Can-Am Challenge Race

Mosport Park, 9 Sep 1984

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

Notes on the cars:

1. VDS 004 (Michael Roe): Built up by Dallas Motorsports for 1984, using components built by VDS before the team was sold to Norwood-Walker Racing. Raced by Michael Roe in 1984, winning most of its races. Reappeared when used in the filming of a Peugeot TV commercial at Riverside in 1986. Raced in CAT in 1987 by Stuart Baumgard.
2. Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] (Horst Kroll): See full history: Lola T330 HU2.
3. Photon JH2 [March 78B-15] (Jeremy Hill): Jeremy Hill's 1984-86 'Photon' was based on a March 78B Formula Atlantic car but fitted with a 2-litre Hart 420R engine, and a Frissbee-inspired body. A later advert for the car on Race-cars.com gives the car as March 78B/15, an ex-Brack car used for a season by Hill in Formula Atlantic before being converted to Can-Am spec.
4. Lola T333CS [T332 HU45] (John Macaluso): See full history: Lola T332 HU45.
5. March 822 (Rod Cusumano): Greg Sorrentino's Different Drummer Racing ran a sports car bodied March 822 for Enrique Mansilla in Can-Am racing in early 1984. After three races, he left the team, and the car was taken over by Rod Cusumano (Summit, NJ). The March then remained with Sorrentino until February 1988, when it was sold to British GT racer Eddie McLurg, and raced in the Thundersports race at Snetterton in July 1988, where it was disqualified in a dispute over its allowed weight. McLurg ran the car as a F2 in 1989, winning the British libre series, but then refitted the Can-Am bodywork to use it in Interserie from 1989 to 1992. It was later used in libre racing as a F2, then in EuroBOSS up to 1998. In April 2019, it was still sitting in McLurg's garage, partly dismantled.
6. Cicale-March 77B (David Locke): Rick Koehler (Milwaukee, WI) raced an Excalibur EE2B in Formula Atlantic in 1978, with sponsorship from Brooks Stevens. The car was essentially a March 77B and was described as ex-Shierson and ex-Brack in adverts in late 1978 and 1979. It was leased to Joe Castellano for the Long Beach race in April 1979, and then sat unused until August 1980 when it was sold to David Locke (Cambridge City, IN). Locke fitted the car with 79B bodywork and Bobsy fenders so that it could be used in Can-Am racing, using an 1850cc Hart BDA engine and Hewland FT200 gearbox. In October 1981, Locke ordered a Kevlar Cicale body for the car, and used it in this form in 1982 and 1983, but without success. He acquired a Hart 420R engine from Jim Trueman for 1984 and raced the car in Can-Am and then CAT until 1987. Chris Townsend advises that it was sold to Lee Johnson in Colorado in April 1988, and was still with Johnson in 2012.
7. Osella PA9B/84 [126] (Armando Trentini): Martin Spetz observed the number 'Osella PA9B/84-126' on Trentini's Osella at Road Atlanta in 1984. As Mancini's car was also entered by Fiorano Sports Cars of Houston, as Trentini's had been, it is assumed to be the same car.
8. Chevron B24 [24-73-05B] (Rupert Bragg-Smith): Built for 1974 season. James Dunkel: raced in US 1974, US 1975 (1 race + 1 DNS) - Ed Kaprowicz August 1976: raced in US 1976 (1 race), SCCA FA 1977, SCCA FA 1978 - Steve Bollinger January 1982 - Randy Reso April 1982 - Rupert Bragg-Smith December 1982: raced in Can-Am 1983 (2 races), Can-Am 1984 (2 races), Can-Am 1985 (1 race) - Jack Boxstrom December 1987 - Dick Leppla December 1992: raced at HSR Mid-Ohio July 1994 - Jack Boxstrom (again) of RM Auctions, Inc. (Canada) February 1997 - Albert Way (Oceanview, NJ) Feb 2001 - Philip Jewell (Rushcutters Bay, NSW, Australia) May 2012 - Dean Camm (Melbourne, Australia) December 2016.
9. March 812 [9] (Ron Canizares): Martin Spetz observed the number '812-009' on Canizares' March 812-Hart at Road Atlanta in 1984.
10. Rondel M1 [201] (Randy Zimmer): The prototype Rondel was used for testing in late 1972, before the first production cars were built. It was taken to Hockenheim 8 April 1973 as team spare, and to Pau as a spare for Tim Schenken, but not raced. Its history is then unknown until 1974, and it appears it has been acquired by Fred Opert to use as a set of spares. After Mike Rand crashed his car, wrecking the monocoque, 201 was supplied to Ron Ignatowski (Milford, CT), who rebuilt Rand's car on 201's tub with a BRM 1-litre engine and used it in SCCA Formula C. In 1980 it was sold to Randy Zimmer (Buffalo, NY) as the basis for his Can-Am car. He raced it with a Volkswagen engine in 1982 and then with a Mazda rotary engine from 1983 to 1986. Zimmer then entered it for Jim Del Russo in the 1987 CAT championship, and raced it a few more times himself in 1989, 1990 and 1994. Then retained for many years until Zimmer sold it to Seann Burgess (Markdale, Ontario) in 2019.
11. March 77S [77ST-1] (Byron Walker): 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.
12. Toleman T850 [HU2-2] (Enrique Mansilla): New to Docking Spitzley for Kenny Acheson to race in F2 in 1981. Identified by Autosport as Acheson's car at Silverstone in March, and presumably the same car used up to his accident at Pau. The car at Pau was a write off, but at the start of 1982, Autosport reported that Carlo Rossi was racing the ex-Acheson chassis with revised bodywork for the Docking Spitzley team. Sold to Eddie Wachs' Ausca Racing when the F2 season ended in August, and fitted with fenders by Docking for Can-Am racing. Wachs' regular car in 1982, and also used by him in 1983 and early 1984. Also driven by Cheryl Glass, Bill Alsup and Wally Dallenbach in 1984. The car is then unknown until June 1994, when Frank Zucchi (Livermore, CA) raced it in a San Francisco Region SCCA vintage event at Thunderhill Raceway Park. Raced by Zucchi in VARA events later that year. Next seen just over a year later, when it was bought by Paul Flowers (Dothan, Alabama) from Robert W. Keelips (Deland, FL) in February 1996. Flowers entered it as a #17 1980 Toleman F2 at the 5th Annual Jefferson 500 at Summit Point in May 1996. He also raced it in the SVRA Zippo Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen in 1999. Seen again in 2004, by which time it was being prepared for him by Lee Chapman. Reported to have been raced until 2010, and then sold to Takuya Arai (New Paltz, NY) who only uses it for track days.
13. Toleman TG280 [03] (Wally Dallenbach): New to Docking Spitzley Racing for Huub Rothengatter to race in F2 in 1980. Raced once by John Lewis in the Aurora series at the end of that season. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1981 when it was run by Bob Salisbury for Ricardo Londoño. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1982 when it was rebuilt with new rear suspension and "totally new bodywork" for Thierry Tassin to drive. Sold to Eddie Wachs' Ausca Racing at the end of the F2 season, and converted to Can-Am specification for Horst Kwech to drive. Retained for 1983, when it was raced by Wachs. Retained again for 1984, when it was driven by Wachs, Bill Alsup, and Enrique Mansilla. Subsequent history unresolved.
14. Williams FW07C [15] (Walter Lechner): Built new in 1981, Williams FW07C/15 was raced by Alan Jones at Monaco, and by Keke Rosberg at Long Beach in 1982. It was then sold to Colin Bennett Racing and fitted with a 3.8-litre DFV for Mike Wilds to race in the 1983 British Open series. Wilds won the first race, only for the series to be cancelled. The car was converted to Can-Am spec for 1984, but was wrecked by Walter Lechner at Trois-Rivières. Rebuilt on a new chassis, it was a rental car in Interserie before being crashed again. Lechner sold it to an American who raced it in US historic racing (HGP) from 1992 to 1995. Five subsequent owners have raced it in HGP, TGP and Masters F1.
15. March 74B/77B [10] (Mauro Lanaro): The early history of this car is unknown, but it may be the car raced by Gilles Léger (Lachute, Quebec) from Mosport Park in July 1974 onwards. By 1980 it was owned by Bob Roy ( Montréal, Quebec, Canada) and was being used in Can-Am. The car later went to Mauro Lanaro (Montréal, Quebec), and was raced by him in Can-Am then CAT races from 1984 to 1987. At some point, Lanaro found the monocoque had bent due to the Can-Am car's downforce, and replaced the tub with that of 74B/12. The tub and associated parts from 74B/10 remained with Lanaro until he sold his remaining stock to David Clubine (Brantford, Ontario) in 2018.

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.