OldRacingCars.com

Can-Am Challenge Race

Road Atlanta, 19 Aug 1984

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Jim Crawford March 847 [03] - Chevrolet V8
#0 RK Racing/United Breweries
50 1h 09m 08.085s
109.352 mph
2 Horst Kroll Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] - Chevrolet V8
#37 Horst Kroll Racing (see note 1)
49 1h 09m 12.915s
3 John Gunn Phoenix 84 [JG-1-001 GTP] - Chevrolet V8
#39 Phoenix Racing (see note 2)
48
4 Ron Canizares (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 812 [9] - Hart 420R
#8 Meric Trucking (see note 3)
48
5 Rod Cusumano (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 822 - BMW M12/7
#7 RGC Financial (see note 4)
45
6 Peter Greenfield (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT4/82 [334] - Hart 420R
#41 Greenfield Industries
45
7 Jim Cooke Lola T333CS [HU11] - Chevrolet V8
#11 Sylvestre-Canadian Spirit
44
8 Armando Trentini (Sports racing) 2-litre Osella PA9B/84 [126] - BMW M12/7
#22 Fiorano/Houston Can-Am Racers Inc.
(see note 5)
44
9 Tod Tuttle Chevron B51 [51-80-01] - Chevrolet V8
#51 Mid-Ohio Motorpsorts (see note 6)
41
10 Bill Tempero Theodore TY02 [1?] - Chevrolet V8
#3 Tri-Pak/Zena Jeans
34
11 Mark Rose Lola T332 [T330 HU16] - Chevrolet V8
#17 Texas American Race Team (see note 7)
25
12 Michael Roe VDS 002 - Chevrolet V8
#2 Texas Barbecue Sauce [Dallas Motorsports Inc.]
(see note 8)
16 Accident
13 Kim Campbell (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 832 [20] - BMW M12/7 Heidegger
#44 Mitchell/Won Race Place
16 Accident
  Enrique Mansilla (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 822 - BMW M12/7
#4 Different Drummer Racing (see note 9)
On entry list
  Eddie Wachs (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Toleman TG280 [03] - Hart 420R
#6 AUSCA (see note 10)
On entry list
  David Locke (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-March 77B - Hart 420R
#12 LockeSport (see note 11)
On entry list
  Randy Zimmer (Can-Am 2l) 2.6-litre Rondel M1 [201] - Mazda 13B twin rotor
#14 Output Improvements (see note 12)
On entry list
  Drake Olson Frissbee GR3 [Lola T332 HU53] - Chevrolet V8
#31 Race Power (see note 13)
On entry list
  Bertil Roos (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Marguey CA82 [March 782] - Hart 420R
#69 Elite Racing
On entry list
  John Macaluso Lola T333CS [T332 HU45] - Chevrolet V8
#84 M & H/Superior Lubricants
(see note 14)
On entry list

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

Qualifying
1 Michael Roe (Can-Am) 5-litre VDS 002 - Chevrolet V8 1m 12.237s
2 Jim Crawford (Can-Am) 5-litre March 847 [03] - Chevrolet V8 1m 16.089s
3 Kim Campbell (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 832 [20] - BMW M12/7 Heidegger 1m 16.679s
4 Horst Kroll (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] - Chevrolet V8 1m 17.687s
5 John Gunn (Can-Am) 5-litre Phoenix 84 [JG-1-001 GTP] - Chevrolet V8 1m 20.425s
6 Peter Greenfield (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre Cicale-Ralt RT4/82 [334] - Hart 420R 1m 20.241s
7 Rod Cusumano (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 822 - BMW M12/7 1m 22.019s
8 Ron Canizares (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 812 [9] - Hart 420R 1m 23.007s
9 Tod Tuttle (Can-Am) 5-litre Chevron B51 [51-80-01] - Chevrolet V8 1m 23.96s
10 Bill Tempero (Can-Am) 5-litre Theodore TY02 [1?] - Chevrolet V8 1m 24.384s
11 Armando Trentini (Sports racing) 2-litre Osella PA9B/84 [126] - BMW M12/7 1m 25.738s
12 Jim Cooke (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T333CS [HU11] - Chevrolet V8 1m 26.128s
13 Mark Rose (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332 [T330 HU16] - Chevrolet V8 1m 30.571s

Notes on the cars:

  1. Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] (Horst Kroll): See full history: Lola T330 HU2.
  2. Phoenix 84 [JG-1-001 GTP] (John Gunn): Martin Spetz noted "'83 JG-1-001 GTP" against Gunn's "Phoenix 84" at Road Atlanta in 1984, positively identifying it as the same JG1 that Gunn drove in IMSA GTP events in 1983 and 1984. At Green Valley in Oct 1984, Gunn's car is listed as Phoenix 85 and this may have been a new car.
  3. March 812 [9] (Ron Canizares): Martin Spetz observed the number '812-009' on Canizares' March 812-Hart at Road Atlanta in 1984.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Chevron B51 [51-80-01] (Tod Tuttle): Martin Spetz observed the number 'B51-80-01' on Tuttle's Chevron at Road Atlanta in 1984.
  7. Lola T332 [T330 HU16] (Mark Rose): See full history: Lola T330 HU16.
  8. VDS 002 (Michael Roe): New for the VDS team in 1982 and raced that season by Al Holbert, but exactly when he used VDS-001 and when he used VDS-002 is still uncertain. Acquired by Norwood-Walker Racing for 1983, together with the brand new VDS-003, but VDS-003 was destroyed at its first race. VDS-002 was driven by Michael Roe in 1983. The team was renamed Dallas Motorsports Inc for 1984 and VDS-002 was modified to side-radiator form for 1984, joined later by a new car VDS-004 in normal front-radiator form. Roe dominated the season, winning seven races. VDS-002 reappeared once more at Mosport Park at the start of 1985 when Dallas Motorsports boss Don Walker crashed it heavily in practice. The car remained dismantled for some time while Jack Smith repaired the monocoque. Dallas Motorsports cars and equipment were sold to Frank D'Aquanno (Monterey, CA) in 1987, and in 1989 VDS-002 was restored and sold to Jimmy Landrum (Dallas, TX). In August 2014, Craig McCormick reported that this car was "in a private collection in the Dallas, TX area, completely restored".
  9. March 822 (Enrique Mansilla): 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.
  10. Toleman TG280 [03] (Eddie Wachs): 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 LondoƱo. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Frissbee GR3 [Lola T332 HU53] (Drake Olson): See full history: Lola T332 HU53.
  14. Lola T333CS [T332 HU45] (John Macaluso): See full history: Lola T332 HU45.

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.