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1988 : Nissan domination, part 3

The next race was to take place at Portland International Raceway. It was a relatively fast track which suited well the Nissan potential speed. Twenty eight cars were entered, and for the first time, two Nissan ZX T GTP were entered. Geoff Brabham drove his usual car while John Morton drove the second one. Facing two Jaguar XJR9s and six Porsche 962s, the two cars would carefully dominate the event. Bob Wollek, on ths Busby Racing Porsche 962, tried to counteact this domination, but it would be to no avail. The two Chevrolet Corvette GTPs were unable to raise higher than seventh and ninth. Two Spice Firebirds were not up to the task on such a track. In fact they would be out of the race very early in the race. The race proved to be a domination for the two Nissan ZX T GTPs, with Geoff Brabham leading teammate John Morton all the way. The two Jaguar XJR9s could manage to get past the best Porsche 962s, with Martin Brundle and John Nielsen ending up third just ahead of Jan Lammers and Davy Jones. Price Cobb and James Weaver were the best from the German contingent, in fifth place. The Lights class featured a big battle between the two Spice Fieros driven by Scott Schubot and Charles Morgan, with Tom Hessert slightly in arrears. Again, Charles Morgan claimed the victory, ahead of Scott Schubot and Tom Hessert. Jim Downing wound up another fourth place.
The next race was scheduled at Sears Point, a track which was utterly different from the Portland raceway. This course was not as well suited to the Nissan, who had to race hard to beat the Jaguar XJR9s. It would be a tough race. In fact, the last three races of the season were run on slow tracks, and it should revive some opponents' optimism. The Nissan was undoubtedly fast, and set up a new track record in 1m23s139. The two Jaguar XJR9s were next, with Martin Brundle and Jan Lammers, but the biggest surprise of the qualifying sessions was Bob Earl's fourth place in the Spice Firebird. James Weaver was next, leading Bob Wollek while Derek Bell had trouble keeping the pace. Running for the first time with a Porsche 962, Gianpiero Moretti was partnered by Scott Pruett on the former Brun Motorsport car. The Lights class was dominated by Dan Marvin, who drove the AC Delco Huffaker Spice Fiero. He edged in practice Scott Schubot and Charles Morgan, the usual class leaders. The weather would prove very kind to the Nissan boys, and Geoff Brabham's plans to run solo would not be a foolish thing. Geoff Brabham took the lead right from the start, and had a consistent lead over Martin Brundle, but the Englishman would then close in on the Nissan. They would both run nose-to-tail during twenty laps. Then on lap thirty two, while being held up in traffic, Martin Brundle smartly duck into a hole and took the lead. Then it seemed the Jaguar could easily get off the Nissan's claws, but Geoff Brabham had a plan. He was in the before the Jaguar and had a very fast refueling session. He would now charge hard against Martin Brundle. When the latter pitted, he was to hand the wneel to John Nielsen. That was what cost them the race. When the Jaguar was back Geoff Brabham was past the Jaguar. He finally won by a mere 2.8s.

Geoff Brabham took a new victory at Sears Point, but it was harder to come by.

Copyright Van Zannis

In the Lights class, Dan Marvin was no match for the opposition. Shattering the previous mark with a 1m30s467, he grasped the race from start to finish. Costas Los was second, while Charles Morgan, Skeeter McKitterick and Frank Everett were holding action a few seconds  behind. While lapping everybody up to third placr, Skeeter McKitterick would retire after twenty two laps. Then it would be Costas Los who dropped a valve and Scott Schubot to experience a cockpit fire. Wnile he managed to go back to the track, he then was able to get past Don Bell, who had crawled into second place. Never to catch up Dan Marvin, he ended up second in class, just ahead of Don Bell. Charles Morgan was next in fourth place.
San Antonio was the next race, and it was a new street circuit. A mere twenty three car field was displayed to the spectators. The track was new to everybody so one could expect the race to be very disputed. The single Nissan ZX GTP T was driven by Geoff Brabham and John Morton. Once again, the Australian driver would stick the blue rocket on the pole. He was just ahead of the heavily modified Dyson Racing Porsche 962 driven by Price Cobb and James Weaver. Next were the first Jaguar XJR9 driven by John Nielsen and Andy Wallace, followed by the revived Chevrolet Corvette GTP driven by Sarel van der Merwe and Elliot Forbes Robinson, the Spice Firebird driven by Bob Earl and Jeff Kline and the Fabcar GTP driven by Tim McAdam and Chip Mead. The race appeared to be set for something unusual. The Lights class would feature a Spice quarrel between Charles Morgan and Dan Marvin-Bob Lobenberg. Again, the race was dominated by the Nissan. However, the attrition took its toll on the Japanese car, and Geoff Brabham and John Morton had to retire after 114 laps. This unusual fact ended up the eight win streak, which was unsurpassed until then, by the Electramotive car. Then it was all Dyson Racing, with Price Cobb and James Weaver leading the Porsche 962 to victory, barely threatened by the Jaguar XJR9 driven by Davy Jones and John Watson. The sister car had been withdrawn just after the Nissan, after 121 laps. It was a relatively good surprise to find the Spice Firebird GTP, driven by Bob Earl and Jeff Kline. The two of them finished six laps down the winners, but they proved they could post consistent results. The car, which was powered by a V6 Pontiac, was a little shy on power, but the chassis was very efficient, and was particularly effective on such a track. They had to fight off a late challenge by Steve Durst and Mike Brockman, who drove a Spice Buick. The Lights class was again dominated by Dan Marvin, who was partnered by Bob Lobenberg. Driving the Huffaker Spice Fiero, they finished three laps ahead of Jim Downing and Howard Katz, who had their best race in the season. Bob Lobenberg had a very successful return to racing, since his "off" period. John Higgins, driving a Fabcar Porsche, was third in class.
The next race was to be held at Columbus, yet another street circuit.  Once again, Nissan was entering two cars. The first one was run by Geoff Brabham, but the second one was to be delegated to Derek Daly. The Englishman was not too long to get accustomed to the car, as he would stick it on the pole very soon. He was ahead of teammate Geoff Brabham. Third on the grid was the revived Chevrolet Corvette GTP driven by Bobby Rahal, who was just ahead of the first Jaguar XJR9, driven by Martin Brundle. It would be the first time a race featuring three Chevrolet Corvette GTPs. Alongside the two usual Goodwrench/Hendricks cars, Peerless Racing had a former car for Jack Baldwin and David Hobbs. This car proved immediately efficient and was faster than the usually entered cars. A bunch of Porsche 962s, led by the Busby Racing car, the Holbert Racing and the Bayside Motorsport cars, would try to counteract the Japanese domination. However, the task appeared tougher than ever. Moreover, the practice sessions would be saddened by the loss of Al Holbert, who died in a plane crash. It was a terrible happening and the car was withdrawn from the race.

Dan Marvin was the revelation of the season, with four wins in the Lights class by season end.

The Lights class was again dominated, but this time by a smaller extent by Dan Marvin, who powered his Huffaker Spice Fiero to the class pole, just ahead of Tom Hessert, who Tiga GT288 Buick was more up to the task on such a course. Jim Downing was next. The race in itself was a remake of what you could expect all year long, with the two Nissans in front of the pack. Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly stayed in the lead, chased by the Jaguar XJR9 driven by Martin Brundle, while Bobby Rahal was out of the race by lap thirteen. While Martin Brundle had to retire on lap twenty three, the main opposition for the leading cars appeared to be the Porsche 962 driven by Klaus Ludwig, who started from row ten! Pushing his car very strong, he could climb up the standings and overtake one car after another. The second Jaguar, driven by Jan Lammers, lost some time in the pits and would finish in tenth place. Klaus Ludwig was, whose skill is not to be denied at all, ended up 3.3s down to Geoff Brabham, who won the race. It seemed that his domination was not so complete. Derek Daly's car was sidelined by an engine problem, and he lost three laps in the process.

Chip mead and Tim McAdam drove this very interesting Fabcar GTP Chevrolet in 1988.

Copyright Mark Windecker

The Porsche resistance was vigorous, and it was a good thing for the fans. Bob Wollek and Mauro Baldi took a very good third place overall, with Jack Baldwin and David Hobbs ending up in fourth place, just ahead of the similar car driven by Sarel van der Merwe and Elliot Forbes Robinson. The Lights class was won by Tom Hessert, who had a very convincing win over Jim Downing, while John Grooms was third on an old Argo JM16 Mazda. Tom Hessert was the 1988 Camel Lights Champion, beating perennial Champion Jim Downing who was defeated for the first time. Del Mar was the next to last event in the schedule. In a usually sunbathed country, the weather seemed unwilling to be sunny. Twenty seven cars would take the green. They would have to fight on a track which was likely to be very tough on the cars. Every mistake was to be resulting in a car destruction. The race was ill fated for John Nielsen-Davy Jones and the Wynn's Porsche 962 entered by John Hotschkis, whose cars were withdrawn prior to the race. Martin Brundle had stuck the Jaguar on the pole, and he was followed by Bob Wollek, who was running great in the Busby Racing Porsche 962. Sarel van der Merwe was third, besting the Nissan ZX T GTP, driven by Geoff Brabham! A true feat, and the race seemed to be open. The Lights class was again led by the Huffaker Spice Fiero driven by Dan Marvin, who had a great season end. He was ahead of Claude Ballot Léna and Bill Koll, both of them driving Whitehall Racing Spice Fieros. Tom Hessert was next. The race in itself was unusually dominated by Porsche, and Bob Wollek, for the most part of the event. On a track which was not designed for racing, overtaking was something of an uncertain action. While trying to pass Claude Ballot Léna, Sarel van der Merwe, who was fighting with Klaus Ludwig, hit the Spice Fiero from behind. As a result, the two cars were literally written off. The yellow flag was out. In front, three cars were still potential winners. Geoff Brabham, in third place, suddenly hit the wall, and found himself out of the race. That left Bob Wollek still in the lead, but his tires were fading. Trying to keep the pace, he was soon unable to hold off Martin Brundle, who cruised to a very rewarding victory. Bob Wollek was losing ground on the Jaguar and was even passed by Klaus Ludwig, who drove the Bayside Disposal Porsche 962, on the very last lap! Very disappointed, he had become aware of the fact that he had simply lost the most rewarding race in IMSA history : $140 000. Jaguar would end up in a very optimistic way a somewhat disappointing season. The Lights class saw a new domination from Californian driver Dan Marvin, who was the true revelation from the end of the season. He drove the Huffaker Spice Fiero to a new victory over Tom Hessert and David Loring, who had their best season ever. Third was Jim Downing, who lost his first Championship since its inception.
The season ended up with a very special event : the GTE World Challenge in Tampa. The race would feature a unique confrontation between GTP and Group C cars, with each entrant running within their home rules. Unfortunately, the race in itself would host an extremely thin field of fourteen cars. The Nissan ZX T GTP was again on the pole, but it was John Morton who would start the race. He would jump into the lead right from the start, but he was soon to be overtaken by Oscar Larrauri on the Brun Motorsport Porsche 962 and the Kremer Racing Porsche 962 driven by George Fouche. The Nissan pitted on lap twenty and fell one lap down the leaders. Geoff Brabham, who had taken the wheel of the Electramotive car, immediately took a very fast pace, and overtook the leader, being now on the same lap. He was now the fastest driver in the race. Gaining on the leaders, he took second place on lap forty five. It was Oscar Larrauri who pitted for fuel two laps later, leaving the lead to the Nissan ZX T GTP. Geoff Brabham would never relinquish it until the end of the race. George Fouche and Volker Weidler retired on lap eighty with engine problems. The Brun Motorsport Porsche 962 kept its position, ending up thirty four seconds behind the winning Nissan, and first of the Group C entries. The Richard Lloyd entered Porsche 962, driven by Price Cobb and James Weaver finished third, one lap down, but the drivers had to slow down in order to save fuel. In fourth place was the Ford Probe driven by Chip Robinson and Ruggero Melgrati. It was the car's best result ever.
The season was over, and the Electramotive Nissan ZX T GTP driven by Geoff Brabham emerged as the great winner of a very attractive Championship. Geoff Brabham was crowned but Nissan lost the manufacturers' Championship by one point. The cars were obviously getting outdated but they always were consistent and posted some good results, mainly in enduros. The greatest disappointment was to come the TWR Jaguar XJR9s, who had an outstanding season, but they suffered from too much caution periods, losing what they had gained on the track, as well as some bad luck. Jan Lammers, John Nielsen and Martin Brundle were World class drivers, and did very well in their very first season. The Lights class was finally won by Tom Hessert, who drove a Tiga GT288 Buick. He drove very consistently too, grabbing four victories and many top-five finishes, to win the first Lights title to be earned by someone else than Jim Downing. The latter finished second, but did not win any race at all. He was always in the top finishers, but it was clear that something had to get done for the upcoming season. The revelation was clearly Dan Marvin, who posted four wins, by season end. He was a late entrant in the class, and would have been a clear potential winner, had he entered every race.

Scott Pruett won the GTO title, driving a Roush Racing Mercury Merkur XR4Ti.

Copyright Van Zannis

The GTO class was won by Scott Pruett, who drove a Roush Racing Mercury Merkur XR4Ti. Consistency was once again the name of the game, as he earned only two victories. Second was Wally Dallenbach Jr, who drove a Protofab Chevrolet Corvette, while Willy T Ribbs was third on a Toyota Celica T. The season was a long battle between the three usually entered makes, and Lincoln-Mercury emerged as the winners of a very close contest. The GTU class was something different, yet it was surely an unenexpected blow for the Japanese stalwarts. Tom Kendall had moved to the Chevrolet ranks, and the car proved immediately very competitive. Skipping the enduros, it was something of a stroll for Tom Kendall, who posted six wins, very far away from Amos Johnson, who was a distant second. Mazda was deprived from the GTU title from the first time since 1979. Dorsey Schroeder,  a bright new star, would post three wins, at the wheel of the all-new Dodge Daytona. Things were likely to change a little bit, in every class, and it was good news for the future of IMSA.

Audi 90 Quattro : 4 wheel-drive technology that did not win

It was the time when street legal Audis began to earn a very negative feedback, following a string of accidents caused by the cars capability to self-accelerate when you turned on the ignition key. Countless people sued Audi, whose cars were highly prized. Sales had fallen down to 23000, compared with the 80000 cars per year sold during the previous years. The brand's image was becoming negative and Audi had to react to this negative image. It was now a matter of re-attracting the customers, in order to get back the positive image they would inspire.
It would be done via Auto racing. Audi was used to winning Rallyes in Europe, but the impact of this form of racing was somewhat low in America, so it was decided to tackle the race tracks.
When Joseph Hoppen took the decision to enter the IMSA Championship, it was following the domination of the Audi 200 Quattros in the 1988 Trans Am Championship. A line up of stars drove these cars : Hans Stuck, Hurley Haywood and Walter Roehrl. Hurley Haywood won the drivers title, and the cars demonstrated a thorough ability to handle fantastically. So, it was decided to move up to the IMSA GTO class. The rules were much more liberal, and things would be much more complicated. More power, bigger tires and wheels, less weight. The teams they would have to beat were professionnal ones. Roush Racing now entered Mercury Cougars and while Toyota had moved to the GTP ranks, CCR now entered full blown Nissan 300ZX Ts which were factory backed.
Audi was quite new to IMSA when it was decided to enter the GTO Championship. In fact, they had run the Trans Am Chiampionship the previous year with two Audi 200 Quattros. The cars proved quite unbeatable  The IMSA Championship was a step forward, and the occasion to explore new areas of technology for the German brand. The headquarters had to negociate for using a five cylinder four valves per cylinder engine. This 630hp powerplant, deriving straight from the 200 Quattro, had to be installed in a 90 Quattro chassis, which was accepted by the IMSA staff. It was moved further back towards the center of the car for a better weight distribution. Negociation was the name of the game, if you wanted to survive, and win. The bodywork had been stripped down from any useless part. A very strong rollcage would stiffen the whole stuff. The wheelbase, the windshield and the roof were the only stock parts, as well as the rear window. The suspension was made of double wishbone arms and coil over shock absorbers.
An additional 8inch rear wing was added for better handling, for the fast tracks. The overall weight of the car did not exceed 1206kg, however.

Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear finished twelfth at Road America, but they were beaten by the new Nissan 300ZX T.

Copyright Mark Windecker

A tubular chassis, as if US made would make the car handle beautifully. But the main difference between the Audis and their opponents was lying in the transmission : it was the first four-wheel drive GTO car ever to compete in this class. The 6speed transmission was installed, with one gear disabled. It was coupled with a twin-plate clutch. A Bosch Motronic MP1.7 injection system was used.
The IMSA technical staff was aware of their superiority to be, so they added extra weight to the cars. In spite of this extra weight, the cars proved fantastic. Audi mastered the four-wheel drive technology and proved their expertise in this field. As it was not possible to work on the aerodynamics of the cars, the main development work was to get done on the suspension. Dieter Basche was confident about the possibilities of the cars. "Even with that extra weight, the cars were still the ones to beat. Ain't it unbelievable? They admit the fact that our cars are so superior." However, they would finally be defeated by the ever consistent Roush Racing cars.
The 1989 season would a test season for the Ingolstadt make, as it was a two-year racing program. Skipping the two first enduros, the cars were fielded at Miami, where they captured two dnfs. An accident for Hurley Haywood while Hans Stuck experienced mechanical problems.

Hans Stuck won at Mid Ohio, with the Audi 90 Quattro displaying the 8inch rear wing.

Copyright Mark Windecker

At Summit Point, things would turn favorably for the Audis, as Hans Stuck and Hurley Haywood dominated the race and earned a 1-2
Hans Stuck won again at Mid Ohio. He was followed by Wally Dallenbach, who drove a Mercury Cougar, and John Morton, at the wheel of a Nissan 300ZX. Hurley Haywood was fifth. At Mosport, for the next round, both cars experienced mechanical problems. The team did not score any point during that race. The next series of race saw in incredible string of 1-2 finishes for Audi, with similar results at Topeka,
Sears Point, Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca. They would claim a first and third place at Lime Rock. By the end of the season, Hans Stuck had won seven races, against five for Pete Halsmer, who won the Championship. In fact, Audi lost the drivers title as well as the manufacturers' title. It was due to their missing the early season enduros, and the mechanical failures in three races. Lincoln-Mercury scored in nearly every race and the drivers were consistent. By season end, Hans Stuck and Hurley Haywood had retired from the last race, and lost the Championship, but the technical staff was not so disappointed. "That's the race", would put it Hans Stuck, who was probably thinking about the next season. He could probably not forget the fact that they could have won this Championship, had they not missed the two first races.

What probably caused Audi not to win the Championship was this kind of result.

Copyright Mark Windecker

The two-year program was not over, and Herwart Kreiner was awaiting a decision from the board of direction. Everything seemed to be ready for a great 1990 season but things suddenly came to a very abrupt end of the IMSA program. The board of direction opted to go further with the DTM, which was, and remains, a great Championship. It was probably a good thing for the opposition, who would have suffered from ever improved cars. The superior technology they displayed was discouraging for the small teams and it would not be allowed in the next seasons. What would have happened if Audi entered the 1990 Championship? One never know, but one thing is sure : races would have been surely even more hard-fought. Mazda had a new four-rotor car and Ford again fielded Roush Mustangs while Nissan was very competitive with a pair of 300ZX Turbos. This did not sound as your dream field?

24 Hours of Daytona 1992 : Japanese domination

The race would sport a new name in 1992, and it was now called the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The teams had hard times, as it was just after the Gulf crisis, and the rising costs of racing had driven many independant teams out of racing. IMSA racing was experiencing major changes in its operating system : it would eventually lead the series to terminate its GTP Championship at the end of the next season. The big teams were still present, but even those powerful entities had trouble getting funded. So it was a very scant 49car field which showed up for the green. A host of factory backed cars would compensate for the lack of quantity, and five Nissans were entered for the first time. Don Devendorf's NPTI had a trio of Nissan R90Cs, which were group C cars which were modified to accomodate the IMSA GTP Championship. Geoff Brabham was partnered by Chip Robinson, Arie Luyendijk and Bob Earl on the lead car, while Derek Daly, Steve Millen and Gary Brabham drove the sister car. For the first time in its history, IMSA had allowed Group C cars to enter an international event in the US. NISMO was here for the first time with a host of talented Japanese drivers, who were Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki. Nova Engineering, which was another Japanese entry, fielded a quite similar car for Mauro Martini, Volker Weidler and Jeff Krosnoff. They were joined in this class by Yves Courage C28 car, driven by Pascal Fabre, Lionel Robert and Bob Wollek. It was the second race ever run in the US for the French team. The Group C cars were uneligible for the Camel GT points, but they could earn the race prize money. Jaguar had two cars, which were different ones. An all new XJR16 was entered alongside the race proven XJR12. Davy Jones, Scott Pruett, Scott Goodyear and David Brabham were the Tom Walkinshaw lineup for the two cars, but the brand new car would be withdrawn from the race, which meant that the four of them would be commited to drive the XJR12! Toyota was present with two Eagle MK3 cars, which were blindingly fast. Juan Fangio II teamed up with Andy Wallace and Kenny Acheson on the #99, and PJ Jones was partnered by Mark Dismore and Rocky Moran on the #98. Porsche had only three cars, but tehy were three good ones, indeed. Joest Racing, always impressive, fielded a 962C driven by Bernd Schneider, John Winter, Massimo Sigala and Oscar Larrauri. Vern Schuppan had a 0123 sponsored car driven by Hurley Haywood, Eje Elgh, Roland Ratzenberger and Scott Brayton and Gianpiero Moretti fielded a 962C for himself, Hans Stuck, Frank Jelinski and Henri Pescarolo. The last contender for the win was the Tom Milner entered Spice SE90P Chevrolet driven by Wayne Taylor, Jeff Purner and Hugh Fuller. The Lights class entry was led by Don Erb entered Comptech Spice SE91P Acuras, which dominated the 1991 season. The cars were driven by Kazuo Shimizu, Ruggero Melgrati, Bob Lesnett and Costas Los for the first one, and Parker Johnstone, Steve Cameron, Jimmy Vasser and Dan Marvin. Their closest opponent would be the Kudzu DG3 Buick powered. According to Andy Evans, the engine showed a lot of promise, so everything could be expected from them. Firmin Velez, Dominic Dobson, Lon Bender and Andy Evans drove the car. Another Kudzu DG3, Mazda powered, was entered by Erie Scientific, for Howard Katz, John Grooms, Frank Jellinek and Jim Downing, who did not enter any car for the first time. Essex Racing had another Kudzu DG3 Buick driven by Charles Morgan, Jim Pace and Ken Knott. A Tiga Buick was to be seen, and it was entered by MAB Racing. Ron Zitza, Mel Butt and Tommy Johnson drove the car. Johnny Unser drove an Alba AR2 Ford entered by Bieri Racing, and sposored by Molson Take Care. The team also entered a Tiga, which was Ferrari powered. Uli Bieri drove it, along with Vito Scavone, Heinz Wirth and Andrew Hepworth. The cars were getting outdated, but they remained optimistic. Carlos Bobeda and Ken Parschauer drove a Buick powered Spice.

The GTS class would bring some excitement tk the race, as Roush Racing appeared to be seriously challenged by a pair of wild looking Oldsmobile Cutlasses, entered by Rocketsports, and the two CCR Nissan 300ZXs. This big battle promised a lot, in fact, it would prove very destructive. Dorsey Schroeder, Wally Dallenbach and Robby Gordon were at the wheel of the #15 Mustang, while Mark Martin, Jim Stevens, Robbie Buhl and Calvin Fish drove #11. Jack Baldwin and Irv Hoerr drove the #41 Oldsmobile Cutlass, which was powered by a GTP style, fuel injected 6,5L engine. The second car, which was powered by a more quiet 6,0L engine, was driven by Jeff Kline, George Robjnson, Darin Brassfield and team owner Paul Gentilozzi.

Darin Brassfield, Paul Gentilozzi, George Robinson and Jeff Kline drove this wild looking Oldsmobile Cutlass to a second place in GTS class.

Courtesy Racing Sports Cars

The next big entry on this class was Nissan, which came for the first time at Daytona. A new transaxle car was entered, driven by Jeremy Dale, John Morton and Johnny O'connell. The car would qualify on the pole, with the other one not far away, but sporting an old chassis. The remainder of the pack was kind of classical, with a privateer Oldsmobile Cutlass, entered by Dale Kreider, which he drove with John Duke, Jon Gooding and Bill Adams. A bunch of less competitive Chevrolet Camaros, that could not keep the pace, also made for the field. The sad story from this class was that no Chevrolet Corvette was entered in this race for the first time since 1975!
The GTU class, which was the kingdom of Mazda, would bring hopes in the ranks of Nissan, too. Leitzinger Racing had a pair of good looking and well running 240SX. They were determined to do well, and had what it took to accomplish such a feat. Chuck Kurtz, Bob and Butch Leitzinger and David Loring on one car, Don Knowles, David Loring, Chuck Kurtz and Dan Robson on the other one. Reed Kryder, another Nissan long-time loyalist, entered his blue and yellow 240SX, which he drove with Frank del Vecchio, Joe Danaher, Mark Kent and Bill Sargis. Mazda was now represented  ot only by its faithful RX7s, but its all new MX6s. Only two RX7s were entered, which was the lowest figure ever! Dick Greer fielded his old RX7 for himself, Al Bacon, Mike Mees and Peter Uria. Brad Hoyt, Andy Pilgrim and John Petrick drove the North Coast Racing car. Three MX6s were to be seen, with Eduardo Dibos, Juan Dibos and Raul Orlandini driving the Team Peru car. Another south American entry was the Botero Racing car, from Columbia. Rob Wilson, Lucio Bernal, Felipe Solano and Miguel Morejon drove this car while the Mahre bros had a beautiful car of their own. Henry Camferdam, Phil Krueger and Gary Drummond drove the Support Net car. A single, but competitive Dodge Daytona, was entered by Full Time Racing, and driven by John Fergus, Bobby Akin and Neil Hanneman. The Oldsmobile Achieva was a brand new car, whjch was driven by Scott Hoerr, Amos Johnson and Dennis Shaw. Four Porsche 911s were entered, still perpetuating the tradition of GT Porsche in enduros. Alex Job ntered a slant nose car, driven by Joe Pezza, Jack Refenning, Alex Padilla and John Sheldon, as well as Sam Shalala, who drove the Pro-Technik car and Jay Kjoller, who was partnered by Steve Volk and Robin Boone . Jack Lewis, Taylor Robertson and Bill Ferran drove a more trditinal car, which closed the entry list.
The practice sessions acknowledged the fact that the Eagle Toyota MKIII were still the fastest cars entered.
Juan Fangio II blasted the previous mark with a shattering 1m35s860,
The Jaguar XJR16, driven by Davy Jones, proved it could be a valuable contender with 1m36s266, but the car was withdrawn from the race, when it was struck by engine problems which could not be fixed. The TWR team had opted to switch for the XJR12D instead. Masahiro Hasemi was third on the Nissan R91CP, followed by Hans Stuck, Massimo Sigala, Volker Weidler and PJ Jones, in the second Toyota. The two NPTI Nissan R90Cs, entered in GTP, were experiencing fuel cell problems. They lost their qualifying times following an obscure race number switch. Parker Johnstone was the best Lights qualifyer in his Spice SE91 Acura, bettering the previous mark too with a 1m47s 790, just in front of the surprisingly fast Nissan 300ZX T, driven by Jeremy Dale. The two Nissans were ahead of the fastest Ford Mustang, driven by Dorsey Schroeder, who was trailed by the best Oldsmobile Cutlass driven by Irv Hoerr. The best GTU car was also a Nissan. It was the Fastcolor Leitzinger Racing 240SX driven by David Loring, while the sister car was second, just ahead of the best Mazda MX6, driven by Rob Wilson, in the Botero Racing car. At the start, Juan Fangio jumped in the lead, but he was soon overtaken by Masahiro Hasemi. Hans Stuck settled into third while Bernd Schneider would pit for fresh tires after two laps. Volker Weidler was fourth, followed by Bob Wollek, on the Courage. The two leading cars easily escaping from the rest of the field until the first refueling pit stops. Wayne Taylor had just handed his Spice to Jeff Purner when the car was stalled in the pits, with a broken clutch. The best Toyota, now driven by Andy Wallace, was pulled into the pits after one hour and fifteen minutes. An electrical failure would make him lose thirty three minutes. Johnny O'connell had jumped in the GTS class lead, and was running very strong, only to stop later to jump in the transaxle car. He would maintain his position for three hours, then would spin and his car would catch fire. Later in the race, it was David Brabham who tangled with the guardrail. He could make it to the pits, where his Jaguar was hastily repaired. Then it was brother Gary to hit his car literalmy at the same place. The Nissan was badly hurt, and was subsequently retired from the race later. Back in the lead, it was a Nissan war, with the NISMO car and the NPTI car trading the lead many times per hour. The Porsche pursuers remained confident as to their chances for the win, pointing the fact that the Nissan were running too fast. The Japanese car was soon overheating, but it was due to some dirt that covered part of the radiators. It was fixed very quickly.

The TWR Jaguar XJR12 driven by Davy Jones, Scott Pruett, Scott Goodyear and David Brabham earned a very prized second place overall, and grabbed the 25 points for the manufacturers GTP Championship.

Courtesy Racing Sports Cars

Behind the leaders, the From A Nissan was battling with the first Pprsche 962, driven by Hurley Haywood. The Courage driven by David Tennyson was to retire in the evening, with a broken piston, which brought the car to a very noisy halt. Still trailing its Japanese counterpart, the NPTI car driven by four-time Champ Geoff Brabham, was the next to retire, with a seized engine. The leading car was stoll ahead, but Toyota had a new misfortune, when Kenny Acheson hit the guardrail too! Three hours would be lost in the process. The second car, driven by Rocky Moran, was fighting with the best Courage. The best Porsche 962s were the Momo Racing car driven by Hans Stuck, just ahead of the Joest car, driven by Bernd Schneider. However, the Torno sponsored car was to retire later, with engine gone. The race went on and seemed to be settled when a frightening accident happened during the night, at 3,30PM. Pascal Fabre, who drove the Courage C28 Porsche along with Bob Wollek and Lionel Robert, crashed heavily his car along the pit straight. The car went into a series of five spins and was destroyed, but the French driver was left unhurt. The Pace car was out for fifty eight minutes, while the sweepers went into action.It seemed that Hans Stuck was able to close in on the Nissan, but he had to stop to have a door hinge repaired. Behind the leading Nissan, which ran flawlessly, the battle was harsh between the sole Jaguar, who ran strong, and the Schuppan Racing Porsche 962 driven by Eje Elgh, Hurley Haywood and Scott Brayton. A gearbox problem occured to the Jaguar, and thirty minutes were lost. By 7AM, the Momo Porsche 962 was out too, its engine out. The Schuppan Racing Porsche was a strong second, but five laps down the leaders. In fact, things were definitively settled when a right-rear brake caliper had to be replaced on the Porsche. It was finally the Jaguar XJR12 which came in second at the chequered, grabbing the IMSA GTP points.

The Nissan R91CP entered by NISMO dominated the race from flag to flag, and established a new race record.

Courtesy Racing Sports Cars

At the end, the NISMO Nissan R91CP, entered in the group C class, had utterly domonated the race, and Masahiro Hasemi, Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Toshio Suzuki had broken the overall record and ran 762 laps, which meant 4359,630 km at 181,651km/h. The Jaguar was nine laps down. The Lights class was dominated, from flag to flag, by the Comptech Spice SE91  Acura driven by Parker Johnstone, Dan Marvin and Jimmy Vasser. They won over the Kudzu DG2 Buick by a 27 lap margin, which was not due to any failure. They just could not keep up the pace. The GTS class was very strange, in that the winning car was idled on the track three hours from the finish, with a broken piston. As they had a 100 lap(!) advantage over the competition, they only had to settle and wait for the win. The mechanics waited for the chequered to be rolled and their car to be celebrated as a winner. The GTU class saw another Mazda victory, it was the eleventh for the Japanese make. This time, it was Dick Greer's Mazda RX7 which took the chequered and grabbed an outstanding seventh place overall. The Dick Greer, Mike Mees, Al Bacon and Peter Uria team ran a flawless race, and did not encounter any problem at all! They even bettered the GTS class winner, and it was the only time that a GTU car could boast for that! They finished 63 laps ahead of the Dibos Racing Mazda MX6 driven by Eduardo and Juan Dibos, who were partnered by Raul Orlandini. The Leitzinger Nissan 240SX driven by Bob and Butch Leitzinger, Chuck Kurtz, David Loring finished third. After dominating the first six hours, both cars suffered from mechanical failures, and they could not match their deficit.

It was an all Japanese year, with three class victories out of five gained by Nissan, Acura and Mazda. A sign of the times? Soon, things were to change dramatically. IMSA would take another road, but its future seemed to be settled forever. The WSC class was scheduled to replace the too costly GTP cars. 1992 and 1993 would be the last two years.

Full results here : Daytona 1992 standings