Can-Am Challenge Race

Laguna Seca, 14 Oct 1979

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Spyder NF-11 [CA-01] (Elliot Forbes-Robinson): Built from Spyder NF-10/01, which had been built from one of the Bill Freeman Racing Lola T333CS cars from 1977. It was built in March 1979 for Elliot Forbes-Robinson to race in the 1979 Can-Am series for Newman-Freeman Racing, with Budweiser sponsorship and entered as #4. In ten races in the car, EFR finished on the podium eight times, including a win at Trois-Rivières in September. Subsequent history unknown, but this is likely to be the car retained by Newman-Freeman Racing as a spare car in 1980, and then written off in Stephen South's accident at Trois-Rivières that season.
2. Spyder NF-11 [CA-03] (Howdy Holmes): Newman-Freeman Racing had entered two cars for one driver in the 1977 and 1978 Can-Am series, but when the team expanded to two drivers for 1979, a third Spyder NF-11 was built to act as a spare car. The origins of the monocoque used are uncertain, but this is very likely to be based on Lola T332 HU40 which was sold by Dr John Korn to the Newman-Freeman team in 1979. The first time this car was raced was when Howdy Holmes drove it at Laguna Seca in October 1979, and it was then Keke Rosberg's car in the final round of the series at Riverside two weeks later. The car was then sold to Larry Less, who hired it to Robert Meyer in 1982. Less later sold it to Paul Reichardt, boss of Reichardt Duck Farm (Petaluma, CA) in exchange for the ex-Elliot Forbes-Robinson Shelby Cobra. Documents show that in July 1987, Reichardt sold the Spyder to Chuck Haines, when it was described on the Bill of Sale as "N. F. Spyder, #03". Haines' Can-Am Cars Ltd sold it to David W. Smith (Patterson, CA) in April 1988, when it was described as "one Budweiser Spyder, Serial # CA-03". Subsequent history unknown, but Michael Duncan advised in 2003 that he had seen this ex-Meyer car in the 1990s, restored with Budweiser livery.
3. Spyder NF-11 [CA-04] (Keke Rosberg): Built by Newman-Freeman Racing as a fourth Spyder NF-11 for Randolph Townsend to drive in the 1979 Can-Am series. According to Tom Erwin's notebooks, this Spyder was built using Lola T332 chassis HU48, which had been owned by Francisco Mir (Santa Monica, CA) in 1974 and 1975, and raced by Elliot Forbes-Robinson for most of the 1975 season. The Spyder was raced by Townsend in six races in 1979, but he was unable to qualify inside the top 10, and retired from his first four races. At Laguna Seca in October, teammate Keke Rosberg crashed in practice and took over Townsend's Spyder for the race, finishing sixth. Townsend then returned to the car for the Riverside race two weeks later, finishing a season-high seventh. The car was sold to Dan Craddock (San Francisco, CA) for 1980, who tended to enter it as a Lola T332, although it was still, outwardly, a Spyder. He only managed to start one race in the 1980 Can-Am series. It was then sold to Robert Meyer (Salinas, CA), who used it in SCCA Nationals in 1981 and 1982. He wrecked the car at Riverside in early 1982 and hired Larry Less's sister car to complete the season. The ex-Townsend car is believed to have been destroyed.
4. Elfin MR8A-C [8772] (Vern Schuppan): New to Vern Schuppan (Adelaide, Australia) and raced as part of Ansett Team Elfin in 1977 Australian Internationals. Converted to Can-Am form, and raced by Schuppan in the Can-Am series in late 1977, and again in 1978 and 1979. Next seen when advertised by Stuart Bradbury (Phoenix, AZ) in July 1984. Advertised by Chuck Haines in 1990. To John Wales and Ron Gouttman (NSW, Australia) in 1990, and raced by Gouttman in Australia in Can-Am form in 1992/93. To Laurie Donaher (NSW) 1998, then to Aaron Lewis (Cessnock, NSW, Australia) in 2001. Restored to F5000 form, and raced in the F5000 Tasman Revival series in 2003/04. To Bill Hemming (Victoria, Australia) 2005, who raced it in the Tasman Revival series from late 2006 onwards.
5. Lola T332/T332C [T332 HU30] (Bill Tempero): See full history: Lola T332 HU30.
6. Lola T332 [HU47] (John Gunn): See full history: Lola T332 HU47.
7. Chevron B26 [74-08] (Gary Gove): After the closure of Red Rose Racing, Roger Hire struck a deal to run works-assisted Chevron B26s in 1974 under the name Forge Mill Racing. John Lepp ran the main car and Rafael Barrios joined the team to run a second B26, now positively identified as chassis 74-08. This car only raced once in 1975 but was then bought by Robin Smith to be used in endurance and Interserie in 1976. Gary Gove (Tacoma, WA) acquired it for Can-Am in early 1977 and raced it for three seasons, winning the Pacific Coast title in 1978 and the last BSR title at the Run-Offs. It went to John Graham in Canada for the 1981 season and then to Luc Behar-Bannelier for 1982. The B26 was sold to Gil Baird for Thundersports in England in 1983 then to Richard Piper for another three seasons during which time it was converted to DFV power before moving to Ireland in the late 1980s where it stayed for nearly 15 years. It was sold back to the US again around 2003 and has raced in US vintage racing.
8. Chevron B21 [72-15] (Hurley Haywood): A reputedly lightweight car built for BMW to test a new 2-litre version of their Formula 2 engine. Entered by Bosch Racing Team Vienna for Dieter Quester who took pole on three of his four appearances in the car and won at Salzburgring on 21 May 1972. Crashed at Enna 15 Aug 1972 and heavily damaged. Later sold by BMW to Vasek Polak in the US and repaired by Hans Adam, Mark Flores and Bruce Ponder. It was raced in SCCA BSR racing in 1974 and 1975 by Ponder and later used in Can-Am in 1979 by Hurley Haywood. The car was retained in the Polak collection until it was sold back to BMW and restored to original specification for their museum. The car was raced by Hubert Hahne at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2001.
9. Lola T332 [HU53] (Charlie Kemp): See full history: Lola T332 HU53.
10. Lola T332 [HU39] (Randy Lewis): See full history: Lola T332 HU39.
11. Lola T332 [HU42] (Mike Roche): See full history: Lola T332 HU42.
12. Sorbello GM5 [005] (John Sorbello): See full history: McRae GM1/005.
13. Chevron B21/B23 (Richard Guider): Richard Guider (Ben Lomond, CA) had a Chevron at the two Can-Am races at Laguna Seca and Riverside in October 1979 which was identified by Doug Waters as a B21/23 with 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC engine. He failed to start either race. Nothing more known.
14. Lola T294/T296 [HU77] (Garth Pollard): Sold new to Ed Abate (Monte Sereno, CA) late 1974 and raced in SCCA BSR racing from 1975 to 1977 and in Can-Am in 1977 and 1978. Abate was second in the Run-Offs in 1976 and won in 1977. After one further Can-Am appearance in 1978, the Lola was sold to Garth Pollard, a Canadian then resident in Costa Mesa, California. He raced it in Can-Am in 1979 before selling it to Mike Hill (Quesnel, BC) who used it in local events before advertising it in April 1982 and selling it to Geoff Davie in Toronto. Davie sold it to Don Wood (Bournemouth, England) in Sep 1988 who had the car prepared by Ian Jones and raced it in the BRDC British C2 Sportscar Championship event at Donington in 1990, co-driven by Autosport legend Marcus Pye. Wood sold the car back to an American owner in 1992 and as of 2011 it is owned by a Californian owner.
15. Spyder NF-11 [CA-02] (Keke Rosberg): Built from Spyder NF-10/02, which had been built from one of the Bill Freeman Racing Lola T333CS cars from 1977. It was built in March 1979 for Keke Rosberg to race in the 1979 Can-Am series for Newman-Freeman Racing, with Budweiser sponsorship and entered as #5. Rosberg won on his debut and then qualified on pole position eight times in the remaining nine races. However, he only won at Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen, before retirements at Road America, Brainerd and Trois-Rivières ruined his chances of challenging for the title. He then crashed this car in practice at Laguna Seca. Team manager Peter Hemming recalls that the car was destroyed, and "by destroyed I mean destroyed; nothing left to salvage other than instruments". Rosberg drove teammate Randolph Townsend's car in the race and then used the team's spare car, chassis CA-03, in the final round at Riverside.

Sources

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' original 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.