| 1984 Can-Am season | |||
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The 1984 Can Am season was the seventeenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype series, and the eighth running of the revived series. 1984 would mark a major downturn in the series, as Juan Manuel Fangio II would become the last major driver to podium in a Can Am Series race, finishing third at Dallas. [1] The dominant manufacturers were Chevrolet, Hart, BMW for the first time with a third-place finish at Brainerd, [2] Cosworth, Lola, Ralt, and March. Dominant chassis were VDS, March, Frissbee-Lola, Ralt, and Williams with their first podium with a third-place finish at Lime Rock. [3] Michael Roe was declared champion, with seven wins. The final race at Green Valley would feature the final truly notable driver in series history, John Andretti. [4]
Kim Campbell won the two liter class in his March BMW.
| Round | Circuit | Winning driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mosport |  |  | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 2 | Dallas | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 3 | Brainerd | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 4 | Lime Rock | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 5 | Road Atlanta |  | | March-Chevrolet |
| 6 | Trois-Rivières | | | March-Chevrolet |
| 7 | Mosport | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 8 | Sears Point | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 9 | Riverside | | | VDS-Chevrolet |
| 10 | Green Valley | | | March-Chevrolet |
Denis Clive Hulme, commonly known as Denny Hulme, was a New Zealand racing driver who won the 1967 Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his final race in the 1974 US Grand Prix, he started 112 Grand Prix, resulting eight victories and 33 trips to the podium. He also finished third in the overall standing in 1968 and 1972.
Bernard Jourdain is a Belgian born Mexican racing driver. Jourdain is the uncle of racer Michel Jourdain, Jr., and a pivotal figure in Michel Jr.’s progression from novice to Champ Car race winner. Now retired from racing, Bernard runs a restaurant in California, as well as other business projects.
Dyson Racing is a professional sports car racing team based in Poughkeepsie, New York in the United States. Founded by Rob Dyson in 1974, the team competed successfully in North American sports car racing series, including the IMSA GT Championship and American Le Mans Series.
John Fitzpatrick is a former English racing driver, winning many titles throughout his career. He works within motorsport as a consultant doing corporate events and driver management. He published a book "Fitz-My Life at the Wheel" in 2016.
Russell Spence is an English racing driver. He now runs a construction business in London. In 2011, Spence was jailed for 13 weeks for his part in a fraud scam involving a chain of car washes.
The 1977 Can Am season was the tenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype-based series. Despite the revived name, however, the new series was entirely unrelated to the previous series which had folded in 1974. This series used Formula 5000 Lola T332s with fenders added. Patrick Tambay was declared champion, winning six of the nine races that year for Carl Haas. While Lola chassis dominated the series, a Chevrolet powered Schkee DB1 driven by Tom Klausler won the first race at Mont Tremblant. Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve came in third at Road America in a Wolf. While Chevrolet was not the only engine supplier, they swept the entire season. This season also marked a resurgence of interest in SCCA events, with Can Am accompanying F5000 and the Trans Am Series seeing a mild resurgence in the eighties.
The 1978 Can-Am season was the eleventh running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype based series and the second running of the revived series. Alan Jones was declared champion, winning five of the ten rounds. Chevrolet again swept the season. Lola was not as dominant this season, as Elliot Forbes-Robinson won at Charlotte in a Spyder, SCCA legend George Follmer at Mont Tremblant in a Prophet, and Forbes-Robinson again at Trois-Rivieres.
The 1979 Can-Am season was the twelfth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype-based series and the third running of the revived series. Formula One legend Jacky Ickx was declared champion, winning five of the ten rounds and finishing second at Road Atlanta. Chevrolet again dominated the season. The top chassis builders were Lola, Prophet, and Spyder, with Vern Schuppan finishing third at Watkins Glen in an Elfin and Al Holbert finishing third at Road America in a Hogan.
The 1980 Can Am Series season was the thirteenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype based series and the fourth running of the revived series. Patrick Tambay was declared champion, winning six of the ten rounds and finishing third at Riverside. Chevrolet again swept the season. Lola, Holbert, and Prophet were the dominant chassis suppliers, with Intrepid finishing second at Watkins Glen and Frissbee finishing first at Laguna Seca.
The 1981 Can Am series season was the fourteenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype-based series, and the fifth running of the revived series. Geoff Brabham was declared champion, despite only winning two races. Chevrolet again dominated the season. The dominant chassis manufacturers were March, Lola, Holbert, Frissbee, and VDS. IndyCar drivers Al Unser and Bobby Rahal also podiumed at Road America and Mosport, respectively.
The 1982 Can Am Series season was the fifteenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype series, and the sixth running of the revived series. 1982 brought new competition for Chevrolet in the form of Hart and Cosworth. Hart would podium in three races while Cosworth would podium in two. The most dominant chassis were Frissbee, Marguey, March, VDS-001, and Ensign. Al Unser, Jr. would win at Road Atlanta, Laguna Seca, and Mosport twice, with a podium at Mid Ohio, at Riverside, and at Caesar's Palacae. Unser would be declared champion.
The 1983 Can Am season was the sixteenth running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype series and the seventh of the revived series. 1983 marked the second year of Chevrolet having major competition, with Cosworth taking second at Mosport, first at Lime Rock, second at Trois-Rivières, first at the second race at Mosport, and second at Sears Point. Hart would take third at Lime Rock and third at Trois-Rivières. Porsche would get its first podiums this season, with a win at Road America and third at the second race at Mosport. The dominant chassis were Frissbee, Ensign, Lola, VDS, Scandia, and Ralt. Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. was declared champion, with podiums in almost every race. He would, however, become the final major racecar driver to win a Can Am championship.
The 1985 Can Am season was the eighteenth and penultimate running of the Sports Car Club of America's prototype series and the ninth running of the revived series. For the first time in series history, no major drivers would compete in the series. The dominant manufacturers were Chevrolet, BMW, and Hart. The dominant chassis were Frissbee-Lola, March, Lola, Frissbee, Osella, and Ralt. Rick Miaskiewicz was declared champion, with 81 points and three wins.
The 1986 Can-Am season was the nineteenth running of the Sports Car Club of Americas prototype series, and the tenth running of the revived series. The dominant manufacturers were Cosworth, BMW, and Volkswagen for the first time with a third-place finish at Summit Point. The dominant chassis were Lola, March, Oscella, Yorkshire, Frissbee-Lola, and Frissbee. After 1986, Can Am would become the Can Am Teams championship, using modified CART March 86Cs. In 1989, the name was again revied with a spec Shelby series. Horst Kroll was declared champion.
Pierre Ragues is a French racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Frissbee KR3 was an American sports prototype racing car, built by Frissbee in 1984 for the Can-Am series. Originally built by Lola Cars as a Lola T330, it featured a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, and was used by Horst Kroll Racing between 1984 and 1987. Horst Kroll used the car to win both the Can-Am and Canadian American Thundercars Championship in 1986.
Ian Grob is a former English racing driver. His father, Ken Grob, of Token Racing fame, ran his cars, which allowed Ian his opportunity to race. He raced in a number of events, including European Formula 2 and Le Mans 24 Hours. He retired from international motor sport after his last race, 1980 24 Hours of Daytona.
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Gerald Jon 'Jerry' Hansen is a former racing driver. Hansen has won a record of 27 SCCA National Championships. Hansen has also competed in Can-Am, the Atlantic Championship, USAC ChampCar among other series.