OldRacingCars.com

Can-Am Challenge Race

Mont-Tremblant, 12 Jun 1977

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Tom Klausler Schkee DB1 [1] - Chevrolet V8
#6 Schkee Cars
52 1h 37m 06.83s
85.137 mph
2 John Gunn Lola T332 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8
#11 Racing Consultants (see note 1)
51
3 Horst Kroll Lola T300 [HU15] - Chevrolet V8
#37 Team Canada (see note 2)
50
4 Dave Johnson (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU34] - Ford BDG
#60 Dave Johnson
49
5 Peter Gethin Lola T333CS [HU2] - Chevrolet V8
#4 Racing Team VDS
49
6 S Peter Smith (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B19 [71-6] - Ford
#54 Red Roof Inns
48
7 Tex Arnold (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T294 [HU78] - Hart 420R
#99 Car Shop Enterprises
48
8 Dean Dietrich (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T292 [HU65] - Ford BDG Richardson
#43? Richardson Racing Engines (see note 3)
47
9 Tony Cicale (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B26 - Hart 420R
#47 Anthony Cicale
46
10 Leonard Janke (G6) 5-litre McLaren M6B/M8 [M6B 50-09(B)] - Chevrolet V8
#56 Janke Auto Co. (see note 4)
45
11 Bob Nagel Lola T332/Riley [HU33] - Chevrolet V8
#9 Nagel Racing (see note 5)
37 DNF
12 Randy Lewis Shadow DN4B - Dodge V8
#0? Phoenix Racing
36
13 Bobby Brown (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 77S [77ST-1] - Ford
#79 Bob Brown Racing (see note 6)
DNF
14 Elliot Forbes-Robinson Lola T333CS [HU4] - Chevrolet V8
#40 Bill Freeman Racing
DNF
15 Gary Hirsch (sports racing) 3-litre Porsche 908/02 [017]
#39 R & H Racing
DNF
16 Chris Amon Wolf WD1 - Chevrolet V8
#2?
DNF
17 Brian Burgess (Sports racing) 1.6-litre Chevron B21/B23 [72-27] - Ford BDA
#13 Brian Burgess
DNF
DNS Brian Redman Lola T332CS - Chevrolet V8
Did not start
(Accident in practive)
DNA John David Briggs Lola T333CS ["33-673"] - Chevrolet V8
#71 Briggs Racing
Did not arrive
DNA Don Breidenbach Lola T333CS ["33-790"] - Chevrolet V8
#77 Briggs Racing
Did not arrive

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

Qualifying
1 Tom Klausler (Can-Am) 5-litre Schkee DB1 [1] - Chevrolet V8 1m 38.273s
2 Chris Amon (Can-Am) 5-litre Wolf WD1 - Chevrolet V8 1m 38.734s
3 Bob Nagel (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332/Riley [HU33] - Chevrolet V8 1m 39.634s
4 John Gunn (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8 1m 40.168s
5 Randy Lewis (Can-Am) 5-litre Shadow DN4B - Dodge V8 1m 40.597s
6 Tony Cicale (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B26 - Hart 420R 1m 41.845s
7 Bobby Brown (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 77S [77ST-1] - Ford
8 Elliot Forbes-Robinson (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU4] - Chevrolet V8
9 Horst Kroll (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T300 [HU15] - Chevrolet V8 1m 46.844s
10 Dave Johnson (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T290 [HU34] - Ford BDG 1m 48.239s
11 Peter Gethin (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU2] - Chevrolet V8 1m 48.72s
12 Tex Arnold (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T294 [HU78] - Hart 420R 1m 50.048s
13 S Peter Smith (Sports racing) 2-litre Chevron B19 [71-6] - Ford 1m 52.033s
14 Dean Dietrich (Sports racing) 2-litre Lola T292 [HU65] - Ford BDG Richardson 1m 52.594s
15 Brian Burgess (Sports racing) 1.6-litre Chevron B21/B23 [72-27] - Ford BDA 1m 55.906s
16 Leonard Janke (G6) 5-litre McLaren M6B/M8 [M6B 50-09(B)] - Chevrolet V8 1m 55.906s
17 Gary Hirsch (sports racing) 3-litre Porsche 908/02 [017] - Porsche

Notes on the cars:

  1. Lola T332 [HU47] (John Gunn): See full history: Lola T332 HU47.
  2. Lola T300 [HU15] (Horst Kroll): Invoice date 30 Mar 1972 (sold to 'Haas', colour 'Yellow'). Horst Kroll (Canada) US 1972-1974; driven by Bert Kuehne US 1975 (5 races); Kroll US 1976; damaged in crash at Watkins Glen but rebuilt and converted to Can-Am. Kroll Can-Am 1977; rental car thereafter: e.g. Marcel Talbot Can-Am 1978 (1 race: Trois-Rivieres - 04 Sep 1978), Can-Am 1979 (1 entry in "T300": Road Atlanta - 06 May 1979, entry list only); Mike Freberg 1981; Duff Hubbard 1982; John Macaluso 1983; Walter Lechner 1984; Joe DeMarco 1985 and 1986; John Graham 1986. Rebuilt as "Frissbee KR5" for 1986. Mike Engstrand recalls driving Kroll's T300-based Can-Am car at St Louis and Hallet in 1986; used until 1987 - Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) 1989 - Don Jensen (US) about 1998: used extensively in vintage racing still in Can-Am specification until 2007 - Andrew Kluver (Sydney, Australia) August 2007.
  3. Lola T292 [HU65] (Dean Dietrich): The last T292 built went to John Abrahams in South Africa for the 1973 Springbok series. It was co-driven in the series by Charlie Lucas. The car went back to England under the care of Derrick Worthington and was the car raced by Rikki von Opel in the Nürburgring Interserie in June (although that car was listed as a Chevron B26). It was later raced in the Hockenheim 2-litre race in August (Christian Melville), the Brands Hatch 1000 km in September (Worthington and Nigel Clarkson) and at Kyalami in November (Abrahams and Richard Scott). In 1975, it was driven at Le Mans by Worthington and Clarkson and also appeared at the Spa 1000 km and in a couple of UK races. In 1976 it was sold to SCCA driver Dean Dietrich and was used in the revived Can-Am series in 1977. It then went to Rick Villate for two more seasons of Can-Am. To David P. Gough (Atlanta, GA) 1982 and used as a road car. To Ed Swart (Torrance, California) 1997 and then via six other US owners until bought by Cal Meeker (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) in 2013. As its identity was unknown until researched in 2013 by OldRacingCars.com, the car continued to race in Primagaz colours.
  4. 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.
  5. Lola T332/Riley [HU33] (Bob Nagel): See full history: Lola T332 HU33.
  6. 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.

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.