OldRacingCars.com

Can-Am Challenge Race

Caesars Palace, 16 Oct 1981

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Danny Sullivan Frissbee - Chevrolet V8
#4 Garvin Brown Racing
38 54m 28.962s
94.912 mph
2 Teo Fabi March 817 - Chevrolet V8
#6 Paul Newman Racing
38 54m 31.209s
3 Geoff Brabham VDS 001 - Chevrolet V8
#3 Racing Team V.D.S. (see note 1)
38
4 Bobby Rahal March 817 - Chevrolet V8
#5 Paul Newman Racing
38
5 John Morton Frissbee - Chevrolet V8
#46 Phil Conte/CGI Racing
38
6 Tom Klausler Frissbee - Chevrolet V8
#8 U.S. Racing [Herb Caplan]
38
7 Al Holbert Holbert CAC-2 - Chevrolet V8
#14 CRC Chemicals
37
8 Jeff Wood Lola T530 [HU2 or HU10] - Chevrolet V8
#1 Carl Haas Racing Team (see note 2)
37
9 Randy Lewis Holbert CAC-1 - Chevrolet V8
#2 Cribari
36
10 Jim Trueman (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Ralt RT2/79 [153] - Hart 420R
#25 Red Roof Inns
36
11 Robb Woltring Frissbee-Lola T333CS - Chevrolet V8
#47 Western Fleet
35
12 Richard Guider (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt - Hart 420R
#68 Elite Racing
35
13 Tim Evans (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT1½ [RT1-106] - Ford BDG
#51 Red Roof Inns
34
14 John Graham (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT1 - Ford BDG
#77 Midland Racing (see note 3)
34
15 John Gunn Lola T332/T333 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8
#39 Gunn's Goodies (see note 4)
34
16 Michael L. Allen Lola T332 ["33-790"] - Chevrolet V8
#59 Allen Racing
9 Engine
17 Rocky Moran Frissbee [GR2] - Chevrolet V8
#15 Brad Frisselle
7 Engine
18 Graham McRae McRae GM9 - Chevrolet V8
#22 Circus Circus Hotel
2 Halfshaft

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

Qualifying
1 Danny Sullivan (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee - Chevrolet V8 1m 22.751s
2 Geoff Brabham (Can-Am) 5-litre VDS 001 - Chevrolet V8
3 Teo Fabi (Can-Am) 5-litre March 817 - Chevrolet V8
4 Bobby Rahal (Can-Am) 5-litre March 817 - Chevrolet V8
5 Tom Klausler (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee - Chevrolet V8
6 Al Holbert (Can-Am) 5-litre Holbert CAC-2 - Chevrolet V8
7 John Morton (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee - Chevrolet V8
8 Rocky Moran (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee [GR2] - Chevrolet V8
9 Jeff Wood (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T530 [HU2 or HU10] - Chevrolet V8
10 Randy Lewis (Can-Am) 5-litre Holbert CAC-1 - Chevrolet V8
11 Graham McRae (Can-Am) 5-litre McRae GM9 - Chevrolet V8
12 Michael L. Allen (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332 ["33-790"] - Chevrolet V8
13 John Gunn (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332/T333 [HU47] - Chevrolet V8
14 Robb Woltring (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee-Lola T333CS - Chevrolet V8
15 Jim Trueman (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Ralt RT2/79 [153] - Hart 420R
16 Richard Guider (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt - Hart 420R
17 Tim Evans (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT1½ [RT1-106] - Ford BDG
18 John Graham (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT1 - Ford BDG

Notes on the cars:

  1. VDS 001 (Geoff Brabham): New for the VDS team in 1981 and raced by Geoff Brabham, winning from pole first time out at Edmonton in August 1981. Raced with great success by Geoff Brabham in 1981 and then by Al Holbert in 1982 alongside a new car VDS-002. Sold to Jerry Hansen for 1983 and 1984, winning the ASR class at the Runoffs both years. Bought by John Foulston for 1985 but presented by him at the time as a rebuild of the standard T530 that he had raced in 1984. As part of this, it was fitted with the chassis plate of Foulston's previous Lola T530 HU10. VDS-001 then raced by Foulston and his co-drivers in UK Thundersports from 1985 until his death in 1987. Sold at auction by the Foulston estate in 1997 when the car still wore the HU10 chassis plate and no mention was made of its life as VDS-001. Bought by dealer and racer Nick Whale (Evesham, Worcestershire) 1997 and run by him at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1998. Sold to Don Braaten (Janesville, WI) 2000.
  2. Lola T530 [HU2 or HU10] (Jeff Wood): Built July 1980 and invoiced to Bobby Rahal for Herb Caplan's U.S. Racing but the team decided to focus on their existing Prophet Can-Am cars and HU10 was returned to Carl Haas. It then appears to have gone to VDS as a backup car after their HU3 was wrecked at Road America in July 1980. If so, it is not known whether it was raced. Carl Haas then acquired the car again to replace HU2, after that car was wrecked at Watkins Glen in 1981 by Jeff Wood. Sold to John Foulston (Dunsfold, Surrey) in 1982 together with HU1 for use in Thundersports. When Foulton's car first appeared, it had red livery almost identical to Wood's usual car and with the same high rollhoop that only appeared on Wood's 1981 car(s). In September 1983, this car was observed to be wearing the HU10 chassis plate. Raced by Foulston and co-drivers HSCC Chairman Brian Cocks and John Brindley in Thundersports during 1983 and 1984. At that point Foulston wanted to modify the T530 to VDS form but too many modifications were required and the project was abandoned. Instead Foulston bought VDS-001 from Carl Haas and transferred the T530 HU10 plate onto it, inferring that he had modified HU10. After Foulston's death, his family sold the car to David Brazell (Towcester, Northamptonshire) 1996.
  3. Cicale-Ralt RT1 (John Graham): Hugh Kleinpeter (Key Biscayne, FL/Hiawassee, GA) had a Cicale-bodied Ralt RT1 for Can-Am in 1979, but only appeared once, at Road America in July where he failed to start. He retained the car for 1980, again appearing only once in Can-Am, at Road Atlanta in September, but also appeared at least once in SCCA Nationals, scoring six points in Southeast Division A Sports Racing. For 1981, the car was sold to John Graham (Willowdale, Ontario) and entered by Midland Racing Enterprises for him in three Can-Am races that season. He returned for 1982, but after competing in two early-season races, the car was not seen until driven by Scott Goodyear at Mosport Park in September. The Cicale-Ralt then went to Chuck Storrie, who installed a Chevrolet V6 engine for the 1983 Can-Am season. Mike Freberg drove the car for Storrie Racing but it did not prove competitive with the 5-litre cars in its class. Freberg drove it again in early 1984 as a Mike Freberg Racing entry. Subsequent history unknown, but this may be the ex-Cicale Ralt RT1 that later turned up in Northern Ireland.
  4. Lola T332/T333 [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.