ROCKY MOUNTAIN VINTAGE RACING

Transcription

1 ROCKY MOUNTAIN VINTAGE RACING Pueblo Trans-Am Invitational Pueblo Motorsports Park, CO June 13-15, 2008 Thanks to the following major sponsors: Obialero Inc. Streamline Hot Rod Parts Eurosport Ltd. Industrial Chemicals Coors Brewing Company

2 Buzz Dyer from Boulder at Riverside's International Mission Bell 200 Trans-Am Race, October This is the Ronnie Kaplan Enterprises Traco powered Javelin which Buzz drives today. The car morphed with the times as IMSA came on the scene and different rules applied. Dyer photo. Ron Grable and the 66 A-sedan Dodge Dart at a SCCA regional race at CDR in Ron won the ARRC National Championship at Riverside in November of that year. The car was sold to crew member Buzz Dyer who competed in his first Trans-Am race in the old Dart in Bruce Uchida photo. Cover: Driver change during the 94 lap Trans-Am race, Continential Divide Raceways, CO, August Tom Blank and Jerry Sprague are tending to the 1966 Alfa GTA. Del Taylor is strapping himself in on the right hand side. The local yucks finished 3rd in the under 2-liter class. Blank photo. Shelby s Trans-Am team manager Lew Spencer and Derrick Neikham of Denver behind Derrick s Boss 302 race car was the introductory year for the Boss and Shelby American s final year in Trans-am Racing. This was Derrick s rookie year with the newly prepared race car. Rogers photo.

3 Pueblo Motorsports Park and the Trans-Am Invitational presented by Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing, Ltd (RMVR) Welcome to Pueblo Motorsports Park and the Trans-Am Invitational presented by Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing, Ltd. (RMVR). This event celebrates the Trans-American sedan racing series that was held at numerous road racing circuits in the US and Canada, including a former 2.6-mile road course in Castle Rock, Colorado called Continental Divide Raceways (CDR). The Trans-Am was organized by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and became a manufacturer s competition that pitted two liter Alfas against the Porsche 911, BMW 2002 and the Datsun 510 and the larger O2 (over two liter) Chevrolet Camaros against the AMC Javelins, Ford Mustangs, Plymouth Barracudas, and Dodge Darts. It was one of the most exciting motor racing series to watch because everyday sedans that many people owned were driven by professional drivers on American and Canadian road racing circuits. We are honored to have Penske team photographer Pete Luongo joining us for the weekend. Pete was responsible for the team press-packages in the first years of Penske involvement in the Trans-Am and worked directly with Mark Donohue and Roger Penske. Look for Pete track-side with the big camera. This year we are featuring the racing careers of four local sedan drivers who competed in the Trans-American series in the 1960s and 70s. These drivers included Tom Blank and Del Taylor who raced Alfa GTAs in the under 2-liter class and Buzz Dyer and Ron Hunter who raced AMC Javelins in the over 2-liter class. Hunter, Dyer, and Blank were from Boulder. Taylor lived in Denver. These guys knew each other, crewed for each other, and competed against each other through the early years of the Trans-Am series. Tom Blank is racing with us this weekend in the Dick Trickle 427 Ford Torino and Buzz Dyer is racing his original 1970 RKE Trans-Am Javelin. In this program you will find historical photographs from Colorado s former Continental Divide Raceways (CDR) and other memorabilia associated with Colorado s racing past. Included is information on how to drive the Pueblo racing circuit, pictures from previous year's events, and RMVR club information. We wish to thank the many sponsors of this event with a special thanks to John Obialero, Inc., Streamline Hot Rods, Industrial Chemicals, Inc., Eurosport, Ltd., and Mike Rogers Photography. Please acknowledge the many volunteers and advertisers that help make this racing weekend possible and who share our enthusiasm for the Trans-Am series, Colorado s racing history, and vintage motor racing. Keith Davidson, Chairman, RMVR Trans-Am Invitational Ron Grable and the 1967 Hillsdale Dodge Dart. After towing all the way to Colorado, Ron and crew member Buzz Dyer discovered the fuel tank was 42 gallons instead of the 40 gallons required by SCCA. They were not allowed to qualify and that was that. Grable photo. John Morton at Bryar with BRE's first Trans-Am entry about to be lapped by Hans Ziereis in a BMW BRE went on to win the 2.5 liter Trans-Am championship in 1971 and Tenin photo RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational 1

4 ROCKY MOUNTAIN VINTAGE RACING LTD. RMVR is a non-profit club of more than 400 members who are vintage racing enthusiasts. Our club s primary focus is the organization, production, and sanctioning of vintage car races in the Rocky Mountain region. We have over 350 eligible cars that are a minimum of 20 years old. Names such as Lotus, Corvette, McLaren, and Lola, along with lesser-known marques such as Abath, Morgan, Siata, and Zink participate in our events. The range of engines includes less than 1000 cc to more than six liters of ground-pounding force. As Charter Members of the national group, Vintage Motorsports Council, we are pledged to promote the preservation of these cars in a racing format which emphasizes driver safety and etiquette. To achieve this goal, we have developed our own team of race officials including Event Chairs, Race Stewards, Registrars, Pit and Grid, Corner Marshalls, Starters, Tech Inspectors, and Timing and Scoring. The Benefits Of RMVR Membership: The Apex Free Admission To All Track Events Invitation to All Speed Events and More Free Classified Ads in the Monthly Newsletter You need not own a vintage car to become a member and participant in Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing. RMVR 6745 West Third Place Lakewood CO Horst Kwech speaking to a spellbound crowd about his three decades of racing in SCCA, IMSA, and Can-Am at RMVR s Trans-Am Invitational June Alder photo Schedule of Events DATE EVENT LOCATION March Fire and Rescue School Thorton, CO April 12 Spring Fling Forney Museum, CO April Driver s School La Junta Raceway, CO April Spring Race La Junta Raceway, CO June Trans-Am Invitational Pueblo Motorsports Park, CO July Pikes Peak Hill Climb Colorado Springs, CO July 25 th Anniversary Party TBA August The Showboat Grand Prix Hastings, NE Sept Enduro Pueblo Motorsports Park, CO Oct Fall Race Highplains Raceway, CO RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

5 Del Taylor at Riverside 9/68 running with the big dogs and Tom Blank s car. He finished 3rd in U-2 and 10th overall ahead of numerous 911s, Camaros, and Mustangs. johnwilsonphoto.com Ron Hunter in the #10 Javelin at Limerock 1969 being chased through the downhill section onto the front straight by a nasty group of Trans-Am cars. Pete Luongo photo RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational 3

6 CONTINENTAL DIVIDE RACEWAYS CASTLEROCK COLORADO TRANS-AMERICAN ENTRANTS August, 1967 Car No. Car Owner Car Driver Hometown Car Make 0 John McComb John McComb Hutchinson. Kansas Cortina David Dooley Okla. City, Okla. Cortina 1 Ron Grable Ron Grable San Jose, Calif. Dodge Dart 2 Hilton Racing Team Ron Dykes Marina Del Ray, Calif. Mustang 3 Asuca Racing Horst Kwech Libertyville, 111. Alfa Romeo GTA 6 Asuca Racing Monty Winkler Washington, D.C. Alfa Romeo GTA 7 Craig Fisher Craig Fisher Toronto, Ontario Camaro 8 Pete Dock Jim Whelan White Bear Lake, Minn. Mustang Pete Dock Hopkins, Minn. Mustang 11 Grady Davis Richard K. Thompson, Jr. Washington, D. C. Mustang 14 Bert Everett Bert Everett Doylestown, Pa. Porsche Bud Moore Engineering Peter Revson New York, New York Cougar 16 Roger Penske Racing Mark Donohue Media, Pennsylvania Camaro 17 David A. Witts Jerry Titus Sherman Oaks, Calif. Mustang Jim Adams Hollywood, Calif. Mustang 21 British and European Noel Armstrong El Paso, Texas Alfa Romeo Automotive Ronald J. Hunter Denver, Colo. Alfa Romeo 22 Richard R. Feather Richard Feather Boulder, Colo. Mustang Mike Allison Boulder, Colo. Mustang 27 George Kirksey Bill Steele Houston, Texas Mustang 31 E. Keith Thomas, Jr. E. Keith Thomas, Jr. Lawrence, Kansas Mustang 40 Ron Tonkin Chev. Bill Gregg Portland, Ore. Camaro 44 Group 44, lnc. Bob Tullius Alexandria, Va. Dodge Dart 47 Alan Green Gary Gove Seattle, Wash. Camaro 50 Ron Tonkin Chev. Bob Ericson Portland, Ore. Camaro 63 Fred Sutherland Fred Sutherland Los Angeles, Calif. Mustang 71 Don Hawthorne Dave Willemssen Boulder. Colo. Volvo 73 Valvoline Oil Fred Opert Hackensack, N. J. Porsche Creitz Equipment Co. Vick Campbell Tulsa, Okla. Camaro 77 Bernard R. Leckow Bernard Leckow St. Claire Shore, Mich. Porsche Clarence Matthews Milton Minter Los Angeles, Calif. Mustang 90 Del Taylor Jack Eiteliorg Castle Rock. Colo. Alfa Romeo Del Taylor Denver, Colo. Alfa Romeo 97 John D. Shankle John D. Shankle Northridge, Calif. Alfa Romeo, GTA Lloyd Berghagen Northridge, Calif. Alfa Romeo, GTA 98 Bud Moore Engineering Ed Leslie Monterey, Calif. Cougar RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

7 2.66 Mile Road Course Castle Rock, Colorado 1968 From the 1968 Continental 250 Program. Jerry Kroninger, the Sunoco fuel representative adding dry ice to the fuel, CDR Jerry supported team Penske through the early years and now lives in Evergreen, Colorado. Luongo photo RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational 5

8 Colorado Trans-AM A Peter Revson s #3 AMC Javelin at CDR Pete mouthed off at the driver s meeting about U-2 cars getting in his way. He later had a mechanical and was DQd for trying to push start the car on the racecourse. Don Reiger photo. Podium finishers for Over 2 liter Trans-Am The Black Rat trophy being awarded to 1st place finisher Matt Ratcliff (67 Camaro) by last year s winner Chip Hane (66 Mustang) with Keith Davidson joining in the fun. Hane photo. Karen Miklin of Denver, CO driving the wheels off her beautiful B-sedan Alfa GTV at last year s Trans-Am Invitational. Karen and her husband Mark are long time members and supporters of RMVR. Rogers photo. William Rosenbach and Heike Welch getting hitched at RMVR s 2007 Trans-Am Invitational. Chad McCabe presided over the ceremony. Rogers photo RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

9 ction...then and Now John McComb of Hutchinson Kansas finished 3rd in the Trans-Am race at CDR in 1968 in his new A/S mustang. The fenders really began bulging that year. Luongo photo. Lew Spencer and Pete Sabef discussing tigers at last year s event. This is one fast Sunbeam. Rogers photo. Robert Jimenez (67 Mustang) and Darryl Brown (67 Porsche) locked in battle at last year s Trans-Am Invitational. Rogers photo. Track marshals enjoying lunch hour at the 2004 Trans-Am Invitational. Left to Right: Tim Oakley, Rick Boucher, Arthur Santamago, Mark Robinson, Kevin Lynch, Alan Haynes, and Chris Sundberg. Alder photo. Ron Hunter of Boulder at the Mid-Ohio Trans-Am race June Courtesy of Kathy Bradley. Ron Young's 1967 Pontiac Firebird at Steamboat Springs CO vintage races, The early Firebirds ran the 302 Chevrolet motor, were prepared by Penske, and driven by Craig Fisher of Toronto. This car is for sale. Call Ronnie at RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational 7

10 IF YOU NEED CONCRETE, Residential & Commercial Foundations RACE TO JOHN & RICK OBIALERO S And cement your ideas! J O H N O B I A L E R O, I N C West 44th Avenue Wheat Ridge, Colorado AUTO WIZARDS IMPORT & DOMESTIC SERVICE & REPAIR RACE CAR PREPARATION & SERVICE Fred Hodgson 5890 Washington St. Unit 8 Denver, Colorado (303) Buzz Dyer in the Olds Toronado at the Denver Grand Prix, August Howard Haswell partnered on the car so Buzz could keep racing while going through a divorce with "Sweet Race-Time Brenda"... a nickname Ron Grable gave her after they met at the Crow's Landing Trans-Am race. Power came from a small block Chevrolet attached to a stock car chassis. Dyer photo. Ruderagz.com Custom Sreen printing with attitude! RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

11 The Local Drivers In the 1960 s, the Denver-Boulder area produced four prolific SCCA sedan drivers that covered lots of ground on the Trans- Am circuit. These guys were Ron Hunter, Del Taylor, Tom Blank, and Buzz Dyer. The cars of choice were the Alfa GTA and the AMC Javelin. Ron Hunter grew up in Boulder and started racing sports cars in the late1950s at Buckley Field CO, Alliance NE, La Junta CO, and Garden City KS. He Ron Hunter sold used sports cars and was a smooth talking bull-shitter like Taylor. But, Ron was happy with the world and made friends quickly. He was a one-man recruiting center for drivers, workers, and crew for the SCCA. He became Sales Manager for Thoroughbred Motors in Denver and in June 1966, he joined the Trans-Am series with fellow Alfa dealer Noel Armstrong from El Paso, TX. They co-drove five Trans- Am races in 1966 plus the season opener in 1967 before marriage caught up with him. In 1969, Ron purchased the ex-peter Revson/ RKE Javelin and drove 8 of the 12 Trans-Am races that year. His best finish was O-7. Ron went on driving all kinds of racing cars until June 1987 when died from heat exhaustion in his Mercury Capri GT1 car at Pueblo Motors Sports Park. Del Russo Taylor ran a roofing business, had a pompadour hair cut, and sold new shingle roofs door to door. He lied about his age because he liked younger women. He lied about money and sponsorship too and was a smooth operating, fast- talking salesman with a gift for gab and a pro at telling you what you wanted to hear. He wasn't real good at paying his bills, however. Ron Hunter hated him and Buzz Dyer and Tom Blank tolerated him. Taylor raced 20 Trans-Am races through the period with a best finish of third in under 2-liter (U-3) at CDR and Riverside in 1968 with Tom Blank s GTA. Del passed away in Florida from heart problems years later. Tom Blank grew up outside of Milwaukee and started his racing at tracks like Lyndall Farms, Milwaukee State Fair Park, Wilmont Hills, Meadowdale and Blackhawk Farms in an Alfa 1600 spider Veloce. In 1968 he bought Horst Kwech s B-Sedan championship Alfa GTA and joined the Trans-Am at Mid-Ohio where he finished U-4. He then moved to Boulder, CO and continued in the series at Bridgehampton where he lost the motor. He then teamed with Del Taylor who had Delta Mark 10 sponsorship (though no money to show for it), and a motor from his beat-up GTA. They turned identical lap times and co-drove the 250-mile Trans-Am race at CDR finishing U-3. Del took the prize money and Tom, happy to distance himself from the guy, let Del take the car to Riverside for the season finale. Taylor finished 3rd and gave Tom an Alfa Duetto for repayment which Tom drove in SCCA Midwest events. Tom retired from racing, moved to Carbondale, CO but went on to race a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport at Woody Creek Raceway in the mid 1970s. Young Tom Dyer Buzz Dyer grew up in Boulder, rode motorcycles, and liked drag racing. At age 19, he was in a motorcycle accident in Boulder Canyon and became an amputee. In 1967, he went to a SCCA race at Crow s Landing Air Field CA and saw a Dodge Dart (something familiar) and met A-Sedan national champion Ron Grable. Buzz crewed for Grable that year on the Dart and the next year on a Spectre Formula A car. He met Tom Blank at his buddy's Skelly-DX service station in north Boulder, not far from where his mother lived. They both raced with Del Taylor while Buzz worked on his business degree at CU Boulder. Grable encouraged him to try racing for something athletic that he could do sitting down and convinced Buzz to buy the 1966 Dart hulk that was sitting out back. Buzz bought the car and raced his first Trans-Am race at Kent in 1970 in Grable s 1966 Championship Dodge Dart. On Ron Grable's recommendation, he bought the 1970 Norris Industries RKE Javelin in 1971 and competed in the October 1971 Trans-Am race at Riverside and through the following years in both SCCA and IMSA, retiring at Portland in June Buzz won three West Coast A-Sedan SCCA Divisional titles, and a best finish of 2nd in category at the Portland 1976 Trans-Am race. Buzz owns a motorcycle accessory manufacturing business in South San Francisco and his son Tom is now the hot shoe racing USAC midgets and pro FF2000. Source: People that were there 2008 RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational 9

12 The Nickey Chevrolet Scarab Mark II driven by Jim Jeffords, SCCA Nationals, Buckley Airfield, CO July, Jeffords finished first in B-modified, Danny Collins finished 2nd in a Ferrari 250TR D-modified, Ron Hunter finished 5th in an Alfa Romeo in GP. Don Reiger photo RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

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14 Rolling start for A and B-Production sports cars TAI Jim Valdez BMW 320 on the inside, Don Douglass 427 Corvette, Ken Petrie 427 Corvette, Chip Hane GT350, Len Goebel GT350, Kevin Bruce GT350. Now this is RACING boys! Rogers photo. Richard La Barbera in the Roush Mustang in 2000 running in the BFGoodrich Trans- Am Series 100. The car ran a Winston Cup 351 cid truck motor with America's Suite sponsorship. This car is currently owned by RMVR member Todd Peterson of Boulder. Peterson photo. ROCKY MOUNTAIN VINTAGE RACING, LTD. Application for Membership: To join RMVR go to to down-load an application for membership. For additional information call us at and lets go racing! RMVR Pueblo Trans-Am Invitiational

15 For race gas in bulk quantity, call Trans-Am driver Robert Wilson Mary Sue Powell doing her Carmen Miranda Chiquita Banana Rosa Rita Frijoles Juan Manuel Fagio bit at the 2006 Trans-Am Invitational, honoring Bill Miller s 100 th Vintage Racing weekend in his 1966 Shelby GT350 Hertzmobile. Rogers photo. Gaylon, Mike, and Mitch Curley of Lyons, Colorado with the 1960 XP-5 Bocar. The Bocar was manufactured in Lakewood, Colorado by Bob Carnes. This car has raced with RMVR since 1985 and runs the original Chevrolet 283 Corvette engine with power-pack heads, Duntov cam, and T-10 transmission. Rogers photo. Jess Neal s 1970 Cuda was raced in the northeast in the 1990s with IMSA style body panels and NASCAR engine with the Com Sports Car Club. The car is undergoing restoration to SCCA Trans-Am trim reminiscent of Dan Gurney s All American Racing cudas. Rogers photo.

16 Doc Bundy on his way to first place in the Holbert Porsche 924 Turbo Carrera at the Sears Point Trans Am race in June of After 2 wins and 4 more top five finishes, Doc would end up in 2nd place in the 1982 Trans Am Championship. This car is now owned by RMVR member Greg Johnson. Johnson photo.