Can-Am Challenge Race

Mont-Tremblant, 25 Jun 1978

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T332 [HU46] (Michael L. Allen): See full history: Lola T332 HU46.
2. March 76A [2] (Dean Dietrich): For Doug Shierson using monocoque 'M76A:01' and gearbox DG300-445 and fitted with 5-litre Bartz-Chevrolet for US F5000 series. Run by Sid Taylor and driven by Alan Jones. First run at Silverstone 9 Jun 1976. Jones won on his debut at Watkins Glen on 11 Jul but drove a Lola T332C at the next race and the March was handed over to Bruce Allison, who failed to start. The car reappeared back in Shierson's possession at Riverside on 17 Oct, driven by Maurizio Flammini. The Italian qualified 13th but retired early from both his heat and the final with mechanical problems. To Dean Dietrich: raced in Can-Am 1978 (4 races); Can-Am 1979 (4 races). Dean recalls selling the car to someone in Texas but does not remember the name. Subsequent history unknown.
3. Lola T332 [HU47] (John Gunn): See full history: Lola T332 HU47.
4. Lola T332/Riley [HU33] (Bob Nagel): See full history: Lola T332 HU33.
5. March 73S [14] (E. B. Lunken): Sold new to Henry Candler (Lakewood, CO) and used by him in a few British sport car races in May and June 1973, before he took it back to the US for SCCA racing in the BSR class. Candler soon decided the car was too quick for him, and he sold the car to his cousin, Edmund Backus Lunken (Cincinnati, Ohio), who entered his cars as E. B. Lunken, and was known to his friends as Ebby. Lunken first raced the car in 1977, then used it in the Can-Am series from 1978 to 1982. There has been some debate over the engine used in the 73S during this time, with some reports that it was a Ford, and others that it was a BMW. Irv Zwicker, who built engine for Ebby, says Lunken used BMW engine with Heidegger rods, Kugelfischer fuel injection and a proprietary intake cam. Lunken still had the car in 2006.
6. Lola T332 [HU30] (Al Holbert): See full history: Lola T332 HU30.
7. Lola T330 [HU2] (Howard Kelly): See full history: Lola T330 HU2.
8. Lola T294 [T292 HU65] (Rick Villate): 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.

Sources

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' original 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.