1990 : Nissan always on top, part 2
The next race was due to take place at Road Atlanta, on a very fast course. A twenty three car field was to take the green, and three Nissan ZX T GTPs were entered. The two usual NPTI cars were backed by the Busby Racing car. Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly were partnered by Chip Robinson and Bob Earl on the two works cars while John Paul Jr ran with Kevin Cogan on the Busby Racing car. They would have to face two Jaguar XJR10s, which were powered by V6 Turbo engines. Davy Jones and Jan Lammers drove one car and John Nielsen was partnered by Price Cobb. Another team which was to be taken into account was Dan Gurney's AAR, which had brought two Eagle HF89s. Drake Olson and Rocky Moran were partnered by Juan Fangio in both cars. Only two Porsche 962s were entered, and it certainly was a sign of times. James Weaver was co-driven by Hurley Haywood on the Dyson Racing car, Gianpiero Moretti had Derek Bell listed as co-driver in his Momo entry. Two Spice SE89Ps were entered, and Jim Miller had high hopes for this race. He was co-driven by Wayne Taylor. Jeff Kline and Jeff Purner would share the Milner Racing car. Jim Adams would drive another Spice, which was a new SE90P, Pontiac powered, purchased by John Hotschkis.
John Hotschkis and Jim Adams drove a Spice SE90P Pontiac for the biggest part of the season.
Copyright Mark Windecker
Bernard Jourdain and Tom Kendall would drive the works car.The Lights class, again, appeared as a Spice playground. Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez seemed to be the ones to beat. Scott Schubot would run his Spice SE88P Buick solo. Ken Knott and Tom Winters were running a Pontiac powered SE88P version of the car. Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto remained faithful to Ferrari, but they had a 89P version. Mike Dow and George Sutcliffe relied on Pontiac power. Howard Katz drove the Essex Racing car, but the team had fielded a brand new car, a Kudzu DG1 Buick. The car was a 7/8 version of the Argo JM19. Buick powered, Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert christened the car in this very race. Jim Downing and John Grooms had their own car, which was Mazda powered. Brent o'neill and Jean de la Moussaye were listed on an Argo JM19 Buick. David Tennyson and Calvin Fish would drive the Denon backed Spice SE90P Ferrari. John Nielsen and Price Cobb took the pole, just ahead of Drake Olson and Juan Fangio, but the race did not prove to bring both teams the much awaited rewards. Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly once again powered their Nissan ZX T GTP to a two lap win over the Jaguar XJR10 driven by John Nielsen and Price Cobb. The Toyota was third, with Drake Olson and Juan Fangio happy with their fate. Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez outpaced everybody in the Lights class, finishing two laps ahead of David Tennyson and Calvin Fish in a Spice SE90P Ferrari.
The next race was a swing back to Florida, for the Toyota Grand Prix of West Palm Beach. It was another street course, full of traps. NPTI entered two cars, which were devoted to the same drivers as for the other races. John Paul and Kevin Cogan were again at the wheel of the Busby Racing car. TWR did not change his plans, as to the teams. Davy Jones ran solo while John Nielsen and Price Cobb would try to match the Nissans pace. So would do AAR, still working hard on its Eagle Toyota HF89. Juan Fangio still was still doing double duty on both cars, co-driving Drake Olson and Rocky Moran. Two Porsche 962s were entered, and Dyson Racing was trying to update its car, while James Weaver and Hurley Haywood would, of course try to compensate with their talent what the car lacked. Dauer Racing had Bob Wollek and Kenny Acheson, who would try to run as well as Miami. Four Spices were entered, and Jim Miller was partnered by Wayne Taylor, for the best challenge. Bernard Jourdain and Tom Kendall had a factory car, which could do well in such a race.
Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly won at Mid Ohio with the new Nissan NPT90, which was now ultra competitive.
Copyright Mark Windecker
John Hotschkis and Jim Adams were entered, too, as Andrew Hepworth, who had a 5,0L Pontiac. The Lights class, again was overshadowed by the works Spice SE90P Buick, driven by Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez. Their closest competition was brought by another Spice, Ferrari powered, driven by IMSA regulars Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto.
David Tennyson and Calvin Fish had a similar car. Scott Schubot again fielded his familiar Spice SE88P Buick, but he was having trouble keeping up with the best. Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert relied on their new Kudzu DG1 Buick. An older Firebird, driven by David Rocha, would try to count on its reliability, while a lonely Argo JM19 Buick was driven by Brent o'neill, without any hope for success. The practice sessions were highlighted by the crash of one of the two Nissan ZX T GTPs. Chip Robinson and Bob Earl would have to run the older chassis, nicknamed 'Elvis', for the race. Drake Olson and Juan Fangio were on the pole, with Davy Jones alongside. Yet, it would be another disappointing race for the two Nissan challengers, with Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly still on top at the end of the race. They finished just ahead of teammates Chip Robinson and Bob Earl, who ran the old car. John Nielsen and Price Cobb managed to finish third overall, one lap down. Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez again sweeped the Lights class, finishing ahead of Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto in a Spice Ferrari. The next race was held at Heartland Park, in Topeka, Kansas. A very thin seventeen car field showed up, but it would feature a brand new racer, which would replace the successful ZX T GTPs. Nissan had unveiled its new flagship, which was called the NPT90. The car was still unsorted, so Nissan had opted to mix the usual teams. Bob Earl and Derek Daly would christen the new car, while Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson would run the remaining ZX T GTP. Drake Olson and Juan Fangio would run their Eagle HF89 Toyota solo. John Nielsen and Price Cobb on one side, Davy Jones and Martin Brundle on the other side, were trying to make their car a winner. John Paul and Kevin Cogan could still prove they could do well with their ex-NPTI car, but without any support from the factory. Wayne Taylor was driving the Jim Miller entered Spice, and Bernard Jourdain was on the works Spice SE90P Chevrolet. The last GTP entry was a somewhat less familiar car, as René Herzog had entered his Alucraft Porsche 962, which he shared with Hurley Haywood. The Lights class, with seven cars, was outnumbered by Spice, with six cars entered. Again, Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez seemed to have an edge over their competitors, but, who knows. Scott Schubot and Linda Ludeman were competitive with their SE88P car. Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto and David Tennyson and Calvin Fish had Ferrari power. David Rocha was on the Huffaker car. Howard Katz and Ferdinand de Lesseps had the Essex entered Spice SE88P Buick, a team which fielded the Kudzu DG1, always driven by Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert. The practice session was dominated by Juan Fangio, who was ahead of Bob Earl and Derek Daly's new car. While apparently faster than its older counterpart, the new Nissan was more difficult to drive. The race would confirm this fact with Juan Fangio jumping in the lead right from the start. He would hold off Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham during the whole race, while Chip Robinson would spin twice, and finish eighth overall. It would be a welcome victory for Dan Gurney's AAR team, who was searching for an overall success for months. Bernard Jourdain took an excellent third place at the wheel of his Spice SE90P Chevrolet. The Lights class had an interesting outcome, as Scott Schubot finally grabbed the class win over Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez, who started from the very last spot on the grid. Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto finished third.
Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert drove a Kudzu DG1 Buick, entered by Essex Racing, to some good results in 1990.Copyright Mark Windecker
Lime Rock was the next venue for the GTP cars. The field was much more attractive than the previous race, with some new cars. Nissan was still relying on two different type of cars. Derek Daly was sorting out the new car, while Chip Robinson and Bob Earl would use the older car. Davy Jones, still running solo, and John Nielsen, co-driven by Price Cobb, were defending the TWR hopes. Drake Olson and Juan Fangio were running solo, and the cars were running great, so they had some strong hopes for the race. So had the Spice entrants, headed by Jim Miller. He was solidly co-driven by Wayne Taylor, and Spice Engineering had Tom Kendall and Jay Cochran driving the other strong entry. The cars could compensate their lack of power with torque on such a track, so they could really do it. John Hotschkis and Jim Adams drove the Hotschkis Racing Spice SE88P Pontiac. They should suffer from a relative lack in power, though. The Lights class, again, was a Spice battlefield. The works SE90P driven by Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez being the car to beat now. Howard Katz and Brian Bonner drove the Essex Racing car, which was an older version of the SE90P. The two Ferrari powered cars could really do well, with Martino Finotto and Ruggero Melgrati running great, David Tennyson and Calvin Fish stalking behind them. Scott Schubot had to update his car in order to get the most of it. Two other Firebirds, which were the Huffaker car and the Racecraft entry, would do their best to keep up with the top cars. Two Kudzu DG1s were entered, and they were competitive. Tom Hessert and Charles Morgan relied on Buick power while Jim Downing, who was co-driven by John Grooms, had Mazda rotary power. Two Argo JM19s, which were oversized Lights cars, were fielded. Brent o'neill was partnered by Jean de la Moussaye, and Max Schmidt was co-driven by Jim Briody. Two older Argo JM16s, with Mazda power, added a little diversity to the field. The race would bring its share of surprises, with Jaguar emerging as the winner of the race. Price Cobb and John Nielsen won the race ahead of Wayne Taylor and Jim Miller, who had their best result of the season. Chip Robinson and Geoff Brabham finished third while Drake Olson, who had stuck his Toyota Eagle HF89 on the pole, had an accident while leading. The Lights class saw a new winner in Victory Lane as Ruggero Melgrati and Martino Finotto managed to win the race and defeated the works Spice driven by Firmin Velez and Tomas Lopez. Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert took third in their Kudzu.
At Mid Ohio, things were not evolving as expected, with nineteen cars entered. NPTI still had two different cars, but Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly now were entitled with the new car. John Paul and Kevin Cogan would run the ZX T GTP, which was owned by David Seabroke, who had purchased the car formerly owned by Jim Busby. AAR had entered their two cars, which were devoted to Drake Olson, and Juan Fangio, who teamed up with Rocky Moran. Wayne Taylor and Jim Miller would again try to act as runner ups, while Spice Engineering had Colin Trueman and Albert Naon replacing the usual drivers. John Hotschkis and Jim Adams fielded their usual Spice SE90P Pontiac. The Lights class featured the usual field of competitive cars, and Perry McCarthy, who was replacing Firmin Velez, and Tomas Lopez were facing a group of Spice owners, who was willing to show they could turn as winners. David Tennyson and Calvin Fish, as well as Martino Finotto and Ruggero Melgrati, relied on the power of their V8 Ferrari engines. The remainder of the contingent had Buick powerplants. Cars were older but still efficient ones. A single Argo JM19 Buick, entered by Brent o'neill, would try to keep up with the best, and the new Kudzu DG1 Buick, entered by Essex Racing, appeared to be quite efficient. Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert were confident as the car showed a real potential to become a winner. The practice session was led by Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly, who powered the new car to its first pole position ever. James Weaver and Hurley Haywood stuck the Dyson Racing Porsche 962C on the outside of row one. Chip Robinson and Bob Earl were behind their teammates, alongside the Jaguar XJR10 driven by Davy Jones and Price Cobb. The race was to feature a new component in IMSA competition with the domination of the new Nissan NPT90, which was competitive now. Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly finished fifteenth seconds ahead of teammates Chip Robinson and Bob Earl. Drake Olson, whio started tenth, had a very steady race and managed to finish on the same lap as the winners. The Lights class was to prove that the works car was always the car to beat. Calvin Fish had stuck David Tennyson Spice on the pole, but the race was to be again a repeat of the last races, even with Perry McCarthy driving.
Tomas Lopez and Perry McCarthy drove the Spice Engineering Spice SE90P Buick to a new Lights class victory at Mid Ohio.Copyright Mark Windecker
He and Tomas Lopez earned a one lap victory over Charles Morgan and Tom Hessert who edged David Tennyson and Calvin Fish for second.(to be continued)
