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John Cannon in the Starr Racing McLaren M10A at Mosport Park in 1969. Copyright Norm MacLeod.  Used with permission.

SCCA Continental Championship Formula A 1969

AAR sold ten more Eagle Mk 5s for the 1969 season, and Tony Adamowicz took Milestone Racing's example to a narrow championship victory. Sam Posey was his main challenger for most of the season, and would have ended closer if he hadn't wrecked one Eagle and lost a second one in a transporter accident. In July, Peter Gethin and David Hobbs transferred over from the British series in works McLaren M10A and works Surtees TS5 respectively, and this British invasion were greeted by Posey saying "they're going to be annihilated" and he was "going to blow the doors of them". Gethin took pole position at his first two races, and after electrical problems ruled him out at Road America, he won easily at Lime Rock, with Hobbs second and a chastened Posey lapped by both of them. Hobbs then took over, winning from pole at Donnybrooke and later repeating that performance at Mont Tremblant and Thompson. He took his fourth win at Sebring in December to end the year just a single point behind Adamowicz, who would prove to be the last American to take the F5000 title. Lotus and Lola both had their new 1970 cars at Sebring, and Gus Hutchison brought his F1 Brabham BT26 into second place behind Hobbs. Prospects for 1970 were excellent.

The races

20 Apr 1969 > Riverside Grand Prix

04 May 1969 > Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca

08 Jun 1969 > Colorado Grand Prix at Continental Divide

22 Jun 1969 > Continental 49'er at Sears Point

06 Jul 1969 > Seattle Grand Prix

20 Jul 1969 > Road America 500

02 Aug 1969 > Lime Rock Schaefer Grand Prix at Lime Rock

10 Aug 1969 > Minnesota Grand Prix at Brainerd

23 Aug 1969 > Mosport Continental at Mosport Park

01 Sep 1969 > English Leather Grand Prix at Lime Rock

07 Sep 1969 > Le Circuit Continental at Mont-Tremblant

21 Sep 1969 > Thompson Schaefer Grand Prix at Thompson Speedway

28 Dec 1969 > Sebring International Raceway

1969 SCCA Continental Championship for Formula A cars table

1Tony AdamowiczEagle Mk 5 - Chevrolet V847 pts2 wins
2David HobbsSurtees TS5 - Chevrolet V846 pts4 wins
3Sam PoseyMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V841 pts2 wins
4=John CannonEagle Mk 5 - Chevrolet V831 pts3 wins
4=George WintersteenLola T142 - Chevrolet V831 pts 
6Bobby BrownEagle Mk 5 - Chevrolet V816 pts 
7Bud MorleyLola T142 - Chevrolet V815 pts 
8Dick SimonLola T142 - Chevrolet V811 pts1 win
9Andrea de AdamichSurtees TS5 - Chevrolet V810 pts 
10Peter GethinMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V89 pts1 win
11=Chuck DietrichLola T142 - Chevrolet V87 pts 
11=Jerry HansenMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V87 pts 
11=Lothar MotschenbacherMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V87 pts 
14=John CordtsMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V86 pts 
14=Gus HutchisonBrabham BT26A - Cosworth DFV V86 pts 
16=George EatonMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V85 pts 
16=Horst KrollLola T142 - Chevrolet V85 pts 
18=John GunnLola T142 - Chevrolet V84 pts 
18=Mike GothSurtees TS5 - Chevrolet V84 pts 
20=Mike HissLola T140 - Chevrolet V83 pts 
20=Eppie WietzesLola T142 - Chevrolet V83 pts 
22=John MahlerLola T140 - Chevrolet V82 pts 
22=Sherwood JohnstonLola T142 - Chevrolet V82 pts 
22=Jon WardMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V82 pts 
22=Alan BouveratMcLaren M10A - Chevrolet V82 pts 
26=Pete LovelyLotus 49B - Cosworth DFV V81 pt 
26=Kurt ReinoldMcKee Mk 12 - Chevrolet V81 pt 
26=Michael BrockmanLola T142 - Chevrolet V81 pt 

The points table is derived from Wolfgang Klopfer's excellent Formula A and Formula 5000 in America p20 with one modification: the addition of Jon Ward who should have got two points for fifth place at Sears Point in June. Note that Jo Bonnier did not get points for his third place finish at Sebring at the end of the season with Kroll (fourth) and Morley (fifth), Bouverat (sixth) and Brockman (seventh) getting one point more. This is because Bonnier was running on an FIA licence, not a SCCA licence.

There were two Schaefer Grands Prix in 1969, thanks to sponsorship by the F & M Schaefer Brewing Company of Brooklyn, New York, one at Lime Rock Park and one at New Thompson Speedway. This helped lift Schaefer Beer to the fifth best-selling beer in the US in 1970, overtaking Falstaff, another regular motor racing sponsor.