Spyder NF-10

Last updated
Spyder NF-10
Spyder NF-11
Paul Newman Racing 1979 Spyder NF-11 Chevrolet V8 - CanAm single seater racer based on Lola T333CS.jpg
Constructor Spyder
Predecessor Lola T333CS
Successor Lola T530
Technical specifications
Engine Chevrolet 5,000 cc (305.1 cu in) V8 naturally-aspirated mid-engined
Competition history
Notable entrants Newman-Freeman Racing
Golden Gate Racing
Notable drivers Elliot Forbes-Robinson
Patrick Depailler
Keke Rosberg
Randolph Townsend
Howdy Holmes
Dan Craddock
Stephen South
Debut 1978 Can-Am Road Atlanta
RacesWins Poles
10 (NF-10)
11 (13 entries) (NF-11)		2 (NF-10)
3 (NF-11)		0 (NF-10)
7 (NF-11)
Teams' Championships1: 1979 Can-Am

The Spyder NF-10 was an American sports prototype racing car built for the Can-Am series in 1978. It was based on a Lola T333CS, and was developed into the Spyder NF-11 in 1979. Two NF-10s were built in 1978, whilst four NF-11s were built in 1979, two of which were originally NF-10s. Both the NF-10 and NF-11 featured a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine.

Sports prototype purpose-built racing car not intended for general production or use beyond motorsport

A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are not intended for consumer purchase or production beyond that required to compete and win races.

Auto racing motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.

Can-Am sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987

The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987.

Contents

Racing history

NF-10

In 1978, Spyder converted two Lola T333CS sports prototypes into the NF-10. The NF-10 featured a naturally-aspirated 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, and was built for the Can-Am series. [1] The car made its debut at the opening round of the 1978 Can-Am season, held at Road Atlanta; Newman-Freeman Racing entered Elliot Forbes-Robinson in the car, and although he was classified eleventh, he did not finish the race due to a mechanical failure. [2] The next round, held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, saw Forbes-Robinson win the race, finishing just over 35 seconds ahead of Alan Jones in second place, who was driving a regular Lola T333CS. [3] He finished third at Mid-Ohio, [4] 14th at Mont-Tremblant, [5] and sixth at Watkins Glen. [6] Having finished seventh at Road America and fourth at Mosport, [7] [8] Forbes-Robinson won his second race of the season at Trois-Rivières. [9] He followed this with a 17th at Laguna Seca Raceway, [10] and a third in the season finale at Riverside; in this latter event, Patrick Depailler drove the second NF-10, but could only finish 17th. [11] This was the NF-10's last ever race. [12] Forbes-Robinson finished fourth in the Driver's Championship, with 1537 points. [13]

Chevrolet American automobile division of GM

Chevrolet, colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant started the company on November 3, 1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Durant used the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire a controlling stake in General Motors with a reverse merger occurring on May 2, 1918 and propelled himself back to the GM presidency. After Durant's second ousting in 1919, Alfred Sloan, with his maxim "a car for every purse and purpose", would pick the Chevrolet brand to become the volume leader in the General Motors family, selling mainstream vehicles to compete with Henry Ford's Model T in 1919 and overtaking Ford as the best-selling car in the United States by 1929.

V8 engine piston engine with eight cylinders in vee configuration

A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder V configuration engine with the cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most banks are set at a right angle (90°) to each other, some at a narrower angle, with 45°, 60°, and 72° most common.

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.

NF-11

In 1979, Spyder updated the NF-10 and produced the NF-11. Initially, both NF-10s were updated to the new specification; however, as the season continued, two new cars were built. [14] Like the NF-10, it featured a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, and the car was still based on the Lola T333CS. Like 1978, the Can-Am season started at Road Atlanta; this time, however, Keke Rosberg won the race in one of the Newman-Freeman Racing NF-11s, whilst Forbes-Robinson finished third. [15] The team was almost as successful in the next race, held at Charlotte Motor Speedway; Forbes-Robinson finished second, and Rosberg came third. [16] For Mosport, three cars were entered; Rosberg, Forbes-Robinson, and Randolph Townsend; Forbes-Robinson took another second place, whilst Rosberg and Townsend both crashed out (on lap 28 and 25 respectively) of the race. [17] Townsend didn't race at Mid-Ohio, but Rosberg took second, and Forbes-Robinson took third. [18] Townsend returned at Watkins-Glen, and Rosberg took his second win of the season; however, Townsend was classified 13th, with a broken oil line forcing him out after 30 laps, and Forbes-Robinson also hit trouble after 18 laps, and was classified 20th. [19] Road America was an unsuccessful event for the team as all three drivers retired; Townsend with a blown engine after 20 laps, Rosberg with valve issues after 19 laps, and Forbes-Robinson with suspension failure after 15 laps. [20] The next race, held at Brainerd International Raceway, saw Forbes-Robinson finish second, although Townsend was limited to ninth place due to a fuel pickup issue, and Rosberg didn't complete the first lap due to a broken rod. [21] Forbes-Robinson repeated his 1978 victory at Trois-Rivières; Rosberg finished seventh, having blown his engine, and Townsend finished 15th. [22] Forbes-Robinson then finished second at Laguna Seca, with Howdy Holmes (replacing Townsend) finishing fourth, and Rosberg sixth, despite the latter crashing in practice. [23] The final round of the season, held at Riverside, saw Forbes-Robinson take third, Townsend finish seventh, and Rosberg finish 14th, having crashed out after 44 laps. [24] Forbes-Robinson finished second in the Driver's championship, with 45 points, whilst Rosberg finished fourth, with 29. [25] Newman-Freeman Racing also won the Team's championship, with 61 points; they beat Carl A. Haas Racing Teams,Ltd. by a single point. [26]

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.

Keke Rosberg Finnish racing driver

Keijo Erik Rosberg, known as "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the 1982 Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. He is the father of retired Formula One driver and 2016 Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg.

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Brainerd International Raceway is a road course, and dragstrip racing complex northwest of the city of Brainerd, Minnesota. The complex has a 0.25-mile (0.402 km) dragstrip, and overlapping 2.5-mile (4.023 km) and 3.1-mile (4.989 km) road courses. The complex also includes a kart track. The raceway hosts the National Hot Rod Association's Lucas Oil Nationals. It is a popular racetrack for the Trans Am Series. The spectator seating capacity of the circuit is 20,000.

In 1980, Newman-Freeman Racing (now known as Newman Racing) replaced the Spyder NF-11 with the Lola T530. [27] As a result, the car did not run in the first two rounds of the series, until Golden Gate Racing entered Dan Craddock in one of the NF-11s at Mosport; he retired after 25 laps with engine failure, and was classified twelfth. [28] He was entered in the car again at Watkins Glen, but did not attend the race. [29] No NF-11s were entered for the fifth round of the season, but Newman Racing entered Stephen South in one of the cars at Brainerd; he crashed in practice, and was unable to race. [30] He was entered at Trois-Rivières, but crashed out in practice again; [31] the accident was severe enough to require the amputation of his leg. [32] This proved to be the last time an NF-11 was entered for a race. [33]

Stephen South is a British former racing driver from England. He was educated at Harrow County School for Boys.

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References

  1. ↑ "Photos of Spyder NF-10". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Can-Am Road Atlanta 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Can-Am Charlotte 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Can-Am Mid-Ohio 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Can-Am Mont-Tremblant 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Can-Am Watkins Glen 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Can-Am Road America 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Can-Am Mosport 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Can-Am Trois-Rivières 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  10. ↑ "Can-Am Laguna Seca 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Can-Am Riverside 1978 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "All Results of Spyder NF-10". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Can-Am 1978". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Spyder NF-11". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "Can-Am Road Atlanta 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Can-Am Charlotte 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  17. ↑ "Can-Am Mosport 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  18. ↑ "Can-Am Mosport 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  19. ↑ "Can-Am Watkins Glen 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Can-Am Road America 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  21. ↑ "Can-Am Brainerd 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  22. ↑ "Can-Am Trois-Rivières 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  23. ↑ "Can-Am Laguna Seca 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  24. ↑ "Can-Am Riverside 1979 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  25. ↑ "Can-Am 1979". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  26. ↑ "Can-Am – final positions and tables – Teams – 1979 – SCCA Citicorp Can-Am Challenge". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  27. ↑ "SCCA Citicorp Can-Am Challenge 1980". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  28. ↑ "Can-Am Mosport 1980 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  29. ↑ "Can-Am Watkins Glen 1980 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  30. ↑ "Can-Am Brainerd 1980 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  31. ↑ "Can-Am Trois-Rivières 1980 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  32. ↑ Diepraam, Mattijs (September 1998). "Who? Steven South". 8W. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  33. ↑ "All Results of Spyder NF-11". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
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