RACER

T HE NEXT GREAT CA RS

FO R M U L A 1 W IN G WA R S

THE GREAT CARS ISSUE TYRRELL P34

Inspired or just weird?

The story of F1’s first and last six shooter

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T HE G E N I U S O F DAN G U R N EY

TOYOTA W INS LE M A NS

REDEFINING GLOBAL RACING

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SCCA Pro sanctions this Championship, recognizing the importance of developing the racing stars of tomorrow.

A national f3 series open to competitors from around the world F3 Americas will race select weekends with the F4 U.S. Championship and other prestigious series beginning in the summer of 2018.

The season event schedule includes: • Six race weekends • Three 30-minute races per race weekend • Two 30-minute practices per race weekend • One qualifying session per race weekend

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2018 Calendar August 3-5 / Pittsburgh International Race Complex August 9-11/ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 14-16 / New Jersey Motorsports Park September 21-23 / Road Atlanta October 13-14 / NOLA Motorsports Park October 19-21 / Circuit of the Americas USGP

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Affordability is a key component of the series, from the Honda engines to the Ligier Crawford JS F3 chassis built by Onroak Automotive and Pirelli tires. All F3 Americas Championship cars are made and assembled in North America.

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Learn More About F3 Americas at f3americas.com For purchasing information or to join F3 Americas, contact soseth@sccapro.com

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CONTENTS

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2016 Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg regards the Mercedes W05 (MAIN) he raced two years earlier as the greatest F1 car of its generation.

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THE GREAT CARS ISSUE

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He won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix in the Tyrrell P34, but Jody Scheckter (BELOW) was never really convinced that the six-wheeled car was the future of F1. Turns out it wasn’t...

More than four decades after it raced in Formula 1, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 is still a strange, but wonderful creature.

Illustration Ricardo Santos

CONTENTS 10

EDITOR’S COLUMN

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THE SPIN

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ON THE COVER THE JOY OF SIX

Tyrrell’s six-wheeled P34 grabs F1 headlines in 1976, but Williams’ FW08B doesn’t get the chance in 1983...

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MODERN CLASSICS?

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THE POWER AND GLORY OF IMSA’S GTP ERA

48

F1 WING WARS, PART 2 Ever higher and wider, things get really out of hand in ’68

56

DAN’S MAGIC BULLET How a slow day at Phoenix produced the Gurney Flap

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EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

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MAZDA ROAD TO INDY’S QUICK STEPS

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PROOF OF CONCEPT Mazda’s MX-5 is the most populous racecar for a reason

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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES NASCAR young gun Erik Jones delivers on his promise

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THE NEW VINTAGE

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THE VERSATILE MR. EVERSLEY

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THE TWO-WHEELED DOMINATOR

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MAC ATTACK

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RACE SCHOOLS | DIARY | TV | REAR VIEW

LAT archive

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When F1 discovered wings in 1967, it was a journey into the unknown. As wings got higher and wider in ’68 (BELOW) the rewards were great, but the risks became ever more clear.

Andy Hone/LAT

LAT archive

Check out twitter.com/racermag

Toyota finally wins Le Mans; Lewis stays put at Merc in F1

Can today’s constrictive F1 rules produce great cars?

Looking back on a golden age of U.S. sports car racing

Ford’s 2016 Le Mans class winner wears its dirt with pride

Three steps and cars that equip a driver for the Indy 500

SVRA is reinventing vintage racing, but keeping its soul

Ryan’s a PWC and IMSA racer, podcast maven, and more

Jonathan Rea has raised the bar in World Superbikes Why Rob MacCachren’s on a mission in Lucas Off Road

for the latest racing news, views and videos, blogs by the stars, up-to-date TV listings, and much more. facebook.com/racermagazine

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FREEZE FRAME June evenings are long in northern France, yet when the sun does eventually set, there’s two thirds of the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans still to run for Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford GT fleet.

WHERE Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France WHEN 06/16/18 PHOTOGRAPHER Camden Thrasher

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FREEZE FRAME BMW returned to Le Mans in 2018. But as Porsche led the way in a factory-filled GTE Pro field, the pair of MTEK-run M8 GTEs logged laps and data, taking 11th in class, and prepared for next year...

WHERE Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France WHEN 06/13/18 PHOTOGRAPHER Camden Thrasher

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THE EDITOR

WHAT’S GREAT?

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Editor-in-Chief Laurence Foster Racer.com Editor Mark Glendenning Executive Editor Andrew Crask Associate Editor Alison Sneag Editor-at-Large Gil de Ferran Art Director Rob French

Editor-in-Chief

“Does any other Formula 1 car come even close in terms of impact as the [six-wheeled Tyrrell P34]?”

Founding NASCAR Editor Gerald Martin (1943-1999) We remember Michael C. Brown, RACER founding photographer, and Peter Foubister, a mentor to all Senior Writers Peter Brock, David Evans, Paul Fearnley, Mark Hughes, Richard S. James, Eric Johnson, Tom Jensen, Chris Medland, Robin Miller, Jeff Olson, David Phillips, Marshall Pruett, Jeremy Shaw, Edd Straw, Todd Veney, Gary Watkins

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t’s a recurring topic of conversation when we put together our Great Cars Issue, but in an era when the rules for many racing series are so restrictive, what defines a great car now?

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 World Champion cites relative performance as the defining attribute for greatness. The further ahead of its competition, the greater the car.

Succinct, measurable and, I guess, unarguable.

But for me, greatness isn’t merely empirical.

Take the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 that graces RACER’s cover. In terms of results, it didn’t set the F1 world alight, with a single grand prix win in 1976 (on a track that flattered its few positive attributes) and a handful of podiums, before being put out to grass at the end of ’77.

But does any other F1 car come even close in terms of its impact? As a kid, the model car I had to have was the P34. The poster above my bed was a P34 (in First National City colors, not the evocative Elf livery, oddly enough...). And friends who could care less about F1 knew about this weird, six-wheeled racecar.

Add in the left-field bravery of Derek Gardner’s design, and team boss Ken Tyrrell’s courage for going along with it, and the P34 makes a compelling case for greatness, just not a wholly measurable one.

Fast forward almost four decades, and the Mercedes W05 of 2014, the most dominant

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car of F1’s hybrid era, certainly didn’t cross over into popular culture like Tyrrell’s six shooter. But it is a technological marvel and, in terms of measurable dominance, a great car.

Same goes for the TS050 Hybrid (ABOVE), which finally delivered Toyota that elusive win in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sure, its opposition was pretty much the track and the clock, but as the potent solution to a very specific problem, the TS050 is a great car.

Will we ever see racecars as daring and as outside the box as the Tyrrell P34 again? That depends to a large part on the openness of the regulations that help define them. But with many series becoming more, not less restrictive over time, it seems unlikely. editor@racer.com

STORYBOARD

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Manuscripts, photos and other material submitted must be accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelope. RACER assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

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Digital Artist Ree Tucker Illustrations Paul Laguette, Ricardo Santos

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For Damien Smith, a story on Tyrrell’s six-wheeled P34 was a labor of love.

His affection for possibly the strangest F1 car ever built is palpable – unlike the guy who actually drove it, Jody Scheckter.

LAT archive

Photo Services LAT Images Senior Photographers Phillip Abbott, Tony DiZinno, Marc Gewertz, Rick Graves, Peter Harholdt, Nigel Kinrade, Michael Levitt, Lesley Ann Miller, Sean Rice, Steve Swope, Camden Thrasher, Paul Webb

As Scheckter recalls it, his frustration with the P34 wasn’t the reason he left Tyrrell in 1977. Whatever, his post-P34 time in F1 worked out well, culminating in him winning the 1979 drivers’ title with Ferrari’s 312T4 (ABOVE).

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This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the 19thconsecutive appearance by a front-engined Corvette.

A mid-engined C8 road car is on the horizon, so could the enduro classic host a new-format ’Vette for the 20th?

BEST IN SHOW

Fernando Alonso (ABOVE) added a Le Mans win in the No.8 Toyota TS050 (MAIN) to his résumé.

Camden Thrasher

Success is always sweetened by a good backstory, and heading into this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota’s history of heartbreak at La Sarthe was as evocative as any sports car plotline from the past 20 years.

Toyota’s preparation was immaculate, and in the absence of any other factory LMP1 cars, there was nothing in the field that could pose a real threat from a performance standpoint.

But still, 24 hours is a long time, anything can happen – and first you have to finish...

Fast-forward to now of course, and the history books show that the Japanese marque finally broke its Le Mans hoodoo with a

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota breaks its Le Mans curse as the sport prepares for a new LMP1 era

FAMILAR LOOKS, FAMILIAR RESULT

Porsche wasn’t part of the outright battle at Le Mans this year, having withdrawn from LMP1 at the end of 2017, but it still made its presence felt – partly through its domination of the GTE Pro class, and partly with some cool throwback liveries, including the famous “Pink Pig” design that appeared on its 917/20 in 1971.

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comfortable 1-2 – the closest privateer LMP1 car finishing 12 laps behind the winning No. 8 TS050 Hybrid. In doing so, it also advanced another of the pre-race threads through Fernando Alonso’s presence in the winning driver lineup, taking the Spaniard two-thirds of the way towards his Triple Crown goal.

While Toyota’s status as the sole factory involved in the battle for outright honors did nothing to detract from its achievement, it did reinforce that the current LMP1 rules are no longer viable. Hence, the ACO and FIA used the race weekend to unveil plans for a new hypercarbased future, starting in 2020. The move is

Toyota will take LMP1 to the road in the form of the TS050-based GT Super Sport, unveiled in concept form at the Tokyo Motor Show. In light of the ACO’s new hypercar-based plans, could this be a preview of Le Mans’ future?

Jakob Ebrey/LAT

Sam Bloxham/LAT

aimed at increasing visual brand relevance and lowering costs – the aim is for a program to cost about a quarter of a current factory LMP1 budget – while retaining hybrid technology.

A win for all? Not quite. The mooted new regulations appear to rule out hopes from IMSA’s Prototype manufacturers that DPi cars could eventually find a path onto the Le Mans grid. IMSA says it remains committed to a global prototype formula and that negotiations with Europe are ongoing. Could that mean that hypercar-based prototypes end up racing in the U.S. too? The answer will depend in part on cost. Watch this space.

Fernando Alonso got most of the attention, but in Jenson Button, this year’s Le Mans field had two former F1 World Champions. Button joined Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov in SMP Racing’s LMP1, but dropped out with engine problems.

All the latest SportsCar news at

13

Andy Hone/LAT

Ferrari chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne died at the age of 66 due to complications following surgery. He was the architect of Ferrari’s F1 program from 2014 until his death.

F1 MOVES AND HOLDS In mid July, Lewis Hamilton signed a new deal with Mercedes; Valtteri Bottas followed suit a few days later. With those doors closed, an extension of Daniel Ricciardo’s relationship with Red Bull appeared to be a formality. F1 silly season over, right? Not if you look further down the grid, where a triumvirate of Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz appears to be central to shaping next year’s midfield.

Ocon was reportedly delighted to be linked with Renault, although he stopped short of giving any hint as to the veracity of that. Stroll’s impatience with Williams has put him and his hefty family backing in the frame for Ocon’s Force India seat, while Ocon would apparently replace a McLaren-bound Carlos Sainz. Given McLaren’s desire to keep Fernando Alonso, that’s bad news for Stoffel Vandoorne.

Struggling to keep up? We haven’t even mentioned the growing speculation of a Charles Leclerc-for-Kimi Raikkonen swap between Sauber and Ferrari yet...

Daimler AG

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

(MAIN) Lewis Hamilton has spared himself two years of silly season rumors by signing a new deal that will keep him at Mercedes until 2020.

(LEFT) Daniel Ricciardo is set to stay at Red Bull.

Andy Hone/LAT

Formula 1’s much-discussed plans to expand its America footprint with a second U.S. grand prix in Miami are at least another year away from becoming reality due to what F1 owner Liberty Media’s Sean Bratches said are “complicated” - but ongoing – negotiations with local authorities.

But reports of other venues that are apparently on the media group’s radar give some hint of what a Liberty-ized F1 calendar might look like in the future, even if none of the

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sport’s recently-installed guardians’ desired races have actually become reality yet.

And that future looks like a lot more street races.

London (LEFT) is one city on the Liberty wishlist, and with SIlverstone weathering perennial debate over its long-term feasibility, could the UK’s bustling capital become the new host of the British GP? There’s also speculation of a Vietnamese street race in Hanoi, and a return to Buenos Aires, which last hosted F1 in 1998.

Andrew Ferraro/LAT/Formula E

LONDON? MIAMI? HANOI? NOT YET...

Lewis Hamilton is a fan of Miami as a city, but less so of the propsed F1 track layout in its on-paper state. “I dread the thought of a street circuit like we had with Valencia,” he said.

All the latest Formula 1 news at

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Team owner and engineer Mo Nunn died in July. Founder of the Ensign F1 team, a move to the U.S. led to a successful spell engineering the likes of Alex Zanardi at Chip Ganassi Racing, as well as running teams in Champ Car and the IRL.

The Verizon IndyCar Series’ predeliction for a late-season visit to California wine country has parlayed into the return of open-wheelers to one of the iconic tracks of the CART era, with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca set to host IndyCars for the first time since 2004 – with the kudos of the season finale, no less.

“I can’t imagine a more attractive destination location for the Verizon IndyCar Series’ season finale,” said IndyCar boss Mark Miles when the three-year deal was announced.

“Monterey is a place people want to be, and we will bring all of our guests. I think it’s a great choice for us.”

It wasn’t a great choice for Sonoma though.

Michael Levitt/LAT

BRING YOUR CORKSCREWS

PENSKE’S PLACE

Penske won two of three currentera Phoenix races (ABOVE, Josef Newgarden, 2018), along with taking two seconds and a third.

Already facing a battle to make its IndyCar event financially viable, the addition of another race three hours down the road proved to be the final straw: shortly after Laguna was announced, Sonoma confirmed that this year’s IndyCar finale will be the last race at the venue.

That puts it in the same boat as Phoenix, which has also confirmed that it will not be on the 2019 calendar following three years of dull races and poor turnout. The loss of the 1.022-mile track leaves an oval-shaped hole on the series’s schedule, with no confirmed replacement at the time we went to print – but plenty of speculation. Hint: it might be time to start looking for travel deals to Miami...

Michael Levitt/LAT

Laguna Seca was a popular stop during CART’s heyday (MAIN, 2001). For 2019 it’s joining the IndyCar schedule.

Andy Hone/LAT

Victory in the 2017/2018 Formula E season finale in New York marked the perfect way for Jean-Eric Vergne to claim his first all-electric title, and complete a career renaissance after a split with Toro Rosso brought down the curtain on his three-year F1 stint in 2014.

The rapid Frenchman is far from the only driver to have been dropped by STR (indeed, he’s not even the first FE champion with that distinction), but the four years since had brought their own frustrations

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– as evidenced by his having driven for three different teams since arriving in the batterypowered series for 2014/2015.

Along with the satisfaction of taking home the title, Vergne could be justifiably proud of the manner in which he did it. In a season marked by increasing manufacturer involvement, he won with the independent Techeetah outfit. The 28-year old scored four wins – nobody else managed more than two – and only once, in Switzerland, did he finish lower than fifth.

Alastair Staley/LAT

E-ROAD TO REDEMPTION

FE (ABOVE) aside, Vergne’s only previous title success came in British F3 in 2010, although he was narrowly beaten to Renault 3.5 honors by Robert Wickens a year later.

All the latest IndyCar news at

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Scott LePage/LAT

CORE Autosport’s overall win at Mosport was the second on the bounce for P2 cars in IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship Prototype class, following JDC-Miller’s Watkins Glen victory.

VW’S PEAK POWER

Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull

THE BENCHMARK

VW’s preparation for Pikes Peak was meticulous, but the event format meant that Dumas’s timed run was his only one on the full 12.42mile course. Racers practice the route in three sections, and then it’s a matter of putting it all together on the day.

BACK TO THE SUPRA The pony-ization of NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will be complete next year, following confirmation that the Supra will replace the Camry as Toyota’s weapon of choice against the Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros in stock car racing’s second-tier.

The car was conceived by Toyota Racing Development USA and long-time Toyota design studio Calty Design Research, with visual differentiators including a distinctively pointy snout and custom lighting designs doing their best to disguise the fact that the bulk of the Supra body is much the same as its rivals.

“When you talk Toyota and cool cars, the Supra is the first thing that comes to mind for many auto enthusiasts,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president of Toyota Division Marketing. “The Supra’s return in production form is huge news, but now we’re also going to see this iconic sports car return to American motorsport. From a marketing perspective, it’s important to have a racecar that evokes the dynamism and character of its showroom counterpart. We’re confident we’ve accomplished that with Supra.”

With details of the road-going Supra still very much in the speculative phase, the amount of visual overlap between racecar and its road-going cousin remains to be seen.

Regardless, it marks a new chapter in the Supra’s long motorsport history, and a return to professional American racing for the first time since the mid-1980s, when it featured in IMSA sports car racing’s GTU class.

Jason Zindroski

Peugeot used a formidable combination of Sebastian Loeb and a bespoke 850hp 208 for its 2013 assault.

hillclimb, which stood at a relatively soft 8m57.118s.

Sebastian Loeb’s outright record of 8m13.878s, set in 2013 with a purpose-built, 850hp Peugeot 208, was perhaps too much of a reach.

With Romain Dumas at the wheel of the VW I.D. R, Volkswagen achieved its goal of setting a new electric benchmark at Pikes Peak – but in climbing the mountain in 7m57.147s, it destroyed the outright record as well.

How? Aero played a part, with the car’s signature massive rear wing compensating for the downforce lost as the car gained altitude. But the real key was that the battery car wasn’t subject to the same horsepower penalties at high elevation as its combustionengine counterparts.

Most remarkable of all is that Dumas had to content with a damp road during the middle part of his run. The first sub-8m run up Pikes Peak could have been even faster...

Michael Levitt/LAT

Volkswagen left top-tier motorsport in 2016 amid the cloud of the emissions scandal – and returned this year with a spaceship.

The 2018 Pikes Peak program was VW’s first factory project since it exited the World Rally Championship, trading gravel and a 1.6-liter Polo for an all-electric monster designed for the sole purpose of heading up into the clouds as fast as possible.

The target? Rhys Millen’s electric-vehicle record for the storied 12.42-mile Colorado

Confirmation of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Supra (ABOVE) means Toyota will race a “proper” two-door model for the first time.

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TYRRELL’S HEADLINE GRABBER

HOW TO WIN UGLY

Its drivers couldn’t love this weird, six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. But that didn’t stop it becoming a grand prix-winning icon of 1970s Formula 1.

WORDS Damien Smith MAIN IMAGE LAT archive

The most famous Formula 1 car of the 1970s? The six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 captured the imagination and even won a grand prix. (LEFT) Patrick Depailler’s wheel work in the 1976 Monaco GP is visible through the clear panel fitted so the P34’s drivers could keep an eye on front tire wear.

RACER.com 21

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TYRRELL P34

(MAIN) The six-wheeled Tyrrell P34s were incongruous, but fascinating additions to the Formula 1 grids of 1976 and ’77.

FRANK DERNIE

o Frank, what did you think when you first saw the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 in the middle of the 1970s? “I thought they’d completely misunderstood what the requirements were,” shoots back Frank Dernie with sharp-tongued conviction. The former Williams designer is never one to hold back...

Nevertheless, no one can take away the unique status of arguably the most memorable and far-out Formula 1 car in history: it wasn’t just weird – it was also a grand prix winner.

Five years after Tyrrell’s P34 blew our minds, Williams, too, chose to add a couple of extra wheels (see page 28). The Tyrrell had four at the front; the Williams four at the back. But these two oddities did share commonalities beyond an excess of Goodyear contact patches. Both were born from frustration at their teams’ lack of an alternative to the Cosworth DFV engine, and both represented a search for that most coveted grail in motor racing, the “unfair advantage.”

“Derek Gardner [the P34’s creator] said he did it to reduce the frontal area, so as to give it better aerodynamic penetration,” says Dernie.

“Well, that’s a complete misunderstanding. The frontal area isn’t the front of the car; it’s the area of front elevation. And if you look at the front elevation, it’s the rear tires that dominate, not the front. The fundamental

LAT archive

S

THE SECRET’S OUT

Tyrrell unveiled its six-wheeled P34 in the ballroom of London Heathrow Airport’s Hilton Hotel, Sept. 22, 1975. Until then, few had suspected that such a radical car was being designed for Formula 1. Even after getting a close-up look, many believed the car was an elaborate hoax to put Tyrrell back in the spotlight after a couple of relatively unsuccessful seasons.

LAT archive

“The fundamental principle on which the P34 was designed was a misunderstanding of the aerodynamic facts”

principle on which the Tyrrell P34 was designed was a misunderstanding of the aero facts. While it didn’t do too badly, it was invented to solve a problem it didn’t actually address.”

Gardner isn’t around to defend his creation – he passed away in 2011. But did this veteran designer really misunderstand his challenge?

It’s true that Gardner’s speciality wasn’t aerodynamics. Before Tyrrell, he was a transmission engineer for Ferguson, the all-wheel-drive pioneer, and worked on the STP-Lotus turbine Indy car in the late 1960s.

The genesis of his six-wheeled revolution dates back to this time, and he even pitched the idea to STP’s Andy Granatelli.

In Formula 1, Ken Tyrrell took a chance on Gardner’s big idea, but it is surely significant that the six-wheeler carried the Project 34 moniker, rather than the team’s established double-zero designation. This smacked of a calculated experiment, and driver Jody Scheckter had his doubts from the start. The South African, who’d joined the team as the retiring Jackie Stewart’s replacement in 1974, was already growing restless. Now this?

Today, 42 years after he last raced the P34, he’s still fairly nonplussed about the whole thing.

So what did he think when Derek and Ken broke news of their plan, RACER innocently

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SIX-WHEELED RACECARS

1976 SWEDISH GP: EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY

Jody Scheckter’s Tyrrell P34 took the pole at the tight and twisty Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden. He was lying second in the race when Mario Andretti’s leading Lotus blew its engine, the American pushing to make up a 60-second jump-start penalty.

Patrick Depailler followed Scheckter home for a Tyrrell 1-2.

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JODY’S GOOD CALLS Jody Scheckter left Tyrrell’s six-wheeled experiment and joined Wolf for 1977, winning three grands prix, including the Argentina season-opener (BELOW), and finishing second in points. For ’79, the South African switched to Ferrari, winning that season’s drivers’ championship in the 312T4. He retired at the end of a disappointing ’80 campaign.

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asks? “Hmm…” he growls. “Well, they kept it away from us for a while. I don’t remember when I first learned about it. I suppose when I really thought about it, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me – and as we carried on with it, it still didn’t make a lot of sense to me...”

Like Dernie, Scheckter recalls the frontal area drag theory. “I’m not an aerodynamicist, but the back end was still the same size,” he says. “Was the car a little bit more efficient?

Possibly – but possibly not. Because the back still had to go through the air.”

The four small wheels offered grip and handling benefits, but there was a theoretical aero advantage too. Conventionally sized front tires were always a literal drag for designers. By choosing a smaller diameter, then doubling them up on either side, they could be better hidden behind a full-width, 1.5m (4.9ft) front wing to improve airflow. But Gardner is on the record acknowledging that the fat rear Goodyears, identical to those on every other F1 car of the time, would have scotched the drag theory. Instead, he played up the grip benefits of the four 10in tires, commissioned in secret by Tyrrell.

The prototype, essentially the rear of a Tyrrell 007 attached to a novel front end featuring four miniature double-wishbone

suspension units, was unveiled to an openmouthed media in Sept. 1975 (Tyrrell had always been good at keeping secrets), before testing at Silverstone and then Paul Ricard.

“We went down the [Mistral] straight [at Ricard] with the old car and the new car, and the six wheeler was faster,” says Scheckter.

“But Derek had put a narrower track on the back and the wing was slightly different, so the comparison was invalid from my point of view.

I felt they were trying to prove it was better, regardless of whether it was or not. He could have had a theory that with a small front you also had a smaller back, I don’t know.”

If the thought had occurred, Gardner didn’t follow it through. In the spring of 1976, when the car was ready for its race debut, the usual bulbous rear Goodyears remained. The P34 dragster was radical, but never beautiful.

Still, it did work. At its first F1 race, the opening European round at Jarama, Spain, Patrick Depailler qualified a promising third – 11 places ahead of doubting Jody in a 007.

That Depailler crashed out with brake problems was an early sign of a major P34 weakness.

Once Scheckter had his own six-wheeler, he and his French teammate proved that Gardner was possibly on to something. Most famously, Scheckter led home Depailler to a 12-wheeled

TYRRELL’S HEADLINE GRABBER

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(LEFT) Jody Scheckter talks with Tyrrell P34 designer Derek Gardner. The feedback wasn’t always positive... (BELOW) The P34’s smaller front wheels and tires meant the brakes and suspension were “miniaturized,” too. Tuning the steering geometry for both pairs of wheels was a complex and ongoing task.

“When I thought about it, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me – and as we carried on, it still didn’t make a lot of sense to me...”

JODY SCHECKTER one-two in the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp – the only F1 win for a car with more than four wheels – and at season’s end they were P3 and P4 in the championship, admittedly way behind Niki Lauda’s Ferrari and new world champion James Hunt’s McLaren. It was, Scheckter admits, better than he remembered.

“Much more than I remembered, actually,” he says. “But it broke a lot. I remember going to Zandvoort and just thinking the whole time, ‘Is it going to break?’ And if it breaks there you don’t really get out of it. Austria, the suspension broke in the front and I had a massive crash. Sweden, in practice one of the small wheels broke off. They had to reset the alignment and cambers on the front nearly all the time because it was flexing so much. But I shouldn’t be so negative, should I?” He at least confirms that Gardner

P34: DECENT WHEN IT FINISHED…

Well, decent when it finished in its debut 1976 season. By ’77, not only was the P34 on a 56-percent non-finish rate, it was mostly underwhelming when it did last the race.

1976: 13 grands prix (25 starts); 3rd in F1 Constructors’ Championship (including points earned by Tyrrell 007)

STARTS

25

WINS 1 (4%) SECONDS 8 (32%) THIRDS 1 (4%) NON-FINISHES 8 (32%)

1977: 17 grands prix (34 starts); 5th in F1 Constructors’ Championship

STARTS

34

WINS 0 (0%) SECONDS 1 (3%) THIRDS 3 (9%) NON-FINISHES 19 (56%)

GET A GRIP The P34’s 10in front tires may have meant a larger contact patch and theoretical grip advantage, but higher rotational speed led to significantly increased wear rates.

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SIX-WHEELED RACECARS

TYRRELL P34

“As soon as you turned in, one of the little wheels would lift up and you had to take your foot off the brake” JODY SCHECKTER

achieved part of his target: “It was a fun car to drive; you could do anything with it. In a way, it was a short and long wheelbase car.” Despite an inherent weight problem, the complex steering system made it light to the drivers’ touch and its maneuverability shone on tighter tracks: along with their success at Anderstorp, Scheckter and Depailler were also second and third at Monaco, behind Lauda.

But still, Jody is drawn back to its faults.

“It was also supposed to brake much better, which in theory was probably right,” he says.

“When the road is flat and straight, that’s fine.

But as soon as you turned in, one of the little wheels would lift up and you had to take your foot off the brake. The advantage wasn’t there.”

Over the course of the year, Scheckter’s attitude to the P34 inevitably affected his relationship with Tyrrell and Gardner. “When I was saying things that weren’t exactly ultra-positive and Patrick was saying it was ‘fantastique,’ they started listening to him more than me, I suppose,” he recalls with a wry smile.

At season’s end, Scheckter left to join the new Wolf team, with whom he would win on his debut in Argentina. But he claims his decision wasn’t directly driven by his disregard for the P34. “I just needed a change,” he says.

“I don’t think it was anything more than that.”

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BACK TO FOUR WHEELS

Tyrrell returned to conventionality with its 008 of 1978. As some payback for Patrick Depailler enduring two seasons of the six-wheeled P34, the 008 delivered him a first grand prix win in Monaco and fifth in the final drivers’ championship points.

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(ABOVE) Ronnie Peterson replaced Scheckter for ’77, but Goodyear was no longer focused on the project and the Tyrrell P34 was retired at the end of the season.

Tyrrell plowed on with the six-wheeler for ’77, the classic Elf livery replaced by First National City Travelers Checks colors on a heavily-revised body penned by former Lotus designer Maurice Phillippe. Gardner had hired Phillippe during ’76 as a consultant, before quitting the team and F1 to join automotive components and parts supplier BorgWarner.

Ronnie Peterson replaced Scheckter, but the P34’s best days were already behind it.

The car’s slide into mediocrity is ascribed largely to the little tires. Goodyear had enjoyed the initial publicity in 1976, but the following year, with a whole F1 grid to supply, it stopped developing the 10in. rubber. In ’78 Peterson would return to Lotus, while Tyrrell reverted to convention with Phillippe’s four-wheeled 008.

As for Scheckter, a P34 would be the final addition to his personal collection of openwheelers he raced during his colorful career.

His attitude to the car has certainly softened over time, but ask for his stand-out memory and he can’t help picking a moment of mirth: “That time one of the little wheels fell off at Anderstorp in practice,” he recalls with a chuckle. “I drove back and parked up. Derek sat on the car, hadn’t noticed one was missing and said, ‘How’s it handling?’ I said, ‘It’s got a bit of understeer’ and burst out laughing…”

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(MAIN) Keke Rosberg tests the six-wheeled Williams FW08B in 1982. The car was based on the conventional FW08 (RIGHT) that Rosberg raced to a close-fought ’82 F1 title.

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FW08B: WILLIAMS’ BIG “WHAT IF?”

WILLIAMS PUTS IT ALL ON SIX Out-gunned by turbo-powered F1 opposition, Williams went a sixwheel route with its FW08B. Could it have won? We’ll never know...

I

n contrast to the Tyrrell P34, the Williams FW08B never turned one of its equally-sized six wheels in competition. But had it raced, this was a car that might have been a major game changer in Formula 1. At least that’s the view of its co-designer, Frank Dernie.

He doesn’t remember exactly when he and chief designer Patrick Head chose the six-wheel route, but he does remember why.

On the surface, Williams was flying high following Alan Jones’ breakthrough world title in 1980 with the Cosworth DFV-powered, ground-effect FW07. Keke Rosberg and the compact FW08 sneaked a second title in ’82, but by then the writing was truly on the wall.

“We sat down and said, ‘What are we going to do about the fact we can’t get a turbo engine?’” says Dernie. “Our deficit was a great deal more than we realized – about 160hp.”

The answer was to seek an “unfair advantage.”

Says Dernie: “People say its down to engine power on how fast you go down the straight, but do the math and drag is at least as big a factor, if not more. It was pretty damn obvious that the rear tires were the big drag thing. I designed a gadget for measuring wheel drag

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FRANK DERNIE

INSTEAD OF SIX WHEELS...

A ban on ground-effect cars for 1983 forced Williams to run a flat-bottomed FW08C (TOP), followed by its first turbo car, the ungainly, Honda-powered FW09 (ABOVE).

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and it showed that if we put a front wheel at the back, it was a useful reduction in overall drag.”

March’s Robin Herd penned a six-wheeler with four at the back using identically-sized “fronts” in ’77, but a lack of funding ended development.

The 2-4-0 (a term borrowed from railroad locomotives) never raced, despite apparent potential. Now Williams picked up the ball.

Dernie explains the pros and cons: “At the time we didn’t know that ground effect was going to be imminently banned [for ’83], therefore we also felt that having two narrower wheels at the back allowed the side panel, which was effectively the [aerodynamic] seal, to run all the way to the back of the car rather than having to stop just in front of the rear tire.

“The big disadvantage was the weight, obviously, because you’ve got more axles, a bigger gearbox, and so on. My recollection is that it was 100lb heavier – not a trivial amount.”

A complex transmission to drive all four rear wheels was fitted to an FW07 in late 1981 for Jones to test (not long before he shocked the team by quitting F1). “Patrick was happy that we’d reduced the drag, but his biggest concern was whether the thing would go straight on at the turns,” says Dernie.

“Effectively having four driven wheels pointing straight ahead, he felt it might give us

PANDORA’S BOX? With hindsight, Frank Dernie (BELOW) makes an admission on the banning of six-wheeled cars that would have choked him at the time, back in 1982. “What would have happened next?” he muses. “Eight wheelers? Or ground-effect cars with a string of tiny wheels all the way down the side… Yes, it could have opened a Pandora’s box.”

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“Patrick [Head] was happy we’d reduced the drag, but his concern was whether the thing would go straight on at the turns”

FW08B: WILLIAMS’ BIG “WHAT IF?” Williams F1 keeps the sixwheeled FW08B in running order as part of its heritage collection. (MAIN) 2017 driver Felipe Massa puts the machine through its paces.

SIX APPEAL Although it might be the most famous six-wheeled racecar, the Tyrrell P34 wasn’t the first…or the last. The “six is better than four” school of thought pre-dates WWII. More recent examples fall into the “what might have been” category, either media stunts (Ferrari), short of development funds (March), or banned before they could compete (Williams). And should any current F1 teams get the idea that a six-wheel machine could be the way to go, forget it – it’s four wheels only in the current rules.

1936-’39 AUTO UNION BERGRENNWAGEN TYPE C/D Double rear wheels were commonly used on pre-war hillclimb racers, most famously on Auto Union’s 16-cylinder beast. Extra grip was a boon while slithering up Grossglockner and other such fearsome mountain climbs with 520hp under your right boot. (LEFT, Hans Stuck shows off the Type C at Shelsley Walsh, UK, in 1936.)

impossible-to-drive understeer. So we decided to run it on some tight tracks to see.

“Once it was clear the driver couldn’t even tell it was a six wheeler – they used to forget! – it was just quicker: it had better traction, it had less drag, it turned in fine, it didn’t have any more understeer than any other car. Patrick was then concentrating pretty hard on how he was going to get it down to the weight limit.”

Testing continued in ’82 with the transmission now fitted to an FW08 – the “B” – but the car was destined to be shelved before it could see real action. The FIA’s rule-makers intervened, not for the last time as 1983 approached, and banned both all-wheel drive and six wheelers.

“It had become very obvious to the other teams that our testing was going extremely well,” recalls Dernie. “They all realized that if our six wheeler was going to be competitive, everyone would have to build one. Firstly, that would cost loads of money, and secondly, that would put them at least a year behind us.

“It was incredibly annoying because we had put almost no work into anything else for quite some time, both in the drawing office and in the wind tunnel. It was galling at the time. But if you think about it from a distance, and what might have happened next (see sidebar, LEFT), it was probably a good thing.”

1939 MERCEDES-BENZ T80 A six-wheeled land speed record contender, complete with suitably silver aero styling and designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

Germany’s Nazi regime put a stopper on the project by starting WWII before it could run.

1948 PAT CLANCY SPECIAL Innovation used to be at the heart of the Indianapolis 500 and The Brickyard surely never saw anything stranger. Billy Devore qualified 21st and finished 12th driving this twin-axled beast in 1948, but driveshaft failure ended Jackie Holmes’ run in ’49 after qualifying 17th (ABOVE).

1977 MARCH 2-4-0 Max Mosley loved the publicity Robin Herd’s intriguing six-wheeled variant offered, but couldn’t find the money to develop it, despite promising tests. The car was later raced in British hillclimbs

by Roy Lane and has more recently appeared in historic F1 races.

1977 FERRARI 312T6 Surely a half-hearted response to Tyrrell and March six-wheelers, Ferrari chose four normal-sized rear tyres on one axle! It caught fire when Carlos Reutemann crashed it at the Fiorano test track. Subsequent stories of a T8, with four wheels on the front and four at the back, kept the Italian press guessing for a few weeks…

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FORMULA 1 (MAIN) Nico Rosberg’s vote for a modern Formula 1 great is the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid, which dominated the 2014 season.

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GREATNESS IN AN AGE OF CONFORMITY

MODERN CLASSICS

As tightly regulated as it is now, can current and recent eras of Formula 1 still be the catalyst for great cars? Two former champions say yes to that, but with certain provisos...

WORDS Chris Medland MAIN IMAGE Andy Hone/LAT

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FORMULA 1

GREATNESS IN AN AGE OF CONFORMITY

ormula 1 in the 21st century doesn’t leave much room for the bold technical idea that pushes the envelope, or a left-field moment of genius that instantly obsoletes the opposition.

Instead, it’s about evolution, not revolution, and relentless iterations around a theme.

So when the rules are almost suffocatingly constrictive, what marks out the great from the merely good? Will future generations look on a 2013 Red Bull or a 2016 Mercedes with the reverie reserved for a Lotus 49 or a Ferrari 312T2? What defines modern greatness?

“Mainly it’s the performance against other cars,” says 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg. “In its day – in its day – how good was it compared to everybody else out there? I think that has to define a great car most of all.”

Rosberg threw everything at winning his F1 title in 2016, to the extent that he couldn’t ask himself to go through it again the following

FROM VILLENEUVE TO ROSBERG – CONTENDERS FOR GREATNESS Given that Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg are the guys we’ve spoken with about great cars from the modern era, we’ve taken our window as the start of Villeneuve’s F1 career and the end of Rosberg’s. Here are the cars we feel have a claim to greatness status...

NICO ROSBERG

The son of 1982 Formula 1 champ Keke Rosberg, Nico made his F1 debut with Williams in 2006, before switching to a still-evolving Mercedes team in ’10. His first GP win came in ’12 and the title in ’16. Mission accomplished, he chose F1 retirement over a title defense.

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Alastair Staley/LAT

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The 1997 Williams-Renault FW19 delivered Jacques Villeneuve the F1 title in his sophomore season. Thanks to a brush with a wall, Monaco (LEFT) wasn’t one of Jacques’ seven GP wins that season.

year, choosing retirement instead. But ask him to name the greatest car he’s raced and the obvious choice of his championship-winning Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid lasts all of two seconds before he corrects himself: “I was thinking of that car, but perhaps it should be the 2014 Mercedes, the W05. That was the first car in F1’s hybrid era and it was so much better than anything else out there, just unbelievable.

“As well as how good it was competitively, it’s also about the innovation, the forward thinking.

It was such a change in regulations going to that engine - the hybrid - and Mercedes absolutely nailed it. I mean, since then they haven’t really had to make huge changes because the initial concept and execution was so perfect.”

While Rosberg took the ultimate prize of a championship in his final year, Jacques Villeneuve achieved that as an F1 sophomore. Runner-up in his 1996 rookie season, Villeneuve took the

1996 Williams-Renault FW18

The year a young Jacques Villeneuve burst onto the Formula 1 scene he was handed one of the most dominant cars in years.

Benetton’s challenge had faded, and Damon Hill (LEFT) and Williams swept to a drivers’ and constructors’ title double, Hill winning eight grands prix and Villeneuve four.

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Steve Etherington/LAT

1998 McLaren-Mercedes MP4/13

As much an example of a great design philosophy as a great car per se, Adrian Newey’s first McLaren earned drivers’ and constructors’ titles and ensured Michael Schumacher’s wait for a Ferrari title would go on. Newey took advantage of new technical regulations that made the cars narrower, penning a design that would take pole at 12 of the first 13 GPs, win nine of 16 races, and be the basis for ’99’s title-winning MP4/14.

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“There didn’t seem to be any limit. When it’s like that, the limit becomes you and not the car. It’s a real high”

season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

“Melbourne was amazing,” recalls the French-Canadian. “I really pushed it that bit further and it rewarded me, because I was two seconds ahead of everyone and it was just easy.

Even then, I could still push it harder and harder. There didn’t seem to be any limit. When it’s like that, the limit becomes you and not the car. It’s a real high. Yeah, just amazing.”

Villeneuve would never hit those heights again, but the relentless pace of F1’s iterative development would mean his final car - the 2006 BMW Sauber F1.06 – would lap Silverstone a second per lap faster than his championship-winning FW19, despite grooved tires having replaced slicks. That’s impressive in isolation, but not when compared to that season’s dominant Renault and Ferrari cars.

“Sure, we were driving a lot faster in 2006,” says Villeneuve, “but that Sauber wasn’t a car

JACQUES VILLENEUVE

Steve Etherington/LAT

crown next time around, thanks to a sevenwin season in the Williams-Renault FW19.

“The car that was giving me the most was the 1997 Williams, because it did everything that I wanted it to,” Villeneuve says. “It wasn’t the fastest racecar I ever drove, and it was very difficult to drive, but it was built around me and it was like a second skin. I would just get in and almost always it did exactly what I wanted it to do. You could make tiny setup adjustments and it would react; it was in that perfect window.

“It was a car that gave you the opportunity to make that little extra push in qualifying. You knew that by taking the risk you could go that little bit quicker. It’s not something you’d do in the race, but you could trust it when you needed to push the limit that bit more. That was amazing.”

Rosberg’s assertion that greatness is a comparative measure holds up for Villeneuve’s FW19 – perhaps never more so than in the ‘97

Andy Hone/LAT

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FORMULA 1

2004 Ferrari F2004

While the car that ended Ferrari’s title drought, the F1-2000, gets an honorable mention as the Scuderia embarked on a stunning run of six consecutive constructors’ championships and five straight drivers’ titles for Michael Schumacher, the zenith came in the final year of the streak, with the F2004 (LEFT) taking 15 wins (13 for Schuey) from 18 races.

GREATNESS IN AN AGE OF CONFORMITY

(ABOVE) Any sure-fire greats in the 2018 Formula 1 field?

Jacques Villeneuve isn’t enthused by the thought...

(ABOVE LEFT) Villeneuve celebrates his 1995 Indy 500 win in his Reynard-Ford 95I.

2009 Brawn-Mercedes BGP 001

Great cars are often defined by some “magic bullet” feature, and the 2009 Brawn had one with its double diffuser. A Honda design with a Mercedes engine, the BGP 001 was in a class of its own in the opening race and won six of the first seven GPs for Jenson Button. The level it started at meant Rubens Barrichello could add two wins later in the year, despite minimal in-season development.

mean it’s necessarily good. The hybrid power units, I wouldn’t want to have one of those in my car, but they’re extremely complex and some of the engineering is amazing.”

Well versed in the history of F1, Rosberg doesn’t disagree, but he does see a specific aspect of modern F1 cars – as in, those hybrid power units – as having a certain greatness.

Just not the visceral, screaming, wow, did you see that? unforgettable type of greatness.

“Right now, it’s not like the V10 era, or when the turbo cars were putting out 1,250hp,” he muses. “It’s not as...immediate.

But maybe the engineering and technological capabilities are what define greatness now?

When you think about it, it’s pretty incredible really what you can do from your steering wheel to impact the car.

“Back in 2014, it did feel like we were leading the sport into a new era, because it

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Steve Etherington/LAT

that reacted well; it wasn’t a nice car. That’s why when you ask, ‘What’s the greatest car?’ it has to be one that reacts the way you want.

“The Indy car I drove in 1995 was like that, too,” he recalls of the Reynard 95I that took him to an Indy 500 win and the CART title. “The way we got it working during the season, it did whatever I wanted. When it’s like that, it’s so much fun to push to be that extra half-second quicker.”

Moving away from cars that Rosberg and Villeneuve have raced, it’s interesting to get their take on F1 circa 2018 and the potential greatness, or otherwise, of contemporary machinery. It’s perhaps unsurprising that Villeneuve, a guy never afraid to say exactly what he thinks, screws up his face at the idea of describing a current-era F1 car as “great.”

“Great pieces of technology, yes,” he says, “because they are very complex and some of the figures are impressive. But that doesn’t

2009 Red Bull-Renault RB5

That’s right, a car that didn’t win a championship.

Unlike BGP 001, the RB5 didn’t have a double diffuser, but still provided the sternest test for Brawn. New regulations were again the opportunity for Newey to catapult a team to the front, and more importantly than six wins in ’09, his aero concept would be honed to deliver four-straight title doubles from 2010-’13.

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was a big change into a more contemporary form of power with the hybrids. And the way Mercedes approached it, it was the most advanced hybrid power unit in the world – really incredible.

“And the way the battery pack, which was so small, yet had so much power, fed in that power so seamlessly was amazing. This was despite the incredible complexity of the turbo and the battery power working together. You always got exactly what you asked for straightaway.”

While the pair find consensus on the technological impressiveness of today’s F1, Villeneuve takes exception to one feature of grand prix racing that he believes limits the ability to really see the true performance – and therefore true greatness – of a current car.

“The cars are heavy and the tires don’t allow the drivers to push, so they’re never in that perfect window I was talking about,” he says. “If they do three corners right on the

Adam Warner/LAT

Daimler AG

As Nico Rosberg points out, greatness in modern Formula 1 design might not be defined by a car, but by its power unit. If so, Mercedes’ PU106 (LEFT, the 2015 “B” version), which has dominated F1’s turbo-hybrid era since 2014, is definitely great.

JACQUES VILLENEUVE

The son of Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques had watched his dad do great things in sometimes less-than-great Ferraris. His own F1 career started on a tear, with 11 wins and the 1997 title in his first two seasons. After that, a move to the start-up BAR stymied further feats.

Steve Etherington/LAT

2014 Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid

Utterly dominant. Aerodynamic regulations were updated and Mercedes was a factor on those alone, but the 1.6-liter, V6 turbo-hybrid that Brixworth produced was a masterpiece. More than two seconds a lap faster than anything else when the wick was turned up, W05 obliterated the rest, with 16 wins and 18 poles from 19 grands prix.

edge, the tires overheat. So even on a qualifying lap they have to massage it, and then in the race look how slow they are.

They’re driving at 80 percent, so they never get to the point where the car is critical, or nervous, or genuinely difficult to drive.”

For Villeneuve, the holy grail is having a car that is only restricted by the driver behind the wheel; one where the elements that make it so great also provide a platform to push the driver to even greater heights.

“You want to reach a point where it’s hard for you to go beyond your own personal limit. When you get there, that’s when your heartbeat goes up by 40bpm. Back in ’97, Eau Rouge flat wasn’t easy, and I think only Michael [Schumacher] and I were doing it, and that was special.

“For me, the truly great cars – the special cars – are the ones that allow a driver to push to their own maximum and make a difference.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Greatness is truly subjective, and all the better for it. Which cars from racing’s modern era – and please don’t stop at Formula 1 – meet your idea of greatness?

Let us know at editor@racer.com

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IMSA: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

Holbert Racing, under the guiding light of the eponymous Al, dominated IMSA GTP racing in the mid 1980s.

Its immaculate Porsche 962s were on a constant development arc that kept them center frame as factory and privateer opposition built to epic levels of quantity and quality.

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THE GTP YEARS

Limited to 2000 copies, “IMSA: Celebrating 50 Years” goes on sale in September, available through IMSA.com.

From 1969 to the present day, “IMSA: Celebrating 50 Years” showcases the moments, machines and people that made IMSA’s illustrious history. Measuring 9in. x 12in., with 216 pages printed on archival quality paper, this premium hardcover book is a must for any sports car racing fan.

EXCERPT WORDS Jonathan Ingram MAIN IMAGE LAT archive

“P” IS FOR POPULAR It’s been quite a ride for North America’s preeminent sports car racing sanctioning body, as contributing writer David Phillips notes in the opening chapter of the new “IMSA: Celebrating 50 Years” book.

“Were it possible to link all the tracks on the IMSA calendar into a single mega circuit,” he says, “it wouldn’t include half the twists and turns experienced by the organization known as the International Motor Sports Association over the course of the past 50 years. Visionaries, pragmatists, heroes, saints and a sinner or three have combined to make IMSA’s history complex and compelling, frustrating and inspiring – but never dull.”

Enjoy this exclusive excerpt that showcases one of the highest of highs from those 50 years, the no-holds-barred, manufacturer-loaded GTP era of 1981-’93.

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LAT archive

IMSA: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

(LEFT) Al Holbert and Derek Bell celebrate clinching the 1985 IMSA GTP championship – first of three straight for Holbert Racing’s Porsche 962s.

he GTP cars that first arrived in 1981 and hit full bore by ’84 were transformational.

Those who drove these magnificent exemplars of speed and technology had to reinvent themselves to handle the challenge. The teams behind the GTPs became as well known as the manufacturers they represented. The number of fans following the Camel GT series grew rapidly, as did IMSA’s appeal to sponsors, because the cars were so inspiring. It took only a glance to surmise that these machines were a match for any other racing category that would be technical king – Group C, Formula 1 and CART, or the preceding bolides of Can-Am. The full bodywork, ground-effect tunnels, hefty atmospheric V8s, V12s and outrageous turbos that powered the one-ton GTP cars comprised an audacious formula. It was so attractive, manufacturers scrambled to participate, including tire makers eager to badge their brands with performance.

The drivers who manhandled the GTPs augured their way into the future because there was still a certain roughness about chassis and tire construction, the throttle response of turbos, and the pairings of engines to chassis. This unevenness of performance at such high speeds among an entire field of GTPs was like the heavy and choppy paint daubed on an Impressionist canvas – fascinating to behold at speed, and a style of racing unto itself.

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Murenbeeld/LAT

T

BEFORE THERE WAS GTP...

...Porsche’s 935, in varying levels of outrageous spec, dominated IMSA racing.

(ABOVE, the 1981 24 Hours of Daytonawinning 935 K3/80 driven by Bob Garretson, Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman.) GTP was meant to bring other marques into the frame and did...eventually.

But they could be dangerous, too, inspiring speed’s version of the rhapsody of the deep and sudden loss of control. A three-car contretemps in the 1986 Riverside race destroyed a Corvette GTP, Ford Probe and Jaguar XJR-7 a day after John Kalagian was severely injured in a practice crash that totaled his March-Buick.

A touch of inspiration moved one of sports car racing’s enduring legends, Brian Redman, to persuade Lola’s Eric Broadley and Carl Haas, the importer for the British cars, to launch the first GTP. Multiple Formula 5000 champ Redman wanted to return to racing, and the first Lola T600 bought by Cooke-Woods Racing became his vehicle out of retirement in 1981.

The 44-year-old Redman, a winner of more than 30 major endurance racing events, squared off against 21-year-old sensation John Paul Jr. in GTP’s first driver rivalry. Each drove the new Lola T600 paired with a 350cu.in. Chevy built by Chaparral. The Lolas handled exceedingly well in corners compared with the brutal, sideways-accelerating Porsche 935s they were destined to help exterminate, although the Lolas were unpredictable on Daytona’s banking and slower at the top end.

Redman expertly drove a canary-yellow Lola, distinguished only by the Cooke-Woods team emblem, to win the first title under GTP rules.

The powder blue Lola of future champ Paul Jr.

THE GTP YEARS

carried a JLP Racing logo and a small sponsor banner from Thunderbird Swap Shops on the nose, a world away from the major sponsorships soon to adorn the GTP cars’ ample flanks.

Redman’s greatest contribution might well have been connecting Lola to the sports prototype scene in America. The company would eventually build the T616 Lolas of BFGoodrich, the awesomely fast Corvette GTP for GM, and the GTP ZX-Turbo for Nissan.

Redman moved on to become a factory Jaguar driver and part of an enduring rivalry between the Porsche 962 and Group 44’s splendid, white-with-green-trimmed XJR-5s and XJR-7s. Career longevity allowed him to witness the sea change in endurance racing hastened by the GTPs, which would eventually bring the first full season of televised IMSA races in 1990.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s golf or tennis that you’re talking about, all sports have become thoroughly professional and so you’re talking about a lot of money,” says Redman.

“When I broke into endurance racing in the late 1960s, Ferrari’s drivers weren’t even paid!”

The engaging scream of the V12 and the swoopy, proportionate beauty of the Jaguars made them fan favorites. The team owned by Bob Tullius worked in white overalls and always had the cars well-presented at the front of the grid under crew chief Lanky Foushee, a former mechanic on Air Force One.

There was one problem. Under IMSA’s weight/ displacement formula, the V12 often did not match up with the Porsche turbos. The enduring image of Tullius is one of him twisting his wrist and hand, mimicking the Porsche drivers’ ability to turn a screw on the dash that controlled the boost for their turbos. Group 44 was a consistent winner against the bevy of Porsche team owners, including businessmen/racers Al Holbert, Preston Henn, Bob Akin, Bruce Leven and Rob Dyson. But consistently outnumbered and usually outrun on the straights by the 962s, the pleasant scream of the Jaguar V12s sometimes seemed as if they were straining to keep up, despite IMSA rules gradually granting them increased displacement and adding more weight to the German prototypes.

There was a deep irony in this development.

When IMSA founder John Bishop first decided on the GTP category, he wanted a change after growing weary of the dominance by the Porsche 935s that were heavily modified under the Group 5 rules. The advent of Group C from the FIA’s international sanctioning body was an opportunity to race prototypes that could be fitted with American power plants, ostensibly reining in Porsche’s U.S. domination.

When Group C elected to balance various engine types through fuel allowance, Bishop replied with an emphatic “No!” This decision, taken in 1982, started the “Great Schism” in

LAT archive

Dan Boyd

(MAIN) Porsche 962 vs. wailing Group 44 Jaguar XJR-5s added spice in the mid 1980s. The 962 was a winning weapon of choice for a fleet of privateers, including ’85 Sebring 12 Hours winner Preston Henn’s Swap Shop machine (BELOW), driven by A.J. Foyt and Bob Wollek.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s golf or tennis, all sports have become thoroughly professional, so you’re talking a lot of money” BRIAN REDMAN

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IMSA: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

international sports car racing that established IMSA and the GTP class as the home of unbridled competition among a wide variety of teams and manufacturers. Instead of fuel mileage, engines were equated by IMSA’s weight/displacement formula.

Bishop also rejected the water-cooled, twin turbo engine and aluminum roll cage used by the Porsche 956 in Group C. After crashes in 935s that were very injurious to Kathy Rude and fatal in the case of Rolf Stommelen at Riverside, he required a steel roll cage for all GTPs, and footboxes to be behind the frontwheel center line, greatly enhancing safety.

Porsche’s racing department in Weissach eventually replied with Norbert Singer’s 962, powered by an air-cooled, single-turbo, 2.8-liter engine. A pristine white factory 962 made an impressive debut from the pole at Daytona in 1984, where Porsche’s Mario and Michael Andretti battled Sarel van der Merwe and his South African compatriots in the same March 83G-Porsche that had taken Al Holbert to the title the preceding year. The dicey opening hours of dashing through traffic by the Porsche 962 and the Kreepy Krauly-sponsored March, which went on to take the win, saw the potential of GTP becoming increasingly realized.

The March chassis, mated to a variety of engines, the Jags, designed for Tullius by Lee Dykstra, and the other Porsche teams could

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Dan Boyd

(MAIN) The start of the 1989 24 Hours of Daytona, with Jaguar, Nissan and the privateer Porsche fleets slugging it out. (BELOW) Jaguar’s XJR-9 wasn’t as successful in IMSA GTP as on the world stage.

“That Nissan [Performance Technology GTP ZX-Turbo V6] engine is so strong. How can it have so much power?”

TOM WALKINSHAW

barely keep up with Holbert Racing after it received the new 962 midway through the ’84 season. The lag caused by the debate between Bishop and Porsche, however, led to a brief gap filled by the Blue Thunder team of Randy Lanier and Bill Whittington. Lanier won the Camel GT title in 1984 aboard a Chevy V8-powered March 84G, fulfilling Bishop’s original vision – although Blue Thunder was soon scuttled after federal authorities indicted its principals on marijuana smuggling charges.

Including Holbert’s season in the March, Porsche would win four of five GTP championships from 1983 through ’87 and, thanks to support for independents as well as the quasi-factory team of Holbert, the majority of the races, too. Owner/driver Holbert paired with Englishman Derek Bell, then at the height of his world-class powers, and added two more championships in 1985 and ’86 to his three previous IMSA titles before hiring Chip Robinson away from Group 44 to be the team’s lead driver. Robinson responded by winning a third-straight title for Holbert Racing.

The 1988 season turned tragic when Holbert was killed at the controls of his private plane. An intense, sometimes impatient competitor who simultaneously ran Porsche Motorsports North America, his team and his family’s Porsche dealership, Holbert was a racer’s racer, liked and respected by his crew

THE GTP YEARS

962’S WINNING DECADE

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* Includes Rolex 24 At Daytona win # Includes 12 Hours of Sebring win

and competitors. He used his born-again Christian beliefs to focus himself and sustain his strenuous workload. Studious about preparation, led by crew chiefs Tom Seabolt and later Kevin Doran, Holbert was an outstanding technical strategist. His decision to take more weight and use the 3.2-liter Porsche flat-6 was crucial to the team’s success.

As the battle with Porsche continued unabated, Jaguar North America decided to replace Group 44 with Tom Walkinshaw Racing for 1988, which brought its “Porsche beaters” from Group C to America. In a spectacular debut, TWR’s Jaguar XJR-9 won the 24 Hours of Daytona, turning the table on the always robust Porsches, which pushed the pace and ran themselves into the ground. Alas, the racing fate of Jaguar in America would remain unchanged.

Shortly after TWR’s debut win, the GTP ZX-Turbo of Nissan Performance Technology, Inc., turned in a spectacular performance of its own at Road Atlanta, where Geoff Brabham came from 61sec behind to overtake an XJR-9 at the finish. It left strong-jawed Scotsman Walkinshaw scratching his head. “That Nissan engine is so strong,” he said at the time. “How can it have so much power?”

NPTI, under the direction of Kas Kastner, had severely modified the original Lola T810 chassis carrying the Nissan V6 turbo. The first goal was to run fast, but the prototype was

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Before its numerous Audi successes, Joest Racing was a Porsche stalwart, twice winning Le Mans with its 956. It also claimed the last IMSA GTP win for a 962, at Road America in 1993 (ABOVE).

Bill Murenbeeld/LAT

Dan Boyd

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WINS BY 962 OR DERIVATIVE

With multiple teams and myriad tweaks and updates, Porsche’s venerable 962 won IMSA GTP races across a whole decade. As the factory programs from Nissan and then Toyota got into their stride, the victories tailed off, but 962s were still nibbling at the podium through 1993.

(ABOVE) Geoff Brabham was a guy who did most of his talking on the race track. And four-straight IMSA GTP titles with Nissan between 1988-’91 was quite a conversation...

more like a Funny Car dragster – heaps of power and speed, but not much endurance. The second goal was to win a race, a breakthrough that came at Miami in 1987. Then came ’88, when Brabham won eight consecutive races, including solo victories at Lime Rock, Portland and Sears Point when not partnered by John Morton.

It wasn’t so much the estimated 1,000hp, which matched Porsche’s turbos, that made the Nissan V6 so special, rather the genius of Don Devendorf, a principal at the team originally known as Electramotive. IMSA had tried to quell the turbo’s advantage by outlawing in-cockpit boost controls. But wastegates that operated according to an engine’s electronic mapping were still in play. Devendorf, an engineer for Hughes Aerospace, devised an electronic control unit (ECU) for the Nissan V6 that kept the application of boost consistent coming off the corners, enabling drivers to use the turbo’s horsepower just like competitors in naturallyaspirated machines. The turbo boost, however, meant more power and better acceleration. It all came together after chassis designer Trevor Harris heavily revised the suspension on the original T810, then built a new one for the NPT-90, where Yoshi Suzuka did the aero.

Brabham had struck out twice in his bid to follow his father and three-time world champion Jack Brabham’s open-wheel career, first in Formula 1 and then in CART. The soft-spoken

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IMSA: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

THE GTP YEARS

Aussie lacked the braggadocio and selfpromotion of the typical racer’s ego. He had no access to corporate sponsorship and rode the tide in hopes his talent would carry him to the right place at the right time. Once he arrived at NPTI, he found himself at home.

“When I walked in the door, I could sense I was working with people who wanted to put things right and were capable of doing it,” says Brabham. In 1989, Brabham won nine times and the title. Even when NPTI hired the redoubtable Robinson from Porsche as a contending teammate, Brabham continued to win titles – four in a row. But he was always the zen-like racer, self-effacing and calm.

Under the direction of Tony Dowe, TWR’s team leader in the U.S., 1991’s V6 turbo-powered XJR-16 was built in America, but despite winning six races it again lost the title to a more consistent Nissan and Brabham. In Jaguar’s final season of ’92, the XJR-16 was replaced by the XJR-14, a modified Group C machine with an ultra-light chassis capable of high-speed cornering. With Davy Jones at the wheel, the XJR-14 initially paralyzed the paddock and many feared trying to beat it, but the long-sought championship still eluded tenacious TWR. It was vanquished by the final terror to strike in GTP – the Toyotas of All American Racers and Dan Gurney, in which Juan Manuel Fangio II succeeded Brabham as the maestro.

Dan Boyd

LAT archive

(MAIN) Dan Gurney’s awesome Toyota MkIIIs were the last of the GTP giants, usurping the formerly dominant Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo (BELOW).

“When I walked in the door, I could sense I was with people who wanted to put things right and were capable of doing it” GEOFF BRABHAM

Gurney’s team and Toyota Racing Development’s engine builders rose to the challenge after two years of development with the HF89 and the introduction of the Eagle MKIII in 1991, co-designed by Hiro Fujimori and John Ward. By ’92 Toyota had conquered the power and endurance issues of the 2.1-liter, inline four-cylinder engine that had dogged the MKII. (When a typically strong performance by a MKII at Road Atlanta ended in grief, Gurney explained why Drake Olson’s Toyota had quit on course.

“The squirrel died,” he deadpanned, referencing the little engine’s overworked turbo.)

With MKIII’s superb power, cornering and endurance, Fangio closed out the GTP era with stellar 1992 and ’93 championship seasons befitting his namesake uncle, the great F1 champ, while barely besting teammate P.J. Jones.

There will never be another era like the GTPs. At some time or another, it seemed everyone got sucked in, including factories who spent and spent. Suddenly the prototypes, the teams and the drivers were too expensive. The GTPs were put out to pasture in vintage events, but not before they gave us nearly a decade of the most scintillating sports car racing ever witnessed.

In today’s economy and unrelenting pace of technology, the costs would be astronomical.

So perhaps those heady days are best left to whims of the imagination, where reality can’t bite the sweetness of memory...

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WORDS Paul Fearnley MAIN IMAGE LAT archive

WING WAR ONE, 1968-’69

FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN Ferrari got there first on June 7th, 1968. Brabham got one the very next day at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. One month later, Lotus got the bug and went big, really big. Suddenly wings were the thing in Formula 1 and downforce was on the up.

Everyone had one by August. Missile maker Matra’s moved of its own accord. So too did Ferrari’s – unless its driver reckoned he knew better.

But nobody really knew. Not yet. Designers either held a candle in the wind or threw caution to it as F1 in its wilful ignorance accelerated inexorably towards V1. Already in the midst of its most deadly era, it was about to fly even closer to the Sun...

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REALITY STRIKES...HARD

Last hurrah for F1’s high wings... John Surtees’ BRM enters the tunnel during Thursday practice for the ’69 Monaco GP. A day later, moved by a spate of wing-related failures and crashes, the FIA had banned the lofty aero aids.

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DOUBLING DOWN(FORCE)

B

rabham designer Ron Tauranac, though somewhat more wary than Lotus’ Colin Chapman of unchecked development in an unexplored area, upstaged his rival at the Italian Grand Prix in September 1968. Not only did he introduce a radical new rear wing, but he also repurposed the old, lower item across the front of his BT26. (This just one year after trying a drag-reducing bubble canopy at the same Monza circuit.)

Conceived with British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) aerodynamicist Ray Jessop, the new wing hinged at the centre of its span and its loads were shared between sprung and unsprung elements via canted inner as well as outer vertical struts. A wire from its trailing edge to a cockpit lever (calibrated in Jack Brabham’s case) flattened its incidence – a process reversible only in the pits – but even when “locked,” the wing oscillated from dihedral to anhedral under braking.

“Tauranac was a canny bugger,” says Peter Wright, who joined BRM from Cambridge University in 1967 and was responsible for its aerodynamic R&D. “He may have set the wing

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so that the incidence changed according to ride height; when the rear comes up under braking it may well have increased the incidence and given more downforce. Who knows?

“Everybody was experimenting. Tasked with a self-adjusting wing, my solution was electrohydraulic, with a button on the steering wheel.

John Surtees tested it at Silverstone [in 1969].

He did a couple of laps before pressing it. Then came straight back in: ‘Hmm, interesting. The car jumped from one side of the track to the other.’ That’s how it was then.”

Brabham’s front wing, mounted to the suspension’s inner pivots, was shelved after a few laps of Monza. But a fortnight later Jochen Rindt, canards removed (because of overheating), used one to set pole for the Canadian GP at Ste. Jovite, Quebec.

Chris Amon, overriding his Ferrari’s automatic adjustment of its rear wing at two points on this undulating track – for a total of three seconds – equaled Rindt’s time and dominated much of the race, despite a failing clutch that eventually broke the gearbox. Thus Denny Hulme, fixed wing restored above his

LAT archive

LAT archive

(BELOW) Jochen Rindt put his Brabham-Repco BT26 on the pole for the 1968 Canadian GP at Mont-Tremblant. Designer, Ron Tauranac, had trialed the car’s high, suspension-mounted front wing at Monza as F1’s “wing war” reached a new level of complexity and fragility. (BELOW RIGHT) Two weeks after Canada, in practice at Watkins Glen, Rindt suffered a rear wing failure.

“Those [hub-mounted] struts were my idea. They redirected load into the middle of the contact patch” PETER WRIGHT

REALITY STRIKES...HARD

McLaren’s M7A engine – he’d won at Monza without it – claimed a consecutive victory.

Everyone had a rear wing by now.

Cooper joined the club at the Nürburgring in August, its Vickers Aerospace aerofoil mounted amidships on tall, close-coupled struts and, by Monza, self-adjusting via sprung plungers that held it shut until overcome by air pressure as speed increased.

BRM’s BAC wing – a thin aluminum skin on a balsawood core, autoclaved in a mold – was fitted first to a P126 at England’s nonchampionship Oulton Park International Gold Cup that same month. Hub-mounted via inclined struts, it was braced laterally and also by cables running from the roll hoop.

“Those struts were my idea,” says Wright.

“They redirected load into the middle of the contact patch without putting a tilting load into the uprights. Not having endplates wasn’t necessarily a mistake. It would generate more downforce, yes, but more drag too. A decent span didn’t need an endplate was the theory.

“There was a wonderful book [“Theory of Wing Sections” by Ira Abbott and Albert

LAT archive

LAT archive

(MAIN) Graham Hill clinched the 1968 F1 title at the season-ending Mexican GP. His Lotus 49B featured a drag-reducing, feathering rear wing that the driver operated with a fourth pedal.

RON TAURANAC When 1959 F1 champ Jack Brabham started building racecars in ’60, fellow Aussie Ron Tauranac was his go-to designer.

Never as “out there” as, say, Colin Chapman, Tauranac’s strength was in honing existing concepts. Not that he wasn’t averse to thinking outside the box if the opportunity arose.

von Doenhoff, first published in 1949] that collated all the research, mainly NASA’s. It was our bible before simulation, finite-element analysis and data systems.”

Hulme had drawn level with Lotus’ Graham Hill with two rounds remaining. His title challenge, however, would end with a brace of accidents – the second caused by rear suspension failure, despite running without a wing – whereas Jackie Stewart’s United States GP victory in October halved his gap to Hill, runner-up at Watkins Glen, to three points.

Since its victory in the dry of Oulton Park, Stewart’s Matra MS10 had worn short canards with endplates and, since Monza, a tall, fixed rear aerofoil, hub-mounted on Siamese struts attached to its endplates’ outer faces. Lower and narrower than Lotus’ and braced from the roll hoop by rods, it struck the speed-safety balance that the Scot demanded.

In contrast, Chapman’s decision to feather Hill’s wing for the power-sapping altitude of the Mexican GP was made gung-ho late – despite a four-week gap between races. His method, however, was simple: Bowden cable

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REQUIRED READING (ABOVE) Aerospace engineer Ira H. Abbott’s résumé included key roles on the X-15 hypersonic rocket plane and NASA’s earliest space programs. His1949 co-authored book, “Theory of Wing Sections,” was the go-to reference for F1 engineers trying to get their heads around wings.

LAT archive

attached to a thin fourth pedal beside – and with a toe bar above – the 49B’s clutch pedal pulling against rubber bungees attached to the leading edge that otherwise held the wing shut; one of Hill’s bungees snapped on the third lap. “[The wing] couldn’t come back to the maximum download position at the end of the straight,” he wrote in “Life at the Limit,” “but, as the speed dropped, it came into the right position of its own accord and stayed there.

A bit hairy…but it held.”

He and Stewart were running 1-2 when the latter suffered fuel starvation and slipped out of the points. Thus the 1968 title was Hill’s.

And Lotus won the constructors’ championship, too – even though Team Lotus had just one win since the outbreak of wings in June; 29 of its 62 points had been earned without a wing. And both Mario Andretti – on pole at the ’Glen for his GP debut – and privateer Jo Siffert had been faster using fixed wings that were lower and narrower than Hill’s.

Was bigger better? Chapman thought so.

Lotus arrived at Kyalami for the South African GP in March 1969 with a high front

NASA archive

(BELOW) Lotus showed up at the 1969 season-opening South African GP with the most extreme high-wing combination yet seen.

(ABOVE) The non-points 1969 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch. By now, all had wings, but size, height and complexity of their trimming devices varied considerably.

wing as well as canards. Attached to the outer ends of 49B’s rocker arms, it was feathered by the four-pedal arrangement that pivoted the rear. Within minutes during practice, Rindt and Andretti suffered collapses of the latter.

Remaining struts shortened to the height of the fronts, Andretti, with rear wing only, was fastest until his gearbox failed.

It wasn’t just Lotus. Brabham, his BT26A now with reliable Cosworth power and on pole, had “the nastiest fright of his [long] career” when the rear wing, no longer hinged,

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PUTTING THE GENIE BACK IN THE BOTTLE

LAT archive

LAT archive

Lotus’s wreckfest at the Spanish GP was the final straw, but the FIA didn’t ban high wings until part-way through the following Monaco GP. Cars ran in the Thursday practice session with high wings, but were shorn of them by Friday’s running.

SPANISH FLY

collapsed during the race.

But this is what it took now. Stewart’s winning Matra ran a high front wing as well as canards, both with endplates, to balance a higher rear wing without endplates that feathered electronically when fifth gear was selected.

Privateers on tight budgets had to be creative. The wings of Rhodesian John Love’s Lotus were feathered – when fifth was engaged and fourth pedal pressed – by compressed air held in cylinders adapted from a propeller of a crashed Vickers Viscount.

And wings were fluttering down to the junior formulae too, high aerofoils front and rear deemed beneficial to – yet still failing on – cars with half the power of F1. Rindt had tried an outlandish box-kite design on an F2 Brabham in October 1968.

This free-to-air free-for-all jarred with the mandating in F1 of a full onboard extinguisher system and stronger roll hoops. But the governing body did nothing.

Yet...

Hill’s pole position for the nonchampionship Race of Champions in March,

set without a front wing likely to cause blind spots in Brands Hatch’s dips, was seven-tenths beneath his July 1968 mark. Rindt lapped 1.4sec faster still in the race, and almost 3sec better than Siffert’s July best, despite a fixed rear wing on shortened struts after yet another failure – toppling sideways rather than falling backwards – during practice.

Victory, however, went to Stewart in Matra’s new MS80 that featured a tall fixed rear wing and canards pivoted by links from the front anti-roll bar. Two weeks later, Brabham won the non-championship International Trophy, dual wings deflecting alarmingly in opposite directions through Silverstone’s fast, constantradius corners.

Rindt was going cold on wings and his employer’s attitude to risk – even though Chapman had consented (from Brands Hatch) to triangulation of the rear wing by flexible rods from the roll hoop. But nobody wanted to win more in F1 than did Jochen; it had been far too long. So he watched bemusedly as mechanics scurried to widen his wing (by 12in.) to beyond the rear track and add a

LAT archive

Both factory Lotus 49Bs had huge accidents in the ’69 Spanish GP when their suspension-mounted rear wings failed. Graham Hill crashed first, but Jochen Rindt came off worse (ABOVE), breaking his nose and fracturing his skull.

“We were in an unknown area and didn’t have the tools.

Calculations were slow, but the need for a wing pressing” PETER WRIGHT

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trailing lip to its section between the struts.

Chapman told his aghast rivals that he was breaking no rule. After all, as things stood, there was no rule to break...

Rindt’s improvement on Saturday, May 3rd, at Barcelona’s sinuous Montjüich Park street circuit earned him pole: by 0.5sec. Chapman was unsatisfied and furious to discover that the last piece of aluminum sheet had been used for another purpose.

Rindt led, but the wing began to droop and crease. Suddenly his teammate’s folded up into a vee cresting a rise on the ninth lap.

Shocked but unhurt from pinballing between barriers, Hill sent warning word. Too late: Rindt suffered a copycat crash.

“People had calculated aero loads,” says Wright. “But because those wings were attached to the unsprung element they received high-frequency loads from the suspension, too. It had performance benefits but was unsafe, the geometry changing as struts moved up and down. Nowadays we’d make them work, no problem.”

Broken nose and cheek, facial cuts and a

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LAT archive

LAT archive

(MAIN) Wings were clipped, not outlawed for 1970. The grid for the German GP shows the lower, smaller aero that followed the excesses of F1’s “wing wars.” (BELOW) Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari 312B is the epitome of the new package’s enhanced aesthetics.

hairline skull fracture seemed small mercies for a driver levered out from so twisted a monocoque. Rindt aired his dirty air in an open letter, published in full by Autosport magazine: the Barcelona crowd, it intoned, had escaped by inches.

His original Spa 1968 wing had had a trimming effect at maximum speed; his Montjüich version was of an entirely different and unanticipated order. And Rindt wanted it banned. The governing body was inclining to agree, officials unimpressed by “confetti”

“There was a sigh of relief [when the high wings were banned]. Back then, cars had a ‘guillotine’ on the front” DEREK BELL

REALITY STRIKES...HARD

RINDT 1970: A TRAGIC CODA

swirling after Ickx’s rear wing had blown apart in front of them in Spain.

Peace broke out in Monaco on the evening of Thursday, May 15, when delegates from the FIA’s Commission Sportive Internationale evoked a “safety clause” to have high wings removed overnight and times set in first practice annulled.

Ferrari and McLaren were said to be happy; Matra’s Ken Tyrrell objected – though pole man Stewart eventually went three-tenths faster than he had with wings; and, crucially, Chapman was at Indy (overseeing an ultimately doomed all-wheel-drive project).

“There was a sigh of relief,” says Ferrari driver Derek Bell. “Today’s F1 has the halo.

Back then, cars had a ‘guillotine’ on the front!”

Wright: “We were in an unknown area and didn’t have the tools. Calculations – best estimates – were slow, but the need for a wing pressing. Chapman had an instinct – later backed by a bit more science – as to why something should work. If he believed in it, he’d stick with it. Sometimes he made things work that others had given up on. But had we known more we would have been scared stiff.”

LAT archive

LAT archive

As F1 took a journey into the unknown with the wing wars of 1968-’69, Lotus founder Colin Chapman was one of the guys pushing the envelope the furthest.

Driver Jochen Rindt (BELOW, with Jackie Stewart in Mexico, 1969) was often the unwitting victim – multiple collapsed wings and then the huge accident in the ’69 Spanish GP – as Chapman built ever higher and wider. In 1970, with wings now reduced in size and Rindt leading the championship, he was killed when a brake shaft failed on his (front wing-less) Lotus 72 at super-fast Monza (BOTTOM).

The competitive spirit continued to burn, however, and Team Lotus cannibalized its transporter to make an extended, curving engine cover for Hill, who won but was doubtful: “Although closely involved [!] in the accidents at Barcelona, I felt the ban retrograde. Wings were a positive aid to suspension and made the cars quicker.”

Fear not, Mr Hill.

Wing War Two commenced five weeks later at Zandvoort. The new wording was woolly – smaller, lower wings to be part of the bodywork and fixed – and, according to Motor Sport magazine’s report: the interpretations of McLaren and Matra were honest; that of BRM’s cheating; and those of Ferrari, Lotus and Brabham stretching the imagination.

Oh, and the scrutineers were lenient.

Heavily hyped, nascent all-wheel drive was its first casualty – where had all that 1968 rain gone? – and Rindt its most tragic. The brilliant Austrian’s wedge-shaped Lotus 72 had been shorn voluntarily of all wings when brake-shaft failure snapped it left into the Monza Armco barriers on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1970.

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THE GURNEY FLAP

DAN’S MAGIC BULLET F

or the birth of the Gurney Flap, we owe a debt of gratitude to agitation and frustration.

If only there had been cameras on hand to capture the manic emotions at play in Phoenix back in 1972 as development of All American Racer’s new Eagle 7200 Indy car was stuck in an unsatisfying rut around the rugged one-mile oval.

Bobby Unser, Indy car’s speed king, was also the long-established prince of testing Dan Gurney’s patience. As raw pace continued to elude AAR’s new open-wheel challenger ahead of the season opener in the desert, the first call in Uncle Bobby’s playbook was to badger the Big Eagle for a cure.

“We’d been there driving for three days in Phoenix, and we were not doing competitive times,” Gurney told Dave Despain in a 2014 interview. “Bobby comes up to me and says, ‘Boss, you’re supposed to be able come up with things all the time – can’t you come up with anything, for crying out loud?’”

Murenbeeld/LAT

A moment of inspiration at a fractious test led to an aero breakthrough that still endures, the Gurney Flap.

Post-feisty exchange between two titans, Gurney thought back to sports cars he’d raced – Can-Am McLarens and Ford GT40s – that used vertical spoilers attached to the rear bodywork.

Before wings entered motor racing, the bolt-on items, used to spoil the air’s path as it departed the car, were a crude but effective device to make downforce. In the age of wings,

WORDS Marshall Pruett ILLUSTRATION Ricardo Santos

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spoilers had been largely forgotten outside of NASCAR, where they still remain in place today.

“I wondered if that would work on a wing – a spoiler on the wing, not on the body,” Gurney added. Nearby, Unser’s bundle of nerves was waiting to be soothed by Dan’s curiosity.

“I said, ‘I’ve lost my speed,’ and so Gurney comes over to me,” three-time Indy 500 winner Unser says. “I can tell he’s upset, but I am too. It’s my test, but I can’t go as fast as I’d been going, and he says, ‘I’ve got something I’d like to try.’ I say, ‘Anything you want! How are we going to make it? When are we going to make it? What are we going to do?’ I’m getting a bit testy. He says, ‘Well, you just carry on with what you’re doing,’ and he took off.”

Still out lapping while Gurney drew up his L-shaped experiment in his mind, Unser worked himself into a lather under the low evening sun.

“My head’s going a million miles an hour,” Unser continues. “That friggin’ thing just

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

HOW THE GURNEY FLAP WORKS

(ABOVE) By countering trailing-edge airflow separation, a thin strip of bent aluminum – the soon-to-be Gurney Flap – transformed the performance of the 1972 Eagle. (TOP LEFT) Dan Gurney and driver Bobby Unser didn’t always see eye to eye, yet still formed an effective partnership in Indy car racing.

If air has one big character flaw, it’s that it’s kind of needy. It hates to be split, separated, or diverted from the larger group.

And whether it’s traveling over and under a car or enveloping a wing, rushing to regain its unbroken form is all air wants to accomplish. It makes the creation of the Gurney Flap and its attachment to the trailing edge of racecar wings one of the finer inventions the sport has known.

Flowing at a shallow angle, air will do a fine job of staying attached to the top and bottom side of a wing before peacefully rejoining after leaving the trailing edge.

Start to crank some angle into the wing to generate more downforce, and air attachment to the bottom of the profile starts to suffer. That separation, which creates drag, is where aero efficiency is lost.

With the Gurney Flap installed on top of the wing’s trailing edge, the air passing under the wing is drawn upward as it reaches the end of its journey. Drag is greatly reduced, downforce is increased, and overall wing efficiency is improved.

In the case of All American Racer’s fateful 1972 test at Phoenix, airflow separation beneath the thick wing profile was largely cured with the introduction of a Gurney Flap as it restored harmony between the top and bottom airstreams.

And as race teams would soon learn, Gurney Flaps could be used to make more downforce without resorting to the same steep wing angles that previously ruined fuel consumption and created significant turbulence. Small, light, and massively effective, it’s only fitting that the gamechanging device bears Dan’s name.

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THE GURNEY FLAP

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

EAGLE BRINGS ONE HOME

LAT archive

LAT archive

Gurney Flaps aside, Dan Gurney (BELOW) and All American Racers engineered hugely successful racecars. Others won Indy 500s with Dan’s Eagles, but it wasn’t until 1975’s rain-curtailed race that AAR, with Bobby Unser at the wheel, finally took one home.

“Back for the race, I smoked their asses. I said, ‘Now the problem isn’t finding speed; it’s hiding this friggin’ secret’”

LAT archive

BOBBY UNSER

won’t go fast, and it’s not the engine. It’s just not sticking good. I run it and I come back in.

We’re all trying to think of things, and pretty soon Dan comes over and says, ‘When would be a good time to try my deal?’ I say, ‘Right now!’ and of course I’m getting testier.

“He’s straight over to the trailer and he’s got some vice grips and a hammer going over there.

I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. Pretty soon he’s back with a long, bent piece of aluminum.

Nothing else, just a 90-degree strip of aluminum, and I just look at it and I’m about to lose it.”

AAR chief mechanic Wayne Leary must have wondered if boxing gloves would be needed...

“We’re all starting to get too argumentative, and [Gurney] says, ‘Here it is. Put it on the back wing,’” Unser recalls. “I say, ‘Where?’ He says, ‘Clear in the back.’ I say, ‘That’s stupid,’ and so I tell Wayne, ‘Pop rivet it on, whatever. Just get it on quick. I’ve got to get this done and over.’

“Wayne and the guys put the friggin’ thing on. I took that son of a bitch out and made less than one lap, and I had just discovered the

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Spoilers on the rear bodywork of sports cars (ABOVE, Gurney’s ’67 Le Mans-winning Ford MkIV) put the germ of an idea in Dan’s mind: Why not do similar on the wing trailing edges? biggest thing ever in racecar handling.”

With the turbocharged Offenhauser engine making obscene power, the straights at Phoenix went by in a blur. But during those formative stages of racecar aerodynamics, inadequate downforce from the rear wing profile meant modest cornering speeds were the accepted norm. In the Gurney Flap, Unser had the solution that tied the straights and turns together.

With a big secret to guard, frustration was replaced by something approaching paranoia.

“I came back in and Dan says, ‘Well, what happened?’ I says, ‘You ain’t going to believe this. That’s the biggest discovery I’ve ever seen in my life for a racecar,’” Uncle Bobby explains. “He says, ‘Well, why didn’t you make more laps?’ He’s getting a little bit angry. I go, ‘Hey, just slow down.’ I didn’t even get out of

the car. And I say, ‘You got any more of that aluminum?’ He says, ‘For what?’ I go, ‘I want a couple for the front [wings] real quick.’

“Then I’m looking around the grandstands.

Where’s Al [Unser]? Where’s Parnelli’s people?

Where’s all these people? I don’t even give them a full lap, see? When he puts them on the front, I go out and I think, ‘I don’t believe this.

It’s a different world.’ But I won’t do a lap, because I know even the firemen are enemies...

“Dan’s still upset I’m not running laps, so I tell him, ‘I’m going to break every record there is at this racetrack, and I’m going to do it anytime you want.’ Well, I was really getting mad. I say, ‘You can’t believe what I just discovered. You can’t believe what you’ve done.’ He says, ‘Really?’ I say, ‘You know I don’t lie. You know if I tell you I’ve got speed, man, I’ve got it.’

“Back there for the race, I smoked their asses, won, broke the records. I say, ‘Now the problem isn’t finding speed; It’s hiding this friggin’ secret.

You guys just don’t know how big this is.’”

Having trounced the field at Phoenix, Unser and that L-shaped marvel would go on to top 1971’s fastest lap at Indianapolis by a full 17mph on the way to pole for the “500.”

“You know, everybody in the press said, ‘Oh, that was Bobby’s idea,’” Unser declares.

“My ass it was. That was Dan’s idea.

“But no more arguments [afterward] between Dan and I. Everything’s cool because I can run so hard, you can’t believe it. Turn it, push it, shove it, anything you wanted, that thing would stay stuck, and nobody knew why we were doing it, but that’s Dan. His friggin’ head used to go like that all the time.”

SEPTEMBER 6-9 IMSA W eatherTech SportsCar Championship

LAGUNA SECA RECREATION AREA / MONTEREY / CALIFORNIA

Tickets / 831.242.8200 / WeatherTechRaceway.com / Ticketmaster.com

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FORD’S WINNING RETURN

An historic winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans’s GTE Pro class in 2016, this is one Ford GT that’s proud to show off its dirty side.

WORDS RACER staff

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MAIN IMAGE Michael Levitt/LAT

2016 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

T

Winning generations...

The 2016 Le Manswinning No. 68 Ford GT shares floor space at The Henry Ford with the MkIV that took overall victory there in 1967 – the second of four straight for Ford in the late ’60s.

hat isn’t just rubber, oil and road dirt streaking the now-silent Ford GT crouched purposefully in the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation – that’s a 2,879-mile story.

Every one of those smears and scratches tells of one fleeting, yet crucial moment from an historic win in the world’s most famous and grueling endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A half-century on from its 1-2-3 victory at Le Mans in 1966 – the first of four-straight in the French classic – Ford headed back to the Circuit de la Sarthe with an all-new racecar, the GTE Pro class-contending GT. The significance of its return was enormous, and the unique challenge of Le Mans remained as daunting as ever: not only racing the competition, but the track and time itself.

Twice around the clock, day into night into day again, with a ferociously strong GTE Pro field ensuring the tiniest problem or mistake could be the difference between victory or defeat.

Little more than a year after the Ford GT turned laps for the first time, four of the red, white and blue machines were wheeled off partner team Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s haulers to begin a week of practice and qualifying that would culminate in the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 18-19, 2016.

Testing of the GTE Pro-spec racecar had been intense in the months prior to Le Mans. Outright performance is paramount at the 8.467-mile track, with its signature high-speed Mulsanne Straight, but so is near-bullet-proof reliability.

The GT, with a carbon-fiber chassis, race-ready aerodynamics and twin-turbo, 3.6-liter, V6 engine wasn’t lacking in the former. But testing is also critical for pushing every component in the car to its limits, finding and fixing any weak spots before Le Mans finds them for you...

So far, so good, the quartet of GTs ended qualifying in the first, second, fourth and fifth starting spots in a loaded GTE Pro field that also boasted factory entries from Aston Martin, Chevrolet, Porsche and – factory

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FORD’S WINNING RETURN

2016 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

drivers, and a tight-knit squad of skilled and determined engineers and mechanics.

“This is an historic moment for the Ford Motor Company,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We dared to dream that we could return to Le Mans, 50 years after the incredible 1966 win, and take on the toughest competition in the world. The pride we all felt when the Ford GT crossed the line at Le Mans is indescribable.”

As the weary, but elated mechanics began the job of packing up their equipment and the cars, word came down: “Don’t clean the No. 68!”

Its reward for 24 hours of hard running without missing a beat? Early retirement, and the chance to proudly wear its hard-earned dirt and battle scars at The Henry Ford.

Michael Levitt/LAT

Every fleck of rubber, or streak of oil, or crack in its high-tech composite skin tells of another mile, another moment in the No. 68 Ford GT’s relentless journey to 24 Hours of Le Mans glory.

Michael Levitt/LAT

BATTLE SCARS

The Henry Ford

entries in all but name – Ferrari, the marque that had battled Ford so hard at Le Mans during those heady days of the late 1960s.

Picking up where they’d left off almost five decades before, the No. 68 Ford GT enjoyed a titanic battle with the No. 82 Ferrari. The pair swapped position multiple times until, nearing the race’s 20-hour mark, American Joey Hand put the Ford back into a GTE Pro class lead it would hold until the end.

Hand and his teammates in the No. 68, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais and German Dirk Muller, completed 340 laps on their way to victory, with third-, fourth- and ninth-place finishes for Ford’s other three entries making it an impressive, 100-percent finishing record for the all-new GT racecar, its international roster of

Drew Gibson/LAT

Some 24 hours, 340 laps and 2,879 miles after taking the start, the GTE Pro-winning No. 68 Ford GT crosses the line at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.

THE HENRY FORD At The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, you’ll discover America – its culture, inventions, people and can-do spirit – and hundreds of hands-on ways to enjoy it and be inspired by it. Explore the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and see where automobile production came of age on the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. thehenryford.org

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INSIGHT

WORDS Mark Glendenning MAIN IMAGE Bret Kelley/IndyCar

QUICK STEPS

Moving up the Mazda Road to Indy ladder means more speed, more aero – and lessons learned that can shape a career.

T

he Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires’ credentials as a production line for future Verizon IndyCar Series stars are evident in its honor roll of graduates – a list including current series champion Josef Newgarden.

The combination of structured progression through three tiers of junior racing, coupled with Mazda scholarships that seeded the careers of IndyCar full-timers such as Spencer Pigot, has long been the standard bearer for tomorrow’s professional racers. For a time, the one drawback was aging equipment – a problem that was solved with the rollout of a ladder-wide refresh starting with the new Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires car in 2015, a new Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda counterpart in 2017, and completed with this year’s debut of the Pro Mazda

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The MRTI ladder begins with USF2000 (ABOVE), and with it, many young drivers’ exposure to wings ’n’ slicks. At the top rung, Indy Lights stars like Pato O’Ward (MAIN) have their sights set on IndyCar.

Prsented by Cooper Tires PM-18.

But in addition to modernizing the tools drivers are working with, the overhaul smoothed out the development curve for those who race through all three rungs. Each step up exposes drivers to increasing levels of power, aero and technical sophistication, but each also demands its drivers learn new skills, ranging from technical feedback to race craft.

It all starts with USF2000. For drivers moving into the series from, say, karts or Formula Ford 1600, the first step on the MRTI ladder also represents a first foray into the world of wings and slicks. But according to Mazda factory driver Joel Miller, who was involved in the development of the USF-17 USF2000 car and the Pro Mazda PM-18, the real differences start before a driver has even pulled on a helmet.

“The USF2000 level is the first foray for some of this kids into proper pro racing, and if they’re coming from karts, it’s their first time in a suspended car,” Miller says. “I think it’s definitely the most overwhelming of the three, because in addition to the chassis it’s the whole environment – it’s running with IndyCar, it’s the tracks. The kids coming in won’t have run on most of our tracks, and they won’t have run on an oval.

‘And being a proper pro series, all of the teams have engineers. So it might be the first time where instead of working with Dad or whoever, they’re working with an engineer – showing up at the track and going through the motions of walking the track on Thursday, learning what to look for. And you only have one practice session before you qualify, so you don’t have the time to have multiple practice

Walt Kuhn

MAZDA ROAD TO INDY LADDER

TUNING TOOLS

With features like two-way adjustable dampers, the new PM-18 Pro Mazda car gives drivers the chance to experience the effects of different setup changes.

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INSIGHT

“In Pro Mazda, a driver will notice the additional horsepower – but then they’ve got to control that power”

Dallara IL-15

DARYL FOX

Series: Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Competition debut: 2015 Chassis: Carbon fiber monocoque and bodywork Top speed: 210mph-plus (in speedway spec) Weight: 1,380-1,400lbs/626-635kg Length: 192in./4,876mm Width: 76in./1,930mm Engine: Mazda MZR-R/AER; 2-liter, turbocharged, 4-cylinder Power: 450hp plus 50hp push-to-pass Weight: 230lbs/104kg Transmission: Ricardo 6-speed semi-automatic Brakes: PFC 6-piston monoblock Tires/wheels: Cooper Tires/ Motegi Racing

Walt Kuhn

For the latest from Indy Lights, check out indylights.com

66 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

sessions before you have to get down and be serious. That USF2000 level is definitely a shock to the majority of the kids, and it often shows who really wants to do this” Succeed in USF2000, and Pro Mazda beckons next. Although the PM-18 shares a common chassis with the USF-17, the scale of the performance upgrade is evident in the fact that the new car has spent its inaugural season routinely carving multiple seconds off previous Pro Mazda lap records. Part of that speed comes from a 100hp jump in power relative to the USF2000, but those extra horses need to be tamed, as MRTI technical director Daryl Fox explains.

“They’re going notice that there is more horsepower, but then they’ve got to control that additional horsepower,” Fox says.

“Because there’s more horsepower, you can probably put your foot flat and use your rear tires up out of every slow corner. You can lean pretty hard on a USF2000 car and you won’t wear the tires down. But in Pro Mazda, if you’re throttle happy, you’re going to pay for

SMALL PACKAGE, BIG TRICKS

The USF2000 car is powered by a Mazda-developed 2-liter MZR powerplant.

The 175bhp units use a fly-by-wire throttle system and are prepared by Elite Engines.

Joe Skibinski/IndyCar Photo

MAZDA ROAD TO INDY LADDER

Tatuus PM-18 Series: Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires Competition debut: 2018

The introduction of the new PM-18 Pro Mazda car has delivered strong fields (INSET), new lap records and close racing. (BELOW) Indy Lights’ IL-15 is the final step to IndyCar.

Engine: Mazda MZR-PM18A/Elite Engines; 2-liter, 4-cylinder, with fly-by-wire throttle and Cosworth SQ6 engine management Power: 275hp

stop at Gateway, a 1.25-miler that’s fast becoming an IndyCar fan favorite – and which offers more valuable oval mileage before a driver moves up to Indy Lights and gets to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I think it’s a huge testament to the Indy Lights platform, being able to run the Freedom 100 and being able to run at the Speedway,” Miller says. “You talk to the guys who’ve just moved up, and Rookie Orientation might be the first time that they’ve averaged over 200mph, but it’s just another day in a

Transmission: 6-speed sequential Steering wheel Cosworth CFW277 with integrated dash and gear-shift paddles Brakes: PFC Tires/wheels: Cooper Tires/ Motegi Racing

For the latest from Pro Mazda, check out promazda.com

Jake Galstad/LAT

Bret Kelley

it at the end of the race, and that’s even more the case in Indy Lights. And once you get to IndyCar, if you don’t manage those red tires…

The extra tire grip is great – but you’ve got to be able to manage it.”

Pro Mazda is also where aerodynamics begin to come into the performance equation.

“The USF2000 has a bit of aero, but that’s mostly for balance – in Pro Mazda, you’re going to get a feeling for performance aero,” Miller explains. “You’ll get some aero wash when you’re behind another car, for example.

The adjustability is the same between the two, in terms of what the engineers are allowed to work with, but in Pro Mazda you can start to really feel what the various changes do.

Pro Mazda is where you’ve got to step up technically as a driver and really dig into that engineer/driver relationship, because without it, it’s just not going to work.”

On the track front, Pro Mazda ups the oval ante. Both it and USF2000 visit Lucas Oil Raceway (the 0.68-mile oval just outside Indianapolis), but Pro Mazda also makes a

Chassis: Carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque with carbon fiber bodywork Top speed: 165mph-plus Weight: 1,146lbs/520kg Wheelbase: 108in./2,750mm Width: 61in./1,549mm

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INSIGHT The USF2000 USF-17 (INSET) is in its second year of competition, and shares much of its DNA with the Pro Mazda PM-18 (BELOW).

Tatuus USF-17 Series: Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda Competition debut: 2017 Chassis: Carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb monocoque Top speed: 140mph-plus Weight: 1,102lbs/500kg Wheelbase: 108in./2,750mm Width: 61in./1,549mm Engine: Mazda MZR-PM18A/Elite Engines; 2-liter, 4-cylinder, with fly-by-wire throttle and Cosworth SQ6 engine management Power: 175hp Transmission: 6-speed sequential Steering wheel Cosworth CFW277 with integrated dash and gear-shift paddles Brakes: PFC Tires/wheels: Cooper Tires/ Motegi Racing

For the latest from USF2000, check out usf2000.com

68 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

racecar for them. Without Lights and that experience…you don’t get that anywhere else.

So as a bridge to IndyCar, it’s so important.

“Guys who are in Formula 1, Formula 2, can they jump straight to IndyCar? Sure. But for everybody else, missing out on that Indy Lights level is a huge mistake, and that’s shown by the past history of drivers who have run Lights and how they’ve performed once they got to IndyCar. In Indy Lights you learn even more on the technical side, because there’s even more you can do with the car, especially on the damper side of things.

“Fuel loads are also more apparent as you move up the ladder – you notice them a bit in Pro Mazda, but in Indy Lights it’s huge. Every time you move up a step, you learn something new. And for Lights, that newness is…whether it’s the Freedom 100 and learning to run over 200mph there, the technical side of it, the tire degradation, it’s all super valuable. Indy Lights is the closest thing to IndyCar, and without it, guys are at a huge disadvantage.”

The gradual drip-feeding of technical

sophistication helps young drivers to develop their engineering instincts in step. What usually starts as a near-total reliance on team guidance develops into an increasingly reciprocal relationship between engineer and driver as the latter’s feedback skills sharpen.

“Setting the car up does get progessively harder [with each step up the ladder], and that’s why previously we’ve seen some guys jump straight from 2000 to Indy Lights, and they do struggle in that first year,” Fox says.

“When a team has an entry-level driver come

MAZDA ROAD TO INDY LADDER

THE SYSTEM WORKS

Skills that Kyle Kaiser acquired in MRTI proved invaluable when he landed an IndyCar Series ride.

NO TRAINING WHEELS HERE

Walt Kuhn

Bret Kelley

As the final step before the IndyCar Series, the Indy Lights IL-15 is heavy on technical sophistication, and helps young drivers learn and hone their engineering skills before they move up into the big cars.

Joe Skibinski/IndyCar Photo

“Missing out on that Indy Lights level is a huge mistake, and we’ve seen that with how Lights drivers have done in IndyCar”

DAN WITH A PLAN MRTI promoter Dan Andersen spearheaded the push for the complete technical overhaul of all three rungs on the ladder.

JOEL MILLER in, the engineer is guiding the driver along the way: ‘this is what you’re going to feel.’ And by the time the driver gets through the three rungs of the ladder series, they’re going to start being able to say, ‘OK, I need more aero; I need more mechanical grip.’ They’ll start feeling it themselves and be able to give better feedback.”

Or, in short, they’ll develop another crucial tool for anyone who wants to make a living in the cockpit of an IndyCar. The scholarships remove some of the biggest barriers of entry for young drivers looking to make the big-time – but the skills they pick up along the way can lay the foundation for their whole career.

“Having my first taste of ovals during the Mazda Road to Indy helped so much once I moved up and started driving cars with more speed.

“An oval is so different to any other type of track, so having a lot of time in a car that’s a bit slower – although it’s still quick – to learn and get those oval-specific techniques down...being so smooth and slow with your hands while going so much faster [than on a road/street course] seems counterintuitive, but when I got into an IndyCar, I really didn’t feel uncomfortable. I didn’t feel like I didn’t know what to do, or how to handle the speed. It’s the same fundamentals, the same stuff, and you get so much time to practice it during the Mazda Road to Indy that I felt pretty good by the time I first got into an IndyCar. “Did I feel intimidated the first time I drove out onto Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar? Definitely!

If you talk to a rookie who says they weren’t, it’s a lie. Those cars are fast; you’re doing 230mph. Now, after having done it, I feel a lot more comfortable. But I wouldn’t have been ready for it in the first place if I wasn’t groomed by the Mazda Road to Indy.

“I also feel like I learned how to set up a decent race car in Pro Mazda, and as you go further up the ladder, those same basic rules still apply.”

Kyle Kaiser won the 2017 Indy Lights crown, and secured a Verizon IndyCar Series program with Juncos this year.

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INSIGHT

WORDS & MAIN IMAGE Richard S. James

PROOF OF CONCEPT

For 30 years, Mazda’s MX-5 has been the go-to car for hundreds of racers, and the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car has taken it to a new level.

O

n any given weekend in the U.S. road racing calendar, it’s a near certainty that the most populous model competing at road courses across the country will be various generations of Mazda MX-5 Miatas.

From the very beginning as a Showroom Stock racer, it was popular and it was a winner. When the Spec Miata concept was introduced, the population exploded. Now in its fourth generation, each version of the MX-5 has found its home on the race track as comfortably as the roads.

With the Spec Miata idea having proven so popular for the initial generations of MX-5s, Mazda introduced its own professional series of identically prepared racecars, the MX-5 Cup. Then for the latest iteration of the Miata – internally coded “ND” and introduced for the 2016 model year – Mazda went a step further, building its own racer for worldwide use, the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car. It’s a route that many other brands have followed, but the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car, coming in at $58,900, is by far the least expensive manufacturer-built, race-ready car available.

“I think our focus from the beginning has been the value equation for the customer,”

says John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports. “The overriding focus was we wanted to bring such an incredible value package to the customer that it just makes sense. That is, value from a reliability and quality standpoint – ‘If I buy this car, it’s pretty clear I’m not going to have to be replacing brake rotors or wheels every session.’ We’re looking at operating costs and the value for the customer in everything we’ve chosen for the package.”

The Global MX-5 Cup car is built by Mazda’s partner Long Road Racing. It takes a Miata, strips it down to the bare chassis, and builds it up from there with a custom, FIA-approved rollcage suitable for left- or right-hand-drive applications, a new sealed ECU, oil cooler, limited-slip differential, race springs and dampers, and AiM Sports data system, plus all the necessary safety equipment minus only the seat. All the pieces used were chosen after an extensive development period, with much of the testing done by Tom Long, racer of everything from Spec Miatas to the Mazda RT24-P Daytona Prototype international car.

The result is a car ready for the track, but one that still retains the feel of the original road car.

(MAIN) The cost-effective, race-ready Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car has supplied close, competitive racing since its introduction in 2016. (BELOW) Adding to Mazda’s at-track footprint, Spec Miata is still hugely popular, too.

“We didn’t take away any attribute the car has in its street form. We’ve just enhanced every capability”

Jay Bonvouloir

TOM LONG

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For more on the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup visit MazdaMotorsports.com.

“We didn’t take away any attribute the car has in its street car form,” says Long. “I think any enthusiast will find very similar attributes in race trim. We’ve just enhanced every capability, whether you’re talking about the acceleration, the braking or the handling.”

The Global MX-5 Cup car competes in the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, as well as its sister championship in Japan, with other series possibly in the works. Yet Mazda has built a car that has the capability to not only race in its own series, but many others as well. The car has been a winner in Pirelli World Challenge TCA and Sports Car Club of America Club Racing, and has a class win in the National Auto Sports Association’s grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Many enthusiasts have chosen the Global MX-5 Cup car for track day fun as well.

Wherever it may be a winner, the MX-5 Cup

Morgan J Segal

GLOBAL MAZDA MX-5 CUP

THE PERFECT STARTING POINT

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car ever, with more than one million sold. Now in its fourth generation, an enduring emphasis on handling and light weight has made the MX-5 a perfect platform for cost-effective, fun race versions.

is the venue for which the car was designed, and that series has launched many of its champions into higher levels of racing, including Michael Cooper, Kenton Koch, Stevan McAleer and Eric Foss. That’s thanks in large part to Mazda’s career advancement scholarships, which award the MX-5 Cup champion $200,000 to compete in another racing series. In fact, the Mazda Road to 24 not only offers a path for MX-5 Cup champions to continue racing, it offers a path to get to MX-5 Cup as well. A driver who wins certain club racing championships driving a Mazda or Mazda-powered racecar has the opportunity to earn a shot at winning a full season in the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup. Not only is the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car an incredible bargain – 150 customers, and counting, have already said so – but the opportunities that both it and Mazda present are highly valuable as well.

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WORDS Eric Johnson MAIN IMAGE Jerry Markland/Getty Images

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES

With a breakthrough win at Daytona and his Playoffs place secured, Joe Gibbs Racing young gun Erik Jones is on an upward trajectory.

A

Matthew T. Thacker/LAT

s first wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series go, Erik Jones’s was a pretty big deal: the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on a sultry July night at white-knuckle Daytona International Speedway. The 22-year old kept his cool as others – many others – lost theirs, then zapped the omnipotent Martin Truex Jr. on the white-flag lap in the second overtime period.

Job done, first one in the books.

Up in the NBC broadcast booth, newlyminted NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. was impressed. “Listen to that emotion,” he enthused as the crowd cheered mightily and Jones basically burned down his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. “Erik was teammates with Truex last year at Furniture Row Racing, and we wondered what this move

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to Joe Gibbs Racing was going to do for him.

They were expecting big things this year and he’s realizing his potential tonight.”

Climbing out of his still-smoldering Toyota, Jones was elated. “Oh boy! How about that race, boys and girls!” he shouted. “What an awesome day. I’m out of breath. Too much smoke in the car from that burnout.”

After earning Rookie of the Year honors in consecutive seasons in NASCAR’s Truck, Xfinity and Cup series, it had finally all come right in his 57th start in the big show. First career Cup victory and, bigger scheme of things, his card punched for the Playoffs.

A few days on from that winning night in Florida, Jones is headed out of Slinger Speedway, Wis., a fast quarter-miler he’s just run a late model race on, before getting back into Cup mode at Kentucky Speedway.

Relaxed and in good spirits, he’s on the phone with RACER, and talking about that first Cup win sure isn’t getting old just yet.

“It was a dream come true,” says the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champ.

“It’s what me and my family have worked for my whole life. It was 15 years of hard work all adding up at once. It’s hard to soak that all in.

That’s what I‘m still trying to do.

“You know, it was such a crazy race and such a crazy last few laps, and you’re never

It’s been a learning season for Erik Jones (MAIN) and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing crew (LEFT), but July’s Daytona Cup win has confirmed the potential of the combo. Playoffs next!

Nigel Kinrade/LAT

ERIK JONES

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ERIK JONES

Matthew T. Thacker/NKP/LAT

John K Harrelson/NKP/LAT

(MAIN) Erik Jones and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing crew celebrate at Daytona.

Keeping out of trouble, then beating Martin Truex Jr. in a last-gasp shootout made it all the sweeter.

APPROVED BY KYLE

Erik Jones was given his big NASCAR break by Kyle Busch, when the thenteenager was placed in “Rowdy’s” Truck Series squad in 2013. Fast forward to ’18 and the pair are teammates on Joe Gibbs Racing’s four-car Monster Energy Cup roster.

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sure you’re going to be in Victory Lane,” he continues. “It came right down to that last lap, but in Turn Four, coming to the checkers, I realized we were going to win the race. It all happened pretty quickly. When I got out of the car, I was trying to process everything that happened and I was saying basically whatever was on my mind at that point. I was pumped up to finally be a winner in the Cup Series, but to do it at Daytona, that was pretty cool. You’re always super excited to win your first race in any series, whether it’s Cup, or late models, or whatever, but Daytona felt like a whole other level. As a kid growing up and wanting to race in NASCAR, Daytona was a special place.”

Born in Byron, Mich., population 581, around 70 miles outside of Detroit, Jones didn’t hail from a racing family, but knew racing was all he wanted to do. With determination and natural talent powering his journey into the unknown, by the age of 13 he was racing stock cars, and two years later he was in the ARCA Racing Series. As a 15-year-old kid, he wasn’t allowed to run on tracks longer than a mile, but top-five finishes in four of the 10 races he could compete in started to get him noticed.

At the end of that same year, Jones really turned heads when he fended off Cup star Kyle Busch after a late restart to win the ultra-competitive Snowball Derby super late

“You’re always super excited to win your first race in any series, but Daytona felt like a whole other level” ERIK JONES model race at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.

Kyle Busch recalls the evening well, but points out that Jones was already on his radar before their side-by-side battle in Pensacola.

“Everyone thinks that I first found Erik at that Snowball Derby back in 2012, when in fact I’d taken notice of him well before he beat me at that race,” he says. “Erik’s career at that point reminds me a little bit of my career, in that my dad was a big influence in it, but there were also a lot of people that had to help us along the way.”

The following year, Jones ran a limited Truck Series program with Kyle Busch Motorsports, winning in Phoenix. Three wins from 12 starts in 2014 set him up for a full tilt at the title in ’15, and he duly delivered, with three more wins and eight other top-five finishes anchoring his championship.

For 2016, Jones took on a full season with

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MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

ERIK JONES

QUICK LEARNER

Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. He’d already run two-thirds of a schedule alongside his Truck program in ’15, winning twice in NASCAR’s second-tier series, so expectations were high. Four wins and fourth in points maintained his upward trajectory, but the season was overshadowed by events back at home. Erik’s dad, Dave, had been diagnosed with cancer. After a short battle, he succumbed to the disease in early June, aged just 53.

Shortly before Dave’s death, Joe Gibbs got on a jet and flew to Michigan to check in on the family. While there, he let Dave know that Erik would drive in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with JGR-affiliated Furniture Row Racing, racing alongside Martin Truex Jr. As the family soldiered on in the wake of Dave’s illness, Coach Gibbs’ news was a bright beam of positive light.

That 2017 Cup season didn’t throw a win Jones’ way, but he did finish second at Bristol and third at Pocono and Michigan on the way to Rookie of the Year honors. While the experience gained from the week in, week out intensity of Cup racing would prove invaluable, Jones still had to reset expectations as he got up to speed.

“I didn’t come into Cup thinking it was going to be easy, but I did come in with the idea that I was going to win quickly,” admits a guy who only took nine attempts to win his first Xfinity

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ERIK JONES

John K Harrelson/LAT

John Harrelson/LAT

“In Trucks and Xfinity, the wins came quickly. But when you get to Cup, it doesn’t all happen as easily as that anymore”

(ABOVE) Erik Jones with team owner Joe Gibbs. The three-time Super Bowlwinning NFL coach is renowned for getting the best out of his young talent, and Jones is certainly beginning to deliver for the Joe Gibbs Racing squad.

Russell LaBounty/LAT

(BELOW) Erik Jones’ first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win came in only his fifth start, at Phoenix in 2013. (LEFT) Winning in the Xfinity Series came swiftly, too, with Jones taking the “W” at Texas in 2015 in his ninth start with the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

race. “I was wrong and it definitely took a lot of time and effort. Cup isn’t an easy series to be successful in – in fact, it’s very humbling in a lot of ways for young guys coming in, because when we’d come up through the ranks in Trucks and Xfinity, the wins came quickly and fairly frequently, which is great and very exciting.

But when you get to Cup, you quickly realize it doesn’t all happen as easily as that anymore.”

According to Jones, the biggest wake-up call in jumping from Xfinity to Cup has been the otherworldly level of the teams and drivers he’s going up against.

“The toughest thing about the Cup series is the competition,” he says. “It’s incredibly tough, because there are probably 20 guys out there who can win a race, and of those 20 guys, there are 10 veterans who’ve been racing in the Cup series for 10-plus years and know all there is to know. You’re trying to play catch up on the experience front, but that’s not an overnight thing. You just have to figure it out.”

Recent years have seen a sea change in the Cup driver ranks, with a mass exodus of its established stars, and a major influx of young talent coming in. Several of those young guns are second-gen racers with familiar names – Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon – and the recognition factor certainly helped with career momentum. Jones is cool with that

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ERIK JONES

Barry Cantrell/NKP/ LAT

Nigel Kinrade/LAT

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

“LOOKING FOR MORE KYLES…”

now, but admits it rankled in his earlier years.

“I grew up racing with Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney in late models, and I remember being a little bit envious of the opportunities that they had to go racing and be able to quickly move up through the ranks,” he concedes. “For me, it was a little bit tougher. I could only run a limited number of races, and only had so many opportunities to go out and prove myself. When we got that opportunity to race with Kyle in the Truck series in 2013, it really changed things around for me and gave me an opportunity I hadn’t had up to that point. That still means a lot to me. Now, it’s pretty cool to think back on how we made it our own way. Being the first generation guy to do it in my family definitely feels pretty good.”

Prior to the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400, Kyle Busch had been the youngest winner of July’s Daytona race, aged 23. JGR teammate Jones lowered the mark by a year, and Busch was thrilled with his protégé’s victory.

“Getting your first win is always hard, so it’s big for a lot of reasons,” says Kyle. “He’s now going to be in the Playoffs, so that’s a big deal.

Anytime you can win it helps with your confidence. His team has had speed this year, but made a few mistakes on pit road and other little things, so they’re still learning how to execute together. That takes time sometimes. I

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“The sky’s the limit for Erik, and it’s just a matter of keeping learning and growing as a driver and as a race team” KYLE BUSCH made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, and still do, but you learn how to work together and minimize those mistakes. The sky’s the limit for Erik, and it’s just a matter of keeping learning and growing as a driver and as a race team.”

As the interview with Erik starts to wind down and the conversation begins to focus upon the handful of races left before he’s into the “snooze and you lose” intensity of the Playoffs, there’s a final, poignant return to the Daytona victory, and thoughts of Erik’s father.

“After the race and the win, I thought of my dad a lot,” says Jones. “For sure, he was a big part of us getting to this level, the top level.

Him and I were really in this together, and working hard to try and make it to the top level in NASCAR. We wanted to be Cup winners – him as much as me – and I was thinking about how pumped up and proud he would have been to see us win at Daytona.”

Lesley Ann Miller/LAT

(MAIN) Taking over the No. 20 JGR Toyota Camry, a car synonymous with 2003 Cup champ Matt Kenseth, was a pressure deal for Erik Jones. A race win and a ticket to the Playoffs say he was up to it.

While Joe Gibbs rightfully gets credit as the mastermind behind the mighty Joe Gibbs Racing enterprise, his son Coy (ABOVE), Chief Operating Officer at JGR, swings a mighty big and bright lamp over the Cup program. To that end, was Erik Jones’ win at Daytona a special one for the family operation?

“Yeah, it really was,” says Coy. “This might sound kind of weird, but winning usually doesn’t really do it for me – I just hate losing. Still, Erik’s win was a little different. I was really excited. I’m hoping this gets him on a roll. I’m not a huge speedway guy, but I think the result will give him some momentum here going forward into the mile-anda-half tracks and the short tracks.”

Coy played a major role in shuffling Jones from the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing car to the No. 20 JGR machine vacated by veteran Matt Kenseth for the 2018 Cup season. Stepping in to such big shoes, both Gibbs and Jones knew a lot would be expected of him.

“I think the move to the No. 20 did bring more pressure,” says Gibbs. “It’s one of our four JGR Cup seats and we expect those guys to perform. We have 600 people relying on us and these four guys. You have to make it happen, but it’s really hard to win races now.”

Can Coy see Jones as a Cup champ?

“I’m excited about Erik’s future,” he says. “I think we’ll start seeing him move toward the front, and more consistently be in the top 10. That’s what we need from him. Hopefully he starts winning a bunch, too. He’s talented. That’s why he’s here. Were always looking for more Kyles, and he’s going to be the next one.”

(ABOVE) Erik Jones’ 2017 season with Furniture Row gave Coy Gibbs the confidence to take him in-house for ’18.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

NEW AGE VINTAGE RACING Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is reenergizing the scene while holding firm to its core values of safe, fair and fun competition.

WORDS Mark Dill

T

he growth of American vintage auto racing over the past five years is a welcome phenomenon for a motorsports industry in transition. Long-established gatherings like the Monterey Motorsports Reunion continue as marquee events, but Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is leading the surge of new interest. The 40-year-old organization experienced a rebirth since entrepreneur and corporate turnaround artist Tony Parella retired from the telecommunications industry to acquire it in 2012.

Parella recognized opportunities to develop new revenue streams from partnerships and ticket sales. The strategy is based on leveraging the value of high net worth car owners to premium brands, creating marquee events, developing associations with legendary drivers, and knitting together a national platform at top road racing venues.

Fans longing for diversity of racecar design

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and engine sounds rejoice in machines spanning more than a century. Weekends transcend the traditional older age demographic of spectators to include millennials with their phones sharing images on Instagram. Ticket sales have steadily increased as fans see the sport in a new light.

SVRA gained momentum with its Golden Bell Racing Champions Helmet for the national championships at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas in 2014. That event is an invitational that includes entries from outside the SVRA membership. It attracts professionals like James Hinchcliffe, Ana Beatriz, and Geoff Brabham to have a go at the home of the United States Grand Prix.

Another breakthrough event that draws tons of attention is the Brickyard Invitational at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Launched in 2014, it attracted over 700 racecars and featured veterans of the

TONY PARELLA

As a teenager, SVRA CEO Tony Parella raced on dirt tracks in his native New York state. In 2010, he took up vintage racing, and quickly recognized the growth possibilities for this popular, but disparate sector of the auto racing landscape.

SVRA RISING

A PREMIUM EXPERIENCE

Whether it’s drivers like Michael Donohue, sharing the Indy Legends Pro-Am win with rising star Matt Brabham (BELOW), or fans loving the sights and sounds of real racecars (BOTTOM), SVRA has something for everybody.

Indianapolis 500. Among them was Al Unser, Jr., who co-drove Velocity TV personality Peter Klutt’s 1969 Corvette to victory in the first Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am. Dozens of Indy 500 veterans have competed in the Pro-am. Past winners include Paul Tracy, Max Papis, Robby Unser and Sarah Fisher, and young gun Matt Brabham stormed to victory at this year’s race.

Premier venues like Road America, Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio, Portland and Watkins Glen naturally appeal to racers like Lyn St. James, Boris Said, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and Dennis Firestone. Many are huge events that earn the support of the surrounding community. A prime example is the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Organizers in Village of Watkins Glen work with SVRA to integrate the vintage races at the track with their Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival, an annual celebration of the first sports car races on public roads in 1948.

Despite sponsor investment and fan growth, SVRA is diligent about protecting the culture of vintage racing. Its Gold Medallion Program rewards owners who prepare collector cars with adherence to the highest standards of authenticity (see sidebar, RIGHT). The racing is intense, but as Parella stresses in drivers’ meetings, it stops short of fender rubbing.

Violators are sent home. The culture is about fellowship and a relaxed atmosphere.

Jay Creech embraces that atmosphere. He owns Creech Motorsports, a prep shop garage for vintage racers in Avon, Indiana. He is a former senior mechanic with the Forsythe and Hemelgarn Indy car teams.

“First and last place pays the same here,” he says. “We help each other out, even direct competitors. I like answering questions fans have, and at the end of the day, I enjoy sitting around with other racers and maybe having a beer or two. It’s the way racing used to be.”

THE GOLD STANDARD SVRA’s Gold Medallion certification recognizes owners who have painstakingly preserved significant racecars to original condition. Appreciation for history and authenticity is the culture of vintage racing.

Many owners describe themselves as caretakers. For most, the seriousness of the matter is understandable. Many machines have a market value of tens of millions of dollars. Owners don’t talk specifics unless you’re serious about negotiating in a private room.

Champions like Denny Hulme, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, and Tazio Nuvolari drove some of the cars. Still, the Gold Medallion program is more about authentic preparation. Car owners are issued a logbook. Here they record the history of ownership and details of construction.

SVRA Gold Medallion classes are wholly different from standard vintage racers. Gold Medallion cars are truly historic machines with records of accomplishment and faithful restoration. Find regulations and application forms online at svra.com/gold-medallion.

Racecars earning SVRA’s Gold Medallion status are as varied as Brian Blain’s 1911 National and Bill Ockerlund’s ’69 Penske Camaro.

Find out more about SVRA and its events and programs at svra.com.

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Richard S. James

THE LIFE OF RYAN

Ryan Eversley will race just about anything, anytime, and his motorsports influence now extends well beyond the track.

WORDS & MAIN IMAGE Richard S. James

I

Ryan Eversley no longer has to take any ride that comes his way, but that doesn’t mean he’s settled into a one-series kinda guy.

In PWC, he suits up for RealTime Honda’s TCR program (MAIN) and shares Case-It Racing’s Audi R8 LMS in SprintX GTS (ABOVE). Beyond that, he’s also an IMSA GTD enduro regular.

n the early stages of Ryan Eversley’s career as a racecar driver, competing in anything he could get his butt in was a necessity. Now he’s the established pro, it’s a talent and an asset.

“I didn’t have financial backing or the sort of background to put me in anything for a year or two to learn,” explains Eversley, whose first career in motorsports was as a mechanic.

“When I started out it was literally any opportunity anybody offered me, I’d have to say yes, just because you don’t have an option.

I didn’t do a full season of racing from when I started in 2003 until about ’08 or ’09, because I would get an eight-race deal or something like that. So you’re always having to pick up opportunities where you can get them.

“I think that has absolutely helped later in my career, because now I can pretty much hop into something and do what I can with it,” he adds.

“In the last couple of years I’ve raced everything from LMPC cars to a Honda Civic Type S street car for a 24-hour race. My skillset is pretty broad. I’m sure I don’t have the same immediate capability in a downforce car as other people, but I know I have a better capability in a front-wheel drive or a sedan than others.”

That “drive anything” attitude stems from his father, John Eversley, who made his living as a racing mechanic, and racer Andy Lally, both of whom advised Ryan to race anything he could.

Now, on any given Pirelli World Challenge weekend, the Georgia native is jumping from his TCR-class RealTime Racing Honda Civic Type R into the Case-It Racing by Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS GT4 that he shares with Adam Merzon in SprintX GTS. On IMSA Patron North American Endurance Cup weekends, he’s in the HART Acura NSX GT3 car in the GTD class.

That car is similar to the one he raced for RealTime in World Challenge GT last season.

Before that it was the all-wheel-drive Acura TLX GT in the same category, in addition to racing in IMSA’s Prototype Challenge class.

In between, on weekends when he’s not racing – and in the case of his partnership

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(MAIN and TOP RIGHT) At the season’s mid point, Eversley was leading the TCR points in RealTime Racing’s Honda Civic Type R. (RIGHT) He’s also in the HART GTD Acura NSX for IMSA WeatherTech Championship enduros.

with Merzon, sometimes on weekends he is racing – he’s coaching. He also partners with public relations rep Sean Heckman on the popular Dinner with Racers podcast, where the pair are recording their fourth season.

Eversley is a busy guy, but he seems to like it that way – driving four PWC races a weekend in addition to everything else doesn’t faze him.

“It’s a unique circumstance,” he says. “Not many people get to race two cars on the same weekend, same track. But to me, if you look at it, cornering speeds are similar, the braking markers are similar, same tire. I’ve been driving sedans for so long now that it’s like you hop out of one into the next and figure out what it likes and what it doesn’t like. That goes back to originally not having an option – I had to drive everything I could. So now when someone says, ‘Hey, drive this,’ it’s like I have some sort of memory of something else to fall back on. ‘OK, it’s an Audi R8; well I’ve driven the NSX, and it’s gotta be pretty similar – mid engine, rear-wheel drive, etc.’ And then you go from there.”

The interesting thing is that the two cars Eversley is currently racing in PWC turn startlingly similar lap times. The front-wheeldrive TCR Civic Type R and the mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive GTS Audi R8 LMS GT4 have

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DINNER WITH RACERS “If you truly want to get to know someone, talk them in to dinner…” A simple premise, but it’s made for fascinating and often hilarious Dinner with Racers podcasts hosted by Ryan Eversley and Sean Heckman.

Find out how to subscribe and check out past episodes at dinnerwithracers.com

typically been within a second of each other.

At Lime Rock, where Eversley led the first race from flag to flag for his second TCR win of the season, the TCR car was actually faster, thanks in large part to its extra downforce.

That Civic Type R is run by RealTime Racing, for whom Eversley has driven the last four years.

RealTime owner Peter Cunningham may joke that Eversley got the job because he carried Cunningham’s helmet and sweeps the floors, but then he says he checks a lot of the boxes for a successful racer – not to mention they get along and have fun while getting the job done.

Eversley’s association with Honda and Acura goes back to his days driving a Civic in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge ST class.

His association with Honda is important to him, so the Audi drive in SprintX may seem a bit odd.

He admits that if Honda or RealTime had been uncomfortable, he would have turned it down.

“If you look at the opportunities [Honda has] given me to this point, it’s been extraordinary,” he says. “We’ve been partners pretty much since 2010 and officially since 2015, and if they’re in racing I don’t see that ending, because on track I’ve been successful in everything that we’ve raced, with podiums and wins. Off track, I think I’m one of the most

THE LIFE OF RYAN

HEY, COACH!

Richard S. James

Jake Galstad/LAT

Richard S. James

Honing the on-track skills of other racers helps strengthen Ryan Eversley as a driver.

active people trying to influence our fans to buy our products. I’m 34 years old; I have a lot of time left in my career. But if I could stay with the Honda brand for the rest of it, I would be the happiest guy ever. I don’t care if it means racing in the lowest class that they race in, or the highest, I just want to be part of it.”

Eversley admits he lobbied to be one of the drivers for the long-distance races in Penske’s Acura DPi prototypes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – his dream ride, he says – but doesn’t feel too bad given the IndyCar drivers he lost out to. Plus, he ended up in the Honda America Race Team NSX GTD car in the same series for the NAEC races.

The Honda partnership extends off track as well. To travel around the country recording Dinner with Racers, Acura provided an MDX on which he and Heckman have now put about 50,000 miles. That’s to make a podcast that has been successful beyond their dreams, in part because of their easy interviewing style and in part because they’ve managed to land a Who’s Who of American auto racing, including both the heroes and the nefarious.

“The idea was, let’s do something unique that we think the fans would enjoy,” says Eversley.

“Sean very smartly said when we left on day

“Now when someone says, ‘Hey, drive this,’ it’s like I have some sort of memory of something else to fall back on” RYAN EVERSLEY one of that trip three years ago, ‘Remember to measure our expectations because it’s very possible that no one will listen to it.’ He had a really good point. It could be nobody cares and, well, we tried. Now we’re sitting here three years later with an extremely large amount of downloads. I did the math the other day, and it’s something like 190 years that our show has been listened to. That’s incredible, it’s stupid.”

In victory circle at Lime Rock Park, after spraying the champagne for a TCR win, Eversley greeted fans wearing Dinner with Racers shirts and hats. It’s clear that the podcast has solidified and broadened his fan base. That’s the sort of thing that sponsors and manufacturers love.

They also love his ability to get it done on track, no matter what he’s driving. Ryan Eversley drives it all and does it all, and it’s paying off.

The coaching aspect of auto racing is a necessity for many drivers. Of course, it enables them to make a living in a difficult business, but it also helps keep them sharp in their own racing.

“A common question from fans is, ‘Where do you practice?’ and what they mean is, do we go to a track and test all the time?” says Eversley. “They don’t know that it’s super expensive and that the first thing a lot of series cut back on is testing. So you drive as much as you can and coaching helps, because even if you’re only driving a couple of laps on a coaching weekend, you are still looking at data and video and talking the talk. It just kind of gets burned in as second nature.”

On a weekend Eversley’s not racing, he may be helping out a Ferrari Challenge racer or other gentleman drivers, maybe even doing some baseline and setup laps. On a Pirelli World Challenge SprintX weekend, he’s not only coaching Case-It owner Adam Merzon, but co-driving the Case-It Racing by Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS GT4 in the GTS-X class with him. It not only gives Merzon a lap time to aspire to, but Eversley can give him direct feedback on the car and track.

“I’ve heard horror stories of people who have had terrible clients to work with – either not willing to pay when they should, or having bad attitudes,” says Eversley. “But I’ve been very fortunate to have guys like Adam, whom I’ve been coaching for four or five years now. He trusts everything I say and he believes in me.”

Ryan Eversley is coach and teammate to SprintX GTS driver Adam Merzon (ABOVE, in the Case-It Racing Audi R8).

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REA GUN

Want domination? In three-and-a-half seasons with Kawasaki’s World Superbike squad, Jonathan Rea has 49 race wins, and counting. The same period, his rivals have 47...combined.

WORDS Eric Johnson

Jonathan Rea leads the World Superbike pack at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. As RACER went to press, the reigning champ had already won 10 of 18 races held so far.

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MAIN IMAGE Gold and Goose Photography/LAT

THE DOMINATOR

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“Honestly, halfway around my first-ever lap on [the Kawasaki] I knew this thing was going to be awesome” JONATHAN REA

88 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

CHASING RECORDS Jonathan Rea’s first season for Kawasaki in 2015 was epic enough, taking 14 wins and the title. But his ’17 haul went two better, with 16 wins powering his third-straight title (BELOW).

That’s still one win behind American Doug Polen’s all-time single-season record in 1991.

Something for Rea to put right in the future? Very possibly...

Gold and Goose Photography/LAT

Midway through Free Practice 3 for the FIM Superbike World Championship round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, collective gasps emanate from the Kawasaki Racing Team pit garage. On the TV monitors, three-time and reigning WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea and his factory ZX-10RR are careening off the asphalt and headed for California dirt.

His bike torn up, Rea gets to his feet, dusts himself off and waits for assistance. A serious rebuild of the green machine will be in order.

Back in the paddock, Rea shrugs it off with a wry smirk. “Too much confidence...”

“That was unusual for Jonathan in a way,” offers Kawasaki Europe racing manager Steve Guttridge, who’s known Rea since the 31-yearold Ulsterman won the British Motocross Championship on a Kawasaki KX65 as a 12-year-old kid. “He told me he was checking his limits which, again, is unusual. He said he was under control, but he wanted to see how far he could push the bike. It was a tiny mistake.

But off the back of so many good runs and being so far ahead on the times, he thought, ‘I’ll take it to the limit and check it out.’”

The winner of 60-plus World Superbike races and three-straight championships, and a

near-certainty to add a fourth in 2018, was purposely seeing how far he could push the ZX-10RR? Like, isn’t total domination enough?

At day’s end, Rea sits down with RACER and gives us his take on the off-track excursion.

“You see, I didn’t look at it like I was testing the limits,” he explains, while watching crew chief Pere Riba and a small army of mechanics cajole his battered ZX-10RR back to fitness. “When you’re feeling the power, feeling good with the bike, and you’re pushing, pushing, pushing, sure there’s a limit, but you have a feel for where it is.

I was playing with that limit for a while. I could feel the bars moving and the tire was saying, ‘no more.’ Then, unfortunately, I found the limit and the front tire just gave up. It was a long slide and I thought I was going to get it back, but I was too far off the bike by that point. Unfortunately, I created a bit of work for the mechanics...”

Jonathan Rea is probably the greatest WorldSBK racer in the 30-year history of the championship. After switching to Kawasaki in 2015, Rea has dominated the productionbased category, surpassing legend Carl Fogarty’s 59 race wins and showing no signs of easing back on his hit rate. A 2018 title will match Fogarty’s overall haul, but winning

THE DOMINATOR

SUPERBIKE SUPERMAN

WINS

Jonathan Rea’s World Superbike Championship numbers with Honda were hardly shabby, with wins in each of his six seasons and a best points finish of third. But it was the switch to Kawasaki and its potent ZX-10RR that opened the floodgates.

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them as four-straight is unprecedented.

Rea’s love of motocross made him a reluctant road racer at first, but his talent was plain to see. Three seasons in the British Superbike Championship culminated with a runner-up finish in the 2007 points. A year later, riding for the Ten Kate Honda team, he placed second in the Supersport World Championship, before being promoted to the team’s World Superbike squad for 2009. Six solid seasons followed, with Rea racking up 15 race wins and taking third in points in his final season for Honda. It was during that 2014 campaign that Kawasaki finally managed to lure him away from his long-time Honda home.

“We tried to get him for 2014, but it never happened because Johnny is very loyal,” says Biel Roda, co-owner of Provec Racing, which oversees KRT’s WSBK program. “We tried again in 2015 and he finally agreed. And as far as we know, he came to us for one third of the money he was offered at Honda. He took the risk.”

Never truly in step with Ten Kate and Honda, Rea saw how competitive the Kawasaki ZX-10RR was when Tom Sykes won the 2013 championship on the bike.

“I could see the trajectory of Kawasaki’s

Gold and Goose/LAT

Gold and Goose/LAT

(LEFT) Jonathan Rea battles with Ducati’s Chaz Davies at Laguna Seca. (RIGHT) Despite his massive success with Kawasaki, getting motivated is never an issue for Rea. Winning, he says, is everything.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 * Up to and including Misano, Italy, July 6-8. Eight 2018 races remaining.

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development and the effort they were putting into the SBK program,” recalls Rea. “I knew that if I could get on that bike, I could do a good job. And honestly, halfway around my first-ever lap on the bike I knew this thing was going to be awesome – just the way it was delivering the power and the way the chassis was behaving. It was like the penny dropped and I realized what I’d been up against and why I couldn’t be champion in the years prior.”

The 2015 season marked the coming of age of Jonathan Rea. At one with the ZX-10RR, he won an astonishing 14 races and was off the podium only three times in 26 starts. It was total domination.

“As soon as Jonathan joined the team, he became good friends with the mechanics – not only with racing, but with other stuff too,” Roda says. “They’re like brothers, and that environment helps unlock the potential of everyone.”

Adds Kawasaki’s Guttridge: “Jonathan looks after his people, treats them with respect, and in return they’ll do anything for him. If the bike needs working on overnight, they’ll be there until that last bolt is spot-on. He always knows he’s on the best bike he can be on. It’s that whole mental attitude which allows him

Chippy Wood/LAT

(MAIN) Each time he leaves his Kawasaki garage, Jonathan Rea knows he’ll be a factor on the track.

And that’s all the multiple champ asks.

EYEING UP THE OPPOSITION

Jonathan Rea’s six WSBK seasons with Honda came closest to fruition in 2014 (ABOVE), his final campaign with Ten Kate Racing’s Fireblades. Rea finished third in points, with Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli earning the title. But it was ’13 champ and ’14 runner-up Tom Sykes’ season-best eight wins for Kawasaki that caught Rea’s eye. The following season, the Ulsterman was on a ZX-10RR, and the rest is history in the making...

to be good so consistently.”

Unlike the other heavy-hitter Japanese manufacturers, Kawasaki doesn’t currently compete in MotoGP, choosing instead to concentrate on the highly-modified productionbased bikes racing in WSBK. With Rea delivering the results on an industrial scale, it’s a successful and cost-effective strategy. According to Roda, it costs roughly $50 million a year to run a front-running MotoGP team, but around $7 million to run the KRT organization, of which 30 employees, mechanics and technicians travel to each of the 13 WSBK events.

And while MotoGP is looked at as the Formula 1 of motorcycle racing, with its prototype chassis and engine regulations, WSBK machines must retain original production chassis constructions and adhere to strict rules and limitations on engines and other key componentry. That direct link to street bikes is a strong marketing tool for Kawasaki.

For his part, Rea is happy to remain the biggest fish in the WSBK pond. The level of riders he competes against is high, and it’s not like he hasn’t been asked to join the MotoGP grid.

“We had one official offer from an elite GP team, but to be honest, it wasn’t interesting,”

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WORLD SUPERBIKES

THE DOMINATOR

he says. “I know I could do a good job if I was there, but Kawasaki has made a huge effort with me in many ways and I’m so happy here. It was just natural to announce the new two-year deal I have with Kawasaki. I have a really good contract with them and I can race to win, and that’s the most motivating thing. When I know that my potential is to be in front, why mess around in the middle of the pack in MotoGP?” Roda agrees, and knows his man is destined to keep rewriting the record books: “Johnny wins here in World Superbike. The only way he would go to MotoGP is in a top team such as a Repsol Honda, or Yamaha, or even Ducati. But why go to MotoGP to be sixth or seventh? He would rather stay here. He can become the greatest superbike racer in history.”

Back to Laguna Seca, and on Saturday afternoon, repaired ZX-10RR not missing a beat, Jonathan Rea simply shines, zapping past title rival Chaz Davies’ Ducati with 19 laps remaining in the race. From there, Kawasaki’s king clears off, his graceful, swooping style putting him 2.978sec out front at the checkers.

“This one is for all my mechanics,” shouts Rea on the podium. “They stayed up half the night getting my bike ready after I crashed it.”

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Gold & Goose/Red Bull

Gold and Goose/LAT

(MAIN) 31-year-old Rea has committed to Kawasaki for at least two more WSBK seasons, ending MotoGP speculation.

(BELOW) He did taste MotoGP subbing for an injured Casey Stoner at Honda for two races in 2012, finishing a creditable eighth and then seventh.

“People will ask me all the time, ‘How do you keep motivated?’

It’s so easy for me. When I get to the track, I just want to win” JONATHAN REA

Later that evening, mellowing out before repeating the feat the following afternoon (in which his winning margin over Davies would increase to 5.099sec), Rea sits sipping a can of Monster Energy in the KRT pit area.

“People will ask me all the time, ‘How do you keep the motivation to keep coming back every year and keep taking it to this level?’”

Rea says. “It’s so easy for me. When I get to the track, I just want to win; it’s all about winning. Coming to the track doesn’t feel like coming to work, it feels like hanging out with my friends. And when you win, it just makes everything worth it for all of us.”

MONSTERENERGY.COM

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TC A TC TC R GT SX GT -X world-challenge.com

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LUCASOILOFFROAD.COM

MAC WANTS IT BACK Multiple champion Rob MacCachren aims to win back the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 2 title he believes is rightfully his.

WORDS & IMAGES Richard S. James

94 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD RACING SERIES

W

e want to get the championship back.

I feel that the Pro 2 Championship is ours,” states Rob MacCachren.

If you look at recent history, it’s difficult to argue with that. He has four Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro 2 titles in the last eight seasons – three coming in the last five. Every other season since he joined the series in 2010, he’s finished second or third. In that same period, he won the SCORE Baja 1000 three years straight for four total overall victories. Add in championships in other short-course off road series, plus titles in SCORE and Best in the Desert, a bunch of Borg-Warner Cups, and hundreds of victories in short course and desert races – oh, and a 2011 induction into the Off Road Racing Hall of Fame – and Rob MacCachren makes a pretty good case for himself as the Greatest of All Time.

But he doesn’t care…at least not right now.

He’s only focused on winning the Pro 2 title that he feels is rightfully his and which, since 2013, he’s only lost twice – to Brian Deegan in ’14 and Jeremy McGrath last season. He’s got a pretty good start on it as well, winning four of five races held through June, including a sweep at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., along with a victory in Ensenada, where he claimed a win for the first time at Estero Beach. He’s also put a lot of focus on the SCORE Trophy Truck title, and has 2018 wins in the San Felipe 250 and the 50th Baja 500.

To help concentrate his efforts, MacCachren is putting aside the Pro 4 truck that he’s raced for the past several seasons alongside Pro 2 in LOORRS. When his hauler left the shop in Las Vegas headed for the third weekend of the year in Wheatland, the Pro 4 stayed behind. Now he can focus on the Pro 2 title.

“We are supposed to earn that one,” says MacCachren. “We may or may not win a lot of races; we may win a minimal amount, yet still win the championship. But last year everything was going pretty well, on pace for winning the championship. Then we went to Tooele, Utah, somebody spun in front of me and I skidded into him and then somebody ran into me. It damaged the hood and the

GO CHECK OUT THE SPECTACLE FOR REAL!

brackets so when they restarted the race, the hood came up and I couldn’t see. That was OK, we had a bad finish from that, but then we were in Estero Beach running top three and the rack-and-pinion broke – probably some residual damage that wasn’t caught. That really put us behind and we had a big hole to dig out of. We still ended up making it all the way back to third in points, but that’s not first.

“So here we are in 2018 wanting to win that championship back. It’s the same truck. Every off-season we strip it to bare chassis. We’ve added fuel injection this year and that really helps with the tuning at the race track,” he adds.

“We’ve got a very good plan to be successful with the Pro 2. We don’t try to step too far out of the box. We just try to be very reliable and be consistent, get on the podium every time.”

MacCachren attributes much of his success to the people around him. He may be the one making the big decisions, writing the checks and driving the trucks, but being one of the few people to actually make a living from off-road racing requires a lot of helping hands.

Not the least of those is his girlfriend of 10 years, Amber Malloy, who also serves as his manager, and Jim Blackmore, who is in his second stint with MacCachren and earned the LOORRS Crew Chief of the Year the last time MacCachren won the Pro 2 title in 2016. Both Malloy and Blackmore know MacCachren’s mantra of attention to detail. That’s what leads to consistency, and consistency begets

The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series delivers double-header, multi-class action at each event.

Extended highlights from each 2018 LOORRS event air on CBS, CBS Sports Network and MAVTV. Better still, go and see it for real. The 2018 season runs until October, and you can still catch the spectacle at Utah Motorsports Campus (Aug. 24-25), Glen Helen Raceway, Calif. (Sept.

21-22) and the season finale at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Ariz.

(Oct. 20-21).

For dates, tickets, TV info and series news, go to lucasoiloffroad.com

(MAIN and INSET) Rob MacCachren is focused on just one thing in the 2018 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series: wining the Pro 2 title again.

He’s certainly off to a strong start so far.

FOR MORE ON LUCAS OIL MOTORSPORTS AND ITS RACE-PROVEN LUBRICANTS, GO TO LUCASOIL.COM/MOTORSPORTS

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LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD RACING SERIES

MORE WITH LESS

Rob MacCachren is proud of his history of beating race teams with much bigger budgets than his.

“People don’t understand how much work there is in racing, and how critical it is that you do stuff right” ROB MACCACHREN

championships. It’s a philosophy that trickles down throughout the rest of the team.

“People don’t understand how much work there is, and how critical it is that you do stuff right,” MacCachren explains. “You think racing is easy and you just show up, put on the t-shirt get in a truck and go race. But it’s way more than that. It’s about us paying attention to make sure everybody is doing the right thing.

If somebody makes one wrong step or does just one wrong thing on the truck, it could cost us. It’s critical to have good leadership and create a good system.”

MacCachren continues to be “The Man” in off-road racing even as the sport evolves.

He watches as some other drivers get more attention, not for their prowess on track, but online and elsewhere. Deegan was already a celebrity when he arrived in short-course off road, courtesy of his exploits in freestyle motocross and in creating Metal Mulisha, although he backed that up with several championships. Fellow Rockstar-sponsored driver RJ Anderson is recognized more for the XP1K viral videos he does for Polaris RZR, where he does crazy stunts in a UTV, than for his off-road racing, despite a couple of Pro Lite titles and wins in Pro 2 and Pro 4. The old

96 8/9 2018

promise to sponsors of winning and being on TV may not be enough anymore.

MacCachren is going to keep plugging though, and his Rockstar Energy, Makita and BFGoodrich sponsors seem quite content with the winning part of the equation. The bad news for his competitors, though, is that on the desert racing side of his program, MacCachren believes there’s more still to come.

“Honestly, I think we’re just starting figuring out how to win in the desert,” he says. “Thankfully this isn’t a very physically demanding sport like motocross, and I can still do it. I think we’re getting smarter, we’re learning, fine-tuning and getting better. I don’t want to think about how I rate against other people. We’ll worry about that later when I’m done.”

Much like the season so far in LOORRS. Four wins in five races was a great start, but it wasn’t five of five, the season isn’t even half over and the championship isn’t won.

MacCachren will strive to continue improving.

“I always want more,” he claims. “I want to be better. At times I feel, ‘What are you doing, Rob? You’re supposed to be shaking champagne.’

But I know this is what we need to get better.

When the season’s over, when we win the championship, then we shake the champagne.”

Most racers in the off-road racing community are people who made their fortunes elsewhere. There are a handful who, like Rob MacCachren, make their living as off-road racers or in the industry. For MacCachren, beating teams with a larger well of money to draw from is a point of pride.

“I think people, especially on the Trophy Truck end of it, would be surprised at the dollar amount we spend to go racing and yet we’re that successful,” he says. “It’s rewarding to me, knowing that our hard work with less money is able to compete and beat them. I recently was asked that question, what’s the most rewarding thing about this? It’s that we as a team are able to put this together and beat a lot of people with bigger budgets.”

MacCachren points to the late Nye Frank as an inspiration and a mentor. A car designer and builder in drag racing, land speed racing, Indy cars and off road, he was known for helping Mazda win against Cal Wells PPI Toyota team in the Mickey Thompson stadium off road series. Like MacCachren, he didn’t always have deep pockets to draw from.

“He used his hands and his brain to compete with them and beat them,” MacCachren says. “He was very proud of that, and that’s a pretty cool thing.”

Camden Thrasher

(MAIN) Rob MacCachren slugs it out with reigning Pro 2 champ Jeremy McGrath. (BELOW) Four wins from the first five races put Rob Mac in an early points lead.

It’s not just LOORRS where Rob Mac’s come out of the box flying. Wins in the 2018 San Felipe 250 and (ABOVE) Baja 500 have him leading in SCORE, too.

FOR MORE ON LUCAS OIL MOTORSPORTS AND ITS RACE-PROVEN LUBRICANTS, GO TO LUCASOIL.COM/MOTORSPORTS

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8

8. MSR HOUSTON

ANGLETON, TEXAS msrhouston.com/schools/competition (281) 369-0677 For more than 12 years, the MSR Houston Competition School has trained hundreds of amateur racers. We teach the fundamentals of race craft with on-track experience so that you leave the school ready to race. Each day of the three-day curriculum mixes interactive instruction with on-track sessions led by our instructors, all competition-licensed active racers. You hone your skills by going wheel to wheel with other drivers in practice races. Graduates are eligible for an SCCA Competition License. MSR Houston is conveniently located only 35 minutes south of downtown Houston. The cost for the three-day school is $1,750 with your own racecar or $3,850 renting a Spec Racer Ford or Spec Miata.

in basic instruction through full competition, utilizing one-on-one instruction and teaching you “the sequence” and strategy that the top drivers in the world use, at your own speed.

10. PORSCHE SPORT DRIVING SCHOOL

BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK, LEEDS, ALA. porschedriving.com (770) 290-7000 • The most intensive and comprehensive curriculums available: Participants are exposed to the most refined training methods and technology available. We offer introductory courses up to advanced racing classes.

• Professional Instructors: Learn skills from past and current champions experienced in all aspects of the sport. All PSDS instructors are top professional drivers, certified by Porsche and led by racing legend Hurley Haywood.

• A fleet of over 50 new Porsches: PSDS offers the opportunity to experience all currently available Porsche models, including the 911 Turbo S. • More track time: At PSDS, we believe the best place to learn is behind the wheel.

• Barber Motorsports Park: The exciting and challenging 2.38-mile race track offers 16 turns and more than 80 feet of elevation changes.

An excellent classroom!

11. PRO DRIVE RACING SCHOOL

PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, ORE. prodrive.net (503) 285-4449 Are you an aspiring racer? Have you always had the need for speed? Then the Pro Drive Racing School is the destination for you! 2016 SCCA National Champion Todd Harris will personally teach you the fast way around Portland International Raceway in our Spec Racer Fords.

Our school is accredited by the SCCA, so you can earn your Competition Racing License and then go racing with the Pro Drive Racing Team at race tracks all over the United States.

Live in your world, come race in ours!

We are open seven days a week, year round. We are an SCCA Full Competition License-issuing school offering driver coaching, corporate events, transportation, vehicle development, and arrive and drive solutions. We operate at multiple tracks and utilize championship-winning racecars – or use your own. Since 1985, our mission has been to be the best in quality private instruction for cars, motorcycles, trucks and RVs. We specialize

Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club is a state-of-the-art racing facility and exclusive motorsports country club located just 55 miles west of Las Vegas. With more than six miles of challenging race track and resort-style amenities, it’s the home of the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School, Cadillac V-Performance Academy and SM Racing. Spring Mountain delivers a world-class experience to driving enthusiasts of all levels. springmountainmotorsports.com

motorsports than other schools, and offers more days on track than any other operator. Our programs benefit from our 20 years of experience, a school car that is the envy of the industry, and the fact that our driving center is located at one of the country’s most technical circuits, Sonoma Raceway. In addition to our Formula racing programs, we also offer McLaren driving experiences, high performance driving programs, track days in your own car, safe driving programs, and karting programs.

Corporate groups are also welcome. Prices range from $295 to $5,995.

13. SKIP BARBER RACING SCHOOL

9. PETTIFORD’S GO 4 IT RACING SCHOOLS LOUISVILLE, COLO. go4itservices.com (303) 666-4113

SPRING MOUNTAIN MOTOR RESORT & COUNTRY CLUB

12. SIMRACEWAY PERFORMANCE DRIVING CENTER SONOMA RACEWAY, SONOMA, CALIF. simracewaydrivingschool.com (800) 733-0345

The West Coast’s largest racing school, Simraceway Performance Driving Center boasts more instructors actively racing in professional

LIME ROCK PARK, LAKEVILLE, CONN. NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK, MILLVILLE, N.J. skipbarber.com (866) 932-1949

Skip Barber Racing School has been creating racing champions since 1975. Offering a fully integrated system of racing schools, driving schools, and corporate events, no other organization delivers the same high quality instruction, equipment, facilities, and memorable experiences. Perfect for the casual enthusiast or racers seeking their SCCA Competition License!

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10/10/17 2:13 PM

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Michael Levitt/LAT

Kyle Busch, among others, fingered Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for triggering this July’s “Big One” at Daytona (LEFT), and expected an apology. He didn’t get one...

EVERY WHICH WAY

Australia Sebastian Vettel Bahrain Sebastian Vettel China Daniel Ricciardo Azerbaijan Lewis Hamilton Spain Lewis Hamilton Monaco Daniel Ricciardo Canada Sebastian Vettel France Lewis Hamilton Austria Max Verstappen Britain Sebastian Vettel Germany Lewis Hamilton Hungary (Hungaroring) Belgium (Spa) Italy (Monza) Singapore (Marina Bay) Russia (Sochi) Japan (Suzuka) USA (COTA, Austin, Texas) Mexico (Mexico City) Brazil (Interlagos) Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES March 11 April 7 April 15 April 23 May 12 May 27 June 2 June 3 June 9 June 24

St. Pete Sebastien Bourdais Phoenix Josef Newgarden Long Beach Alexander Rossi Barber Josef Newgarden Indianapolis GP Will Power Indianapolis 500 Will Power Detroit 1 Scott Dixon Detroit 2 Ryan Hunter-Reay Texas Scott Dixon Road America Josef Newgarden

HOT ON THE ICE On a day when unseasonably high temperatures helped to turn Toronto’s street course into a skating rink, Scott Dixon stayed coolest – although even he banged the wall at one point.

July 8 July 15 July 29 Aug. 19 Aug. 25 Sept. 2 Sept. 16

Iowa James Hinchcliffe Toronto Scott Dixon Mid-Ohio, Lexington, Ohio Pocono, Pa. Gateway, Madison, Ill. Portland, Ore. Sonoma, Calif.

Michael Levitt/LAT

March 25 April 8 April 15 April 29 May 13 May 27 June 10 June 24 July 1 July 8 July 22 July 29 Aug. 26 Sept. 2 Sept. 16 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 11 Nov. 25

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP Jan. 27-28 Daytona March 17 April 14 May 6 June 2 July 1 July 8 July 21 Aug. 5 Aug. 19 Sept. 9 Oct. 13

F. Albuquerque/ J. Barbosa/C. Fittipaldi Sebring P. Derani/N. Lapierre/ J. van Overbeek Long Beach Albuquerque/Barbosa Mid-Ohio R. Taylor/H. Castroneves Detroit E. Curran/F. Nasr Watkins Glen C. Miller/S. Simpson/ M. Goikhberg CTMP C. Braun/J. Bennett Lime Rock J. Hand/D. Muller (GTLM) Elkhart Lake, Wis. Alton, Va. Monterey, Calif.

Braselton, Ga.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP Feb. 18 Feb. 25 March 4 March 11 March 18 March 26

Daytona Atlanta Las Vegas Phoenix Fontana Martinsville

Austin Dillon Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Martin Truex Jr. Clint Bowyer Phillip Abbott/LAT

F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

FEATURED RACE GO PRO GP OF SONOMA WHEN Sept. 14-16 WHERE Sonoma, Calif.

This is your last chance to enjoy IndyCar’s finale in California’s Wine Country

EVENT INFO Order race tickets directly at sonomaraceway.com

WHERE & HOW Although Sonoma has a rural feel, it’s just across the bridge from San Francisco

April 8 April 15 April 21 April 29 May 6 May 12 May 27 June 3 June 10 June 24 July 1 July 7 July 14 July 22 July 29 Aug. 5 Aug. 12 Aug. 18 Sept. 2 Sept. 9 Sept. 16 Sept. 22 Sept. 30 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 21 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18

Texas Kyle Busch Bristol Kyle Busch Richmond Kyle Busch Talladega Joey Logano Dover Kevin Harvick Kansas Kevin Harvick Charlotte Kyle Busch Pocono Martin Truex Jr. Michigan Clint Bowyer Sonoma Martin Truex Jr. Chicagoland Kyle Busch Daytona Erik Jones Kentucky Martin Truex Jr. Loudon Kevin Harvick Pocono, Pa. Watkins Glen, N.Y. Brooklyn, Mich.

Bristol, Tenn.

Darlington, S.C. Indianapolis, Ind. Las Vegas, Nev. Richmond, Va. Charlotte, N.C. (roval) Dover, Del. Talladega, Ala. Kansas City, Kan. Martinsville, Va. Fort Worth, Texas Phoenix, Ariz.

Homestead, Fla.

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES Feb. 17 Feb. 24 March 3

Daytona Atlanta Las Vegas

“He was in the lane that I needed to be.

As you get to the end, you’ve got to be aggressive and do what you’ve got to do sometimes to win these races” KEVIN HARVICK after bumping aside Kyle Busch to win at New Hampshire

Tyler Reddick Kevin Harvick Kyle Larson Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Scott LePage/LAT

After dominating every session before the IMSA WeatherTech Championship race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, it didn’t seem like much of a stretch for Colin Braun to do the same in the race with JDC-Miller’s ORECA. But then a switch to team owner/ co-driver Jon Bennett for the start cast aside Braun’s pole and sent the car to the back of the field. Still no problem.

Scything rapidly through the pack, Braun blasted through to the first win of the year for the team – and the second in a row for spec P2 chassis over the factory DPi contingent.

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JOSEF NEWGARDEN on his brush with the wall that ended his win chances in Toronto

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES Feb. 16 Feb. 24 March 2 March 26 May 4 May 11 May 18 June 8 June 16 June 23 June 29 July 12 July 18 July 28 Aug. 11 Aug. 15 Aug. 26 Sept. 14 Oct. 13 Oct. 27 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16

Daytona Johnny Sauter Atlanta Brett Moffitt Las Vegas Kyle Busch Martinsville J-H Nemechek Dover Johnny Sauter Kansas Noah Gragson Charlotte Johnny Sauter Texas Johnny Sauter Iowa Brett Moffitt Gateway Justin Haley Chicagoland Brett Moffitt Kentucky Ben Rhodes Eldora Chase Briscoe Pocono, Pa. Brooklyn, Mich.

Bristol, Tenn.

Bowmanville, Ontario Las Vegas, Nev. Talladega, Ala. Martinsville, Va. Fort Worth, Texas Phoenix, Ariz.

Homestead, Fla.

FEATURED RACE GP OF WATKINS GLEN WHEN Aug. 31-Sept. 2 WHERE Watkins Glen, N.Y. A stand-alone season finale on a legendary road course

EVENT INFO Order race tickets directly at theglen.com

WHERE & HOW I-90 East to Rte. 14 South takes you past scenic Seneca Lake en route to The Glen

Richard S. James

Phoenix Brad Keselowski Fontana Joey Logano Texas Ryan Blaney Bristol Ryan Preece Richmond Christopher Bell Talladega Spencer Gallagher Dover Justin Allgaier Charlotte Brad Keselowski Pocono Kyle Busch Michigan Austin Dillon Iowa Justin Allgaier Chicagoland Kyle Larson Daytona, Fla. Kyle Larson Kentucky Christopher Bell Loudon Christopher Bell Newton, Iowa Watkins Glen, N.Y. Mid-Ohio, Lexington, Ohio Bristol, Tenn.

Elkhart Lake, Wis. Darlington, S.C. Indianapolis, Ind. Las Vegas, Nev. Richmond, Va. Charlotte, N.C. Dover, Del. Kansas City, Kan. Fort Worth, Texas Phoenix, Ariz.

Homestead, Fla.

FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP

NHRA MELLO YELLO SERIES

PRO MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP

Dec. 2 Dec. 3 Jan. 13 Feb. 3 March 3 March 17 April 14 April 28 May 19 June 10 July 14 July 15

Feb. 11 Feb. 25 March 18 April 8 April 22 April 29 May 6 May 20 June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24 July 8 July 22 July 29 Aug. 5 Aug. 19 Sept. 3 Sept. 16 Sept. 23 Oct. 7 Oct. 14 Oct. 28 Nov. 11

March 10-11 St. Pete R. VeeKay (both races) April 20-22 Barber P. Thompson/H. Scott May 11-12 Indianapolis GP H. Scott/P. Thompson May 25 Indianapolis (LOR oval) P. Thompson June 22-24 Elkhart D. Malukas (both races) July 13-15 Toronto R. VeeKay (both races) July 27-29 Mid-Ohio, Ohio Aug. 24-25 Madison, Ill. Sept. 1-2 Portland, Ore.

Hong Kong 1 Sam Bird Hong Kong 2 Felix Rosenqvist Marrakesh Felix Rosenqvist Santiago Jean-Eric Vergne Mexico City Daniel Abt Punto del Este Jean-Eric Vergne Rome Sam Bird Paris Jean-Eric Vergne Berlin Daniel Abt Zurich Lucas di Grassi New York1 Lucas di Grassi New York 2 Jean-Eric Vergne

JOLTIN’ JEAN Jean-Eric Vergne shook off a qualifying penalty in Race 1 at Brooklyn, N.Y., to clinch the ABB Formula E title, then won the second race of the weekend for good measure.

Sam Bagnall/LAT

March 10 March 17 April 7 April 14 April 20 April 28 May 5 May 26 June 2 June 9 June 17 June 30 July 6 July 13 July 21 July 28 Aug. 4 Aug. 11 Aug. 17 Aug. 25 Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 21 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 20 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17

FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CH’SHIP May 5 June 16-17 Aug. 19 Oct. 21 Nov. 18 2019 March 16 May 4 June 15-15

F. Alonso/S. Buemi/ K. Nakajima Le Mans F. Alonso/S. Buemi/ K. Nakajima Silverstone, UK Fuji, Japan Shanghai, China

Sebring, Fla. Spa, Belgium Le Mans, France

ThorSport Ford teammates Chase Briscoe (27) and Grant Enfiger staged an epic NASCAR Camping World Trucks battle for the win on Eldora’s dirt.

Barry Cantrell/NKP/LAT

Scott LePage/LAT

“I knew it would be low grip, but not zero grip. I lost the front end completely”

Spa

PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE March 9-11 St. Petersburg, Fla. March 23-25 COTA, Austin, Texas April 13-15 Long Beach, Calif.

April 27-29 Alton, Va. May 18-20 Bowmanville, Ontario May 25-26 Lime Rock, Conn.

June 22-24 Elkhart Lake, Wis. July 13-15 Portland, Ore. Aug. 10-12 Tooele, Utah Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Watkins Glen, N.Y. Oct. 26-28 Monterey, Calif. (Int’l GT)

Pomona, Calif.

Phoenix, Ariz.

Gainesville, Fla. Las Vegas, Nev. Houston, Texas Charlotte, N.C. Atlanta, Ga. Topeka, Kan. Chicago, Ill. Richmond, Va. Bristol, Tenn.

Norwalk, Ohio Epping, N.H. Denver, Colo.

Sonoma, Calif.

Seattle, Wash.

Brainerd, Minn.

Indianapolis, Ind. Reading, Pa. Madison, Ill. Dallas, Texas Charlotte, N.C. Las Vegas, Nev. Pomona, Calif.

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Jan. 25-28 Feb. 16-18 March 9-11 April 6-8 April 27-29 May 18-20 June 8-10 July 27-29 Aug. 17-19 Sept. 14-16 Oct. 5-7 Oct. 26-28 Nov. 16-18

Monte Carlo Sweden Mexico France Argentina Portugal Italy Finland Germany Turkey Wales, GB Spain Australia

Sebastien Ogier Thierry Neuville Sebastien Ogier Sebastien Ogier Ott Tanak Thierry Neuville Thierry Neuville

COOPER TIRES INDY LIGHTS CHAMPIONSHIP March 10-11 April 20-22 May 11-12 May 25 June 22-24 July 8 July 13-15 July 27-29 Aug. 24-25 Sept. 1-2

St. Pete P. O’Ward/S. Urrutia Barber P. O’Ward (both races) Indianapolis C. Herta (both races) Indianapolis (oval) C. Herta R. America C. Herta/V. Franzoni Iowa P. O’Ward Toronto P. O’Ward/S. Urrutia Mid-Ohio, Ohio Madison, Ill. Portland, Ore.

USF2000 CHAMPIONSHIP March 10-11 May 11-12

St. Pete K. Kirkwood/A. Barron Indianapolis GP A. Barron/ K. Kirkwood May 25 Indianapolis (LOR oval) K. Kirkwood June 22-24 Elkhart K. Kirkwood (both races) July 13-15 Toronto K. Kirkwood (both races) July 27-29 Mid-Ohio, Ohio Sept. 1-2 Portland, Ore.

F3 AMERICAS CHAMPIONSHIP Aug. 4-5 Aug. 9-11 Sept. 14-16 Sept. 21-23 Oct. 13-14 Oct. 19-21

PIRC, Wampum, Pa. Mid-Ohio, Ohio Millville, N.J. Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga. NOLA, New Orleans, La. COTA, Austin, Texas

F4 U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP April 28-29

VIR B. Pedersen/ C. Rasmussen/C. Rasmussen Road Atlanta B. Pedersen/J. Raven/J. Blanco-Chock Jun 30-Jul 1 Mid-Ohio D. Dickerson/ C. Rasmussen/C. Rasmussen Aug. 3-5 PIRC, Wampum, Pa. Sept. 14-15 Millville, N.J. Oct. 19-21 COTA, Austin, Texas May 10-12

RACER.com has the latest racing news, views and features, plus Robin Miller’s answers to your questions. Write to MillersMailbag@racer.com

RACER.com 103

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Richard S. James

Check RACER.com’s TV listings for air dates and times on CBSSN for the concluding rounds of this year’s Pirelli World Challenge Championships.

SEPTEMBER 16

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Whatever else you may think about Formula 1, you have to concede it has some impressive backdrops for its grands prix. One of the most dramatic of the lot is the bayfront street circuit in Singapore, the exotic charms of which are accented all the more because, to beat the heat and produce a TV-friendly air time, it’s run under the lights.

Last year, the night moves were made trickier by wet conditions. They contributed to a chaotic start that took a sledgehammer to Sebastian Vettel’s title prospects. What’s in store this time?

Andy Hone/LAT

DETAILS

8:05am ESPN2: Singapore Grand Prix

ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN (ET); FOR LATEST TIMES SEE: https://racer.com/category/tv/

LUCAS OIL OFF ROAD RACING

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 NBC: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Watkins Glen, N.Y. (L)

2:30pm

2:30pm

4:00pm

NBC: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Watkins Glen, N.Y. (L) FS1: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (L) FOX: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, finals, Kent, Wash. (L)

Richard S. James

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5

FS1: NASCAR Camping World Brooklyn, Mich. (L) NBCSN: Verizon IndyCar Series, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (L) NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Mid-Ohio, Lexington, Ohio (L)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12 9:30am

2:30pm

FS1: IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (D) NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Brooklyn, Mich. (L)

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 8:30pm

FOX: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bristol, Tenn. (L)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 7:30pm

NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Bristol, Tenn. (L)

4:55am

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

ESPN2: F1 Belgian Grand Prix practice, Spa-Francorchamps (L)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 25 8:55am

3:00pm

00:00pm

8:00pm

ESPN2: F1 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps (L) NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Road America, Elhart Lake, Wis. (L) FS1: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, finals, Epping, N.H. (L) NBCSN: Verizon IndyCar Series, Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, Ill. (L)

9:05am

2:30pm

3:00pm

4:00pm

6:00pm

NBC: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Darlington, S.C. (L)

ESPN2: F1 Belgian Grand Prix practice, Spa-Francorchamps (L) NBCSN: Verizon IndyCar Series, Portland, Ore. (L) CBS: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Sparks, Nev. (D) FS1: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, qualifying, Indianapolis, Ind. (SDD) NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Darlington, S.C. (L)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 1:00pm

00:00pm

3:00pm

3:30pm

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 2:00pm

7:30pm

CBS: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Wheatland, Mo. (D) NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Bristol, Tenn. (L)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19 6:30am

12:00pm

1:00pm

1:00pm

2:00pm

VELOCITY: FIA World Endurance Championship, Silverstone, UK (L) FS1: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, finals, Brainerd, Minn. (L) NBCSN: Verizon IndyCar Series, Pocono, Pa. (L) FS1: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Alton, Va. (L) FS2: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Alton, Va. (L)

9:05am

12:00pm

2:00pm

2:30pm

NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

ESPN2: F1 Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps (L) FS1: IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Alton, Va. (D) CBSSN: Trans Am Series, Mid-Ohio, Lexington, Ohio (D) FS1: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bowmanville, Ont. (L)

The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ most prestigious finals air Labor Day Monday on FS1 beginning at 11:00 a.m., before shifting to FOX at 1:00 p.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 27 2:00pm

NBCSN: Indy Lights Championship, Madison, Ill. (D)

NHRA

3:30pm

In addition to the calendar’s listed events on the CBS broadcast network, look for regular weekly LOORRS programming on CBSSN, as well as MAVTV.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 4:55am

ESPN2: F1 Italian Grand Prix practice, Monza (L)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 8:55am

ESPN2: F1 Italian Grand Prix qualifying, Monza (L)

6:00pm

NBCSN: Indy Lights Championship, Portland, Ore. (D)

104 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018

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Zak Mauger/LAT

Alongside its F1 deal, ESPN also offers live streaming of F2 support races through its ESPN3 online service, available via affiliated internet/cable service providers.

ANNIVERSARIES

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 4:00pm

NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Indianapolis, Ind. (L)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 2:00pm

5:00pm

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

SPOILER WARNINGS

Exploring aero options

NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Indianapolis, Ind. (L) FS1: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (L)

8:55am

5:00pm

ESPN2: F1 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying, Marina Bay (L) NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Las Vegas, Nev. (L)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 7:00am

2:00pm

3:00pm

6:30pm

FS1: IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Monterey, Calif. (D) CBSSN: Trans Am Series, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (D) NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Las Vegas, Nev. (L) NBCSN: Verizon IndyCar Series, Sonoma, Calif. (L)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 7:30pm

NBCSN: NASCAR Xfinity Series, Richmond, Va. (L)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 7:30pm

NBCSN: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Richmond, Va. (L)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 2:00pm

FOX: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, finals, Madison, Ill. (L)

ABC ESPN on ABC CBS/CBSSN CBS/CBS Sports Network CNBC NBC Business News NBC NBC Universal NBCSN NBC Sports Network ESPN ESPN networks ESPN-N ESPN News FOX FOX Broadcast Network FS1 FOX Sports 1 FS2 FOX Sports 2 TNT Turner Network Television VELOCITY Velocity Channel L R TBD D SDD

Live Program Repeat Program Start Time to Be Determined Delayed from Earlier Day Same Day, Delayed

All listings subject to change. Networks may broadcast programs at different times in different time zones. Check local listings.

LAT archive

MIKA HAKKINEN 1998 McLAREN MP4/13-MERCEDES

ELTON JULIAN

Brian France, 8/2/62; Jeff Gordon, 8/4/71; Kurt Busch, 8/4/78; James Jakes, 8/4/87; Gordon Johncock, 8/5/36; Pippa Mann, 8/11/83; Parnelli Jones, 8/12/33; Rusty Wallace, 8/14/56; Robin Pemberton, 8/15/56; Carl Edwards, 8/15/79; ELTON JULIAN, 8/16/74; Nelson Piquet, 8/17/52; Kenny Bernstein, 9/6/44; Stefan Johansson, 9/8/56; Stirling Moss, 9/17/29; Damon Hill, 9/17/60; Cristiano da Matta, 9/19/73; Juan Pablo Montoya, 9/20/75; Dick Simon, 9/21/33; Richard Childress, 9/21/45; Arie Luyendyk, 9/21/53; MIKA HAKKINEN, 9/28/68; Memo Gidley, 9/29/69.

GOOD GRIEF, GOODWOOD! Beauty and beast at FOS

This F1-engined BMW M3’s hill climb run at July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed exemplified the spirit of unbridled fun at this charismatic event. Enjoy at Goodwood’s YouTube page.

B. 8/16/74

After a standout driving career as a racer in both open-wheelers and sports cars, Los Angeles native Julian (ABOVE, in 2011) switched to team ownership and his DragonSpeed squad has emerged as a prominent player in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Next on the ambitious agenda for Julian and his team is a planned IndyCar Series foray in 2019.

WE REMEMBER

ON TWITTER His name sounds like a character from a bad racing movie, but @ChaseBriscoe5 is making waves. The Ford development driver mixes stock cars, sprint cars and road racing, with a NASCAR Truck victory on Eldora’s dirt among this year’s bounty.

RACER.com has the latest racing news, views and features, plus Robin Miller’s answers to your questions. Write to MillersMailbag@racer.com

AL HOLBERT 1983 PORSCHE 956 Tazio Nuvolari, 8/11/53; Peter Collins, 8/3/58; Jerry Titus, 8/5/70; Mark Donohue, 8/19/75; Patrick Depailler, 8/1/80; Manfred Winkelhock, 8/12/85; J.D. McDuffie, 8/11/92; Clifford Allison, 8/13/92; Blaine Johnson, 8/31/96; Dario Resta, 9/3/24; Jimmy Murphy, 9/15/24; Wolfgang von Trips, 9/10/61; Jochen Rindt, 9/5/70; Ronnie Peterson, 9/11/78; STEFAN BELLOF, 9/1/85; AL HOLBERT, 9/30/88; Gonzalo Rodriguez, 9/11/99; Paul Newman, 9/26/08; Scott Roembke, 9/9/12; George Bignotti, 9/27/13

LAT archive

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Tech videos at RACER.com include show-and-tells with IndyCar engineer Craig Hampson, explaining the aerodynamic tuning options teams have available for each type of track.

LAT archive

ESPN2: F1 Singapore Grand Prix practice, Marina Bay (L) FS1: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing, finals, Maple Grove, Pa. (SDD) FS1: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Las Vegas, Nev. (L)

Russell LaBounty/NKP/LAT

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

STEFAN BELLOF D. 9/1/85

The same year Al Holbert won Le Mans in a Porsche 956 (ABOVE LEFT), Germany’s Bellof set a lap record in another 956 at the NurburgringNordschleife that lasted, incredibly, for 35 years until being broken this June by a Porsche hybrid LMP1 prototype. Sadly, he lost his life in a crash of a Porsche 962C at another legendary track – Spa – two years later.

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LAT archive

WHAT BRABHAM BT46B “FAN CAR” WHERE ANDERSTORP, SWEDEN...AND THEN NOWHERE ELSE WHEN SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 1978

1969 CHAPARRAL 2J

LAT archive

(ABOVE) Yes, that is the lid of a trash can covering the BT46B’s fan as the Brabham mechanics work on the car prior to its one and only race, the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix.

Jim Hall’s Can-Am design generated suction from a fan a decade before Brabham’s Gordon Murray rediscovered the concept. The 2J powered its fan from a standalone snowmobile engine on the car.

the Lotus, the BT46B didn’t need forward motion to generate its downforce – meaning huge levels of extra grip even in slow turns.

The system was similar in many respects to one that another maverick, Jim Hall, had pioneered on his Chaparral 2J Can-Am car (see right), but Murray’s real left-field moment of genius was to argue that the fan’s primary role was engine cooling. As for the massive amount of downforce it produced? An unexpected bonus, but we’ll take it, thank you very much...

“When I did the sums, I had to double-check them, because I couldn’t believe the amount of downforce we were talking about,” recalls Murray. “Astronomical amounts just by sticking a bloody big fan on the back.”

The car made its debut in the Swedish Grand Prix, with drivers Niki Lauda and John Watson under instructions to keep their powder dry in qualifying. Watson lined up second, Lauda third, with the latter romping to the win.

Pre-race grumblings turned to full-blown uproar following the victory, but the BT46B was never actually banned. Instead, Brabham owner Bernie Ecclestone, intent on building his F1 commercial empire, decided harmony among the teams was paramount and told Murray to pull the project. It was “won and done” for the fan car.

After cooling their jets in Swedish GP practice, the BT46B’s drivers turned it on in the race.

LAT archive

With the ground-effect Lotus 79 the epitome of the “unfair advantage” during the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship, Brabham designer Gordon Murray knew it was time for some serious out-of the-box thinking.

Lotus’s first real attempt at a ground-effect car, the 78, was flawed – a fundamental aero imbalance chief among its shortcomings – yet still effective, earning five grand prix wins in 1977, and adding two more at the start of ’78 as the Lotus team worked to finish the 79.

Once the 79 did come onstream, it was in a league of its own, winning its first two GPs at a canter with Mario Andretti at the wheel.

With a flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine blocking the potential diffuser space in the back of his Brabham BT46, Murray knew any attempt to add Lotus-style ground-effect tunnels would be a fool’s errand – which is when he got creative.

The F1 rule book banned movable devices where the primary function was aerodynamic.

Nevertheless, Murray conceived a system in which a large fan running off the back of the gearbox sucked air from the engine bay. The pressure difference between ambient and engine bay pushed the car down on to the track, increasing the grip of the tires to ground-effect levels of performance. And unlike

LAT archive

FORMULA 1 FAN BOYS

Brabham’s first true ground-effect car was ’79’s BT48. A bored Lauda quit before season’s end.

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DESIGNED FOR DOMINANCE.

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