1971 Trans-American Sedan Championship

Last updated

Contents

The 1971 Trans-American Championship was the sixth running of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series. The format was altered to an over 2500cc class and an under 2500cc class, up 500cc from past years. All races used split classes except where noted. The year marked the rise of Datsun as a competitive brand, with the Japanese company winning several races throughout the season. American Motors, led by Mark Donohue's 7 wins, and Datsun, led by John Morton's 6 wins, won the manufacturers' championships.

Schedule

RndDateCircuitDistanceOver 2.5 Winning CarUnder 2.5 Winning Car
Over 2.5 Winning DriverUnder 2.5 Winning Driver
1May 8 Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut 130 mi (210 km) (U2L)
200.43 mi (322.56 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Alfa Romeo GTV
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of Australia (converted).svg Horst Kwech
2May 31 Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire 112 mi (180 km) (U2L)
152 mi (245 km) (O2L)
Ford Mustang Alfa Romeo
Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gaston Andrey
3June 6 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 106 mi (171 km) (U2L)
180 mi (290 km) (O2L)
Ford Mustang Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer Flag of the United States.svg John Morton
4June 20 Edmonton International Speedway, Edmonton, Alberta 106 mi (171 km) (U2L)
180 mi (290 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg John Morton
5July 4 Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota 150 mi (240 km) (U2L)
210 mi (340 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Alfa Romeo GTA
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg Bert Everett
6July 17 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 108 mi (174 km) (U2L)
200 mi (320 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of the United States.svg John Morton
7July 25 Naval Air Station Olathe, Olathe, Kansas 120 mi (190 km)not contested Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg John Morton
8August 1 Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite, Quebec 185.5 mi (298.5 km) AMC Javelin not contested
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue
9August 15 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York 123.828 mi (199.282 km) (U2L)
218.24 mi (351.22 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Alfa Romeo GTV
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue Flag of Australia (converted).svg Horst Kwech
10September 6 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan 209.79 mi (337.62 km) AMC Javelin not contested
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Donohue
11October 3
October 4
Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California 114.75 mi (184.67 km) (U2L)
201.4 mi (324.1 km) (O2L)
AMC Javelin Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg George Follmer Flag of the United States.svg John Morton
12October 16 Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California 110.2 mi (177.3 km)not contested Datsun 510
Flag of the United States.svg John Morton A
[1] [2]

^A Horst Kwech won the race on track, but was disqualified for an oversize fuel tank. [3] [4]

Championships

Points were awarded according to finishing position. Only the highest-placed car scored points for the manufacturer. Only the best 8 finishes counted toward the championship. Drivers' championships were not awarded in Trans-Am until 1972.

1st2nd3rd4th5th6th
964321

Over 2.5L manufacturers

PosManufacturer LRP BRY MOH EDM DON ELK MTB WGL MIC RIV Pts
1 American Motors 132111111182
2 Ford 211232222461
3 Chevrolet 357357756517
4 Pontiac 194528251557
[1] [2]

Under 2.5L manufacturers

PosManufacturer LRP BRY MOH EDM DON ELK OLA WGL RIV LAG Pts
1 Datsun 761151131160 (62) B
2 Alfa Romeo 112212212260 (72)
3 BMW 2251075646325
4 Ford of Britain 132074121373
5 British Leyland 2112106611142323172
[1] [2]

^B Tie broken based on Datsun's higher number of wins.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "1971 Trans-Am Box Scores" (PDF). Sports Car Club of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 de Jong, Frank. "1971 Trans-Am Championship table". Touring Car Racing History. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. "The SCCA Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge". DatsunHistory.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  4. "History of the Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge". B Sedan.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2011.