OldRacingCars.com

Seafair "200" Race 1

Seattle, 7 Aug 1971

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Jim Dittemore Lola T192 [HU22] - Chevrolet V8
#11 Kastner/Brophy-Besteel
45 59m 58.6s
101.287 mph
2 Bill Brack Lotus 70 [04] - Chevrolet V8
#85
45
3 Gregg Young (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS7 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8
#5 Young-American
45
4 John Gunn Eagle Mk 5 [503] - Chevrolet V8
#39
45
5 Pete Lovely (F1) 3-litre Lotus 69/49B [69.F2.5] - Cosworth DFV V8
#25 (see note 1)
45
6 Lothar Motschenbacher Eisert 69 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#76 [Marvin Webster] (see note 2)
44
7 Ed Felter Lola T190/T192 - Chevrolet V8
#45
44
8 Dick Simon Lola T152 2WD [SL150/3?] - Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8
#1 [Dick Simon] [#10 on entry list]
(see note 3)
43
9 Dennis Ott McLaren M10B - Chevrolet V8
#56 Five Grand Racers
42
10 Max Dudley Gerhardt 67 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#61 [Max Dudley] (see note 4)
42
11 Ken Hamilton Eisert 69 - Chevrolet V8
#98 [Eastside Cafe] (see note 5)
42
12 Paul Scott Lotus 33 [R11] - Oldsmobile V8
#17
42
13 Glenn Brown McLaren M1B/FA [30-05] - Chevrolet V8
#40
39
14 Robert Fischetti Surtees TS5 [007] - Chevrolet V8
#36
38
15 Fred Corbett Vollstedt 65 [7] - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#79 [Larry Kramer] (see note 6)
37
16 Merle Brennan McLaren M10A - Chevrolet V8
#44
33
17 Norm Ellefson Tipke Supermodified wedge 71 - Chevrolet V8
#27
33
18 Evan Noyes McLaren M18 [500-06] - Chevrolet V8
#47 (see note 7)
25 Not known
19 Jerry Grant Eagle 68 [403] - Offy 159 ci turbo
#78 [Jerry Grant] (see note 8)
20 Not known
20 Ed Marshall Marshall - Chevrolet V8
#30 (see note 9)
18 Not known
21 Ron Grable ASD American Mk 1 - Chevrolet V8
#4 Williams Racing [#24 on entry list]
13 Oil leak
22 David Hobbs McLaren M10B [400-01] - Chevrolet V8
#10 Hogan Racing [#20 on entry list]
12 Black flagged
23 Gordon Johncock 5-litre Vollstedt ['B'] - Ford V8
#7 (see note 10)
5 Fuel injection
24 Sam Posey Surtees TS8 [008] - Chevrolet V8
#34 Champ Carr
5 oil leak
25 Monte Shelton Eagle Mk 5 [505] - Chevrolet V8
#57 Shelton Motors
3 Not known
26 Ludwig Heimrath Eisert 67 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#55
1 Not known
DNQ Ronnie Bucknum Eagle 69
[not on entry list] (see note 11)
Did not qualify
DNQ Gerard Raney Eagle Mk 5 - Chevrolet V8
[not on entry list]
Did not qualify
DNQ George Eaton (USAC R/R) Chinook Mk 12 ['1'] - Ford 320 ci V8
[no number given on entry list]
(see note 12)
Did not qualify
DNQ Crockey Peterson Coyote [Lotus 38/4?] - Ford V8
#14 (see note 13)
Did not qualify
  Skip Barber (F1) 3-litre March 711 [5] - Cosworth DFV V8
[no number given on entry list]
On entry list
  George Snider Watson - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#4
On entry list
  Brett Lunger Lola T192 [HU19] - Chevrolet V8
#6 (see note 14)
On entry list
  Eric Haga Lola T192 [HU21?] - Chevrolet V8
#8
On entry list
  Jack Eiteljorg Lola T192 [HU29] - Chevrolet V8
#12
On entry list
  Richard Negley Lola T192 [HU20] - Chevrolet V8
#17
On entry list
  Bud Morley Lola T192 - Chevrolet V8
#41
On entry list
  Don Inferrera Lola T142 - Chevrolet V8
#42 (see note 15)
On entry list
  Ned Spath Huffaker 66 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8
#53 [Topaz] (see note 16)
On entry list
  Bill Tempero Eisert 65/68 - Chevrolet V8
#73 (see note 17)
On entry list
  Steve Pfeifer unknown
#74
On entry list
  John Lyons (F?) unknown
#82
On entry list
  David Hurley (F?) unknown
#92
On entry list
  Eppie Wietzes McLaren M18 - Chevrolet V8
#94
On entry list

All cars are 5-litre F5000 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Sam Posey (F5000) 5-litre Surtees TS8 [008] - Chevrolet V8 1.16.45
2 David Hobbs (F5000) 5-litre McLaren M10B [400-01] - Chevrolet V8 1.16.56
3 Gordon Johncock 5-litre Vollstedt ['B'] - Ford V8 1.17.39
4 Pete Lovely (F1) 3-litre Lotus 69/49B [69.F2.5] - Cosworth DFV V8 1.18.20
5 Ron Grable (F5000) 5-litre ASD American Mk 1 - Chevrolet V8 1.18.25
6 Gregg Young (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS7 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8 1.18.39
7 Jerry Grant Eagle 68 [403] - Offy 159 ci turbo 1.18.89
8 Lothar Motschenbacher Eisert 69 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8 1.19.30
9 Bill Brack (F5000) 5-litre Lotus 70 [04] - Chevrolet V8 1.19.30
10 John Gunn (F5000) 5-litre Eagle Mk 5 [503] - Chevrolet V8 1.19.77
11 Merle Brennan (F5000) 5-litre McLaren M10A - Chevrolet V8 1.19.88
12 Evan Noyes (F5000) 5-litre McLaren M18 [500-06] - Chevrolet V8 1.20.02
13 Jim Dittemore (F5000) 5-litre Lola T192 [HU22] - Chevrolet V8 1.20.33
14 Dennis Ott (F5000) 5-litre McLaren M10B - Chevrolet V8 1.20.44
15 Dick Simon Lola T152 2WD [SL150/3?] - Ford 159 ci quad cam turbo V8 1.21.44
16 Monte Shelton (F5000) 5-litre Eagle Mk 5 [505] - Chevrolet V8 1.21.85
17 Ken Hamilton (F5000) 5-litre Eisert 69 - Chevrolet V8 1.22.32
18 Fred Corbett Vollstedt 65 [7] - Chevrolet 320 ci V8 1.22.86
19 Max Dudley Gerhardt 67 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8 1.23.07
20 Ed Felter (F5000) 5-litre Lola T190/T192 - Chevrolet V8 1.23.21
21 Paul Scott (F5000) 5-litre Lotus 33 [R11] - Oldsmobile V8 1.23.45
22 Robert Fischetti (F5000) 5-litre Surtees TS5 [007] - Chevrolet V8 1.24.46
23 Glenn Brown (F5000) 5-litre McLaren M1B/FA [30-05] - Chevrolet V8 1.26.98
24 Norm Ellefson (F5000) 5-litre Tipke Supermodified wedge 71 - Chevrolet V8 1.28.21
25 Ed Marshall (F5000) 5-litre Marshall - Chevrolet V8 1.28.40
26 Ludwig Heimrath Eisert 67 - Chevrolet 320 ci V8 1.29.62

Notes on the cars:

  1. Lotus 69/49B [69.F2.5] (Pete Lovely): New to Jochen Rindt Racing Ltd, managed by Bernie Ecclestone, for John Mikes and Graham Hill to race in F2 in 1970. According to Richard Spelberg's research, this car was Hill's previous Lotus 59B chassis 59-F2-20 converted to Lotus 69 specification for 1970. Also driven by Eugenio Baturone at Montjuich Park. Retained by Ecclestone for Hill to race in the first few F2 races of 1971, then sold to Pete Lovely and fitted with the rear end of his Lotus 49B for suitable races at his home track in Seattle, and for the 1971 US GP. After Lovely died in 2011, the car was sold by his daughter to Peter Gleeson (Seattle, WA), a BMW collector originally from England.
  2. Eisert 69 (Lothar Motschenbacher): New to Marvin Webster's Webster Racing and fitted with Webster's 319 ci stock block Ford V8 engine for Jim Malloy to drive in the California 200 at Hanford Motor Speedway in April 1969. It was later raced by Jerry Grant at Continental Divide, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Seattle and Riverside later that year. He also drove it at Phoenix in November but was too slow to qualify. Kevin Bartlett drove it at Sears Point in April 1970, then failed to qualify at the Indy 500, and later drove it at Continental Divide in June. Rob Grable raced it at IRP in July, after which it was not seen for over a year until Lothar Motschenbacher raced it at Seattle in August 1971, when it was still black with a red stripe, as it had been since new. Ronnie Bucknum tried it briefly in practice at Ontario, and then Johnny Parsons Jr crashed it while trying to qualify at Phoenix. Its last known appearance was when Don Brown drove it at Ontario in 1972, but again no attempt was made to qualify. It was then stored by Webster until 1987, when he sold it to Tom Armstrong (Bellevue, WA) who restored it and used it in US historic racing. It was offered for sale from 'the Tom Armstrong Collection' by Bonhams in August 2012.
  3. Lola T152 2WD [SL150/3?] (Dick Simon): New to Roger Penske, in December 1968 according to Lola records, although it has been claimed that Penske's car was a rebuild of a car that raced some time in 1968. The car would be driven by Mark Donohue, who was also driving Penske's Lola T70 in sports car racing, and both Lolas used Chevrolet engines. The T150 did not run at the Indy 500, where Donohue used a brand new T152 instead, and was a non-starter at IRP in July. Donohue was seventh and fourth in two races at Brainerd in September, but retired at Seattle and Riverside. The car was fitted with a turbo Ford for testing at the start of 1970, but used a Chevrolet engine when raced at Sears Point and IRP. Sold to Dick Simon for 1971, and raced with a turbo Ford engine as the #10 TraveLodge Sleeper entry. Also used at Milwaukee in August 1972, when Simon focused on his new 1972 Peat-Lola, and possibly at other short track events. The car reappeared in 1976 when Greg Hodges (Indianapolis, IN) attempted to qualify it for several short-track Indycar races, without success. The car then had a Chevrolet engine, and still had the bulbous sidetanks seen when Simon had raced it in 1971. Subsequent history unknown, but some time around 1982 the car was in the collection of Dieter Holterbosch (Cove Neck, NY), a well-known collector of cars who died in July 2016 age 95. It was for sale from the collection at the time for $12,000.
  4. Gerhardt 67 (Max Dudley): Max Dudley (Auburn, WA) raced a Chevrolet-powered Gerhardt in Indy racing from 1969 to 1971, and then reappeared briefly in 1974. The car replaced a 1965 Halibrand Shrike that Dudley had raced in 1968 and early 1969, and which he sold to Bob Cavanaugh. Cavanagh's recollection is that the Gerhardt was new. (Curiously, Dudley was reported by Autoweek to be running the Halibrand Shrike at the Seattle USAC Road Racing Championship race in Sep 1971.) The only other time he appeared was at Trenton in early 1974 with a Gerhardt-Chev again. The Gerhardt was then unknown until seen fully restored at the 2009 Seattle Historic Races when it was said to be a 1968 Gerhardt. Also at the Classic Car Races at Sears Point in June 2011. Believed to be the car owned by William Watkins. At the Victory Lane Historic Champ/Indy Car Showcase in June 2012.
  5. Eisert 69 (Ken Hamilton): Dennis Ott (Montclair, CA/Upland, CA) raced a Eisert in Formula A in 1970. He later advertised the car as a 1970 model, but it looked much like a 1969 model, and may actually have been second hand. At 6'2" and 185 lbs, Ott was large for a racing driver at the time. He came up through modified racing in his home state of Nebraska, then California Racing Association sprint cars in 1967, and then FA in 1970 at the age of 24. He advertised the Eisert in November 1970, describing it as a "1970 wedge style Eisert USAC or F/A" that had been "road raced nine times". For 1971, he acquired a McLaren M10B, and the Eisert was sold to 29-year-old CAMRA driver Ken Hamilton (Boise, ID), who completed the SCCA drivers school at Seattle International raceway in April 1971 and drove the Eisert in SCCA Regional and National races that season, as well as the USAC road-racing event at Seattle in August. In 1971 he was considering having Eisert convert the car to use in the 1972 Indy 500, but nothing came of this. He was entered for the Laguna Seca and Edmonton Pro F5000 races in early 1972, but there is no record of his participation in either event. He focused on CAMRA and MRAO racing in 1972, driving for Art Sugai, and had a very successful season. The subsequent history of the Eisert is unknown.
  6. Vollstedt 65 [7] (Fred Corbett): Larry Kramer entered the old 1965 Vollstedt for Tom Sneva at one race at Trenton in 1971. The car had been used in Supermodifed racing in 1970 and the Chev in the back was presumably the same 320ci engine that it had used in Supermodifieds. (Source: 'Vollstedt' by Rolla Vollstedt with Ralph Zbarsky 2003.)
  7. McLaren M18 [500-06] (Evan Noyes): See full history: McLaren M18 500-06.
  8. Eagle 68 [403] (Jerry Grant): Jerry Grant drove for Tom Friedkin (Houston, TX) at Indy from 1967 to 1969, getting new Eagles in 1967 and 1968. Having driven for Marvin Webster for much of 1969, Grant returned to the 1968 ex-Friedkin Eagle for 1970, when he qualified it at Indy in Nelson Iron Works colours, with John Gorman and Gary Duff (both from Seattle) as his mechanics. Grant set up his own team for 1971, Jerry Grant Racing Enterprises, with the 1968 Eagle and again employing Gorman and Duff. He entered the car for the 1971 Indy 500 as the #78 Farrell's Ice Cream car, but it was driven by Sam Posey after Grant was employed by Shelby-Dowd to race a newer Eagle. Posey qualified but was later bumped. It was used by Jerry Grant a few times later in 1971, including at the USAC Road Racing event at Seattle. It then joined Marv Webster's stable and was still with him in 1973, awaiting a rebuild. Subsequent history unknown, but according to Chris Wilke, scion of the Leader Cards family, this was chassis 403 and has now been restored as Bobby Unser's Indy 500 winner and is the car on display in the Unser Racing Museum (Albuquerque, NM). The car still carries its original '403' chassis plate. This may be the yellow 1968 Indy Eagle that Joe Baird (Shelbyville, Indiana) acquired from Bob LaWarre in Florida as part of a package of cars in the 1990s. Baird sold the Eagle to Al Unser.
  9. Marshall (Ed Marshall): Ed Marshall (Kentfield, CA) raced an unidentified car in USAC races between 1969 and 1971, fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine. The car has been referred to as an Eisert and as a Huffaker, and some sources for the USAC road racing event at Kent, Seattle, in August 1971 refer to it as a Marshall. A photograph in the LA Times from the Riverside race in December 1969 appears to show a 1966 Huffaker, and it is likely that is the car used by Marshall in all three seasons. Nothing more known.
  10. Vollstedt ['B'] (Gordon Johncock): New for 1967 and run by Vollstedt Enterprises as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1967 and 1968 with a 255 ci Ford quad cam engine. Driven by Jim Clark as the #21 Sperex entry at Riverside in November 1967. Acquired a turbo engine in late 1968 and continued to run as the #21 Bryant Heating & Cooling Spl in 1969 and then as Vollstedt Enterprises' #21 car in 1970 and 1971. Raced by Gordon Johncock as the #7 on some occasions in 1971, and last seen with the team at Phoenix in November 1971 when it was raced by Wally Dallenbach. Sold to Art Sugai (Ontario, OR) and entered at Phoenix in November 1972 as the #17 East Side Special for Kenny Hamilton, but he slid into guard rail during practice and the car was heavily damaged. The remains went to local car builders Tom Fox and Ron Yurich in 1976 who intended to use it to build a Super Modified but it remained with them, still unrepaired, until 2007 when purchased from Yurich's son John by Michael McKinney (Kennewick WA) together with friends Ron Hjaltalin and Marc Prentice. The car was restored over the next few years and was run at Indianapolis in May 2011.
  11. Eagle 69 (Ronnie Bucknum): In December 1970, successful powerboat racer Charley Hamill (North Hollywood, CA) bought an Eagle Indy car from Dan Gurney. Hamill described it as the "twin" of the car Gurney raced in the Seattle USAC race in 1969, so it was presumably a 1969 Indy Eagle. After testing the car at Willow Springs, Hamill left it gathering dust until August when he recruited former Honda F1 driver Ronnie Bucknum to race it in the Seafair 200 USAC Road Racing Championship event at Seattle. Bucknum had to haul the car to Seattle himself and despite recruiting Jerry Ruth to crew the car, could not get it ready for qualifying. He was allowed to start the second heat but retired after a single lap. Nothing more was heard of the car.
  12. Chinook Mk 12 ['1'] (George Eaton): New for George Eaton to drive in the 1971 USAC Road Racing championship. Tested at Mosport Park prior to the only surviving round of the series at Seattle in August, but unable to start the race. The series did not continue into 1972 so the car was then retired and later sold off for Formula 5000 racing. In July 1975, Dennis Reed (Irving, NY) was planning to race the car in the SCCA National at Mid-Ohio but this evidently didn't happen, and he advertised the car with "testing miles only" in 1975 and 1976.  It was next seen when bought by Mike Knittel (Chittenango, NY) in November 1986 from an unknown seller in Buffalo, NY. Like Reed's car from 20 miles away in Irving, it had a Ford Boss 302 engine. Knittel restored the car over the next two years and raced it in US historic events from 1991 to 2021.
  13. Coyote [Lotus 38/4?] (Crockey Peterson): Built 1965 (fifth chassis built) from spares with symmetrical suspension and using some parts from the original 38/2. Used by Jim Clark at St Ursanne and Ollon-Villars 1965. For Jim Clark at the 1966 Indy 500 (#19 qualified 2nd, finished second). Sold to AJ Foyt and wrecked in practice at Milwaukee a week later when the suspension on the straight and the car hit the wall and burst into flames. Returned to Lotus in England and rebuilt; returned to Foyt August 1966 but no further results known in 1966. Likely to have been the #84 Lotus 38 used by Foyt in the opening races of 1967 at Phoenix and Trenton. Then used by Gary Congdon at the Indy 500 when he was bumped. With the other Foyt 38s wrecked, this last survivor was the car Foyt raced at Langhorne in July. Several years later, a ‘Coyote’ was raced in F5000 by Crockey Peterson, but photographs show that it was a Lotus 38, and it has been identified as 38/4. Later sold to Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO) and then to collector James L. Jaeger (Cincinnati, OH). Run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1997, 1998 and 2000. On display in the Speedway Museum March 2009. Ran again at Goodwood 2011.
  14. Lola T192 [HU19] (Brett Lunger): New to Roger Penske for Mark Donohue to drive in the 1970 US series, starting at Mosport 13 Sep 1970. To Competition Research & Development (Pomona, CA) for Brett Lunger US 1971, then to Larry McNeil US 1972, US 1973 and then in SCCA Nationals from 1974 to 1978. Via Alan Marvin to Gordon Close (Hinsdale, IL) 1979, and used it for 1979 SCCA drivers school and Regionals. To former racer Don O'Sullivan (Perth, Western Australia) in 1983 but not run by him and sold to Bob Harborow (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia) in 1989. Restored and used in historic racing in Australia, including VHRR Historic Sandown and Phillip Island Classic 1999-2013, and the Australian GP support races in 2009 and 2010. Reappeared in October 2015, when run by Kieran Patel (Victoria, Australia) at the Baskerville Historics. More information about Lola T192 HU19
  15. Lola T142 (Don Inferrera): See full history: Lola T142 'the Dave Heinz car'.
  16. Huffaker 66 (Ned Spath): Ned Spath raced a rear-engined Huffaker in 1969 in CRA and USAC events, fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine and entered as the #95 Topaz Equipment Spl by car owner Carl Alleman (Redondo Beach, CA). The car was first mentioned as an entry for Spath in JC Agajanian's CRA Open Competition event at Hanford on 9 Feb 1969, when it was described as the car in which Unser finished eighth at the Indy 500, and was to be Spath's first outing in a rear-engined car. The car was also backed by Alleman's company Alcast Foundry. Photographs confirm that the car was a 1966 model. Spath continued to use the car in 1970 when the car was identified as being part of Pat O'Reilly's Minnesota Serendipity team, still supported by Topaz Equipment, and appeared at least once in 1971 when he faild to qualify at Phoenix in March. Subsequent history unknown.
  17. Eisert 65/68 (Bill Tempero): New for Skip Hudson to drive at the 1965 Indy 500 as J Frank Harrison's #96 Harrison Special. The new car got on track on 13 May, at which point the older 1964 car was renumbered from 96 to 93. Hudson was a successful sports car racer, but was unable to pass his rookie test when an engine blew, so Al Unser took over the drive but he made no attempt to qualify the car. Unser then drove the car through the 1965 USAC season, but only once finished inside the top 10. The 1965 car was retained for the opening races of the 1966 season, driven by Unser at Phoenix and by Billy Foster at Trenton. It then became the team's #93 entry, and was only seen again at Fuji, where Jerry Grant finished tenth. Greg Weld failed to qualify the car for the 1967 Indy 500, after which it was sold to Don Wilcox, who raced it at Pikes Peak and made an unsuccessfiul attempt to qualify at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. The old car was ideal for the SCCA's new Formula A, so was sold to Stew McMillen (Libertyville, IL) who raced it in SCCA Nationals, winning twice, and in Pro races. At the end of 1968 he took it out to New Zealand, racing it at Baypark Raceway in December, before it was leased to Dennis Marwood for the 1969/70 season. It returned to the US later in 1970 and was acquired by Bill Tempero (Fort Collins, CO), who fitted it with wedge-style bodywork and raced it in Pro races and SCCA Nationals in 1971, then in Midwest Division Formula A in 1972. It was later converted for street use by brothers Wayne and Steve Huntley in Nebraska and was also used as a show car by Fred Bosselman in the late 1970s or early 1980s, probably at his Bosselman Truck Plaza in Grand Island, Nebraska. In the early 1990s it was acquired by Bill Wiswedel (Holland, MI) who has restored it to 1965 colours but still with the later, squarer bodywork.

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.

1968 US information has been taken from SCCA results sheets with additional information from Autoweek race reports and from some entry lists. Thanks to David McKinney and Wolfgang Klopfer for providing these. Identifying the classes and model of some entries has proved very difficult so all new information would be welcomed.

1969-1971 US information has been collated by Chris Townsend using Autoweek reports. All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome.

1972-1976 US information was originally collated by Wolfgang Klopfer, converted to database format by Dawn Harrison and checked by Jim Thurman and Don Capps. Wolfgang's main sources are Autoweek and individual SCCA results bulletins but Autosport, Autocourse and Road Racing Annual have also been consulted.

US SCCA Runoffs, Nationals and Regionals results were collated by Wolfgang Klopfer from Autoweek reports. These reports were usually very brief so the information on the majority of races is limited just to the identity of the FA class winner.

Some race programs have also been used for entry lists and other information. My thanks to Richard Coe for the generous contributions from his collection.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen if you can add anything.