OldRacingCars.com

Canadian American Prototype Thunder Car Race

Milwaukee Mile, 19 Jul 1987

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Bill Tempero March 85C [51] - Chevrolet V8
(see note 1)
110
2 Al Lamb Frissbee GR2 - Chevrolet V8
110
3 Horst Kroll Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] - Chevrolet V8
(see note 2)
108
4 John Macaluso Frissbee GR2 [HU11] - Chevrolet V8
105
5 Jim Gradel March 847 [01] - Chevrolet V8
102
6 Jim Del Russo (Can-Am 2l) 2.6-litre Rondel M1 [201] - Mazda 13B twin rotor
(see note 3)
100
7 Dean Vetrock Lightning 77 - Chevrolet V8
[Dean Vetrock] (see note 4)
99
8 Ray Reimer Lola T332C [HU46] - Chevrolet V8
(see note 5)
95
9 Buddy Lazier March 85C [08] - Chevrolet V8
(see note 6)
92
10 Jim Slack Frissbee-Lola KR5 [Lola T300 HU15] - Chevrolet V8
86
11 Cliff Dawson (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 832 [2] - Hart 420R
84
12 Wayne Rutherford March 85C - Chevrolet V8
51 Engine
13 Bill Scott McKee Mk 18A ['1'] - Chevrolet V8
(see note 7)
47 Overheating
14 Randy Zimmer (Can-Am) 5.9-litre March 83C - Chevrolet 358 ci V8
40 Rear suspension
15 Mike Snow (Can-Am) March 85C [11] - Pontiac
(see note 8)
34 Ignition
16 Herm A. Johnson Yorkshire GR7 - Chevrolet V8
7 Electrics
17 Bill Hill (Can-Am 2l) 2.6-litre Lola T360 - Mazda 13B twin rotor
#73 (see note 9)
0 Engine
DNS Gene Forsthofel Penske PC9B [005] - Chevrolet V8
Did not start
(Engine)
DNS Robert Goulet Lola T332C - Chevrolet V8
Did not start
(Broken crankshaft)

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

Qualifying
1 Buddy Lazier (Can-Am) 5-litre March 85C [08] - Chevrolet V8 27.405s
2 Randy Zimmer (Can-Am) 5.9-litre March 83C - Chevrolet 358 ci V8 27.509s
3 Al Lamb (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee GR2 - Chevrolet V8 27.568s
4 Bill Tempero (Can-Am) 5-litre March 85C [51] - Chevrolet V8 28.411s
5 Horst Kroll (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] - Chevrolet V8 29.241s
6 John Macaluso (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee GR2 [HU11] - Chevrolet V8 30.722s
7 Dean Vetrock (Can-Am) 5-litre Lightning 77 - Chevrolet V8 32.114s
8 Jim Slack (Can-Am) 5-litre Frissbee-Lola KR5 [Lola T300 HU15] - Chevrolet V8 33.307s
9 Jim Gradel (Can-Am) 5-litre March 847 [01] - Chevrolet V8 33.36s
10 Jim Del Russo (Can-Am 2l) 2.6-litre Rondel M1 [201] - Mazda 13B twin rotor 33.41s
11 Ray Reimer (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332C [HU46] - Chevrolet V8 33.612s
12 Robert Goulet * (Can-Am) 5-litre Lola T332C - Chevrolet V8 33.926s
13 Bill Hill (Can-Am 2l) 2.6-litre Lola T360 - Mazda 13B twin rotor 34.652s
14 Herm A. Johnson (Can-Am) 5-litre Yorkshire GR7 - Chevrolet V8 35.315s
15 Cliff Dawson (Can-Am 2l) 2-litre March 832 [2] - Hart 420R 37.892s
16 Wayne Rutherford (Can-Am) 5-litre March 85C - Chevrolet V8
17 Mike Snow (Can-Am) March 85C [11] - Pontiac
18 Bill Scott (Can-Am) 5-litre McKee Mk 18A ['1'] - Chevrolet V8
19 Gene Forsthofel * (Can-Am) 5-litre Penske PC9B [005] - Chevrolet V8
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 85C [51] (Bill Tempero): Bill Tempero's #2 March 85C Can-Am car was identified at Willow Springs in 1987 by Martin Spetz as 85C-51 "ex-Rahal".
  2. Frissbee-Lola KR3 [Lola T330 HU2] (Horst Kroll): See full history: Lola T330 HU2.
  3. Rondel M1 [201] (Jim Del Russo): 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.
  4. Lightning 77 (Dean Vetrock): Chassis "ROMLIN/7" was one of the 1977 Lightnings but its history before it was raced by Bobby Unser for the Teddy Yip/Dan Gurney AAR team in early 1978 is unresolved. It was used for the opening four races of 1978 before being replaced by the team's new Eagle. To Richard Hoffman (Milford, OH) for 1979 and raced by Joe Saldana as the #59 or #69 car during 1979 and 1980. These entry numbers were also used by the team's old 1972 Eagle and exactly how the two cars were used is still to be determined. The Lightning was run in practice at the 1981 Indy 500 with modified sidepods and nose but was crashed by Saldana. It was acquired by Dean Vetrock (Racine, WI) for 1982, but he failed to qualify for the Indy 500 and did not appear in the series again. Vetrock raced this car briefly in the CAT (ex-Can-Am) series in 1987. Four years later, the car was acquired from a Monterey area dealer by a client of Tom Tatalovich Racing Services (Golden Valley, AZ). Tatlovich restored the car to AAR livery, and it was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 1992. Tom recalls that the buyer was from Hilton Head. By 2002, the car was owned by Larry Wharton, who completed a restoration that year. In 2008, it was bought from Wharton by David S. Morrison (Long Beach, CA).
  5. Lola T332C [HU46] (Ray Reimer): See full history: Lola T332 HU46.
  6. March 85C [08] (Buddy Lazier): Buddy Lazier's #19 March 85C Can-Am car was identified at Willow Springs in 1987 by Martin Spetz as 85C-08 "ex-Rahal".
  7. McKee Mk 18A ['1'] (Bill Scott): New for Dick DeJarld (Joliet, IL) in 1972, and raced in SCCA Formula A events. Appeared at the Michigan Pro F5000 event in 1973 but did not qualify from the heat. Raced by DeJarld until sold to Ed Midgley (Geneva, IL) for 1976, when it was also raced by Jerry Hansen at Blackhawk Farms. To Robert Goulet (Wauwatsoa, WI) for 1977, and raced in SCCA Formula A. Goulet converted the McKee to sports car bodywork for 1979, appearing at Brainerd in July that year in the ASR class. Raced in Can-Am in 1980 and 1981, then renamed the "Sabre 001" for Can-Am again in 1983, and again in 1985. To Bob McKee and raced by Bill Scott in CAT races in 1986 and 1987. Then restored to its original specification for new owner Tom Simpson (Peoria, IL), and used in vintage racing, appearing at the Chicago Historic Races at Road America in 1988. It ran alongside several other McKee cars in historic races at Road America in the early 1990s, and also ran at HSR Mid-Ohio in August 1993. After a 20-year gap, Simpson ran the Mk 18 again in historic events in 2006.
  8. March 85C [11] (Mike Snow): Mike Snow's #26 March 85C-Pontiac Can-Am car was identified at Willow Springs in 1987 by Martin Spetz as 85C-11 "ex-Rahal runner Indy '85".
  9. Lola T360 (Bill Hill): Doug Moe (Bremerton, WA) owned a Lola T360 in the 1980s, which had been fitted with sports car bodywork and a Mazda engine. Exactly when Moe started racing the Lola is unclear, as he had a series of BSR class "Mazron" sports racing cars that he used in ICSCC events from 1977 (the "Mk 1"), 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981 (the "Mazron Mk V"). The name would suggest a Chevron-Mazda combination. Moe was reported to be driving the Lola T360 in 'B' Sports Racing with Mazda engine in September 1985, and as he does not appear in the ICSCC points table for the 1983 or 1984 seasons, that would suggest he first raced it in 1985. The T360-based car was raced by Bill Hill in the CAT championship in 1987, after which it was reportedly stored. Early in 2003, Moe sold the the car to Allan T. Chou (Westfield, NJ), and in 2009 it was being restored. Bought from Chou in 2012 by Guilbert Twiss (Pittsfield, MA). Bought from Twiss by Dean Baker (Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada) in 2022.

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.