1969 Trans-American Sedan Championship

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The 1969 Trans-American Championship was the fourth running of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series. The championship was open to SCCA Sedan category cars competing in Over 2 liter and Under 2 liter classes. [1] 1969 marked the end of the use of co-drivers in the Trans-Am Championship, as most of the races were between 2.5 and 3 hours. The Over 2 liter and Under 2 liter Manufacturers' titles were won by Chevrolet (Due in large part to Mark Donohue's 6 wins, and a major crash at the St. Jovite, Canada race that nearly destroyed all the Ford and Shelby team cars. Not including the controversial illegal underweight Camaro used by Donohue, wins were to be stripped from Chevrolet given to Ford. But GM threatened to take their money and leave the series.) and Porsche (Due in large part to Peter Gregg's 7 wins) respectively. [1]

Schedule

Chevrolet won the Over 2 liter class championship. Mark Donohue's 1969 Chevrolet Camaro from the series is shown at the U. S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International, a vintage car show where historic race cars are driven. Camaro-racing-20.jpg
Chevrolet won the Over 2 liter class championship. Mark Donohue's 1969 Chevrolet Camaro from the series is shown at the U. S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International, a vintage car show where historic race cars are driven.

The championship was contested over twelve races. [1]

RaceDateCircuitDistanceOver 2 liter winning carUnder 2 liter winning car
Over 2 liter winning carUnder 2 liter winning car
1May 11 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan 344.24 mi (554.00 km) Ford Mustang Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Parnelli Jones Flag of the United States.svg Gary Wright
2May 30 Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut 2 h 30 min
218.79 mi (352.11 km)
Ford Mustang Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Sam Posey Flag of the United States.svg Tony Adamowicz
3June 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 240 mi (390 km) Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie Bucknum Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
4June 22 Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Sag Harbor, New York 250.8 mi (403.6 km) Ford Mustang Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
5July 6 Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota 252 mi (406 km) Ford Mustang Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Parnelli Jones Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
6July 20 Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire 200 mi (320 km) Chevrolet Camaro Alfa Romeo GTA
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gaston Andrey
7August 3 Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite, Quebec 3 h
257 mi (414 km)
Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
8August 10 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York 2 h 30 min
269.1 mi (433.1 km)
Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
9August 24 Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California 226.1 mi (363.9 km) Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
10September 7 Seattle International Raceway, Kent, Washington 303.75 mi (488.84 km) Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Ronnie Bucknum Flag of the United States.svg Peter Gregg
11September 21 Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, California 201.84 mi (324.83 km) Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Don Pike
12October 5 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California 201.84 mi (324.83 km) Chevrolet Camaro Porsche 911
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Alan Johnson

Championships

Points were awarded for finishing positions in each class at each race on the following basis: [2]

1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
964321

Only the highest-placed car of each make could earn points for its manufacturer [2] and only the best nine results for each manufacturer counted towards the championship totals. [2]

No Drivers titles were awarded in 1969 or in any other Trans-American Championship prior to 1972. [2]

Over 2 liter Manufacturers Championship

Pos [1] Manufacturer [1] MIC LRP MOH BRI DON BRY MTB WGL LAG PAC SPT RIV Points [1]
1 Chevrolet 23122111111178 (94)
2 Ford 11211382322464 (71)
3 Pontiac 358345212534332 (34)
4 American Motors 475658457128614 [3]

Under 2 liter Manufacturers Championship

Pos [1] Manufacturer [1] MIC LRP MOH BRI DON BRY MTB WGL LAG PAC SPT RIV Points [1]
1 Porsche 11111211111181 (106)
2 Alfa Romeo 328311274528
3 BMW 99314865
4 British Leyland 34

The cars

The following models contributed to the points totals of their respective manufacturers. [1]

1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

1969 had marked the sales debut of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am however the car's smallest engine was well over the 5000cc maximum set by the series at the time and it was not used in the 1969 championship. In using the name Trans Am, a registered trademark, General Motors agreed to pay $5 per car sold to the SCCA. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "1969 Trans-Am Box Scores" (PDF). Sports Car Club of America. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dave Friedman, Pony Cars Wars 1966 to 1972, page 112
  3. The official SCCA’s 1969 Trans-Am Box Scores list AMC as scoring 14 points in seven of the twelve races but show a final total of only 13.
  4. "Edmund's Pontiac Firebird History".