by Jake Grubb

On a nippy morning in Long Beach California in late winter of 1975, Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser readied themselves to take a ride in a particular car, at a very special place. The car: a 1975 Jorgensen Gurney Eagle 755 Formula 5000. Their purpose: to take turns testing the car on a unique new racetrack, the street course that would shortly become the official home track for the soon-to-be-inaugurated “Long Beach Grand Prix.” Each driver, after disciplining himself with a somewhat peppy pace lap, was soon seen and heard thundering down the Shoreline Drive semi-straightaway and pounding through the right-left turns and elevation changes of a creatively designed temporary street course that Gurney himself had co-designed in preparation for a Grand Prix that would soon gain worldwide attention and would sustain for 50+ years and counting.

The reason why Dan Gurney selected this particular car from among his many types of racecars was because he knew a little secret. As an early developer and investor of what was then merely a concept unofficially named “The Long Beach Grand Prix,” Dan knew that the first big racing event at “The Roar at the Shore” (as it would later be nicknamed) would consist of a championship-caliber field of Formula 5000 cars, at that time the fastest open-wheel formula road-race cars in North America, which were closely rivaling International Formula 1. In fact, Gurney’s AAR [All American Racers] had been foremost in the development and growth of Formula 5000, and had been developing and fielding cars for this relatively new formula for the previous eight years. His then-latest-iteration 1975 Gurney Formula 5000 car, sponsored by Jorgenson Steel, was the newest-generation AAR F5000 car and was then driven Bobby Unser of Indianapolis 500 fame. Six months later, at the first-ever Long Beach Grand Prix, that very car would compete in one of the most compelling and competitive Formula 5000 events ever staged, among a star-studded field of many of the finest race drivers from the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Gurney 755 Formula 5000 would do exceedingly well in the inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix (“LBGP”), piloted by young Australian driver Vern Schuppan and finishing in second place behind now-legendary British driver Brian Redman in his pacesetting Lola T-330.

Today, the original Gurney Eagle F5000 755, now owned by driver/collector Tom Malloy and driven by Ethan Shippert, is slated to compete in the 50^th anniversary Long Beach Grand Prix, amidst a red-hot field of Formula 5000, Formula 1 and Indy Cars that have raced at the Long Beach Grand Prix over the past five decades!

The Jorgenson Gurney Eagle 755 Formula 5000

Development of Gurney Eagle Formula 5000 racecars spanned an 8-year wavy arc, birthing in 1967 and culminating in 1975 with the extraordinary Jorgensen Gurney Eagle 755. Despite its checkered record, this Gurney 755 notched many impressive finishes, beginning with the driving phenomenon James Hunt in 1974 and later continuing with the legendary Bobby Unser. The car was Gurney’s best-of-breed Formula 5000 creation during the late 1960s-mid-1970s halcyon era of American V8 formula car racing.

Early volcanic shivers of a Gurney Formula 5000 racecar first erupted in 1967, when the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) incubated a “professional” class for open-wheel racecars, dubbed “Formula A.” The initial idea was to offer an annual series of five races, open to Formula 3, Formula 2 and 3-litre Formula 1 cars, with a purse of $5,000 for each of the five annual races. Along the way, the notion of fitting lower cost, more readily available Chevrolet V8 engines into the cars so as to achieve higher horsepower for lower dollars seemed a way to boost excitement in the series and launch it to a new level of participation and fan interest. The idea worked, and effective in 1968 the name for this newly defined race series became “Formula 5000,” shorthand for open wheel Formula cars with 5-litre American V8 engines.

At that point in time, campaigning a Dan Gurney AAR Eagle F5000 car was the surest way to become competitive in the then-fledgling Formula 5000 race series, a fact demonstrated by drivers in Gurney Mk V Eagle cars winning the championships in both the inaugural and second-year Formula 5000 seasons – 1968 and 1969. By the early 1970s, however, toughening competition fueled by rising purses and series popularity saw rivals such as Britain’s Lola and McLaren fielding advanced cars with marquis drivers, who were winning races. To stay ahead of the game, Dan Gurney elected to develop an all-new Formula 5000 car in his southern California All American Racers [AAR] facility. Borrowing its fundamentals from the highly successful Gurney USAC Indy cars, with influences from then-modern Formula 1 precepts, the new Gurney car was guide-lined within Formula 5000 chassis rules and named the “73A.” Protracted track testing by veteran racers and Dan Gurney himself showed great promise and a few flaws, such as engine overheating caused from inconclusive aerodynamic features and suspension design issues. Although the initial 1974 season with the 73A yielded several successes and respectable finishes, the car struggled against top competitors, with a handful of hard-earned 2nd and 3^rd place results delivered from first rate drivers Brett Lunger and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. Dan Gurney and his AAR team would redouble efforts and continue development.

A follow-on generation of the F5000 73A accelerated during the late stages of the 1974 race season, and was designated the “755.” Nearly one hundred pounds lighter weight than the 73A and with a more streamlined shape, the aerodynamic styling of the 755 was sleeker, featuring a minimized amount of frontal area, with a tower design encompassing a wrap-around of the driver and large cleanly shaped air scoop for routing air flow to the engine’s intake trumpets via efficient internal and external aerodynamics. The 755 was debuted late in the 1974 race season for two events, at Laguna Seca raceway in Monterey, California, and at Riverside Raceway in southern California, each with rising Formula 1 star James Hunt at the wheel. Both events showed the 755 to be formidable, with James Hunt qualifying an aggressive 3^rd and finishing 2nd at Laguna Seca, and a strong showing at Riverside until “Hunt the Shunt” tried to use the 755 to “reshape” the Turn 9 sweeper wall at high speed on the 38th lap. Both car and driver were okay and the 755’s presence was felt in that key race. This was followed the next year by a 2nd place finish in America’s “Roar at the Shore,” the inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix in southern California that displayed a world class field of star drivers and Formula 5000 cars to an audience of 60,000+ spectators. The extraordinary “LBGP” event (as it came to be called) opened the 1975 racing season to an aggressive schedule of Formula 5000 races across the US with mixed results for a further-refined Jorgensen Gurney Eagle 755. At the much-awaited inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix, Vern Schuppan soldiered through an action-packed and attrition-filled event to an impressive 2nd place behind series dominator Brian Redman in his Lola T-332. Despite the promising result for the Jorgensen Gurney Eagle 755 in 1975’s highly successful Long Beach Grand  Prix (Dan Gurney, as mentioned, was one of the event’s co-founders) – the AAR effort was financially and operationally taxed from its Formula 5000 adventures by the end of the season. The company would regroup, but was never fully able to bring the 755 to its full zenith. In the meantime, the firebrand Formula 5000 series was cancelled after 1976, owing to a convergence of unforeseen factors, initially caused by the mid-1970s oil crisis that stunted American-iron big-engine motor sports in the USA for the next decade. Yet today, the latest generation Jorgensen Gurney Eagle 755 Formula 5000 car is performing better still than in 1975, campaigned actively at select USA vintage feature races. In keeping with the accomplishments of James Hunt and Vern Schuppan in 1974-75, the 755 set fastest Formula 5000 lap time in the 2014 inaugural Indianapolis Brickyard Vintage Invitational, with Tom Malloy piloting this rare one-of-kind racecar from a dynamic and special era. Following that, after Malloy’s Formula 5000 win at Road America in July 2014, Tom commented to Dan Gurney himself (before Dan’s untimely passing); “Still running – still winning!” To that, Dan responded; “That Eagle is a lot of car on a circuit like Road America…WELL DONE!!”

Engine Type: V8, naturally aspirated, gasoline
Horsepower: 400 bhp @ 6,000 rpm
Torque: 290 foot-lbs @ 4,200 rpm
Displacement: 4949 cc | 302 cu E 4.9 liter
Bore/Stroke: 4.0” bore x 3.0” stroke
Construction: 1967 – 1969 with 4 Barrel Carb
Transmission: Hewland DG 300

For the vintage racing feature of the 2025 Long Beach Grand Prix 50^th Anniversary, this first-ever LBGP racecar will be facing an extremely formidable roster of cars, hand-picked examples of Formula 5000, Formula 1 and Indy Cars that competed at Long Beach Grand Prix events over an historical time period of 1975 into the 2000s. These racing masterworks will be competing against each other in the same race! The 2025 Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, newly owned by Penske Enterprises, promises to be a matchless kaleidoscope of living racing history.

The post The Car That Launched the Long Beach Grand Prix appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

Full F1 field blasts down the hill off of the Ocean Boulevard straightaway in the 1976 Formula 1
Long Beach Grand Prix West.

By Jake Grubb

Celebrating the illustrious 50^th anniversary of the now-legendary Long Beach Grand Prix, the likes of modern Indy Cars from teams that include Penske, Gnassi, Arrow McLaren and other luminaries — with their cars piloted by Jedi such as Dixon, Power, Palou, McLaughlin and a matchless talent cavalcade blazing the streets of Long Beach on April 9-11 2025 promises the addition of a supremely special companion event that may never come again.

Dan Gurney (left) and Chris Pook (center right) officiating the details
of their new international sensation; the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Although not its official title, we call it Roar of the Titans. This one-of-a-kind competition pits the three types of cars that filled LBGP grids from the 1970s through the ‘80s against each other, all at once. Summoning age-old visages of The Race of Two Worlds, where Indy Cars and Formula 1 cars competed head-to-head at Monza in 1958 – or the Questor Grand Prix of 1973, where Indy Cars and Formula 1 cars competed wheel-to-wheel at Ontario Motor Speedway – Roar of the Titans at the 2025 Long Beach Grand Prix goes one giant step further – featuring a unified field of Formula 5000 cars, Formula 1 cars and Indy Cars racing against each other from green flag to checkered flag!

Legendary USA and international driver Dan Gurney cemented
the approval of the first-ever US Grand Prix with his matchless credibility.

Race Driver as Track Designer

A projected starting grid of 25+ F5000, F1 and Indy Cars that competed in Long Beach Grand Prix events over a 20-year span will include such legends as the 1975 AAR Gurney-Eagle Formula 5000 (the original racecar that christened the LBGP track and placed 2^nd in the Inaugural), an F5000 Lola T332 (sibling of the car that won the first LBGP event), a Chevron B24 F5000, a 1976 March F1 veteran, a 1984 Tyrell F1, an extremely rare ’75 Vels Parnelli VPJ Andretti F1 car, an incredible ’76 Shadow F1 car, an ’81 Eagle Indy Car and 20+ other racecars of extraordinary legacy, driven by seasoned drivers who compete in these cars actively today. A racing time capsule, opened with the release of powerful once-in-a-lifetime motorsports legacy!

Original LBGP race course diagram, as designed by maestro Giuseppe Bacciagaluppi and Dan Gurney, shows the LBGP course layout in its initial version, later modified to exclude dramatic elevation changes.

Dan Gurney, all business as driver, racetrack designer,
racecar tester and race team owner.

Track Designer as Track Test Driver

On a mid-winter day in 1975, a light blue AAR Jorgensen Gurney Eagle Formula 5000 car was quietly push-rolled to the pre-grid-to-be for the first-ever Long Beach Grand Prix. Walking beside the car were two men, both well-established legends of motor sport, who were about to have what for them would be a little fun, but what for ordinary mortals would cause acute nerve implosion.

Under the official imperative to conduct noise level tests of a high-powered race engine on the Long Beach racetrack at speed, the two sound testers would suit-up and each take turns driving the Gurney F5000 car nearly as fast as it would go on Long Beach’s Shoreline Drive curved straightaway. The two drivers: Bobby Unser and Dan Gurney himself. Needless to say, the two extended the length of the noise level test session as long as it could possibly be justified, to the delight of a select few onlookers who thrilled to the rapturous sound of a real live world class Formula 5000 racecar ground-pounding their town’s roadway, while each were rubbing their dancing eyes to confirm the reality of what they were truly witnessing. Both Gurney and Unser reached speeds of over 150 mph! More than a perfunctory noise test, this was an unofficial holy christening of the Long Beach Grand Prix racetrack, before its unveiling to the world at large.

In early 1975, before the Long Beach Grand Prix was ever officially held,
Dan Gurney and Bobby Unser tested the course for real, taking turns
driving the then-latest AAR Gurney Jorgensen AAR Eagle Formula 5000
car at high speeds. The official purpose: noise tests. But the two legendary
drivers had pure fun in mind!

Long Beach Grand Prix: Inspired Roots

Originating from a bold idea of one Chris Pook, a British-come-Long Beach California travel agency owner and aircraft broker, his 1974 notion of staging a Grand Prix car race event on the streets of Long Beach found legs through a fluke. Pook’s idea was spurred when he learned that city leaders had committed to a billion-dollar Long Beach redevelopment program that was intended to revitalize the city with new building structures, powerhouse commerce and expansion tourism. As a Long Beach businessman, Chris Pook presented the idea of a Grand Prix event to the city council members with a simple pitch: “what better way to get international recognition than with a World Championship car race?”

Breaking the Boundaries of Success

The ensuing months brought forth an abundance of support from the motor sports world, including an agreement with FIA Formula 1 organizers that a USA west coast Formula 1 Grand Prix would be staged on the city of Long Beach race course in the spring of 1976. Incredibly, less than a year from the inception of their Grand Prix Racing Association, Chris Pook, Dan Gurney and Les Richter had secured two major races for Long Beach: an initial Formula 5000 Grand Prix for the fall of 1975, and an International Formula 1 Grand Prix for the spring of 1976! But before an international Formula 1 agreement could be formally and finally consummated, a compelling American racing series, Formula 5000, quickly stepped-up to the plate. This compelling racing series, North America’s answer to world-renowned Formula 1, consisted of state-of-the art high-powered open-wheel racecars that paralleled Grand Prix cars in design and performance, but featured American power: 302 cubic-inch ultra-high performance V8 engines.

Incredibly, less than a year from the inception of their Grand Prix Racing Association, Chris Pook, Dan Gurney and Les Richter had secured two major races for Long Beach: an initial Formula 5000 Grand Prix for the fall of 1975, and an International Formula 1 Grand Prix for the spring of 1976!

The inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix of September 1975 attracted a resounding national and international representation of the top drivers and racing teams then in existence, with up-and-coming driving stars such as Vern Schuppan, Tony Brise, Tom Pryce, Graham McCrae and David Hobbs (all international drivers) challenging already-established stars such as Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Brian Redman, Chris Amon, Gordon Johncock, Jackie Oliver and many others. Drawing over 65,000 spectators, this outstanding motorsports extravaganza was a standout competition on the track and a world-winner in the media. A meteor of speed, colorfulness and dynamic energy.

Before the first-ever Formula 1 Long Beach Grand Prix West, Formula 5000 cars christened
the course in the inaugural Formula 5000 LBGP, with an illustrious field of drivers and huge crowds.

Countdown to the International Green Flag

After a spectacular and highly successful fall ’75 Formula 5000 race, consisting of top drivers from North American and Europe, Chris Pook, Dan Gurney, Les Richter and team knew for certain that they had hatched an authentic world class racing venue.

As the inaugural Formula 1 Long Beach Grand Prix race week neared, spectator pre-order ticket counts rose exponentially, until by Saturday’s qualifying heats the crowds approached estimates that were expected for actual race day levels. And they multiplied to exceed maximum seating capacities for race day. There were many surprises during the exciting qualifying laps that suggested hotly contested duels and dices to come with the wave of Sunday’s green flag.

On race day, after pre-race festivities and a half-day build-up of raw anticipation for racers, teams and spectators alike, the green flag waved to the cacophonous thunder of over twenty 700-horsepower multi-cylinder engines blasting off of the grid toward Turn 1 of the first-ever Long Beach Formula 1 Grand Prix!

The Formula 1 years of the Long Beach Grand Prix attracted the best racecars, drivers
and teams in the world, with greater speeds and growing spectator crowds each year.

Pole-sitter Clay Regazzoni rocketed to the lead in his Ferrari 312T over his team mate and then-championship points leader, Austrian driver Niki Lauda. Although Lauda and British driver James Hunt were locked in what would become an historic battle for the 1976 Formula 1 world championship, Regazzoni’s mastery of the bumpy and challenging Long Beach track was prodigious, spiriting him to an impressive lead. In a blistering race of over 80 laps on the 2.02 mile street circuit for a total race distance of 161.60 miles, Regazzoni dominated a tough 1- hour and 53 minutes charge to the checkered flag. Then-reigning F1 World Champion Niki Lauda successfully brought his ailing car home in 2nd place, with Patrick Depailler in hisTyrrell 007 completing a fine recovery from a shunt and a later spin by taking 3rd place. Jacques Laffite emerged from the scramble further back to finish 4th ahead of Jochen Mass in 5th. Former two-time World Champ Emerson Fittipaldi finished 6th to score his first Formula 1 point in a new Fittipaldi chassis. Championship contender (and ultimate 1976 Champion) James Hunt was knocked out of the race in a 3rd lap shunt with Depailler.

Ferrari 312T, like the one shown, won the first-ever Long Beach Grand Prix West,
driven by Swiss ace Clay Regazzoni.

The first USGP West was a meteoric success. Indeed, former F1 team owner Rob Walker said, “I think the creation of the Long Beach GP was the greatest achievement in motor racing this decade (1970s).” One year later Mario Andretti’s spectacular 1977 win the solidified the popularity of what would soon be called, “The Roar At The Shore,” a name renowned throughout world motorsport to this day.

DAWN OF THE INDY CARS

After eight spectacularly successful years as the west coast USA venue for international Formula 1 racing, 1983 saw the conversion of the Long Beach Grand Prix to become the feature west coast racing event for Indy Cars, under the sanction of CART, [Championship Auto Racing Teams]. What at first seemed a radical and curious change proved to be yet another stratospheric success for the LBGP, offering a stage for America’s finest professional race drivers as well as top drivers from countries around the world. A new era was to carry forward and further build the legacy of the Long Beach Grand Prix as a road race of champions for motorsports as we know it and all the world to see.

Capping its 50^th year with a reverent wave from its legacy gladiators on wheels of inspiration — historic Formula 5000, classic Formula 1 and mid-generation Indy Cars — the Long Beach Grand Prix marches forth under the banner of its new owner, Penske Entertainment, into a new era with excited anticipation.

A proud LBGP co-founder and co-racetrack designer [Dan Gurney]
interviewed inaugural race winner Clay Regazzoni for USA TV
and worldwide media. The stuff of racing legend in the making.

The post <strong>ROAR of the TITANS</strong> appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

MALLOY takes you on an odyssey of racing, racecars of every kind and variety, rare racing memorabilia, on-track duals, business wins and near-misses, and above all — relentless determination. The insistence of one man to become accomplished at the challenge he desired most to master: Automobile racing. He had nothing to prove, except to himself. And he did — at age 52 and beyond — throughout North America, Down Under and Abroad, owning, collecting and competing in the actual cars of his heros. When asked why he committed himself to the ill-advised risks of racing all-out in iconic racecars on world class racetracks on five continents at an advanced age, he answered: “I didn’t want to embarrass the car.”

MALLOY will take you on adventures untold! Own your copy today!

10″ x 14″ oversized Coffee-Table Book
368 pages, 400+ photos, full color
(Limited copies available)

Order Here

The post MALLOY: Beyond The Speed Limit appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

200+ mph FOR FOUR HISTORIC LAPS!

Average four-lap speed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit; 203.620 miles an hour! A mind numbing speed to contemplate — yet it seemed an impossible speed to imagine in spring 1978. But it happened, it was documented, and it was achieved by little known former school teacher-come-racer Tom Sneva, in the Penske PC-6 Indy car during qualifying for the 67^th Indianapolis 500. Few would have believed the feat had it not been for the frenzied media that ferociously covered it and the official proofs that documented it. Indianapolis Motor Speedway officially-measured speed records are gospel, and definitive history was made on that auspicious day in May, 1978. In the previous year, after the 200 mph 1-lap speed of The Speedway was originally broken (also by Tom Sneva) in May 1977 — the entirety of the ensuing year [from May 1997 until May 1978] saw the motor sports world waiting and wondering: what driver and what car could achieve the next and most challenging step – a four-lap qualifying average of 200+ miles per hour at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? And now the deed was cemented in the history of motor racing.

It was America’s Race. Every year the cars went faster. Every year, speeds were scarier. Of the twenty Indy 500 events between 1977 and 1996, the lap record was broken in fifteen of those years! In that amazing time, one of the bravest drivers drove the very car in these photos: Indy qualifying master Tom Sneva in the Roger Penske 1978 PC-6, chassis number 002. This car, now owned by the Malloy Foundation in California, was originally created by respected British racecar designer Geoff Ferris, and powered by a 2.4 liter turbocharged Cosworth DFX V8 engine, mated with a Hewland LG-500 4-speed gearbox. The engine developed 1,000 reported horsepower in a chassis/engine package weighing only 1,525 pounds. The result: F18-like speed. But would it stay on the track?

The Penske PC-6 was the outgrowth of an uncommon alchemy. And in a way, it could be argued that its roots were in Penske’s mid-1970s efforts to develop a car for Formula 1 racing in Europe. Stemming from Roger Penske’s 1973-1976 efforts to compete in Formula 1 with its PC-series 1, 2, 3 and 4 cars, the program abruptly shifted its focus to USAC Champ cars for 1977, fusing the firm’s F1 design and engineering knowledges into its fielding of two McLaren M24-Cosworth cars for Tom Sneva and Mario Andretti. Labeled Penske PC-5s, Sneva drove one of these cars three times in 1977 USAC races, achieving the first 200+ mph lap during qualification for the 1977 Indy 500. A stunning accomplishment, heard around the world. Simultaneously, at Penske design and engineering development headquarters in Poole, England, designer Geoff Ferris was busy modifying his earlier Penske PC-4 Formula 1 car into what would become the PC-6 USAC Champ/Indy car. Soon, driver Tom Sneva would rocket the PC-6 into the Indy history books, setting the first-ever 200+ mph four-lap average at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

At the Indy 500 race in 1978, the front row consisted of Tom Sneva, the persistently fast Danny Ongais, and then-rookie sensation Rick Mears, Tom Sneva’s Penske teammate. At the green flag, Danny Ongais got the jump and rocketed into the lead, with Sneva tracking closely in 2nd place. Mears, initially in 3rd position, dropped pace as he realized he had forgotten to fasten his helmet and it nearly blew off! As Ongais aggressively gained ground, a track yellow condition from a Spike Gehlhausen crash allowed a pit-stop shuffle that put Sneva in the lead. But Ongais mounted another charge and again vaulted to 1^st place. By lap 76, veteran Al Unser Sr. got by both Sneva and Ongais, steeling the lead.

Throughout the middle of the race Unser maintained a narrow margin over Ongais, with Sneva sustaining 3^rd place. However at the three-quarter point on lap 145, Ongais’ engine blew, elevating Sneva to 2^nd place – but Sneva was nursing a fuel system diaphram issue, which caused the team to order Sneva to conserve enough fuel to finish the race. To all appearances, Unser had a cushy 20-second+ lead as a result. But no lead is cushy at the Indy 500; Unser overshot his pit box on lap 180 for his last fuel stop, seemingly blowing a 30-second 1^st place margin. Unser’s miscalculation caused him to hit a tire lying in the pit, damaging his front wing and causing the team to send Unser back out without a new wing or fresh tires, so as to minimize lost time. While these errors would slow Unser’s pace, the Penske/Sneva pit stop had issues also, leaving Sneva also without fresh tires and nineteen laps to reel-in a then 30-second deficit. Against all odds Sneva closed the gap by over a second a lap, but in the end Al Unser was able to take the 1978 Indy 500 win with an 8.3-second lead.

Tom Sneva’s 1978 Indy qualifying lap record of 203.620 mph in the Penske PC-6, followed by his four-lap pole winning average of 202.156 set the stage for three more Indy poles that he would garner in follow-on years, plus four P-1 Indy qualifying times, five Indy 500 front row positions and an Indianapolis 500 victory in 1983. Sneva’s 1978 historic four-lap 200+ mph barrier-breaking Indy qualifier in the Penske PC-6 established the modern record for speed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that stands as auto racing’s defining benchmark to this day, much like pilot Chuck Yeager’s blast through the “sound barrier” changed aviation forever in 1947. 

The post INDY WARP SPEED: 200+ mph for Four Historic Laps! appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

From 1955 to 1963, the name “A.J. Watson” signified a mastery of Indy Car design and development that set a new bar for the finest and fastest Indy Cars of the “roadster” era. The superior performance of Watson front-engine oval track racecars superseded the previous late-1940s-to-early-1950s dominance of Kurtis-Kraft roadsters, and remained supreme until the full impact of European-style rear-engine cars took effect in the 1963-65 time period. Watson’s storied achievements were most visible at the legendary Indianapolis 500, where his cars won six times, loaded the grid and finished up front in countless instances. 

1955-1964 time period, due A.J. Watson’s split from car owner John Zink and adjoinment with Bob Wilke of Leadercard Racers, creating what became the “WWW” [Watson/Wilke/Ward] juggernaut. Initial driver of the Watson-built McNamara Special, Dick Rathmann, sped the new McNamara Indy Car to pole position for the ‘58 Indy 500.

One A.J. Watson Indy Roadster, the 1958 McNamara Chiropractic Special, changed the course of Indianapolis racing history, even though prevented from completing the first lap of its inaugural Indy 500.

After joining forces with ambitious race team owner John Zink in early 1955, Watson and Zink won the 1955 Indy 500 and also the USAC Indy Car Championship that same year. After winning Indy again in 1956 with a new A.J. Watson car, the Zink team was also successful the following year but missed a win in ’57. Determined to win the Indianapolis 500 again for 1958, John Zink had Watson design and build two top-flight cars for two of the best drivers in the game, Ed Elysian and Jimmy Reece.

Simultaneously, A.J. Watson struck a special arrangement with John Zink to build his own Indy Car with his own resources, on his own private time. As history records it, Zink was okay with this scenario as long as it didn’t interrupt the race preparation schedule and winning objectives of the John Zink Indy Car team objectives.

In late April 1958, after the build of A.J.’s new independent Indy roadster was completed, the car was transported to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on the off-chance that it might find a buyer for the 1958 Indy 500. Sure enough, A.J. found an interested party in one Lee Elkins, shortly before the beginning of qualifying for the 1958 Indy 500 in mid-May. Elkins, owner of the McNamara Freight Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, purchased the new Watson Indy car with no engine. But after quickly acquiring a competitive Offenhauser power-plant and adding the special skills of his McNamara crew chief Floyd Trevis, the new Watson roadster was rapidly assembled and race prepped. It was then handed over to veteran driver Dick Rathmann, who shocked competitors by qualifying the car on the pole at 145.974 mph for the 1958 Indianapolis 500!

According to mechanic Bob DeBishop who witnessed subsequent events, Rathmann’s qualifying success with the new McNamara car was met with goading and needling from Zink’s fastest driver, Ed Elisian. Owing to Elisian’s taunts, practice sessions preceding 1958 Indy qualifying reportedly became duels between Elisian and Rathmann, with Elisian setting fastest single-lap time but Rathmann producing the best 4-lap time, capturing the pole position.

John Zink was angered because for A.J. Watson’s independent project car to qualify on the Indy 500 pole was an embarrassment to Zink and his team, who had intended to dominate. Worse, Ed Elisian continued to needle driver Dick Rathmann all the way to race day, insisting that he would lead the first lap.

Ed Elisian collision with Dick Rathmann in Turn 3 of the first lap caused a 16-car accident, eliminating the McNamara and both front row John Zink cars of Elisian and Reece. Tragically, driver Pat O’Connor was killed.

The start of the 1958 Indy 500 saw Rathmann in the McNamara lead into Turn 1 and through Turn 2, but with the field charging down the long backstretch Elisian pulled alongside Rathmann on the inside and gained a slight lead. Determined to be top-dog on the first lap, Elisian overpowered into Turn 3, losing control and spinning into Rathmann which slammed the McNamara into the wall and knocked out both front-running Zink team cars. This tragically triggered a 16-car chain reaction of collisions behind Elisian, causing Jerry Unser to go over the wall, several smash-ups and driver Pat O’Connor’s car to rollover and explode into flames, killing him instantly.

Miraculously, all fifteen other drivers survived, some with injuries, including Rathmann, but the McNamara car was virtually torn in half. Its illustrious Indy pole-setting accomplishment was forever star-crossed by a reckless act on the first lap of the 1958 Indianapolis 500. The pile-up ruined the chances of John Zink’s 2nd and 3rd place qualifying cars (Ed Elisian and Jimmy Reece), both top-flight drivers in state-of-the-art Watson roadsters.

Blaming the mishap on the competitiveness of A.J. Watson’s part-time Indy Car project [the McNamara] Zink was enraged and severed his relationship with Watson. Soon after, A.J. Watson teamed-up with veteran Bob Wilke who formed Leader Card Racers in early 1959. Ironically, the Watson-Wilke relationship produced a 1959 Indy 500 win, three more Indianapolis victories, a USAC Indy Car Championship and countless racing successes over the next ten years. Looking back, it was the A.J. Watson McNamara Chiropractic Special that inadvertently forged what became the juggernaut of Watson/Wilkie and thus launched the dominance of A.J. Watson Indy roadsters for the next half-decade.

Epilogue

Aftermath of the multi-car crash shows two cars basically split in halves. One of those cars, the McNamara, can be seen in the upper middle of the photo; #97.

Incredibly, the multi-car first lap accident at Indy ‘58 was only the beginning for the McNamara Special. The car was revived for the 1959 Indy 500, carrying driver Dick Rathmann to 4th in qualifying, but a pit fire during the race dropped the car to 20th in that year’s final results. For 1960, new owner Jim Robbins entered the car as the #97, painted in silver livery. Driver Rathmann achieved a 4th-place qualifying position again for the 1960 Indy 500, only to drop out of the race with a brake line failure.

In 1961 came a 6th-place qualifying spot and 13th-place finishing position, once again with driver Dick Rathmann. Robbins campaigned the car one more time in 1962, this time as #91 with maroon and white-trim livery. Veteran driver Jim Hurtubise qualified the car 29th and finished a highly respectable 13th in the Indy 500 at a time when newer rear-engine cars were becoming dominant.

In ’62 Jim Robbins sold the #91 to Jack Conley, a super-modified and USAC Champ Car driver, who converted the car into a Modified class racecar. In this configuration the car was soldiered on for nearly ten more years, until it was retired in 1971.

In 1981, Jack Layton from Torch Lakes and Howell, Michigan, purchased this venerable racecar and restored it to its original 1958 silver livery. Later, in 1990 Jack repainted the car to the specification of its 1959 Indy 500 color scheme, the maroon and gold McNamara Chiropractic livery. In the 1992-1993 period Layton sold the car to Lowell Blossom of Charlevoix, Michigan.

In January 2005, Tom Malloy purchased the Watson McNamara Special, chassis #4 roadster from Lowell Blossom and undertook its complete restoration, retaining its 1959 Indy 500 colors of maroon and gold, as the #73 McNamara Chiropractic Special.

The post 1958 Watson McNamara Special, Indy Roadster  appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

VINTAGE RACING EVENTS: Motor Sports History Reborn

Whether large, small, local, regional or national, vintage motor racing events attract and display examples of the most compelling racecars ever created. Nowhere else can you experience races among open wheel formula cars of the 1960s that regularly showcase actual Brabhams, Lotus’, Coopers and other classic marques that were driven by the likes of Graham Hill, Jimmy Clark and Jack Brabham in their day. In many cases, today’s vintage racing events feature the actual cars that these iconic drivers and their competitors raced each other in while conquering the racetracks and engineering limits of their eras.

Shelby Mustangs, Penske Camaros and AMC Javelins, Gurney Plymouths and other “Pony Cars” of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s blast through the turns and roar down straightaways on the same American racetracks that they banged fenders on fifty years ago. McLaren, Lola, Chapparal and other explosive Can Am cars thunder around fast bends and bankings that test the courage of their drivers today, just as they did the original drivers who pushed them to unthinkable records in racing environments that challenge the possible even today.

Vintage auto racing is an alchemy of sports racing cars, production cars, open-wheel formula cars, stock cars and spec racing cars of myriad variety that fascinate the wide ranging curiosities and differing passions of automotive enthusiasts young and old. Whether a spectator, photographer, videographer, car preparer, engine builder, crew person, track volunteer or driver, there is a place for you within the many dimensions of vintage automobile racing.

Click on a Racing Association or Special Event below for Event Dates & Location:

SVRA RMVR CVAR PVGPA PCA

SOVREN VSCDA SWMS VRG

CSRG MCSCC VDCA VSCCA

VARA WHRRI HSR VARAC

New SPECIAL EVENTS category HERE

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

SVRA (Sports Car Vintage Racing Association)

2025 EAGLES CANYON SPEEDTOUR
April 4 – 6, 2025
Eagles Canyon Raceway, Decatur, TX

2025 SONOMA SPEEDTOUR
April 24 – 27, 2025
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA

SOVREN (Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – West Coast, USA

CSRG (Classic Sports Racing Group) 

DAVID LOVE VINTAGE RACES
April 11 – 13, 2025
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA

HMSA (Historic Motor Sports Association)

2025 GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
April 11 – 13, 2025
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA

VARA (Vintage Auto Racing Association)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATION – Rocky Mountain, USA

RMVR (Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing)

2025 GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
April 26 – 27, 2025
Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, CO

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – Midwestern, USA

VSCDA (Vintage Sportscar Driver’s Association)

2025 events to be announced

VSCR (Vintage Sportscar Racing)

2025 events to be announced

MCSCC (Midwestern Council of Sportscar Clubs)

MSCC PLAX SCHOOL “GAME OF CONES”
April 13, 2025
Public Safety Training Facility, Columbus, WI

APRIL DRIVE SCHOOL
April 25 – 26, 2025
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL

MCSCC RACE #1
April 27, 2025
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL

WHRRI (Waterford Hills Road Racing, Inc.)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – Southwestern, USA

CVAR (Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing)

32^ND MARVELOUS MAY RACES
April 25 – 25, 2025
MSR Houston, Angleton, TX

SWMS (Southwest Motorsports)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATION – Southeastern, USA

VDCA (Vintage Driver’s Club of America)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – Eastern, USA

HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing)

THE MITTY
April 24 – 27, 2025
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA

PVGPA (Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Assoc.)

2025 events to be announced

VRG (Vintage Racer Group)

2025 events to be announced

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS – Northeastern, USA

VSCCA (Vintage Sports Car Club of America)

RHODE ISLAND DISTILLER’S DRIVE
April 13, 2025
Middletown, RI

PCA (Porsche Club of America)

RACING INTO SPRING 2025
April 25 – 26, 2025
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, CT

REGIONAL ORGANIZATION – Canada

VARAC (Vintage Auto Racing Association of Canada)

2025 events to be announced

SPECIAL EVENTS

The post 2025 Events Calendar – APRIL appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

“I kept seeing this old partially restored Shelby Cobra in the back of Dave Dralle’s race shop, and I finally worked up the guts to ask if there was any way he would consider selling it to me.”  ~ John McKenna

Owner John McKenna, driving Cobra CSX2004 (#04), leads a fellow Cobra competitor through the esses.

By Jake Grubb
Photography by Adam Hosey

That old partially restored Cobra was CSX2004, the authentic fourth Shelby Cobra ever made! It was a priceless jewel in the rough, tucked away in the race shop of Dralle Engineering in the little desert town of Rosamond, California, adjacent Willow Springs International Raceway.

After springing to life in late 1962, at a time when the term “Cobra” in the automotive world was still in debate as to whether the sports car bearing this name would sustain or fade into fiction, CSX2004 was sold to a frisky Los Angeles sports car buff who blazed the roads of southern California until his addiction to the throttle caused him to miscalculate. While on a high-testosterone highway sprint near Redondo Beach, California, he crashed heavily and lost his life. The car, seriously damaged, was nearly lost as well, but for the alertness of local car man Josef Chechia, who somehow was able to wrest ownership of the Cobra CSX2004 hulk and cart it away.

“The office” of CSX2004 is much as it was in its heyday; analog, intuitive, efficient.

Josef, a well-known automotive metal fabricator in the coastal Los Angeles region, knew Dave Dralle and extended an offer that Dralle couldn’t refuse. Dave, well acquainted with the car’s potential, had a vision for the Cobra as a racecar that rivaled the standards of Carroll Shelby himself. He bought the Cobra CSX2004 hulk from Josef. And he intended to realize his vision for the car through the skills and facilities at his specialty car business, Dave’s Automotive, in Torrance, California. Little did he know at the time that over 35-years would pass before that vision would finally be achieved at the persistent behest of an enthusiastic customer, one John McKenna.

Rollbar configuration, abbreviated by today’s standards, follows the initial pre-Shelby American design of original American Shelby constructor, Ed Hugus, Shelby Cobra racer and owner of European Imports.

In the 1962-63 time period, Dave Dralle, a master California racer, car crafter and engine builder, had been keenly tracking the developments of a new sports car called the Shelby Cobra even before its arrival on the American scene was official. And he was mighty curious about it. Dralle knew Carroll Shelby from southern California racetracks, as well as from Shelby’s Goodyear tire operation in Santa Fe Springs, south of Los Angeles. And although Dralle didn’t much like or trust Shelby due to his P.T. Barnum style, he knew Shelby’s racing, car building and marketing exploits could be formidable. And besides, if that Cobra turned out to be the real deal, Dralle had every intention of figuring out how to get his hands on one and race it himself.

A short time later, through his happenstance acquisition of the wrecked CSX2004, Dave Dralle became an official Shelby Cobra owner and focused considerable energies on becoming a master of this beastly but thrilling car, through opportunities to race newer and more refined Shelby Cobras in both SCCA and professional competition events. In the meantime, over the decades that Dave Dralle was building a business, raising a family and becoming a professional championship-level race driver, he became known as one of the top Shelby Cobra independent specialists on the West Coast. Dralle-built and race-prepared Cobra 289s, 427s and Shelby GT-350 Mustangs routinely ran at the front throughout SCCA, professional and vintage racing, often out-performing Shelby factory race team competitors. And through it all, quietly in the background, Dralle was painstakingly restoring and readying his prized Shelby CSX2004 Cobra for reintroduction to the motorsports world.

Paddock photo of CSX2004 exhibits flared fenders
that reference the Shelby factory team Cobras of the 1960s.

Enter: John McKenna. No ordinary performance car buff, McKenna had been referred to Dave Dralle by Shelby Cobra expert and longtime friend Randy Dunphy in the late 1990s. McKenna, in the process of purchasing a Kirkham 427 Cobra, which was widely considered to be the best officially licensed Cobra replica available, was seeking an expert to build, refine and set-up his Kirkham, as well as get some driving lessons in this formidable high horsepower car. Randy Dunphy’s categorical recommendation for the man to do this was Dave Dralle. Dunphy’s edict: “let him take his time with your car; it’ll be righter than right.”

During the Kirkham process, on periodic trips from his Seattle location to Dralle Engineering at the Rosamond shop near Lancaster, California, John McKenna spotted the old “real” Shelby Cobra in the back of the shop and became increasingly curious. “How awesome to have an early era authentic Shelby Cobra,” he thought, “and maybe even some day race it.”

Using its 525 horsepower and attention-getting torque, today’s CSX2004 roars effortlessly uphill
at Kent Washington’s Pacific Raceways.

Two years after McKenna’s Kirkham project started at Dralle Engineering, he got a call. “Come get your car,” the voice said. It was Dave Dralle. By this time John McKenna’s interest in becoming a race driver himself had skyrocketed, and he expressed to Dralle his desire to race his newly completed Kirkham 427 Cobra. Dralle’s response was a firm “not that car,” explaining that a street Cobra set-up is different than that of its racecar cousins, and that besides, the Kirkham’s 427 cubic-inch, 640-horsepower was monstrous to manage on a racetrack, much less in a learning environment.

At this point it was time for a race-pace ride around Willow Springs Raceway, euphemistically referred “Big Willow” or “The Fastest Road Racing in the West.” Dave Dralle, still a master on the racetrack and nearly 40-year veteran of Cobra testing and racing at Willow Springs, took the wheel, with John McKenna as passenger. The roller coasters at Magic Mountain, an amusement park just miles away, couldn’t begin to compete.

A study in exit speeds. CSX2004, full traction, power on.

Result: John McKenna was guided by Dave Dralle and colleague Randy Dunphy (an experienced vintage racer himself) into the purchase of a Ford GT 350 Mustang racecar, which had plenty of power but was safer and more forgiving than even the best Cobra. After rapidly gaining experience and skill in this car over a 2-3 year time period, McKenna wanted to race a Cobra more than ever.

With John increasingly expressing his interest in purchasing Dave Dralle’s CSX2004 Cobra, Dave ultimately decided that after nearly 40-years of part-time attention to his prized original Cobra, that it would stand a better chance of completion in new and freshly enthusiastic hands. A deal was struck and John McKenna became the owner of CSX2004. Final restoration and race preparation accelerated in earnest.  

Ford GT40 cylinder head combined with four Weber carburetors references late 1960s Shelby Cobra factory team cars, delivering maximum power and crisp throttle response.

In the meantime, McKenna elected to purchase a second Kirkham Cobra, in this case a fully FIA-spec racecar, competition prepared, including FIA aluminum body, Windsor 302 cubic-inch V8, Ford GT40 heads and horsepower output of 525 bhp, a 20% reduction from that of the Kirkham 427 Cobra. This car would, in effect, become his trainer for the soon-to-be completed CSX2004 Cobra.

CSX2004 Origins

Because the Shelby Cobras built in their first two years of production were built in more than one place, including AC Cars in Great Britain by Charles and Derek Hurlock and European Cars in Pittsburgh at the operation of Ed Hugus, precise trackings of these cars’ construction before assembly was ultimately organized through Shelby American remains beset by riddles. Clearly, however, CSX2004’s build preceded manufacture at Shelby American, and at that time European Cars was known to be well systematized. All indications are that this car was initially “kitted” at AC Cars in Great Britain, assembled in full at European Cars in Pittsburgh after shipment to New York, and transported west to be sold in Los Angeles, most likely through Shelby American. Established Shelby Cobra authority Lynn Park, after examining this car in detail, confirmed from multiple markings throughout the chassis and core components of the car that it is, in fact, provably CSX2004, the fourth Shelby Cobra ever made.

Dave Dralle’s approach to the car from the beginning of his ownership was to utilize all viable original elements of the car in its restoration — however to detail the car in such a way as to incorporate the very best of every engineering refinement and key component improvement that was confirmed over time to make the Cobra factory racecars superior. With these principals in mind, the John McKenna CSX2004 289 Cobra is as good as it gets. The car is built and prepared exactly as Dave Dralle blueprinted it for himself. Today, the CSX2004 Cobra meets the very best specs of the top Shelby team Cobras at the peak of their historical rein, and owner/driver John McKenna’s race results at multiple tracks soundly bear this out. History, artful restoration, matchless competition preparedness, handsomeness, performance and documented race results barely scratch the surface of this remarkable car’s legacy.

The post Destroyed 60 years ago. Reborn & Race Ready Today! appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

Story & Photos by Ben Kuhl

From the 16^th of August to the 19^th, the annual pilgrimage to the Monterey peninsula for the Monterey Historic Reunion took place. Storied and significant vintage racing machines from the world over converged for four days of action packed on track action. A standout run group that never fails to draw spectators’ eyes and ears, is Formula 5000.

Charles Talbot visiting the wrong side of the racing limit exiting turn three in his 1974 Lola T332.

A rare example of early Formula 5000 design; Seb Coppola leads a trio down the corkscrew at the wheel of his 1970 Lola T192.

In attendance were two examples of the short lived high-wing era in Formula 5000. Paul Kuhl (1968 Lola T140) leads Anthony Roberts (1969 McLaren M10A) over the top.

Two fine examples of non-Lola entries. Dean Camm (Chevron B24) and Alastair Chalmbers (Chevron B32) thunder down the corkscrew.

One of the few participants who did not partake in the pre-reunion, Todd Gerstenberger got his 1972 Chevron B24 up to speed in a hurry and up the running order.

Bruce Leeson drops the hammer in his 1969 McLaren M10B as he exits turn 11 and powers onto the front stretch to complete a lap around Laguna Seca Raceway.

Common at the onset of Formula 5000 would see some car manufactures fitting lower formula chassis with uprated engines for competition. Dave Zavetsky at the wheel of his 1968 LeGrand Mk7-002.

James Stengel in his sleek in black 1973 McRae GM-1, completing a lap with the David Alban entered 1973 Lola T330 not far in tow.

A quick look back

Formula 5000 came in to existence at a perfect time where sporting regulations did very little to restrict the innovations of car designers were looking to push boundaries. These included both engine performance and rapid mastery of the black magic of downforce that would soon dominate all forms of racing. Today, in a single Formula 5000 run group one can see the full evolution of these compelling cars, from rudimentary body shapes to highly developed F1-like engineering to markedly more refined design concepts. These evidence a wide array of wings, winglets, full-body tapers, weight variances and engine power. In a word, the engines were comparatively, the tires were large and the drivers (both then and now) were fearless.

In 1968, the SCCA introduced a new set of rules that birthed the all-important entry of the 5-liter stock block engine with a maximum of 5000 cc’s [the infamous 5-litre) into regulation. Chevrolet’s 302 cubic-inch V8 had proven itself as reliable and successful in the well-established Trans-Am series. Thus it would be the most popular powerplant used by teams in the American, British/European and Tasman F5000 series’. Teams in the British and Tasman series would experiment with Repco-Holden powerplants while American teams would make efforts to find extra speed with Ford and Plymouth engines. The Chevrolet V8 would reign supreme across all series.

By the end of the 1968 season the pace of car development meant that those early adopters of the ‘68 season were quickly surpassed newer (though not always better) developments as more big-name manufacturers and drivers became interested in the high horsepower series. Similarities to Formula 1 wings, sidepods and engine tuning practices would make their way into the series which pushed an already fast racing formula even faster.

Working towards lap completion we see Tony Galbraith (1974 Lola T332), Bill Hemming (1977 Elfin MR8),
Johnnie Crean (1969 Eagle) and Kirt Bennett (1976 Lola T332).

Rubber meets the road at the 2023 Rolex at Weathertech Laguna Seca

Action started on Wednesday August 16^th with a “simple” practice session. Due to the Monterey Motorsports Reunion having so many run groups (14 in total),  eager drivers were kept to one session per day. Strong compliments from New Zealand and Australia dotted the field with the likes of Paul Zazryn of King Creek Australia and Glenn Richards of Auckland New Zealand taking on the American “locals” of Kirt Bennet and Todd Gerstenberger. The drivers kept it clean during the 20-minute practice session with most still trying to come to grips with the recently repaved racing surface.

Qualifying; a race in its own right. Since many in the group had been participants in the previous weekend’s Pre-Reunion, a dress rehearsal of sorts, most drivers had a significant amount of track time and as such had gained experience on the twisting layout. Dean Camm was able to get his 1974 Chevron B24 back on track and in good order after missing the day’s previous practice session due to mechanical gremlins.

Up front would see some shuffling of the order as Paul Zazryn (Lola T332) narrowly pipped Kirt Bennett (Lola T332) for the top qualifying spot. Glenn Richards (Lola T400) would round out the qualifying order. McLarens’ own Zak Brown would be the only non-qualifier as the United Autosports prepped Lola T332 was experiencing some teething issues this day. Nearly all participants were picking up the speed with most drivers putting on an extra mph or so to their top speeds, though Chino Hill’s Todd Gerstenberger would vault himself into the top 5 with a top speed of 88.183 mph, nearly a full 4 mph faster than his previous top speed in the prior day’s practice session. Caramel California local Bruce Leeson would place his easily identifiable 1969 McLaren M10B 6^th on the timing charts with a top speed of 87.762 mph. All excitement leading up to the following days with single race sessions being held on Friday and Saturday.

Flashback 50 years! – Formula 5000 at Laguna Seca Raceway, circa 1973, exactly
50 years ago, setting the stage for the Formula 5000 Spectacular at Weathertech Laguna Seca,
circa August 2023. A colorful history continues to be written.

Wind back the clock 50 years exactly to May 6^th, 1973, when the then L&M sponsored Formula 5000 Championship traveled to Laguna Seca Raceway for round 2. Reaching the potential peak of the series we would see Lola unveil its new T330, an upgrade over its already successful T300. Some other unique standouts in the field would be an AMC V-powered Lola T330 prepped by Penske and driven by Mark Donohue, the Match A51 which featured a biplane rear wing and Repco-Holden powerplant, and Syd Demovsky who was boldly running an aging HRE Surtees TS8, at that point three years old. The driving talent was nothing but high caliber as well; Jody Scheckter, Brian Redman, Mark Donohue, Peter Gethin, Brett Lunger, Derek Bell and Skip Barber would force more and more high-level driving talent into the already impressive series. During the race, David Hobbs attempted to outpace Jody Scheckter but just wasn’t up to the formidable challenge. American Brett Lunger would have an impressive charge through the field in his Lola T330 after he and Graham McRae had a coming together during the qualifying race. At the end of the 45-lap contest, it would be Scheckter (Trojan), Gethin (Chevron), Hobbs (Lola) followed by Hutchinson (March) and Eppie Wietzes (Lola) rounding out the top 5.

2023’s Race 1 saw Kirt Bennett and Paul Zazryn both pour on the speed as the two hotly dueled at the front. The dependably fast Bennett was able to stay a whisker ahead for the duration of the race, but was Zazryn stuck to him like glue all the way.

Close behind was a true scrum between Galbraith, Gerstenberger, Leeson and Chalmers, all who seemed to match speeds, battling furiously. A third and larger pack formed behind Camm, Brennan, Crean, Roberts, Kuhl and Hemming, changing places nimbly through the laps and all setting top speeds in the 85mph-lap-average range.

Saturday the 19^th brought the final dance for our fearless Formula 5000 challengers. Once again it would be Bennett and Zazryn up front. Zazryn brought even more of a challenge for Bennett and hounded him for every inch and millisecond. Bennett defended masterfully as the pair carved through traffic with nearly identical speeds. Like the mid-to-late 1970s of Formula 5000, the Lola T332s and T400 all found their way at the front of the running order with Gerstenberger being the highest non-Lola finisher in his 1974 Chevron B24.

Down the field would see a last lap charge from Paul Kuhl, driving one of the few high wing cars in class, stormed by Anthony Roberts piloting a classic papaya 1969 McLaren M10A and Johnnie Crean at the wheel of a 1969 Eagle. When the checkered flag flew, all participants returned with cars intact and plenty of racing stories to tell.

The impressive efforts of all involved — from the local California and USA F5000 owners to the stellar compatriots from Australia and New Zealand, the formula F5000 field at the 2023 Rolex Motorsports Reunion at Weathertech Laguna Seca Monterey was a sight to behold and a timeless experience to remember.

The post Formula 5000 Takes on Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Poster Celebrates 70th anniversary of Corvette

You can almost hear the roar of classic Corvettes racing at full song in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 16th to 19th! This hallmark event, magnificently represented by artist Bill Patterson, will take place at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway in the 49th year of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. And it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of an American performance icon, the Chevrolet Corvette.

“Corvette is a marque that is not only a great American icon, but it has built an international following,” expresses artist Bill Patterson, who has been associated with WeatherTech Laguna Raceway for more than 18 years. He explains that it’s both exciting and formidable to tackle such an important art piece that will be seen around the world.

“The challenge to tell the incredible story of Corvette in a single painting is daunting and, in fact, impossible. With this in mind, I can focus on creating an image that is satisfying to me, and, hopefully, to every participant and fan at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. I’m grateful to be a motorsports artist, and am thrilled to have the passion of Corvette and its fans to inspire me! I look forward to seeing you all!”

In addition to the artwork being available as a collectible 24” x 36” poster for purchase, it will be used on select merchandise in the Official Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway Store. Bill Patterson will also be present in the paddock during the weekend to autograph posters, meet guests and conduct live art demonstrations.

General admission and the esteemed Legends Club tickets are still available for the 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Weathertech Laguna Seca Raceway. For tickets, visit www.WeatherTechRaceway.com or call 831-242-8200.

The post 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Poster appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.

There was a time in early America when an automobile race was a town happening! During the circa-1910 days of “Brass Era” cars such as the Locomobile, Stutz, Winton and so many other pioneering brands, automobile Grand Prix races such as the Cobe Cup and Vanderbuilt Cup were staged on roughly cut dirt roads that surrounded and wove through the hosting town of each event, holding merchants and residents spellbound. Spectators, excited and shocked amidst a cacophony of roaring engine sounds and plumes of track dust from the rooster tails of speeding cars on dirt roads, crowded the porches of every store, livery and home, marveling at the dare-devilry of fearless drivers such as George Robertson and Barney Oldfield, goggled and determined, protected by only gloves and leather head coverings.

Carrying forward the culture, community, tradition and thrills of auto-racing in America’s olden days, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix brings to life a rich homage to the cars, characters and experiences that promise to etch the memories of all who attend and participate.

For the visiting public, a wide variety of experiences are offered over a ten-day period, beginning the weekend of July 13^th-16^th and continuing daily through the following week until Friday July 21^st, when the racing of classic cars commences at what is essentially the town square locale of Schenley Park. Visitors can walk the paddock and see a seemingly endless variety of magnificent vintage racecars, spanning eight decades in age range, marques that have come to define automobilia as we know it. Ford Mustangs, Shelby Cobras, Chevrolet Corvettes, Jaguars, Mercedes Benz varietals, MGs, Austin Healeys, Alfa Romeos, Lotus’ – cars from the hallowed makers of the Greatest of car makers, present at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix – not just in a museum, but Racing. And racing can be viewed from the adjacent grounds of the magnificent Pittsburgh Grand Prix car show.

The Race Begins

Kicking off PVGP weekend 1 is high level racing of the fastest vintage cars at a special race venue; the purpose-built racetrack at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex. This high impact event features historic cars that are legendary for their power and racing fame. Special trackside parking is available on Spectator Hill near the water tower. Complementing this memorable event, on the same weekend days of the races, is the Shelby Convention, which features in-the-flesh examples of historic Shelby cars from the 1960s decade that spawned America’s foremost muscle cars. Shelby performance and racecars led the way, on the road and on the racetracks of the world.

Car Shows, Showcases and Experiences

Downtown Car Display

Wednesday, July 19, 2023  – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
This show is a great way to have a power lunch in downtown Pittsburgh. You will see a preview cars that will be on the show field of the upcoming International Car Show in Schenley Park. The shows are staged at PPG Place and Market Square. The cost is $15 to participate with proceeds benefiting our charities.

Tune-Up Party

Wednesday, July 19, 2023  – 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Grand Prix’s Tune-Up Party and Automotive Showcase has been a popular event since it was created back in 2006. The party shifted gears and moved to its new home at the Town Square at the SouthSide Works last year and is back for an encore. Hundreds of cars will gather for a fabulous car show including race cars, exotics for this exciting street festival in Town Square surrounding the Cheesecake Factory, and anchored by Shop 412. $50 to get into the Car Showcase and includes 2 drink coupons.

Countryside Tour

Thursday, July 20, 2023 – 10:00 am– 3:00 pm
If you have a vintage car from 1983 or earlier, you’re invited to tour the Laurel Highlands with us. The route changes each year. We are excited to announce that the tour is returning to Jamison Farm for an incredible lunch and continues through the southwestern Pennsylvania countryside. $80 per car.

Passport to Elegance

Thursday, July 20, 2023 – 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
We have been cleared to land at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport again in 2023. Experience the best of vintage and concours quality cars and historic aircraft. Enjoy exquisite culinary delights, premium cocktails and wine. To honor the Ferrari Marque of the Year the theme will be Rosso Corsa – Italian Racing Red. Don’t miss out on this exclusive event, book your flight now!

Forbes Avenue of Speed

Friday, July 21, 2023 – 6:30 pm– 8:30 pm
This is a great opportunity to meet the drivers and see the race cars up close. Vintage racers will parade from the paddock in Schenley Park, through Squirrel Hill, and then park up and down Forbes Avenue for a unique car show. The racers and their crew will go into Orr’s Jewelers for a private reception.

Schenley Park Car Show and Qualifying

Saturday, July 22, 2023
International Car Show and Races
From 9:30AM to 5:30PM, join us for a day full of family-friendly automobile-themed activities at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. Thousands of classic, antique and exotic vehicles fill the golf course for our International Car Show. If speed is more your thing, watch 150 vintage racers compete on the track all day to qualify for Sunday’s featured races. During the day, grab a snack at our food courtyard or shop at our Vendor Village. International Car Show entry fee is $50 per show car for the weekend. Charity donation for spectators aged 12 and over is only $10 for the weekend.

Vintage Races 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Our vintage racers will be on track all day. Each of the 5 race groups will run in practice sessions starting at 8:30 am. At noon racers with passenger seats come up to the VIP Tent at turn 14 and for $50 you can experience a real lap of the track. The track goes hot at 1:00 with all 5 groups racing in qualifying sessions.

Schenley Park Race Day

Sunday, July 23, 2023
International Car Show 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Our 10-day event closes with a roar as we continue with our races and car shows all day long at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. Most of the of classic, antique and exotic vehicles that appeared on Saturday return for Race Day at the International Car Show.

Vintage Races 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
At 8:30 each race groups come out for 20 minute warm-up sessions in preparation for the featured afternoon races. At 11:00 we begin the Opening Ceremonies with Parade laps by Patron Parkers.
The afternoon races start at noon with featured races for each of the 6 groups with top finishers recognized in the Helltown Brewing Winner’s Circle.

The post Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix: What Racing Once Was – Today appeared first on Racing Vintage Cars.