Related Research Articles
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formula One team after Ferrari, having won 183 races, 12 Drivers' Championships and 8 Constructors' Championships. McLaren also has a history of competing in American open wheel racing, as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team.
Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the FIA World Sportscar Championship and national racing. Originally managed by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Fuji Speedway was acquired by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2000. The circuit hosted the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 2007 after an absence of nearly 30 years, replacing the Suzuka Circuit owned by Honda. After Fuji Speedway hosted the 2008 race, the Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka for races from 2009 onward. The Super GT Fuji 500 km race is held at the racetrack on Golden Week.
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980). In addition, the site has also been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series. The facility is currently owned by NASCAR.
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year.
The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was a car race held in Las Vegas between 1981 and 1984. For the first two years, the race was part of the Formula One World Championship, before becoming a round of the CART series in 1983. Nissan/Datsun was a presenting sponsor of both races.
Riverside International Raceway was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside and 50 mi (80 km) east of Los Angeles, in 1957. In 1984, the raceway became part of the newly incorporated city of Moreno Valley. Riverside was noted for its hot, dusty environment and for being a somewhat complicated and dangerous track for drivers. It was also considered one of the finest tracks in the United States. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989, with the last race, The Budweiser 400, won by Rusty Wallace, held in 1988. After that final race, a shortened version of the circuit was kept open for car clubs and special events until 1989.
Chaparral Cars was a pioneering American automobile racing team and race car developer that engineered, built, and raced cars from 1963 through 1970. Founded in 1962 by American Formula One racers Hap Sharp and Jim Hall, it was named after the roadrunner, a fast-running ground cuckoo also known as a chaparral bird.
Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert was an American automobile racing driver who was a five-time champion of the IMSA Camel GT series. He once held the record with the most IMSA race wins at 49.
During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private entries. The first racing car was made in 1913, three years after the foundation of A.L.F.A., the 40/60 HP had 6-litre straight-4 engine. Alfa Romeo quickly gained a good name in motorsport and gave a sporty image to the whole marque.
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 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. The dominant manufacturers were Chevrolet, Hart, BMW for the first time with a third-place finish at Brainerd, 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. 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.
The McLaren M8A was a race car developed by driver Bruce McLaren and his Bruce McLaren Motor Racing team for their entry in 1968 Can-Am season. The M8A and its successors dominated Can-Am racing for four consecutive Can-Am seasons, until the arrival of the Porsche 917.
The Renault Sport R.S. 01 is a sports racing car manufactured by Renault Sport, the performance division of French automaker Renault. It was originally built to compete in the Renault Sport Trophy, the company's one-make racing series, serving as a replacement for the Renault Mégane Trophy. The car was later homologated for Group GT3 by the SRO Motorsports Group for the car to be able to compete in GT3 class racing series. The Trophy-spec R.S. 01 is the most powerful one-make racer built by Renault, and also the only race car not based on a production car.
The Penske PC-10 is a CART open-wheel race car, designed by Penske Racing, which was constructed for competition in the 1982 season. Designed by Geoff Ferris, it is considered possibly the most dominant Penske race car design ever and that from a team that typically dominated. Rick Mears has been quoted as acknowledging this was his favorite racecar chassis ever. Twelve total were made (1-12), six raced by Penske (1-6), with four confirmed destroyed. They were manufactured at Penske Cars, Ltd. in Poole, England during 1982, and delivered to Penske Racing, Inc., in Reading, Pennsylvania. So outstanding was the PC-10's design, it won the prestigious Louis Schwitzer Award for innovation and engineering excellence in the field of race car design at the Indianapolis 500 in 1982. The PC-10s were active in the years 1982–1984. In fact, the PC-10 was ultimately much better than the following year PC-11, so Roger Penske bought back one of the PC-10s he had sold to another team for the 1983 season, and which then won another race for his team.
The March 847 was a British sports prototype racing car, built by March Engineering in 1984 for the Can-Am series. As with all other full-size Can-Am cars of the time, it used a mid-mounted 5-litre, naturally-aspirated Chevrolet V8 engine. It was driven by Jim Crawford for RK Racing/United Breweries, scoring 3 wins. Jim Crawford and the March 847 chassis would both successfully finish the championship as runner-up at the end of the season.
The Lola T530 is a purpose-built Can-Am sports prototype, designed by British manufacturer Lola Cars in for the revived Can-Am series 1980. It was very successful, winning 7 of the 9 races in its first season of competition alone, and gave Patrick Tambay the championship with Carl A. Haas racing Team. Geoff Brabham won the championship in 1981; despite only winning 2 races. It was used in Can-Am racing until 1983. It was later used in the international Interserie racing series, and the British Thundersports racing series, between 1984 and 1988. Between 1980 and 1988, it scored a total of 32 race wins, and 43 podium finishes; a very impressive tally indeed. As with all other full-size Can-Am cars of the time, it used a mid-mounted 5-liter, naturally-aspirated, Chevrolet V8 engine. A total of 10 chassis' were built.
The March 822 was an open-wheel, developed and built by British racing car manufacturer March Engineering in 1982, which was designed in accordance with Formula 2 regulations. In 1982 and 1983 numerous drivers took part in the Formula 2 European Championship and the Japanese Formula 2 Championship. In 1982, Corrado Fabi became European Formula 2 Champion on a March 822, and Satoru Nakajima won the Japanese championship in the same year. A derived version, called the 82A, was used in the Formula Atlantic series.
The VDS-001 was an American closed-wheel sports prototype race car, designed, developed, and built by Racing Team VDS for the revived Can-Am series, in 1981. It is based on the Lola T530. Geoff Brabham won the 1981 Can-Am Championship with the car, despite only winning 2 of the 10 races that season. It won a further 4 races in 1982 Can-Am Championship in 1982, being driven by Al Holbert. It was later exported to England, where it competed in the British Thundersports series, and achieved great success. Its sports car racing career spanned 9 years (1981-1988), and over that period of time, it won a total of 19 races, achieved a total of 26 podium finishes, and scored 21 pole positions. As with most Can-Am cars of the time, it was powered by a 5.0 L (310 cu in) Chevrolet small-block motor.
The VDS-002 was an American closed-wheel sports prototype race car, designed, developed, and built by Racing Team VDS for the revived Can-Am series, in 1983. Michael Roe won the 1984 Can-Am Championship outright in the car, and together with the VDS-004, won a total of 7 of the 10 races that season. As with most Can-Am cars of the time, it was powered by the commonly used 5.0 L (310 cu in) Chevrolet small-block motor.
The VDS-003 was an American closed-wheel sports prototype, designed, developed and built by Racing Team VDS, for the Can-Am series, in 1983. It had only one sports car racing outing; the 1983 Lime Rock Park Can-Am round. It was driven by Phil Compton for Norwood-Walker Racing, but was involved in an accident during the practice session for the race. Therefore, it started in last place, and did not start the race. It was later decided to retire the car, and replace it with the much more successful 002, in which driver Michael Roe the championship in the next year. Just like its predecessors, it was powered by a Chevrolet small-block motor.
References
- ↑ Brown, Allen. "Can-Am 1984 « OldRacingCars.com". OldRacingCars.com.
- ↑ "VDS-004" . Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ↑ "VDS-004" . Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ↑ "VDS-004" . Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ↑ "Can-Am Racing - The Ultimate Guide".