by Bob Earl in his Chevrolet powered SE89P car. The remainder of the field was made of seven Lights cars. Scott Schubot drove is Buick powered Spice car, whereas Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan had a similar car. Dan Marvin was at the wheel of the Huffaker Racing Spice Firebird. Jim Downing and Howard Katz could rely on their Argo JM19 Mazda. Two Tigas were entered : one for Uli Bieri, together with Martino Finotto and Michael Dow who shared his car with Jeff Purner. Unlike many of the last races held on fast courses, it was the Toyota which was on the pole, thanks to Drake Olson. He shared the front row with Price Cobb and John Nielsen, on the Jaguar. The Nissan was only third on the grid, and one could hope that the race would be a hard fought one. At the start, the Toyota, driven by Drake Olson, took the lead. The Jaguar held off the Nissan ZX T GTP, but only for a while. Drake Olson and Chris Cord were struck by mechanical problems and had to retire later. Then, the remainder of the race proved to be a copycat of many previous IMSA events.

Frank Everett and Ron Nelson entered a Spice Firebird at Mid Ohio, but they were non finishers.

Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson took the lead, chased by the only Jaguar left, driven by Price Cobb and John Nielsen. Jan Lammers could not even prove his mettle, as he retired with a dropped valve after twenty five laps. At the end, Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson had a thirty four second advantage over the TWR car. Gianpiero Moretti and Stanley Dickens took distant third place, five laps down. The Lights class was a repetition of the Miami race, with Scott Schubot easily dominating his opponents in practice. John Paul Jr, who was second on the grid, ended up fourth in class. Jim Downing and Howard Katz managed to finish second, but they were two laps down the winner.
The next race, held at West Palm Beach,which was another street course. Twenty two cars were expected to do the show. Nissan had opted to enter two cars, and this choice will prove judicious. Cars number 83 and 84 were devoted to Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson, but they planned to run only one car. The other one will prove useful. The main opposition for the team was again the TWR Jaguar XJR9s. As per usual, the drivers were Jan Lammers, and Price Cobb and John Nielsen. The cars were constantly updated, but the drivers were eagerly waiting for the car, which was to debut at Lime Rock : the Jaguar XJR10. This car was supposed to be the new weapon aimed at the manufacturer's title. Another team anxiously willing to win races was AAR. They brought along their two cars, with the Eagle HF89 thoroughly tested and improved. Willy T Ribbs and Dennis Aase were given the task of sorting it out. Chris Cord and Dennis Aase would drive the old 88C. The same three Porsche 962s were entered at West Palm Beach, and the only difference was that it was Derek Bell who co-drove Gianpiero Moretti in the Gebhardt prepared car. Two Spices were entered, and they nurtured great hopes for the win. Costas Los and Jean Louis Ricci shared the works car, which was of course Pontiac powered. Jim Miller and Bob Earl would drive the SE89P, which was powered by a Chevrolet 5,5L. A very unusual entry was the Chevrolet Corvette GTP, This was no more the Hendrick Team, but Peerless Racing which entered the last car ever built. Jacques Villeneuve drove the car, which was very difficult to drive. The Lights class was led by the two Spice 88Ps, driven by Scott Schubot, who was partnered by Linda Ludeman, and Tom Hessert-Charles Morgan, both cars were Buick powered. Three older versions were entered, too. Ferdinand de Lesseps and John Cochran drove the Whitehall car, and Dan Marvin had the Huffaker car, and Ken Knott. They faced the classical opposition, which was made of Jim Downing and Howard Katz in an Argo JM19 Mazda, while Brent o'neill and Rob Stevens had a Buick powered car. Two Tigas were entered, with Uli Bieri and Martino Finotto in the Ferrari powered car. Justus Reid and Michael Dow drove an ex-Essex car. This closed the entry list. Geoff Brabham captured the pole, followed by Chris Cord and Drake Olson. Nissan would experience its first failure in this very race. In fact, Geoff Brabham took the lead, but his engine expired after only four laps! The Electramotive Team chose to run the other team's car, but it would enter the race on lap eight. This fact led to a big battle between Bob Wollek-John Andretti and Price Cobb-John Nielsen, with Chris Cord and Drake Olson following closely. The race was strongly fought, and no one could guess who could win, as the gaps were so tiny. The Spice Firebird would lose some time in the pits and the race would be won by a very tight margin. John Andretti and Bob Wollek, always in front, managed to keep a one second advantage over Price Cobb and John Nielsen, what a race! Chris Cord and Drake Olson were third while Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson took a sixth place overall, seven laps down. They should have won, for sure, and grabbed some very useful points. The Lights class, once again, was a Spice affair. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman were beaten by Dan Marvin in practice, but they dominated the race once again. Dan Marvin retired in the race, and Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan could wind up another second place in class, but they were two laps down.
The next race was to take place at the beautiful Lime Rock track for the Toyota Grand Prix. The new Jaguar XJR10 was the attraction of the race, and it would be driven by Jan Lammers. Price Cobb and John Nielsen used their familiar XJR9. The XJR10 was sleeker than its predecessor, and the main difference laid in the use of a 3,0L turbocharged engine. TWR had great hopes. Electramotive entered two cars, too, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson. Their main problem for the team was more in terms of identity, as it was now obvious that things had evolved too much for the small Californian team. Nissan was now fully involved in racing and so, Electramotive became NPTI, a wholly subsidiary of Nissan USA. Kas Kastner was executive vice president and Don Devendorf was senior vice president of research and development. Porsche was represented by four cars, and Dyson Racing was a welcome addition to the German ranks. What's more, Rob Dyson was co-driven by John Paul Jr. The other cars were entered by Gianpiero Moretti, this time with Frank Jelinski, John Andretti and Bob Wollek and John Hotschkis Sr with Jim Adams. Toyota had two cars, and Drake Olson was at his favorite track. Willy T Ribbs and Juan Fangio II drove the always under development Eagle HF89. Costas Los drove the works Spice Firebird, while Jim Miller was again co-driven by Bob Earl in his MTI Vacations backed Spice SE89P Chevrolet. James Briody had a very rare March 86G Buick, which he drove with Bruce McInnes. The Lights class was led by the two Spice SE88P Buicks. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman would have to fight against the Charles Morgan-Jeff Purner car. Essex Racing had brought along their Tiga GT286 Buick for Tom Hessert also co-driven by Jeff Purner. Three Spice Firebirds would bring them a valuable opposition. The usual Tiga GT286 Ferrari, entered by Bieri Racing could be seen with another Argo JM19 Mazda, entered by Erie Scientific, and driven by John Grooms and Frank Jellinek. A private Fabcar Porsche, driven by Dennis Kazmerowski and Peter Dawe, added a little variety to this twenty three car field. Drake Olson outrageously dominated the practice sessions, shattering the previous mark and sending his closest competitor 1s3 back. The race would alas not bring the team any satisfaction as the car suffered from another engine failure on lap 134, after leading the race for seventy nine laps. Geoff Brabham, who started from a lowly seventh place on the grid carefully worked his way through the field. He had to fight against the two TWR Jaguars, and he could take the lead late in the race, which he maintained to eight seconds until the chequered. The XJR10's debuts were very encouraging. The Lights class saw yet another win for the Spice SE88P Buick driven by Charles Morgan, this time partnered by Jeff Purner. Second was the other team's car, which was the Tiga GT286 Buick driven by Tom Hessert. This race was a total disaster for Scott Schubot and co-driver Linda Ludeman, who retired after seven laps with a broken engine.
The Nissan Camel Grand Prix at Mid Ohio was the next race, and it seemed that its name would bring luck to the NPTI team, from the beginning. One car was entered, with Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson running together. Jan Lammers and Davy Jones shared the Jaguar XJR10 while Price Cobb and John Nielsen would drive the faithful XJR9. AAR had two cars, again splitting its goals. Drake Olson and Chris Cord running the old car, while Willy T Ribbs and Juan Fangio II used the new HF89. Costas Los and Jeff Kline drove the Spice Firebird and Jim Miller was partnered by Bob Earl. Peerless Racing was entering the Chevrolet Corvette GTP, with Jacques Villeneuve at the wheel. Three Porsche 962s were entered too, and it was by the same teams seen in the previous races. John Andretti and Bob Wollek counted on their car to reiterate theit two victories. Gianpiero Moretti was partnered by Stanley Dickens and John Hotschkis by Jim Adams.The Lights class featured new entries, such as the new Spice SE89P Ferrari, entered by Bieri Racing. Almo Coppelli was to drive this new racer while Uli Bieri was due to drive the Tiga GT287 Ferrari. The two top teams fielded Spice SE88P Buicks, and Scott Schubot was aiming at erasing his disappointing Lime Rock race. Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert would be his best opponents. New cars were to be seen, bringing again a welcome variety to this field. Tim McAdam and John Higgins re-entered their Fabcar Porsche, Tommy Miller and Dick Rose drove an older Tiga GT285 Mazda, which had a stunning purple livery. Frank Everett and Ron Nelson were at the wheel of a Spice Fiero. Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson took the pole position, but their were closely followed by the new Jaguar XJR10. It looked like it would be a very close race. The race once again went to the Nissan, who had to watch over the Jaguar driven by Price Cobb and John Nielsen. who ended up six seconds behind the Japanese car. Next was the Porsche 962 driven by Gianpiero Moretti and Stanley Dickens. An extremely good result was to reward the Lights class winner, which happened to be Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan, who ended up fourth overall, and capturing the win, with seven laps over Jim Downing and Howard Katz. A good surprise was the fifth place gained by the new Eagle Toyota HF89, which seemed to have gained some reliability.
The next race was held at Watkins Glen, for the Camel Continental race. A poor nineteen car showed up for the race. Nissan again entered one car for Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson. TWR brought the two Jaguar XJR9 and XJR10, with Davy Jones and Jan Lammers driving solo.

Miller89 Jim Miller and Bob Earl took an outstanding second place overall at Watkins Glen, driving this Spice SE89P Chevrolet.

Toyota too had two different cars but Juan Fangio II was teamed with Drake Olson on the older car, while Willy T Ribbs was to drive the new car with Rocky Moran. Two Porsche 962s were entered, which was the lowest figure ever for the German make. Gianpiero Moretti, along with Frank Jelinski, and Bob Wollek, co-driven by his teammate John Andretti would try to do their best. Jim Miller and Bob Earl would be the fiercest Spice competitors, with Costas Los and Jeff Kline. Jacques Villeneuve and Scott Goodyear would try to drive their Chevrolet Corvette GTP to the chequered. The Lights class was nine car strong. A Spice domination was awaited, with the now familiar faces of Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman, Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan, with the new Ferrari powered car, driven by Martino Finotto and David Loring. Jim Downing and Howard Katz would try to counteract this invasion. Three Spice Firebirds and two Tiga, one GT286, Ferrari powered for Uli Bieri and Niki Leutwiller and a newer GT288, Buick powered driven Jan Tingdal and Jim Martin. The Nissan-Jaguar battle was set. The race turned out to be a disaster for the TWR team, with the two cars out early in the race. Nissan was to fight against Drake Olson and Juan Fangio II, who led early in the race. Unfortunately, they were awarded a pit stop penalty during the race, then suffered from turbo boost problems. Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson then took back the lead and had to maintain their advantage over the Spice SE89P Chevrolet driven by Jim Miller and Bob Earl. The Toyota was third, but the team probably lost a chance for victory in this very race. The Lights class saw the victory for Jim Downing and Howard Katz, who set a well planned strategy, which allowed them to defeat the fast Spice SE88P Buick droven by Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert.
The next race, held at Road America, was quite different from every race, with a big field of fifty one cars, mixing GTPs, Lights, GTOs, ACs and GTUs. It was a 500km race, but the race would be more tough, because of the traffic. NPTI had one car, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson. The favorites would have to fight against two Jaguars, one XJR10 for Jan Lammers and Price Cobb, and the XJR9 for Davy Jones and John Nielsen. Drake Olson and Juan Fangio II drove the Toyota 88C and Willy T Ribbs and Rocky Moran used the Eagle HF89. Busby Racing had brought two cars, and Bob Wollek shared his car with John Andretti, while Derek Bell was co-driven by Steve Bren. Gianpiero Moretti had a new co-driver, in the name of Jean Louis Ricci. Jim Adams was with team owner John Hotschkis in the Wynn's car. Costas Los was on the Spice Firebird, while Jim Miller and Bob Earl would try to do as well as in their last race. The Lights class featured the usual entrants, who were anxiously willing to fight on this very fast track. Scott Schubot would run solo against Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert on Spice cars. Martino Finotto and David Loring also could do well. Jim Downing and Howard Katz were the main opponents for the Spice squadron. Uli Bieri and David Tennyson were not to be forgotten with their Tiga GT287 Ferrari. A trio of Spice Firebirds was a possible challenge for the favorites. The GTO cars would provide a fantastic battle, too, as Audi had entered two cars. Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear shared one car and Hans Stuck was partnered by Walter Roehrl. Roush Racing had found a valuable opposition, but the Mercury Cougars were impressive. Wally Dallenbach and Pete Halsmer would drive the two XR7s, which were turbocharged. Not to forget CCR, with a very powerful Nissan 300ZX, in the hands of Steve Millen, you nearly had your perfect field. Roger Mandeville and Kelly Marsh were at the wheel of the three rotor Mazda RX7, which looked slightly underpowered.

Millen89 Steve Millen captured his first win at Road America with the CCR Nissan 300 ZX T.

The last GTO car was Buzz McCall's Chevrolet Camaro. A bunch of AC cars was entered, which were less modified cars, and American built. Clay Young was the favorite, driving a Pontiac Grand Prix. Three Chevrolet Berettas were seen, with Mark Porcaro and Dan Osterholt driving their car solo. Robert Borders, Alan Wells and Carson Hurley drove another one and you could find a very unfamiliar Oldsmobile Ciera, in the hands of Linda Sharp and Dick Danielson on the grid. The GTU class featured the classical Mazdas, which were now RX7s and MX6s. Amos Johnson entered an MX6 GT, which proved very efficient. A handful of RX 7s, amongst which you could find the Overton Racing cars, driven hy Lance Stewart-John Overton and Jeff Alkazian-Ron Cortez. Paul Lewis drove the ex-Amos Johnson RX7, and John Hogdal was partnered by John Finger. Leitzinger Racing fielded a very fast 240SX, driven by Bob Leitzinger and Chuck Kurtz. Kryderacing entered another car for Reed Kryder himself. Full Time Racing entered a pair of Dodge Daytonas, which were driven by Kal Showket and Jeremy Dale. Seventy Four Ranch fielded a Pontiac Fiero for George Robinson and Bart Kendall, which could do very well. A lonely Porsche 911, driven by Jay Kjoller and Patrick Mooney round out the field. Davy Jones captured the pole in the Jaguar XJR9, with Jan Lammers alongside for a Jaguar front row. At the start, the two cars kept their positions, with Geoff Brabham following. They were chased by Drake Olson, in the Toyota, until the later fell off the track, losing a couple laps. Geoff Brabham could pass Davy Jones, but had trouble getting around Jan Lammers. Until the first pit stops, the positions were maintained, John Nielsen took over the Jaguar, leading Chip Robinson. Price Cobb was slightly further, having lost time due to a brake pad change. Bob Wollek then grabbed the third place. The Jaguar could hold off the Nissan in the lead but had to pit when a tire went down. Chip Robinson was now in the lead, but Bob Wollek and Price Cobb were closing on in. The second pit stop session was hard on the Busby Porsche 962, which was held in the pits by IMSA officials with faulty brake lights. Geoff Brabham took over the Nissan ZX T GTP, and only had to hold off Price Cobb and Jan Lammers while Davy Jones and John Nielsen took third. Bob Wollek and John Andretti took a fourth place while Drake Olson and Juan Fangio II had a great race, and finished fifth, one lap down. Scott Schubot lead and won a very quiet race, leading Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert, en route to his first Camel Lights title.

Scubot89a Scott Schubot easily won his class at Road America, and captured his first Lights Championship in doing so.

The GTO class was a very short race for Pete Halsmer, who had a broken gearbox. Then it was Hans Stuck who was sent into the guardrail by Costas Los. This race saw a total domination from Steve Millen, who led the race from start to finish. He was followed by the Audi 90 Quattro driven by Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear. Third was Wally Dallenbach in a Mercury Cougar XR7. The GTU race was much more tough, with Amos Johnson an early leader. Bob Leitzinger was soon passing him, but he was overtaken by the two Dodge Daytonas driven by Kal Showket and Jeremy Dale. When Jeremy Dale broke a steering shaft, it was his teammate who then took the lead. But he retired later with a broken piston, leaving John Hogdal as class leader. He held the lead until refueling, but a misfire cost him two laps. Bob Leitzinger took over, but was later passed by Amos Johnson, who inherited the lead, which he kept until the end. A very exciting race! Dan Osterholt took the AC class win and Robert Borders, Alan Wells and Carson Hurley were second in a race where the winner was the sole finisher in his class! (to be continued)

Posted on 28 January 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Bob Sharp Racing Datsun ZX Turbo

Bob Sharp was no newcomer to racing when he started thinking about the Datsun ZX Turbo project. He began racing Austin Healey Sprites and Lotus Seven cars around 1964, then working for Paul Bruck, who was a Rambler-Datsun dealer in Greenwich. He and friend Alan Wiley asked him if they could have a spl-310 tp race in SCCA. After being given a second car by Paul Bruck, he went on to win the SCCA Runoffs at Riverside. When his former boss went bankrupt, he decided to fly by himself. He started his career at Gulf Gas Station, but he had been bitten by the racing bug.
He went and saw Nissan USA East Coast head, and asked him to sponsor a racing team. Mr Kawasoe, who was a racing as well, agreed and that started his career. Bob Sharp began to develpp racing parts while racing.
He then opened a full fledged dealership. He raced Roadsters, but later became the first racer to run a 240Z, and even before the car was in production. He would have to wait, and luck would then knock at his doorstep. A promotional car had been damaged and he could come and fetch it, which he did promptly. While racing by himself until 1975, he then turned up the drivers seat to other drivers. Those were very fast and capable ones. Jim Fitzgerald, Sam Posey, Elliot Forbes Robinson, Brad Frisselle and Paul Newman all did great things driving the #33 Datsun Z cars. Paul Newman had become one of Bob Sharp's favorite drivers, and would do great things with his cars. He would later become one of the first drivers to ever run the new 280ZX. Being successful in both IMSA and SCCA C Production, Bob Sharp had other things in mind, and he would make the big move in 1980. The car would be a true AAGT car, and would be fitted with a V8 powerplant, the one you could find on the Nissan President, which was manufactured in Japan. In fact, the car was not even imported in the US, and Bob Sharp had to use his relations with Dick Roberts, who was Datsun's competition manager, to have one engine in his shop by the end of 1977. The engine was then studied by Gene Crowe, the chief mechanic, who was to modify it accordingly to its future purposes. The car would be a unique design by Trevor Harris who would work on the chassis, body and the suspension. Thanks to his past experience, he would apply his skills to the Datsun ZX Turbo, which would then become the first ground-effect production based racing car. The car would completed in seven months.
Rick Mack, who had worked at Rotomaster, would care about the turbocharger, which was supposed to feed the 4,5L engine. This was supposed to give out around 800 hp. Body molds and pieces were built at MEI, as no part could be taken from any existing model. Peter Slater would oversee the project and supervise the paperwork. Power was fed from the engine through a small flywheel and along a 47 in. driveshaft. The clutch was a triple plate Borg and Beck located in front of the transaxle in a 10 in. bellhousing. The car, which was quite impressive, was stuck to the road via 12 in. tires at the front and 18 in. tires at the rear. It was equipped with Ronal wheels. The car was finished at the beginning of 1980. It had yet to be tested thoroughly. The main problem, which appeared from the beginning, was an excessive overweight. As compared to the Porsche 935s, the car was 450lbs heavier. Many parts, which were not available in Japan or in the US, were specially fabricated by third party subcontractors. But the greatest satisfaction would happen when the car was built. No major problem appeared when the car would be tested for the first time. This would happen at the Stewart Air Force Base. It brought a chill of excitement through everyone's spine. Months of hard work would now come into life. Testing this car was Paul Newman, who christened this moment. The fact that the car ran was already a victory. Then the whole team was headed to Lime Rock, for the true racing test. The car would be tested again by Paul Newman, and Sam Posey. The first real problem about the car was about the water temperature, which had a tendancy to rise up somewhat fast.
After thoroughly testing the car and trying various combinations of setups, the car definitely appeared as something well-born. Thoroughly checked out by Gene Crowe, nothing would break during the testing sessions. It was time for the team to test it against some worthy competition. The first race was scheduled at Elkhart Lake, in September 1980.

Datsunzxt80 Paul Newman and Sam Posey debuted the car at Elkhart Lake, but it was a dnf.

The team was ready to race the car, but certainly not ready to win, but Bob Sharp wanted to feel the adrenaline. He also knew that running agaonst worthy competitors would accelerate the development process. The car, which was still under development, would prove unstable on the smooth track. This problem would have to be solved urgently, and Trevor Harris devised a new rear spoiler which would installed prior to the race. The car wiuld qualify in eleventh position, a mere nine seconds off the pace. Not so bad. Sam Posey would take the wheel of the car and start the race. It had rained prior to the race, so the track was wet. While running carefully, Sam Posey discovered that the car was handling badly. But the good news was that it did not occur unless he reached 160mph. The track began to dry and Sam Posey pitted for fresh slick tires and fuel. The car seemed to improve as the race went on, and Sam Posey accelerated the pace. Then things began to turn bad. Fumes began to appear and laps became unconsistent. It was obvious that things were going wrong, then the engine failed on lap thirty eight. Paul Newman did not even take the wheel of the car. The team was not so disappointed, as it was the first time the car had run such a distance. A very small part of the engine had broken, so it could be easily fixed for the next race, which was scheduled for Road Atlanta. It was a very short race, a 100 Miler, and Paul Newman would drive the car solo. The car had been modified aerodynamically, with a new rear deck lid incorporating the rear spoiler. A new exhaust system had been fitted to the car, as well as new rocker arms and revised ducting to the radiators, which should solve the cooling problems. Paul Newman, who had tested the car regularly, was feeling at home at Road Atlanta, and he was getting fast. But obviously not enough, as he would start from the sixteenth position, 2s3 off the pace. The race began obviously in a bad motion, as a roller tappet failed. Paul Newman had to run very smoothly, which he did, but the car developed a water leak, and the race was over after fourteen laps. Great things had to wait once again. The next round for the team was Daytona, Gene Crowe and the whole team knew that the car could really do great things on this particular track. It was the Daytona Finale, and Masahiro Hasemi, the Datsun's factory driver, had been invited by Bob Sharp to share the driving. After doing 208mph on the banking, a figure that bettered the Porsche 935s top speed, the engine dropped a valve. Sam Posey waited for a new, fresh identical engine to be installed, then settled to a qualifying lap. Then it was over. Sam Posey was entering the banking when a tire went flat, and he could manage to save the car. However, the wheel was the problem and things would be fixed later by Ronal, the wheel maker. Checking the engine, Gene Crowe discovered that the valves had suffered during that short run. He calculated that the car would not last very long in the race so the car was withdrawn.

Newman81b The car was thoroughly modified for the 1981 season, with a new tail section, as it appeared at Lime Rock. Paul Newman finished twelfth.

The season was over. This first season had allowed the team to gather a huge amount of information in order to improve the car for the next season. The car's main problem was its weight, and no valid solution was in view. Sam Posey would no longer drive the car and Paul Newman would remain the main driver, co-driven by Masahiro Hasemi on some occasions. The car was heavily revised when it entered the 1981 season. A new tail section, new radiators were the major revisions designed to cure the car's main defaults, which were handling and overheating. At Road Atlanta, however, the car would unfortunately be struck by overheating problems. Two engines would blow up in practice. The car would run, but Paul Newman would be running for victory in the race. He ended up tenth overall. At Riverside, Paul Newman was partnered by Masahiro Hasemi. He qualified tenth on the grid. The race again was disappointing, and a pinion gear failed, they lasted twenty three laps. Laguna Seca was another disappointing race for the team with Paul Newman started from the back of the pack, and struggling with his brakes, only to finish sixteenth overall. The remainder of the season could be watched as the car's swansong.

Paul Newman had a good race at Sears Point, and he finished eighth overall.

Paul Newman wound up an eighth at Sears Point and a sixth place at Portland, his best result ever with the car. The car would reappear later in the season, and then disappeared for real after the Daytona Finale, where it was not entered. An exciting story would just end up by the end of November 1981. The car would never show up anymore. Bob Sharp would concentrate on another project for the next year. It was a turbo version of the GTU Datsun 280ZX. A less radical car, yet very powerful and efficient. It would be entered in the Trans Am and would prove very efficient. Paul Newman would even win his first overall Trans Am race at Brainerd. Just in case, it proved that Bob Sharp and Paul Newman had talent, no one ever contested the fact. The Nissan ZX T could have been a good car. It was perhaps too radical, and came in too late. The factory did not bring any support to the team, so this ambitious project came to an abrupt end. This fantastic car remains some kind of masterpiece, thanks to Bob Sharp. He did great things, and remains one the most renowned team owner ever. Thank you Bob!

Posted on 15 February 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

1989 : Nissan again, part 3

The next race race was scheduled at Portland. Twenty four cars would take the start of the race. Two Nissan ZX T GTPs were entered, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson each driving one car. They would have to face two Jaguar XJR10s for the first time. Jan Lammers was partnered by Price Cobb and Davy Jones ran the second car solo. A Jaguar XJR9 was entered, too, for John Nielsen. Five Porsche 962s were entered, but they were no more the favorites. Busby Racing fielded the most efficient car, which was expertly driven by Bob Wollek and John Andretti. Bayside Motorsport had two cars, but only one could be expected to run for the top spots. Jochen Mass was a world class driver while Bruce Leven was an honest one. Jim Adams drove the Wynn's car while Gianpiero Moretti drove his familiar Momo car. AAR fielded two different cars, and one could expect a good race from these racers. The new Eagle HF89 was still under develppment, but had showed great promises for the future. The car was driven by Willy T Ribbs and Rocky Moran. Juan Fangio II and Drake Olson still made miracles with the old 88C. Costas Los was at the wheel of the works Spice Firebird, and Jim Miller was again partnered by Bob Earl in his Chevrolet powered SE89 Spice. The Lights class was overshadowed by Spice, with no less than seven cars entered. Five Firebirds were facing one SE88P, which was the most recent chassis, and one 87P. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman were the favorites, but they had to fear the Argo JM19 Mazda driven by Jim Downing and Howard Katz. Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan were possible contestants too. Two older Tigas would round off the field. The practice sessions highlighted the fact that the two top cars were closely separated by 0.026s! This situation would lead to a very close race. The other cars were one second off the pace, for the best followers. The Lights class was dominated by Scott Schubot, with Tom Hessert trailing him by one second, too. The race would be thrilling. At the start, Jan Lammers was in front, with Geoff Brabham trying to sneak past, but he failed. Willy T Ribbs had a good start, but he would spin in one of the following turns. He was back on the track dead last. The two leaders would then carefully move ahead of the pack, with Jan Lammers maintaining a one second or so hold on Geoff Brabham. Davy Jones, on the second Jaguar, pitted on lap ten and the car was withdrawn. He would then co-drive John Nielsen on the XJR9. Chip Robinson, who had lost some time while trying to pass Willy T Ribbs car, was gently closing in on the two leaders. After thirty laps, Jan Lammers was still leading, with Geoff Brabham, Chip Robinson, Bob Wollek and Drake Olson. The latter would overtake the French driver, then it was Jim Miller who did the same. Then, the first refueling session would take place, with Bob Wollek being the first to have his splash. His pit stop would last 1m17s, as he lost time to change his rear wing settings. The refueling session will see a show by Chip Robinson, who was so excited that he went back to the track with the refueling hose still attached to his car! He would go back to the pits to have his fuel cap sealed. Geoff Brabham kept the lead while Jan Lammers was in the pits. He would be back into the race in first place, slightly ahead of the Price Cobb. But the latter was in a great shape, and would pass him in the next lap. The end of the race would be thrilling. Behind them, John Nielsen would overtake Drake Olson who spun in the process. He had to pit with a puncture. Five laps to the finish, the two leaders, still nose to tail, would have a close battle leading the two of them off course. No one would surrender. The end of the race was epic, and it lead to a very disputed epilogue. In fact, a IMSA official had waved the chequered at the end of lap 94, which was in fact three laps earlier than the scheduled distance. The official then had the race go ahead three more laps, during which Geoff Brabham took the lead of the race. He took the chequered as the winner. But Jaguar did not agree at all. A thorough dispute between the Electramotive and TWR followed. The TWR team pointed out the fact that the chequered flag could not be waved twice, which appeared clearly in the FISA and IMSA rulebooks. The first 1989 Jaguar victory was awarded behind a conference table.

Schubot89a Scott Schubot had an outstanding season, and he captured the Lights title by winning eight races.

The Lights class would salute the first victory for Jim Downing and Howard Katz in their Argo JM19 Mazda. They finished just ahead of Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman in a Spice SE89P Buick. The next race would be a premiere, with the very first race at a brand new track, which took place in Kansas. The Camel GT Grand Prix of Heartland Park would host a nineteen car field. Two Nissan ZX T GTPs, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson, would face one Jaguar XJR9 and one XJR10. Price Cobb was still with Jan Lammers and John Nielsen with Davy Jones. AAR also had two different cars, the new Eagle HF89, driven by Rocky Moran and Willy T Ribbs, still under development, and the old 88C, driven by Drake Olson. Two Porsche 962s were entered by Busby Racing and Momo Racing. Bob Wollek and John Andretti carried the make's hopes while Gianpiero Moretti would try to do his best with Frank Jelinski. The GTP class entry list was closed with the two Spice Firebird and SE88P. Costas Los was in the works car while Bob Earl and Jim Miller drove the Chevrolet powered car. No new car, except for the Argo JM19 Mazda entered by Jim Briody, was expected to run. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman would be the class of the field, two seconds faster than their closest competitors. It looked like Nissan was willing to take revenge from the previous race. Geoff Brabham was third on the grid, with Chip Robinson on the pole. John Nielsen and Davy Jones had slipped their Jaguar between the two Nissans. The race in itself could be summed up in these words : total domination. In fact, Chip Robinson would lead one lap and Geoff Brabham every remaining lap. He won the race over his teammate by twenty three seconds. Price Cobb and Davy Jones took a third place but were never in a position to threaten the flying Nissan ZX T GTPs. The Lights class was also a matter of domination as Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman won again at the wheel of their Spice SE88P Buick. Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert took the second place and were the only drivers to finish on the same lap as the leaders.
San Antonio was the next scheduled race. The two Nissan ZX T GTPs would have to face a stronger field of cars. While Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham were the regular drivers to enter the race, it was Frenchman Michel Ferté who was at the wheel of the car usually driven by Jan Lammers. Davy Jones would drive the Jaguar XJR10, this time displaying number 61. Juan Fangio and Drake Olson shared the old Toyota 88C and Willy T Ribbs was to sort the new Eagle HF89 out. Bayside Disposal was back and fielded a Porsche 962C for James Weaver. Busby Racing entered two cars for John Andretti, who would run solo while the other car was devoted to Jeff Kline, who was entirely new to this type of car. Gianpiero Moretti was co-driven by John Paul Jr. Costas Los was entered at the wheel of the works Spice Firebird while a brand new welcome addition was the second car driven by Scott Atchison and Bernard Santal. Bob Earl and Jim Miller drove the familiar MTI Vacations backed Spice Chevrolet.

Atchison89 A new Spice Firebird appeared at the end of the season, which was driven by Scott Atchison, Wayne Taylor and Bernard Santal. The car would start from the front row at Del Mar.

The Lights class would feature the similar scheme previously seen on other tracks. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman faced Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert, who were the fastest in practice. Jim Downing entered two cars for the first time, and was partnered by David Loring, while Howard Katz would run the new racer. A bunch of new cars would debut the San Antonio circuit, and one of these cars was the new Tiga GT287 Mazda driven by Charlie Vehle. John Higgins was back to racing with his Fabcar Porsche, which he shared with Howard Cherry. Tomas Lopez and Al Rocca were at the wheel of the car they had run at Daytona. An Argo JM19 Buick was entered, too. Brent o'neill and Jean de la Moussaye were the drivers. A bunch of Spice Firebirds would round out the field. As expected, the two Nissan ZX T GTPs were again in the front row, and it was no difficult task to guess what the race would turn into. In fact, when the green flag was set, the two cars would catch together in what ended up in a mutual off course. An impending disaster had been avoided! The two cars, which were not damaged, easily recovered their dominating positions, and would run away from the rest of the pack. Geoff Brabham was leading the race until his engine failed him, on lap eighty two. Chip Robinson then could fly away to an easy victory, giving Nissan another Manufacturers award. Second was the Toyota 88C driven by Juan Fangio and Drake Olson who had their best run of yhe season. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman had a clever race, and won their class, while Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert had a dnf due to an accident. Niki Leutwiller and David Rocha drove the Huffaker Spice Firebird to a very good second place in class.
The next race would drive every team to Sears Point. The Lincoln Mercury Classic would produce a twenty six car field. The two Nissan ZX T GTPs were again the favorites, but Jaguar was still willing to strike hard. They would have to wait for the next race. Jan Lammers and Price Cobb were running strongly and posted the best practice time, just ahead of the Nissan cars. Davy Jones and John Nielsen were at the wheel of the older XJR9. All American Racers fielded their two cars, which were the faithful 88C and the unproven Eagle HF89. Willy T Ribbs had the new car in his hands. Juan Fangio and Drake Olson could do miracles with their small 2,1L turbo engine. Six Porsche 962s were entered, which was the highest figure since Daytona. Two new cars were to appear for the very first time in an IMSA event. Along with the usual Busby Racing car, this time driven by Bob Wollek and Derek Bell,the second car he would share with John Andretti. Gianpiero Moretti was running with Frank Jelinski. Jochen Mass remained a strong contender with the Bayside Disposal car. René Herzog, from Switzerland, entered a Porsche 962 he would drive with Mario Hytten, and Bruce Canepa, a well known Porsche dealer from the west coast, drove a more standard car with Greg Pickett. An interesting car was again the Alba AR9, Buick powered, which was driven by Amato Ferrari and Stefano Livio. The Spices were at home on this kind of track, and Jim Miller, Bob Earl on their Chevrolet powered car, Costas Los, this time with the help of Wayne Taylor, and Scott Atchison, on Spice Firebirds, had high hopes. The remainder of the field was all Lights. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman had rocketed to the ranks of favorites, with a string of five wins. They had to fight against the almost similar car driven by Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert. Jim Downing, who complained about the massiveness of his car, the Argo JM19 Buick, had designed and built the Kudzu DG1, which was a 7/8 sized version of the Argo. The car was much more easy to drive, with the same powerplant. He was back with new ambitions. Four Spice Firebirds were entered, and they were still to be watched upon. Niki Leutwiller and David Rocha drove the Huffaker car, formerly driven by Dan Marvin. Don Bell drove the Whitehall car with Hendrick Ten Cate. Ferdinand de Lesseps and Jay Cochran were at the wheel of the Essex Tiga GT288 Buick. An old Alba AR3, Mazda powered, added diversity to the field. The car was driven by Russell Dotson, Rex Ramsey and Dean Hall. Al Rocca and Tomas Lopez had a Chevrolet powered Tiga. Jan Lammers once again proved the new TWR racer was a Nissan beater, in practice, at least. The two Japanese cars were just behind. At the start, however, Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham would be overtaken by Jochen Mass, but it would not last for long. Chip Robinson would then lead the race while Davy Jones was just behind them. WillyT Ribbs and Bob Wollek were fighting hard behind the two leaders . After forty laps, Chip Robinson was still leading but Davy Jones was running very close. They would swap the lead many times. Costas Los was just behind but he would retire later on. Geoff Brabham, who had some time in the pits, was carefully carving his way back to the top. A few laps before the end of the race, Geoff Brabham would pass his teammate. It would be a very close victory. The two Jaguars were next, with Davy Jones and John Nielsen finally taking third overall on the old XJR9, who led Price Cobb and Jan Lammers on the XJR10. Scott Schubot once again won the Lights class, and he was just ahead of Jim Downing and Howard Katz new Kudzu DG1.
Tampa held its maiden race at the Florida State Fairground, which was yet another street circuit. It was a big swerve from the west coast previous track. The field would feature twenty five cars. A new Jaguar-Nissan battle was under the lights. Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson would have to run for the drivers points, and the two of them were potential Champions. The competition would be fierce. TWR was trying hard to beat the Nissan ZX T GTPs, but it was to no avail. Price Cobb would be at the wheel of the XJR9, while Jan Lammers was determined to make the XJR10 a winner. Not to forget the Spice SE89P, which was well driven by Bob Earl and Jim Miller. The two works Spice Firebirds, which were Pontiac powered with 5,3L engines, seemed to lack the advantage in terms of power. Costas Los, on one hand, and Scott Atchison, with Wayne Taylor could do well, however. Porsche stalwarts were still there, with Bob Wollek and John Andretti driving the most sophisticated car, while Gianpiero Moretti entered his Gebhardt prepped car. John Paul Jr was his co-driver. Joest Racing, who dominated the Porsche contingent in Europe, could hope to do the same in the US. But John Winter was not a "top gun", and it would be a hard task. René Herzog and Mario Hytten were to be treated the same way. All American Racers Toyotas, still on the learning curve, had to improve the cars' reliability. Once again, the two breeds were entered, with Drake Olson and Juan Fangio driving the old horse, and Willy T Ribbs driving the Eagle HF89. Martino Finotto and Giani Guidici were at the wheel of the Spice SE89P Ferrari they would later enter in Lights class, it was quite an impossible task to achieve with the big ones. The same could be told from the Alba AR9, Buick powered, entered by , and driven by Claudio Langes and Marzo Romano.
The Lights class, again, was to bring the now classical Spice-Kudzu battle. Scott Schubot was the favorite, but Jim Downing seemed to be back with a vengeance, now aided by a more effective car. He had entered his Argo JM19 Mazda, which he would drive too, with David Loring.
Charles Morgan, still running strong, was always a contender. A new Spice Firebird would appear for first time, which was driven by George Sutcliffe and Michael Dow. Huffaker Racing entered an identical car, driven by Dan Marvin and Niki Leutwiller, Ken Knott and Rob Wilson also had the same car. A very old Tiga GT285 Mazda driven by Ronald Parks and Sydney Smith was to be amongst the slowest cars, and a Fabcar Porsche, driven by Dennis Kazmerowski and Peter Dawe, not to be extremely fast, too, closed the entry list, along with the Tiga GT288 Buick driven Ferdinand de Lesseps and Jay Cochran. The track, which was new to everyone, did not allow anyone to rely on past data, so everyone would have to lap and lap again to be fast. Geoff Brabham would again capture another pole position, just ahead of Jan Lammers, in the Jaguar XJR10. The start of the race was again all Nissan, with Geoff Brabham taking the lead in front of Chip Robinson. The two cars would stay ahead of the rest of the pack until la ninety three. An extended pit stop would put the Australian driver out of contention for the win. Chip Robinson inherited the lead, which seemed not to escape Nissan, but unfortunately, he spun on lap 110. He was closely followed by Jan Lammers, who was carefully stuck in his lap. Trying to avoid the Nissan, the flying Dutchman went into a pile of tires. Out he was. As Chip Robinson managed to restart, it was only to take fourth. A gang of furious drivers went past him. Price Cobb, who was closely followed by Jim Miller, eventually won by a scant 0.5s! Bob Wollek and John Andretti were next. The Lights class was won by Charles Morgan, who did a big part of the race without any front end, which was consecutive to a collision with another car. It did not prevent him from running very strong, and he finally won. Jim Downing and Howard Katz took a second place while Scott Schubot was third with co-driver Linda Ludeman.
The last race of the season was the Camel Southern Californian Grand Prix, held at Del Mar. The two Nissan drivers were still possible Champions.

Jan Lammers ended up the season very strong. He won the last race at Del Mar with the Jaguar XJR10.

Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson would put on a show of themselves.TWR had two Jaguar XJR10s for the first time. Jan Lammers and Price Cobb drove each car. Joest Racing had entered two cars, one for Henri Pescarolo and Jean Louis Ricci, and John Winter and Frank Jelinski, the other cars were entered by Busby Racing and Bayside Disposal. Bob Wollek and John Andretti on one side, Jochen Mass and Dominic Dobson on the other side, had little hopes for the win. A single Toyota, which was the new one, was entered by AAR. Rocky Moran and Willy T Ribbs drove it. The lonely Alba AR9 Buick was still there, entered by DeBlasi Racing, this time it would be driven by Stefano Livio and Enrico de Benedetti. The remainder of the field was made up of three Spice Firebirds, with the two usual works cars, with a welcome addition in the name of Koll Motorsport, which entered a similar car for Bill Koll, Skeeter McKitterick and Jeff Kline. The two other cars would make history during practice! The Lights class, still providing very entertaining races, would feature that same old story proffered to the racing fans. The Spice SE88P Buick driven by Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman fighting against the other Spice, driven by Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert, and the Kudzu DG1 driven by Jim Downing and Howard Katz. A string of Spice Firebirds was to act as runner-ups, with Dan Marvin and Niki Leutwiller on the Huffaker car, and Don Bell and Ken Knott driving the Whitehall car. A single Tiga GT287 Chevrolet, driven by Al Rocca and Tomas Lopez, closed the entry list.
The practice session was to bring some great news to the Spice fans, with the two Firebirds winning the TRW award, and starting from the front row! Wayne Taylor had run very strong and was just ahead of Jim Miller! The race would alas prove luckless for the Brits, and Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham were soon ahead of the pack. The title would have been awarded to the American until mid-race, when his driveshaft failed. Then Geoff Brabham could cruise to the chequered without having to push his Nissan ZX T GTP too hard. Content with his second IMSA title brought to him on a silver platter, he ended up second in the race behind Jan Lammers on a Jaguar XJR10. Chip Robinson, who had led the Championship from the beginning, was KO. Jim Miller and Bob Earl were the best placed Spice entrants, taking third overall. The two practice heroes had retired from the race. The Lights class once again went to Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman, who finished just ahead of Charles Morgan, Jay Cochran and Ferdinand de Lesseps who drove the Essex Racing Tiga GT288 Buick. Next was the team's Spice SE88P Buick, which was also driven by these drivers, plus Tom Hessert. Jim Downing and Howard Katz ended up fourth. The season was over, with Nissan easily winning the Manufacturers Championship, and Geoff Brabham capturing another IMSA Drivers Championship. The season highlighted the team's ability to dominate the field, no matter the kind of track, or the race duration. The Nissan ZX T GTPs were a new breed of racers, and they would still dominate the two next seasons. Jaguar, via Tom Walkinshaw Racing, could only counteract the Japanese cars on some occasions, and the new Jaguar XJR10s were still too young. However, Price Cobb and Jan Lammers were valuable contenders and gave the Nissans a run for their money. The Lights class was the first season for Scott Schubot, and it was a dream come true for him and partner Linda Ludeman. Scott Schubot won six races and took the drivers Championship. Jim Downing was hampered by too bulky a car, and his new creation, the Kudzu, should prove a valuable entry for the season to come. The GTO class was spectacular, with a Lincoln Mercury-Audi battle which was really worth it. Audi chose not to compete in every race, and that is what probably lost them. Pete Halsmer and Wally Dallenbach never gave up, and the former won the GTO Championship. The GTU Championship went to Bob Leitzinger, who drove a very fast Nissan 240SX, and defeated the Mazda armada. IMSA Racing was heading into the nineties, and the Manufacturers were getting more involved in GTP racing. This would drive the concept to its future demise...

Posted on 29 February 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

24 Hours of Daytona 1980 : Joest domination

It was the first race of the 1980 IMSA Camel GT Championship, and the race would be a success, as to the entry list, which was a huge one. Ninety three cars were listed, which was one of the biggest ever. Eighty five cars would eventually show up at the practice sessions. Porsche was the great favorite for the win, with fifteen 935 Turbos entered. A big part of them were K3s or lookalike, the latest Kremer bros creation. Interscope Racing had purchased one, which would be driven by Ted Field and Danny Ongais. The other genuine car was the Dick Barbour entry, which would be driven by the boss, along with John Fitzpatrick, the fastest Porsche driver. It certainly was a good recruit for Dick Barbour, as would the Englishman's driving skills demonstrate later in the season. Charles Mendez, who was partnered by Bob Akin in what was Racing Associates entry, had updated his car with a special kit, as well as Randolph Townsend, who did the same. The other cars were evolutions of the standard car. Brumos Racing had entered his own interpretation of the 935 with a unique design, much closer to the 935J, but with secial features designed by the team. Hurley Haywood, Bruce Leven and Peter Gregg would share the drives. Bruce Leven was the new team owner. Charles Mendez was partnered by Brian Redman and Paul Miller on the new car. Bobby Rahal, Bob Akin and Roy Woods would run the updated car and a 79 car would be devoted to Claude Ballot Léna, Gerard Bleynie and Ralph Kent Cooke. Coca Cola was the main sponsor for the three cars. Dick Barbour had entered a 79 car which was to be driven by Bob Garretson, Skeeter McKitterick and female French driver Anny-Charlotte Verney, who ran on this track for the first time. The Whittington Bros, who were the first ever to run a K3, had entered this car as well as an older one, driven by Dale Whittington and German driver Axel Plankenhorn. Ludwig Heimrath ran his own car, which was a 78 model, Johnny Rutherford would co-drive the car with Carlos Moran. John Paul was here with Al Holbert on a car entered by Preston Henn. Another 935 would be entered by Peruvian Jorge Koechlin, which he would drive with Pierre Dieudonné and Leon Walger, but the car would not go any further, breaking an engine. The two last Porsche 935s were European ones. Gianpiero Moretti was a regular entrant since 1978, and had a 79 car for himself, Nando Cazzaniga and Bruce Canepa. The car was Pirelli shod and the whole supervising staff had made the trip from Monte Carlo, which they had won. The last car was Joest Racing, who had a very modified Porsche 935, which was now called 935/2. The driving team was exclusively German driven, with Rolf Stommelen, Volkert Merl and Reinhold Joest at the wheel. It was clear that it would be a quite unbeatable armada. Facing the Porsches, BMW had three cars, which were underpowered. Kenper Miller and David Cowart had a Procar M1, which was much more a GTO car than a GTX one, but was not homologated in the lower class. Not willing to update it as the two other teams, Red Lobster Racing was improving and testing it for the next season. Christine Beckers was their co-driver.

Kemper Miller, David Cowart and Christine Beckers had a very unhappy race. They had an accident at the beginning of the race and lost a lot of time for repairs.

Jim Busby had entered the very first M1 in IMSA racing at the end of the previous season, with some extremely good results, but he was quite aware of the fact that the car was not to be a winner in standard form. So he would update it, and it was no more a GT car, with a huge rear wing, and a March chassis. The car was lighter, and more effective aerodynamically, but it was still underpowered. Bruce Jenner and Rick Knoop drove the car with Jim Busby. The third car was much the same, and had run Le Mans the previous year. Entered by Robin Herd, the car was supervised by himself, and had undergone some modifications which were supposed to improve it. Patrick Nève, Mike Korten and Ian Grob were still the drivers. Preston Henn, who had a 935, had also entered a beautiful Ferrari 512BB, which he would drive with Pierre Dieudonné and John Paul Jr. A single Lancia Beta Montecarlo was to be seen, and it was not a works car. Jolly Club and driven by Carlo Facetti, Martino Finotto and Gianfranco Ricci. Cesare Fiorio was supervising the pit crew. The remainder of the opposition was made up by American cars, with some strong cars. The most attractive was, from everyone's account, the Chevrolet Monza driven by Chris Cord, Jim Adams and Dick Ferguson. It was one of the most developed Dekon car ever. Powered by a 6,0L Chevrolet engine, it could do extremely well if the transmission resisted. The All Canadian Chevrolet Camaro, entered by Maurice Carter, was no less efficient. A 7,0L powerplant made this car one of the most difficult to overtake on the banking. Joe Chamberlain had brought an impressive AAGT Chevrolet Corvette, but the car was somewhat slower. Guy Thomas had a Chevrolet Camaro, which was an AAGT car too, but he was not a contender for the top spots. The GTO class should be interesting, with a numerical advantage awarded to the Porsche Carreras. Many of them were well driven, but they had to watch over the very fast Triumph TR8 driven by Bob Tullius, John Kelly and John McComb. Mauricio de Narvaez was on the car he entered, he was co-driven by Albert Naon and Ricardo Londono.

Tony Garcia, Albert Naon and Terry Herman took a second place in the GTO, missing the win at the end of the race.

Tony Garcia was on the Montura Ranch car, partnered by Terry Herman and Alberto Vadia. Bonky Fernandez drove the ex-John Paul Porsche Carrera with Tato Ferrer and Kees Nierop. Ernesto Soto drove the Hector Huerta car with Pepe Romero and Jean Paul Libert. Luis Mendez ran his own car with Tico Almeida and René Rodriguez. Another strong entry was the Diego Febles Porsche Carrera, who ran it with Chiqui Soldevilla and Mandy Gonzales. Always from South America, El Salvador drivers Jamsal, Carlos Pineda and Eduardo Barrientos drove the Scorpio Racing car. Canadian drivers David Deacon, Jacques Bienvenue and Peter Moennick drove another Porsche Carrera. Two Porsche 934s were present. Werner Frank was running with Rudy Bartling and Angelo Pallavicini while Jack Refenning, Ren Tilton and Ray Mummery could do well on such cars.
The other cars were less competitive. Ferrari was still the car to watch with the 365GTB4, a car which finished second overall the previous year. Even ageing, and driven by talented drivers, the car could still do well in the hands of John Morton and Tony Adamowicz. A bunch of Chevrolet Corvettes was entered, but it was such a pity to see Phil Currin, one of the best drivers in the field, run solo in such a race. He did not find any co-driver and would do the job alone until retiring after a few hours! Dale Kreider entered a very colorful car which he shared with Billy Hagan and Steve Bond. Philip Keirn had an older car, co-driven by Larry Trotter and Ed Errington. Don Yenko entered one car, too. It was to be driven by Kim Mason, Jerry Thompson and himself.
Oftedahl Racing entered one familiar Chevrolet Camaro, which was to be driven by Gerry Wellik, Dave Heinz and Bob Young. The car should have an interesting run. Dick Neland, Bill Ferran and Joe Cotrone drove another Chevrolet Camaro. An older BMW 3.0CSL was entered by Bavarian Motors for Bruno Beilcke, Alf Gebhardt and Helmut Trieb. Another interesting entry, if not fast, was the Pontiac Fire-Am entered by Herb Adams. Walker Evans and motorbike star Kenny Roberts were to share the driving with Herb Adams. A very old Shelby 350GT, entered by Don Cummings, closed the entry list. Guido Levetto co-drove it.
The GTU class was exciting too, with some very noisy Mazda RX7s trying to reiterate the 1979 triumph. Roger Mandeville, Jim Downing and Brad Frisselle drove the car which was purchased from the factory by textile engineer Roger Mandeville. Allan Moffat, Stu Fisher and Amos Johnson were not supposed to play second fiddle. Jim Mederer had entered one car for Walt Bohren, Dennis Aase and Jeff Kline. John Casey's Trinity Racing fielded two cars for Steve Dietrich and Lee Mueller, who drove with himself, and Lyn St James, Tom Winters and Mark Welch. Z and W Racing had a less developed car for Pierre Honegger and Mark Hutchins, as was the Chris Doyle entry. They all would have to face the reliable Datsun 280ZX entered by New Raytown Datsun, which was driven by Frank Carney, Dick Davenport and Don Devendorf. A pair of older Datsun 240Zs was entered by NTS Racing. Bob Earl, Fred Stiff and Bill Coykendall would drive the sole car which would start the race. A single and unusual Mazda RX2 was entered, and would surprisingly do well. Bruce Nesbitt, Alan Johnson and Robert Giesel drove it. The Porsche 911s were always a threat in Endurance racing, but they were outnumbered by the 914/6s this year. Mark Speer drove one car with Terry Wolters and Ray Ratcliff. Rick Borlase, Don Kravig and Michael Hammond had a bigger engine, which sent them in the GTO class. Mike Ramirez, Luis Gordillo and Manuel Villa Prieto drove the other 911. Bill Koll, Jim Cook and Greg Lacava were at the wheel of the Koll Motorsport 914/6, which was the fastest of the trio. Wayne Baker, Dan Gilliland and Jeff Scott had a four cylinder 914/4 while local entrant Zotz Garage brought a less developed car with Aro Zitza, Douglas Zitza and John Belperche driving. A now usual Lancia Stratos closed the entry list, who could count on sixty eight cars. The practice sessions would determine which Porsche 935 would start from the pole. Don Whittington, with the boost turned right, posted a 1m44s110, which was a new official record. Rolf Stommelen had a qualifying engine, but he exploded it. He would then use his racing engine to qualify in second place. John Fitzpatrick was third, just ahead of Peter Gregg. Phil Currin was the best GTO qualifyer, but he was still alone. Walt Bohren was the fastest GTU driver. The race would be set under a clear blue sky but very cold temperatures. The cars were lined up in front of the pits. After the traditional parade and a speech from FISA President Jean Marie Balestre, the cars would be lauched behind the pace car. Bruno Beilcke could not have his car ready for the race, he would start from the pits when the leader had covered four laps. At the start, Don Whittington jumped from his pole position into the lead, followed by Reinhold Joest. Running very strong,

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1989 : Nissan again, part 2

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1989 : Nissan again, part 3

24 Hours of Daytona 1980 : Joest domination