David Cowart and Kenper Miller were long time racers. Having run from the beginning of the series or so, they were familiar faces in the Camel GT circuit. Kenper, with brother Paul, campaigned various cars, such as a Camaro, a Corvette, Pantera and BMW CSL, while David was a Porsche contender, driving a 911 and a Carrera. In 1978, both men would fight for the GTO title, with David Cowart taking the crown over Kenper Miller in his ageing CSL. He was now searching for another racer, in order to tackle another GTO Championship. For the 1979 season, both men would team up and use each other's car in various races. They decided they needed a new car for the upcoming 1980-1981 seasons, and with the new rules in mind, set their choice on the new Procar BMW M1. They would have to search for sponsorship and would be lucky enough to meet Dick Munroe, who was Red Lobster's restaurants marketing man. The deal would be struck and would last for many years. At the end of the 1979 season, Kenper Miller sold his BMW 3.0CSL. It was the time when BMW called him and told him that he and David Cowart could purchase a BMW M1. It was the car that had been used by BMW Italia. It looked like the car was in pretty good shape, and it had never been damaged. The first race of the car was the 1980 24 Hours of Daytona in February. The car was to be entered in GTX class, as it was not homologated in GTO. That would probably ruin their season, as no class victory could be won. They were to race against Porsche 935s, and with 480hp would stand no chance against the 600hp racers. The Daytona race was a dnf with the same fate occuring at Sebring and Riverside. They would record some pretty good results by the end of the season, with a 6th at Mid Ohio, and another 6th at Road America. David Cowart took a solo 9th at the Road Atlanta fall race. 1980 had really been a trial run for the car. But things would change for the next season. The car would undergo some very critical changes for the upcoming season. Jack Deren, who was the team's crew chief, enlarged the grill and lightened the bodywork for a better weight distribution. For the 1981 season, the car was now classified as a GTO car, and could be a real class winner. The car lost about 200 pounds and could be serviced in an easier way. The car had become a real tubeframe IMSA GTO car. The Daytona race was not a success, with a dnf at stake. The car was to bring a howl of protest amongst the competitors, because the race was FIA listed and the car basically an IMSA car. They had to modify the car to make it legal for that race. They would still end up 8th in class. At Sebring, they were not more lucky and ended up 9th in class. The car was already the fastest in GTO. At Road Atlanta, things would change radically, with David Cowart taking an 11th place overall, but 1st in GTO. The team would win at Riverside, with David Cowart and Kenper Miller winning the class over another BMW M1, driven by Albert Naon, Tony Garcia and Hiram Cruz. The remainder of the season was a long string of victories. They won Laguna Seca, Lime Rock, Mid Ohio, Brainerd, Daytona, Portland, Mosport, Road Atlanta and the Daytona Finale. The entire season was to be run on the same engine, which was a real fantastic one! By the end of the season, David Cowart was the GTO Champion, thanks to his solo victories, and Kenper Miller was second in points. It was the first time that the first and second place guys used the same car in a Championship. They did dominate the GTO class like nobody else did before. It was probably thanks to a great car, powered by a fantastic L6 3,5L. The car was to be sold to Diego Montoya for the 1982 season.

Dave Cowart and Kenper Miller dominated the 1981 GTO season in this Jack Deren BMW M1.

Follow me on Twitter to get the updates