40 June 2011 • Victory Lane

Can-Am Cars! They were the fastest, wildest, most spectacular cars in the world in their time. Faster than Indy Cars, faster than Formula One, and better yet they were unlimited in concept and design. They all looked different, strange and awesome. A shock wave of sound and violence hit the spectators as they thundered by. The drivers knew they had the hammers of the gods under their accelerators. They had big engines of eight and twelve cylinders, some turbo charged, some had multiple engines. Up to 1500 qualifying horsepower by 1973 some said. The SCCA in 1966 created the worlds greatest road racing series for the most awesome sports racing cars building on the success of the big Sports Racing Cars in the United States Road Racing Championship created in 1963.

The clash was between US and International drivers from the ranks of Sports Cars, Grand Prix, Indy and NASCAR: John Surtees, Parnelli Jones, Jim Hall, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, Peter Revson, George Follmer, Mark Donahue, Jackie Oliver, Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, Dan Gurney, Vic Elford, Jody Schecter, Jack Brabham, Sam Posey, Bud Tinglestad, Chuck Parsons, etc.

The Canadian American Challenge Cup Series is, in many racing fans’ minds, North America’s greatest road racing series ever. Can-Am grew from the United States Road Racing Championship, USRRC, for Sports Racing and GT cars formed in 1963 by Tracy Bird, then head of the SCCA, in consultation with Jim Hall of USRRC and Chaparral fame. In 1965, the Canadian Automobile Sports Club, CASC, and the Sports Car Club of America, SCCA, along

Part Four Of The Series On The Beginning Of SCCA Professional Road Racing: Can-Am 1966-1974 The Greatest Racing Series!

with the race tracks and promoters recognized the fan appeal of unlimited sports racing cars and created the Can-Am series for 1966. The six race 1966 Can-Am began in Canada at St. Jovite – Mont Tremblant circuit and soon raced at Watkins Glen, Riverside, Mid-Ohio, Road Atlanta and all the great road racing circuits in North America. It was an instant success.

In addition to the millions of dollars of prize money posted by tracks the series, car and contingency sponsors included: Johnsons Wax, Reynolds Aluminum, Sunoco, Castrol, Heuer, L & M Cigarettes, Shell, Valvoline, Autolite, Union 76, STP, Fram, Champion, Olsonite, Union Oil Pacific, Ring Free, Premier Fasteners, Autocoast, Elf, RC Cola, Chevrolet, Ford, Porsche and Ferrari.

The Can-Am continued through 1969 with virtually no rules: four tires, four fenders, two seats and go racing. Attendance grew, tracks were added in the US and Canada. A similar series was created in Europe called he InterSerie. Can-Am was a crowd, constructor and driver favorite. Denny Hulme, World Driving Champion in F1, openly said he preferred Can-Am racing to Formula One: it was faster, harder and more satisfying! John Surtees, driving a Lola T-70 powered by Chevy was the first Can-Am Drivers Champion in 1966. Team McLaren drivers won from 1967-1971 and were always challenged by drivers of the crowd favorite, great white Chaparrals and the factory Lola Chevys managed by Carl Haas.

“You knew you had overcome something big when you finished a Can-Am! The cars were a challenge over those long race distances of that era. So much power it twisted the chassis.

You could feel it work under you and with 80 gallons of fuel the car changed from understeer to oversteer back to understeer as the race progressed. So much harder to drive and so much more satisfying to win in a Can-Am car than a Formula One!” said World F-1 and Can-Am Champion Denny Hulme as told to Dan Davis of the Historic Can-Am Association and Victory Lane Magazine after their drives in the 1992 Road America Historic Can-Am feature.

The Can-Am began to change in 1970, Bruce McLaren was killed in a testing accident, innovation was restricted, first banning high suspension mounted wings and then next year banning the radically innovative “Sucker” Chaparral. Team McLaren continued to dominate in 1970 and 1971, its last championship year. Hall, the ultimate innovator, quit the series frustrated with the ban on innovation. Porsche and Team Penske with Follmer and Donahue in Turbo Porsches out horsepowered the opposition in ’72 and ’73. The 1973 fuel crisis brought in mileage rules and out went the turbo Porsches for 1974. A last flicker of design elegance, the Shadow DN4 won the final ’74 series and it was over.

They’re Back! While the original Can-Am is gone, the cars came back on the track in Historic Can-Am Features under the auspices of the Historic Can-Am Association for the Victory Lane Historic Can-Am events that began in 1990. These are held annually at Road America, alternating yearly between the July Kohler International Challenge and the September VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival. They are held also at other tracks across North America.

SCCA Goes Pro!

-by Dan Davis

Shadow DN4; McLaren M8E. photo by Peter Darnall

Lola T-70 coupe.photo by Bob Harrington

Lola T-70.photo by John Wright

Lola 310.photo courtesy Virtuoso Performance

Photos: All from Historic Can-Am races

Victory Lane • June 2011 41www.victorylane.com

FIA Appendix K for Historic Cars – opening statement says “Historic Competition is not simply another formula in which to acquire trophies, it is a discipline apart in which one of the essential ingredients is the devotion to the cars and their history.” The vintage Can-Am series honors those words.

The exciting, awesome historic Can-Am cars of the original 1966-1974 unlimited era vintage racing on great road racing circuits in Victory Lane Historic Can-Am Features represent that Spirit. They are owned and raced by vintage racers who are passionate about that history. The emphasis is on competition in the spirit of sportsmanship with, “Historic Can-Am Only” period prepared cars of the type than ran the 1966-1974 original era real Can-Am. The weekends are complete with special hospitality, parties and awards for entrants, owners, drivers, crews and sponsors. The crowd revels in the noise, the ground shaking presence as in the past.

The Historic Can-Am Association, HCAA, was formed in 1987. HCAA maintains a registry of cars, crews, drivers and participants

participating in the original and historic Can-Am. The HCAA organizes multiple Historic Can-Am Invitational Features each year for period correct cars. All Features are organized for the Historic Can-Am Association by Victory Lane Motorsports Marketing. For information call Dan Davis, HCAA Chairman or Pam Shatraw, HCAA Events Manager 650-321-1411 (CA).

Can-Am Drivers: 1966-1974Dennis AaseAndrea de AdamichTony AdamowiczJim AdamsWarren AgorGeorge AldermanBill Amick

Marius AmiotChris AmonMario AndrettiClif ApelRichard AttwoodFred BakerSkip BarberDick BarbourCharles BartlebaughDerek BellMax BiemerBob BondurantJo BonnierJack BrabhamMerle BrennanRanier BrezinkaMike BrockmanBob BrownDick BrownRonny BucknumJim ButcherTom ButzJoe BuzzettaHarry BytzekL. Bruce CampbellJohn CannonDave CauseyFrancois CevertHarley CluxtonJohn CordtsRon CourtneyJacques Couture

Jerry CrawfordBill CuddyBill CuppA. de AdamichAlain de CadnetCandido DaMotaTony DeanDon DevineGordon DewarH.P.K. DiblyRobert DiniNick DioguardiSteve DiuloMark DonohueBrooke DoranGeorge DrolsomDick DurantSteve DurstTom DuttonRon DykesGeorge Eaton

Vic ElfordJerry EntinBill EveHowie FairbanksLen FaustinaChuck FederickGeorge FelterGene FisherGeorge FollmerE. Forbes RobinsonA.J. FoytRich FranzeseRich GallowayHowden GanleyBud GatesPeter GethinRon Goldleaf

Mike GothRon GrableJerry GrantRoss GreenvilleDave GreenblaftPeter GreggMastin GregoryDick GulstrandJohn GunnMiles CuptonDan GurneyEric HagaJim HallEd HamillJerry HansenBob HarrisKris HarrisonEric HauserCharlie HayesPaul HawkinsHurley HaywoodLudvig HeimrathRon HerreraHarry HeuerRon HeyserTom HeyserGraham HillPhil HillJay HillsMike HissDavid HobbsDoug HooperDanny HopkinsSkip HudsonDenny HulmeJames HuntDavid HurleyLeonard Janke

Jean-Pierre JarierDon JensenAlan JohnsonEarl JonesJeff JonesParnelli JonesDave Jordan Reinhold JostFrank KahlichWilli KauhsenHiroshi KazatoCharlie KempBob KiempelCharlie KolbOscar KoveleskiRoy KumnickLynn KyserGerald LarrousseGraeme LawrenceBob LazierGijs van LenepJoe LeonardEd LeslieJim LockhartBrett LungerSteve MatchettFrank MatichJim MatuskaRoger McCraigRoger McCluskyBruce McLarenWes McNayArturo MerzarioJack MillikanMilt MinterDon MorinBud MorleyWilliam Morrow

Lola T-163.Genie Mk10B.photo by Gordon Jolley

photo by Gordon Jolley

photo by Greg Petrolati

photo by Greg Petrolati

McLaren M8FP; Matich SR3 Can-Am.photo by Chuck Andersen

Lola T-163.

McKee; USRRC/Can-Am Car.

42 June 2011 • Victory Lane

L. MotschenbacherHanns Muller-PerschlHerbert Mueller

Jerry MullRick MutherBob NagelVic NelliJackie OliverBrian O’NeilBill OverhauserCarlos PaceChuck ParsonsScooter PatrickJim PaulTom PayneLou Pavesi

Robert PeckhamHorst PetermanSteve PfeiferFred PipinSam PoseyHugh PowellGeorge Ralph

Brian RedmanPeter RevsonBobby RinzlerPedro RodriguezJack Ryan

The big Can-Am McLaren, loaned to me by Wes McNay, rumbles up to the grid spot where the grid girls indicate. My forward view is between the big bulging front fenders covering the twelve-inch wide front tires on fifteen-inch diameter wheels. The Chevy 350 cubic inch engine burbling as the big vertical inlet stacks hiss and pop waiting to suck in 600 horsepower worth of Wisconsin air at full throttle through 16 inch wide rear tires.

Seventh on the grid is not so bad – at least we, the car and I, are ahead of all the other small block powered cars even though six big block powered cars are in front. The heavy multi-plate clutch must not be slipped, so getting to the grid is tricky, especially with the in or out, face dog gear engagement of the big Hewland LG500 transaxle with only four gears due to great engine torque. I’m mentally running the

first few laps as the Canadian and United States anthems are played, nervously watching the engine temperature rise while no air is being forced through the big front radiator. I scan all the gauges and mentally hope we move soon. As the pace car moves off and the cars ahead move, I methodically depress the clutch and give more throttle then quickly move my foot cleanly off the clutch and we are off on the first of two pace laps around the 4.2 mile incredible circuit enjoying the vivid green scenery and colorful crowds lining the fences for the last time. They would soon be a blur during the 30-minute race.

Two pace laps later we approach the rise on the front straight at about 70 mph in 2nd gear at 4,500 rpm anticipating the green. As we glimpse the green flag wave, I quickly squeeze the accelerator to the floor, the roar of some tens of thousands of horsepower surrounds us, but I concentrate on shifting methodically to third, then fourth as we reach marker three, braking gently and dropping to third gear, holding position to those around, as agreed in the HCAA drivers’ meeting, as the pack squeezes into a rough single file through the right sweeper of turn one.

Now we’re racing! Smartly squeeze down on the accelerator to peak revs as we track out then reach for fourth quickly through the gentle non-turn, called two, then a stab of the brakes and snatch third for the hard right turn three. Hard now on the accelerator, drift to the left edge. Wow, the acceleration off turn three takes us quickly to max revs, another deliberate shift to fourth and as the scenery blurs in our peripheral vision, we approach the crest of the small hill and the bend called turn four. Big decision, we get light and unstable over the crest at 170+, but we know from practice that we can, if pressed, brake after the top as the car settles

and still make the second gear hard left turn five. This time, we do just that with a little tire chirp and pull off tire smoke, thinking I won’t do that very often. Another eyeball jiggling burst of unbelievable acceleration out of the very sharp left turn five, quickly through the gears, threading the needle up the hill and hurtling under the crossover bridge feeling like were on a space rocket launch, setting up for the quick third gear sweeping left turn six, compromising the track-out so that the fast downhill right, turn seven, can be late apexed for the downhill run on a short straight to left-hand turn eight, a quick burst out of the turn to set up for the long, long right-hand semi-circle carousel, turn nine, taken at about 140 in fourth. Done right, the car slides out to the left edge at exit with a little puff of dust from the outside wheels for a run down a few hundred yard straight into the “flat out,” although a confidence building front end loading lift is strongly recommended, fearsome, right hand “kink,” turn 10. It is a real test of precision and discipline. The run down through Thunder Valley with its gentle swerves and bends rewards keeping your eye in the mirror for faster cars and planning for a possible pass on slower cars. Hard breaking for the right-hand, 3rd gear, turn twelve, while setting up for the under the bridge left hand turn thirteen tracking out on to the right hand apron for a burst down the short straight to the very important right hand fast turn 14 leading to the long uphill straight where again our small block powered car reaches 190+ mph and the big blocks top 220 mph.

Repeat mistake free for about 30 minutes and you have competed in the Historic Can-Am Feature on the great Road America road racing circuit. It is just perhaps the greatest experience in vintage racing.

A Historic Can-Am Lap -by Dan Davis

Dan Davis, winner of Best Can-Am Driver Performance Award, #11 M12 McLaren and Wes McNay, #29 McLaren M8E, Wes owned both cars.

SCCA continued on pg. 60

McLaren Can-Am Car.file photo

Lola T-70.photo by Bob Harrington

photo by Bob Harrington

Lola T163.

20 Years of Experience Providing• Expert Race Preparation• Race Proven Trackside Service• Quality Ground Up Vintage and Historic Race Car Restorations

(203) 270-8441 • 16 Commerce Rd Newton, CT 06470

J.R. and Eileen Mitchell’s

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TIME FOR FUN

60 June 2011 • Victory Lane

SCCA continued from pg. 42

Burnett Special. photo by Bob Pengraph

Lola.photo by Dave Maves

Alexander providing an update. I’ve also attached his recent photo of the #91 Corvette in action.

FYIMike OdellHi Mike. What a nice surprise when I opened

my newest issue of Victory Lane. Enjoyed the story very much indeed.

The car is still running strong and did quite well at Monterey last year. I believe I finished fourth in our group of some 40 cars. No Ferraris ahead of me. Here is a picture that was taken from that event as I round turn #11. Note the new roll bar and lack of tech stickers. Hope all is well and keep a lookout for pictures.

Thanks,LesPam: Mike and Les what a great huge, small

world vintage racing is. It is great to hear that the car is still admired and raced!

Dear Pam,OOPS I started the article about windshields

failing at LeMans by saying it was June of 1968. It actually was June of 1967, the last year of

the big Ford effort. Sorry, but at age 77 things don’t come out of the dumpster of my mind like they used to. Thanks to Curt Vogt of Cobra Automotive for being the first of many to point out my little error.

Larry DentPam: Larry, your Rearview Mirror articles are

well read and enjoyed by this community. Keep up the good work…and like much in history…don’t let the facts get in the way of a marvelous story! As an aside, we found Jack Passino’s son in Texas. More to come.

Pam,I race with CVAR and last year the HCICA

cars visited us and one of them had a Hilton decal on the side of the engine cowling. I wanted to duplicate that decal for my car and was wondering if you could get in touch with the owner.

Thanks for your help,HerbHHilton@pssd.comPam: Help this guy out please email him or

better yet send a few his way.

Good Morning Pam,Just got back from Road Atlanta on Monday

and the latest VL issue was delivered with the held mail yesterday. Couldn’t help but notice as I flipped though it with my morning coffee the

placement of our ad. Very nice. Cover shot, Bob’s article, VL Vee series ad: you guys are on a roll. I think the VSCDA crowd is bringing a whole truckload of Vees to VIR.

Have we got our picture uploading app. Working? I don’t have many pictures yet, but they should be rolling in soon. I do have a few great shots of the runners for our relay race Friday afternoon. I’ll be assembling a packet of entrants, cheat sheet for car #’s, and results and will get that off by next week.

I guess I need to update our ad with a spot color one. I’ll check with Mike and get back to you on that one.

Keep up the good work.Sandra Jackson Registrar, VDCAPam: We all thank you Sandy for the kind

words. Your colorful advert is very visible and well liked. Keep me posted as to any modifications. Perhaps a new event to add.

Letters continued from pg. 11

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VDCA at Roebling Road Raceway, GA

AZ/SCCA atPhoenix Int’l Raceway, AZ

VARA at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, CA

March 2011 - VOLUME 26, NO. 3 $4 USA $5 CANADA

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Gregg YoungCars of the Original Can-Am

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McLaren M8RMcLaren M12McLaren M20Porsche 906Porsche 908Porsche 910Porsche 917KPorsche 917PAPorsche 917-10Porsche 917-30Shelby Can-AmSting GW1Shadow AVSShadow MkIIShadow MkIIIShadow DN2Shadow DN4Stanton Special