Can-Am Challenge Race

Sears Point, 9 Oct 1983

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

Notes on the cars:

1. VDS 002 (Michael Roe): New for the VDS team in 1982 and raced that season by Al Holbert, but exactly when he used VDS-001 and when he used VDS-002 is still uncertain. Acquired by Norwood-Walker Racing for 1983, together with the brand new VDS-003, but VDS-003 was destroyed at its first race. VDS-002 was driven by Michael Roe in 1983. The team was renamed Dallas Motorsports Inc for 1984 and VDS-002 was modified to side-radiator form for 1984, joined later by a new car VDS-004 in normal front-radiator form. Roe dominated the season, winning seven races. VDS-002 reappeared once more at Mosport Park at the start of 1985 when Dallas Motorsports boss Don Walker crashed it heavily in practice. The car remained dismantled for some time while Jack Smith repaired the monocoque. Dallas Motorsports cars and equipment were sold to Frank D'Aquanno (Monterey, CA) in 1987, and in 1989 VDS-002 was restored and sold to Jimmy Landrum (Dallas, TX). In August 2014, Craig McCormick reported that this car was "in a private collection in the Dallas, TX area, completely restored".
2. Frissbee-Lola T330 [HU2] (Horst Kroll): See full history: Lola T330 HU2.
3. Rondel M1 [201] (Randy Zimmer): The prototype Rondel was used for testing in late 1972, before the first production cars were built. It was taken to Hockenheim 8 April 1973 as team spare, and to Pau as a spare for Tim Schenken, but not raced. Its history is then unknown until 1974, and it appears it has been acquired by Fred Opert to use as a set of spares. After Mike Rand crashed his car, wrecking the monocoque, 201 was supplied to Ron Ignatowski (Milford, CT), who rebuilt Rand's car on 201's tub with a BRM 1-litre engine and used it in SCCA Formula C. In 1980 it was sold to Randy Zimmer (Buffalo, NY) as the basis for his Can-Am car. He raced it with a Volkswagen engine in 1982 and then with a Mazda rotary engine from 1983 to 1986. Zimmer then entered it for Jim Del Russo in the 1987 CAT championship, and raced it a few more times himself in 1989, 1990 and 1994. Then retained for many years until Zimmer sold it to Seann Burgess (Markdale, Ontario) in 2019.
4. Toleman TG280 [03] (Eddie Wachs): New to Docking Spitzley Racing for Huub Rothengatter to race in F2 in 1980. Raced once by John Lewis in the Aurora series at the end of that season. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1981 when it was run by Bob Salisbury for Ricardo Londoño. Retained by Docking Spitzley for 1982 when it was rebuilt with new rear suspension and "totally new bodywork" for Thierry Tassin to drive. Sold to Eddie Wachs' Ausca Racing at the end of the F2 season, and converted to Can-Am specification for Horst Kwech to drive. Retained for 1983, when it was raced by Wachs. Retained again for 1984, when it was driven by Wachs, Bill Alsup, and Enrique Mansilla. Subsequent history unresolved.
5. Brabham BT29 [11] (Jerry Kehoe): Bill Boyer (Tucson, AZ) raced an orange #88 Brabham BT29 in two early rounds of the 1970 SCCA Formula B championship, both in California, retiring both times. He was not seen again in the car but advertised it in August 1972, over two years later, complete with Vegantune FLC engine and said to be "ready for pro races". In 1973 or 1974, it was bought from dealer Pierre Phillips (Portland, OR) by Jerry Kehoe (Santa Rosa, CA), who recalls having seen it at Max Mizejewski's MRE operation in Santa Ana maybe a year earlier. Mizejewski had raced a MRE-entered BT29 at Sears Point 16 Sep 1973 and this is assumed to be the same car. Presumably the Formula B car Kehoe drove in SCCA races at Sears Point in 1975 and 1976. By 1977, Kehoe had fitted it with a Cosworth FVC engine and was using in in Formula A in SCCA Nationals. Kehoe later rebuilt the car as a sports car and used it in Can-Am in 1980 as a 2-litre car, then with a 3.5-litre Oldsmobille from 1981 to 1983 and finally with Frissbee bodywork in 1984. It later went to James Connell (Pollack Pines,CA) and Fred Schrameck (Orangeville, CA) . It changed hands again in 2007.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.