Andial

Engine

Andial was an acronym for three guys : Arnold Wagner, Dieter Inzenhofer and Alwin Springer. From the company's formation in 1975, it has evolved into one of America's most successful and respected authorities on Porsche performance tuning.The name was chosen instead of one containing the word Porsche. But the choice was good and the founders were happy with it. It has been associated with Porsche success from the beginning of the 80s. Alwin Springer was by far the most renowned man and his background consisted of working on cars, mainly Volkswagen. He moved from Canada to California and worked with the famous Vasek Polak. He also met his two partners during That period. The opening of Andial occured in 1975, and it was an instant success.[...]

Ball Bros

Teams

The Ball Bros was the name taken by a pair of drivers : Mike Brockman and Steve Durst. It was the time when racing was supposed to be fun. At least some people tried to make it more fun t han business. Steve Durst and Mike Brockman began their career in the late 60s, having a go at Formula 5000 and GT Racing. They would enter IMSA racing in the mid 70s, running a Chevrolet Corvette. They would later try their hand at different kind of racing machines, while they would be out of racing for a decade or so. Their partnership would resume in a rather naturel way. Steve Durst was a businessman and Mike Brockman was a journalist/actor. Business became the priority for Steve Durst, who found later that racing was something he missed.[...]

Denali story

Cars

Pierre Honegger was a Swiss born immigrant, and a t rue believer in rotary powered cars. He was the initial Owner of Z and W Mazda in Princeton, N.J. The team fielded a Mazda RX3, back in the days for Ray Walle and Tom Reddy. The First GTP car powered by a Mazda engine was a Mazda GTP built by Holman and Moody. The car was built round a honeycomb-mfiberglass tub from a Chevron, added with various components. The next project was designed by Tim Abbott, and the car was really stunning. The design was changed to mid engine, and the car was entered at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1983. It sported prominent Mazda graphics and should be driven by Pierre Honegger, Walt Bohren and David Palmer.[...]

Walt Bohren

Drivers

Walt Bohren passed away on 8th february 2011. IMSA lost one of his most competitors. His career spanned for more than a decade, and he earned some fine results. His name has long been associated with Mazda, and he began his career in 1974, driving a Mazda RX2. He would have some great races, but his career really took off in 1980, when he earned the GTU Championship, driving a Mazda RX7 entered by Racing Beat. He would also have a class victory at Sebring in 1981. Three years later, he made the big move into GTO competition, driving a Chevrolet Corvette entered by Dingman Bros Racing.[...]

Samson Alfa Romeo

Cars

The car was built by Horst Kwech and Ron Neal and was a top contender in the 1972 TransAm Challenge series. The car ran good, and was frequently one of the fastest, but the Championship was not won. By the end of 1972, the car was to be sold to Reuben Romero and John Samson. The car was still in ifs original Pepsi blue color, soin to be remainder in dark red, which was the Samero Racing Enterprises colors. After a short testing session, things went bad as a piston went through the block, and a new engine had to be ordered to Ron Neal. While doing a First Solo 1 season, things went not so bad, until a piston went through the sied of the block.[...]

IMSA versus Trans-Am

Story

The series debuted in 1971. It was originally aimed at two of FIA's stock car categories running at two different classes, the GT (Group 3 and 4) and Touring (Group 1 and 2) cars. The first race was held at Virginia International Raceway; it was an unexpected hit with both the drivers and a handful of spectators who attended. For the following year, IMSA founder John Bishop brought in sponsor R. J. Reynolds and in 1975, introduced a new category called All American Grand Touring (AAGT). In 1977, the series would go through a series of major changes. IMSA permitted turbocharged cars for the first time as well as introducing a new category called GTX for cars based on the Group 5 rules.[...]

Big Orange

Cars

The 1983 IMSA GTO rules were to undergo some big changes and allow cars such as the Porsche 934 to run in a revamped form. When it came to such considerations, Californian Wayne Baker could not imagine that he would have such a hectic season. He had been a successful GTU runner from 1978 on, entering a Porsche 914/4 which brought him some great races. By the end of the 1982 season, it was time for him to search for new ground to plough, and he set his choice on the now ageing Porsche 934, which was launched in 1976. The car had taken life as a Porsche 935K3, which was driven to victory by Brian Redman, Bobby Rahal and Bob Garretson at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1981.[...]

Female IMSA drivers

Drivers

The IMSA (International Motor Sport Association) championship began as a championship proper in 1971. It was based in the United States, but attracted an increasingly international field during its twenty-seven year history. Many female drivers took part over the years, particularly in the middle period during the 1980s. Some, such as Lyn St. James and Janet Guthrie, combined IMSA competition with open-wheel racing, and a few, such as Patty Moise and Kat Teasdale, also drove in NASCAR competition. Below are short profiles of some of the other female entrants. Alice Graves - raced in IMSA in 1983 and 1984. Her car was a Porsche 914/6, which she shared with Richard Graves.[...]

Ray Korman

Drivers

He starter his career as a military, and had the time to travel a lot. He would retire from the Air Force by 1976, with the rank of major. He was stationed in England and saw the likes of Stirling Moss and Graham Hill win races. He was bitten by the racing bug in the 60s and began driving in 1965. He drive a Lotus 7 and a Datsun 1600 roadster, then a BMW. He would begin Driving in Bangkok, where an international Racing club was operating. He would do very well with a car provided by BMW. Back in the States, he would enter the IMSA RS series.[...]

Kathy Rude

Drivers

Kathy Rude was born in 1957. She is most remembered for racing in major sportscar events in the early 1980s. She started her career with karting in the 1970s, and progressed through Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, racing in Atlantics for at least one season, in 1979. 1980 saw Kathy make her move into major sportscar racing. She had attracted the attention of several team owners, and was being tipped by some as a future Indycar hopeful. Driving Tom Nehl's Chevrolet Camaro, she entered the Daytona 24 Hours, with Nehl and Peter Kirill. They were 25th, eighth in the GTO class, after limping to the end with engine trouble.[...]