OldRacingCars.com

Can-Am Challenge Race

Mosport Park, 21 Aug 1977

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Patrick Tambay Lola T333CS [HU6] - Chevrolet V8
#1 Carl A. Haas Racing Teams, Ltd.
58 1h 16m 31.714s
111.819 mph
2 George Follmer Lola T332C [HU56] - Chevrolet V8
#8 U.S. Racing [Herb Caplan]
58 1h 17m 39.748s
3 Peter Gethin Lola T333CS [HU2] - Chevrolet V8
#4 Racing Team VDS
58 1h 17m 40.157s
4 Elliot Forbes-Robinson Lola T333CS [HU4] - Chevrolet V8
#40 Bill Freeman Racing
58 1h 17m 46.027s
5 Horst Kroll Lola T300 [HU15] - Chevrolet V8
#37 Team Canada
56
6 Don Breidenbach Lola T333CS ["33-790"] - Chevrolet V8
#77 Briggs Racing
56
7 John David Briggs Lola T333CS ["33-673"] - Chevrolet V8
#71 Briggs Racing
56
8 Mike Hall (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T294 [HU75] - Ford
#69 United Racing Ltd. (see note 1)
52
9 Leonard Janke (G6) 5-litre McLaren M6B/M8 [M6B 50-09(B)] - Chevrolet V8
#56 Janke Auto Co. (see note 2)
51
10 S Peter Smith (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B19 [71-6] - Ford
#54 Red Roof Inns
50
11 Tony Cicale (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B26 - Hart 420R
#47 Anthony Cicale
50
12 Dave Johnson (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU34] - Ford BDG
#60 Dave Johnson
48
13 Bill Phaneuf (Sports racing) 1.8-litre Lola T212 [HU34] - Cosworth FVC
#53
47
14 Warren Purdy (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU27] - Cosworth FVC
#51 Warren Purdy
47
15 Bobby Rahal (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T296 [HU88] - Ford BDX Swindon
#14 Red Roof Inns (see note 3)
41 DNF
16 Chris Bender McBender "McLaren" [Matich A50-003] - Ford Boss 302 V8
#41 Chris Bender
40 Accident
17 John Morton Lola T332/T333 ['K2'] - Chevrolet V8
#46 Morton Racing
38 Stalled in the pits
18 Bobby Brown (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 77S [77ST-1] - Ford
#79 Bob Brown Racing (see note 4)
31 Engine
19 Gilles Villeneuve Wolf WD1 - Chevrolet V8
#2 Walter Wolf Racing
27 Broken halfshaft
20 T. Patrick McGonegle Chevron B24 [24-73-02] - Chevrolet V8
#38 T. Patrick McGonegle (see note 5)
17 Unknown
21 Bob Nagel Lola T332/Riley [HU33] - Chevrolet V8
#9 Nagel Racing (see note 6)
16 Unknown
22 Tom Klausler Schkee DB1 [2] - Chevrolet V8
#7 Schkee Cars
15 Drpped valve
23 David Giorgi (G7) 5-litre Lola T160 [SL160/9] - Chevrolet V8
#86
12 Unknown
24 Tom Bagley Lola T332/Riley - Chevrolet V8
#5
11 Spun, couldn't restart
25 Alan Jones Shadow DN4B - Dodge V8
#0 Phoenix Racing
5 Fuel pump
26 Brian Burgess (Sports racing) 1.6-litre Chevron B21/B23 [72-27] - Ford BDA
#13 Brian Burgess
3 Unknown
DNS Chip Mead Lola T332/Riley - Chevrolet V8
#5 Oftedahl Racing
Did not start
DNS John Gunn Lola T332 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8
#11 Racing Consultants (see note 7)
Did not start

All cars are 5-litre Can-Am unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Patrick Tambay (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU6] - Chevrolet V8 1m 14.542s
2 Elliot Forbes-Robinson (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU4] - Chevrolet V8 1m 14.994s
3 John Morton (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332/T333 ['K2'] - Chevrolet V8 1m 15.862s
4 Peter Gethin (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU2] - Chevrolet V8 1m 15.947s
5 George Follmer (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332C [HU56] - Chevrolet V8 1m 15.951s
6 Gilles Villeneuve (Can-Am) 5-litre Wolf WD1 - Chevrolet V8 1m 15.967s
7 Tom Klausler (Can-Am) 5-litre Schkee DB1 [2] - Chevrolet V8 1m 16.209s
8 Alan Jones (Can-Am) 5-litre Shadow DN4B - Dodge V8 1m 16.284s
9 Don Breidenbach (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS ["33-790"] - Chevrolet V8 1m 17.985s
10 Bob Nagel (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332/Riley [HU33] - Chevrolet V8 1m 18.608s
11 Bobby Rahal (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T296 [HU88] - Ford BDX Swindon 1m 18.622s
12 John David Briggs (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS ["33-673"] - Chevrolet V8 1m 18.876s
13 John Gunn * (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8 1m 19.164s
14 Horst Kroll (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T300 [HU15] - Chevrolet V8 1m 19.35s
15 T. Patrick McGonegle (Can-Am) 5-litre Chevron B24 [24-73-02] - Chevrolet V8 1m 20.701s
16 Tony Cicale (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B26 - Hart 420R 1m 21.507s
17 Leonard Janke (G6) 5-litre McLaren M6B/M8 [M6B 50-09(B)] - Chevrolet V8 1m 22.879s
18 Bobby Brown (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 77S [77ST-1] - Ford 1m 23.402s
19 Mike Hall (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T294 [HU75] - Ford 1m 23.846s
20 Tom Bagley (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332/Riley - Chevrolet V8 1m 24.33s
21 Chris Bender (Can-Am) 5-litre McBender "McLaren" [Matich A50-003] - Ford Boss 302 V8 1m 25.086s
22 S Peter Smith (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B19 [71-6] - Ford 1m 27.368s
23 Brian Burgess (Sports racing) 1.6-litre Chevron B21/B23 [72-27] - Ford BDA 1m 28.999s
24 Dave Johnson (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU34] - Ford BDG 1m 29.333s
25 David Giorgi (G7) 5-litre Lola T160 [SL160/9] - Chevrolet V8 1m 35.371s
26 Warren Purdy (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU27] - Cosworth FVC 1m 44.692s
27 Bill Phaneuf (Sports racing) 1.8-litre Lola T212 [HU34] - Cosworth FVC 2m 02.69s
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Lola T294 [HU75] (Mike Hall): Mike Hall bought a new Lola T294 in 1974 for use in SCCA BSR racing. He was highly successful in the car at National level, winning the Run-Offs in 1975, and also competed in the Can-Am series from 1977 to 1980. The car was then sold to Chuck Storrie in Quebec and entered for 'Uncle' Jacques Villeneuve in Can-Am in 1982. It was bought from Storrie by Bob Roy for the 1983 season. Bob recalls selling it back to the US to somewhere in the Great Lakes area. The SCCA log book next records it being raced by Joe Graziano in vintage racing in Oct 1993. Sold by Graziano to Peter Read about 2008 and then to Steve Read in 2010. Prepared by Pete Racely (Sports Racing, Inc.) for the 2011 season. At the beginning fo the 2012 season, HU75 was being raced by Mike Thurlow (Kingsburg, CA).
  2. McLaren M6B/M8 [M6B 50-09(B)] (Leonard Janke): One of two cars to have stemmed from a McLaren M6B chassis 50-09. This car was originally raced by Jerry Titus in 1968 but wrecked prior to the Fuji race and rebuilt on a new M6B tub. This second iteration was then crashed by Jay Hills and rebuilt on a M12 tub. The tub from Hills' crash was later sold Keith Germane and built up as a M12 and then rebuilt as a M8 before being sold to Leonard Janke for the 1974 Can-Am. Janke drove this car again in the 1977 Can-Am. It is described as 50-09(B) here as was the second iteration of this divided car.
  3. Lola T296 [HU88] (Bobby Rahal): Sold new by Carl Haas to James Trueman of red Roof Inns (Columbus, OH), and supplied with a Swindon BDX engine. Raced by Trueman in Can-Am but also by Bobby Rahal in two Canadian Can-Am events. Raced again by Trueman in Cam-Am in early 1978. Sold at some point to Rahal's father Michael G. Rahal who sold it to John Timken (Lyme, CT) in July 1978. Timken raced it for the rest of that season and into 1979. Marcus Pye recalls that Timken crashed it at some point but kept the damaged car for many years. In the late 1990s, Timken sold it to Fred Kaimer (Concord, CA) who raced it in vintage events. Still being raced by Kaimer in 2013. Sold to Bobby Rahal in 2021.
  4. March 77S [77ST-1] (Bobby Brown): Built new for 1974, fitted with a BMW engine and entered by March Engineering for Jean Ragnotti in the European 2-litre Sports Car championship, with Antar sponsorship. Fitted with a Richardson FVC after the first few races, and later with a Cosworth BDG. Retained by March for 1975, fitted with a Hart 420R engine, updated to 75S specification and plated as '75S-U2' for John Lepp to race. The car was retained again for 1976, now to 76S specification and reportedly using the identity '76S-1', now raced by Lepp as part of the Ultramar team. Sold to Bobby Brown (Hicksville, NY) for the 1977 Can-Am season, now using the identity '77ST-1'. Sold to Greg Sorrentino (Troy, Michigan) and raced in 1979. In 1980, it was converted to centre-seat specification with a new body fabricated by Dave Craddock and campaigned in this form by Sorrentino in 1981, described as a March 802. To Charlie Monk (Sarnia, Ontario) for 1982, and then via John Adams Racing & John Kalagian to J. Byron Walker (Detroit, Michigan). Raced by Walker in 1983 and 1984 before being stored. Walker later acquired the 1977 bodywork from EB Lunken, who had used it on his March 73S, and found Lepp's Ultramar livery under the layers of paint. In 2013, Walker was in the process of restoring the car to its 1975 specification.
  5. Chevron B24 [24-73-02] (T. Patrick McGonegle): New for 1973 season. Doug Shierson for Peter Gethin: raced in UK 1973 (won Race of Champions) and US 1973. To Roger Bighouse (Eastlake, OH): raced in US 1974 (7 races); US 1975 (4 races + 1 DNS) - Pat McGonegle (Cincinnati, OH): raced in US 1976 (1 race) and Can-Am 1977 (4 races + 1 DNS); probably the car entered by McGonegle as 'Mannix MX-2' in Can-Am 1978; advertised April 1979 - Danny Johnson (Kewanee, IL) 1979: raced in Can-Am 1979 (1 race), Can-Am 1981 (5 races), Can-Am 1982 (6 races) - Brian R Taylor (now Clive, Iowa) for Mike Engstrand (Des Moines, Iowa): raced in Can-Am 1985 (3 races) - Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) - Anthony Taylor (Blackburn, UK) 2001: due to be rebuilt and raced in FORCE Historic F5000 series (UK) 2001. Then unknown until owned by Greg Thornton in 2011 and raced in UK and New Zealand 2011/12. Badly damaged in a fire at Thornton's garage in June 2012 but completely reconstructed.
  6. Lola T332/Riley [HU33] (Bob Nagel): See full history: Lola T332 HU33.
  7. Lola T332 [HU47] (John Gunn): See full history: Lola T332 HU47.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.