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'This site is aimed at preserving the IMSA Camel GT series. Its purposes are mainly historical and informative. Any valuable information may be sent to me. Every contributor will be properly credited.'

1973 Home
Daytona Finale
Race story

Camel GT 250 race at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway

25 november 1973

Winners average : 180,504km/h

62 starters

Time : 2:12:28,800

Categories

GTO

GTU

1	59	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0727	Peter Gregg-Hurley Haywood	65 Laps	1.GTO
2	18	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Warren Agor	65 Laps	1.TO
3	1	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0755	Michael Keyser	65 Laps	2.GTO
4	76	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR	Mike Downs	64 Laps	3.GTO
5	62	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 460 0111	Bob Bergstrom	63 Laps	4.GTO
6	97	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0997	Bob Hagestad	63 Laps	5.GTO
7	9	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0386	Harry Bytzek	62 Laps	6.GTO
8	95	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0686 R7	Guillermo Rojas-Peter Gregg	62 Laps	7.GTO
9	84	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Roy Stamey-Gene Felton	62 Laps	2.TO
10	30	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0557	George Dyer	62 Laps	8.GTO
11	24	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Cam Champion-Robert Barg	62 Laps	9.GTO
12	99	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Bruce Morton-Phil Currin	61 Laps	10.GTO
13	43	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0705	Dave Helmick-John Graves	61 Laps	11.GTO
14	40	CHEVROLET CORVETTE 194678S402486	Jerry Thompson-Ken Nielson	61 Laps	12.GTO
15	94	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Wilbur Pickett-Bill Bean	61 Laps	13.GTO
16	72	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 1008	John Thomas-Peter Papke	61 Laps	14.GTO
17	41	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	George Garcia-Henry Simon	61 Laps	15.GTO
18	74	PORSCHE 911S 911 230 0934	Ludwig Heimrath	61 Laps	1.GTU
19	7	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0588 R6	Roberto Quintanilla-John McClelland	60 Laps	16.GTO
20	15	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Javier Garcia	60 Laps	3.TO
21	77	PORSCHE 911S	Bob Beasley	59 Laps	2.GTU
22	6	PORSCHE 911S	George Dickinson-Eddie Wachs	59 Laps	3.GTU
23	4	PORSCHE 911S	Bill Webbe-Mike Landrum	58 Laps	4.GTU
24	58	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0614	Diego Febles	58 Laps	17.GTO
25	98	SHELBY 350GT	French Hickman	58 Laps	18.GTO
26	13	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Dick Bauer-Mel Shaw	58 Laps	19.GTO
27	51	PORSCHE 911S	Michael Sherwin	57 Laps	5.GTU
28	86	PORSCHE 911S	Jim Lynch-Toby Milne	57 Laps	6.GTU
29	63	FERRARI 365GTB4 13367	Harry Jones	56 Laps	20.GTO
30	66	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Mike Oleyar	56 Laps	21.GTO
31	67	PORSCHE 914/6 914 043 1262	David McClain	56 Laps	7.GTU
32	5	JAGUAR XKE	Glenn Bunch	55 Laps	22.GTO
33	90	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Armando Alvarez-Albert Naon	51 Laps	4.TO
34	29	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Richard Small-Ralph Noseda	51 Laps	5.TO
35	82	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Jim Otto	50 Laps	23.GTO
36	87	FORD MUSTANG	Rob Henry	49 Laps	6.TO
37	33	PORSCHE 911S	John Belperche	48 Laps	8.GTU
38	00	PORSCHE 911S	Brian Goellnicht	44 Laps	9.GTU
39	68	PORSCHE 911S	Rusty Bond	41 Laps	10.GTU
40	78	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Babe Headley	41 Laps	24.GTO
41	52	FORD MUSTANG	Lem Cammack	40 Laps	7.TO
42	28	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Terry Wolters	40 Laps	25.GTO
43	16	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Clark Howey-Don Findlay-Jerry Yoder	39 Laps	26.GTO
44	22	PORSCHE 911S	Pedro Vasquez	37 Laps	11.GTU
45	35	BMW 2002	Phil Dermer	37 Laps	2.TU
46	88	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Maurice Carter	30 Laps	8.TO
47	8	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Tom Nehl	30 Laps	9.TO
48	20	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Alex Davidson	26 Laps	27.GTO
49	80	DATSUN 240Z	Bob Lapp	25 Laps	12.GTU
50	12	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Ford Smith	20 Laps	28.GTO
51	38	DE TOMASO MANGUSTA	Max Sebba	19 Laps	29.GTO
52	11	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Nick Engels	14 Laps	30.GTO
53	16	PORSCHE CARRERA RSR 911 360 0701	Pete Harrison	13 Laps	31.GTO
54	19	CHEVROLET CORVETTE 194679S721688	Lamar Mann	13 Laps	32.GTO
55	10	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Tony de Lorenzo	13 Laps	33.GTO
56	36	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Kenper Miller	12 Laps	9.TO
57	27	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Don Yenko	10 Laps	34.GTO
58	110	SHELBY 350GT SFM6S1828	Bob Mitchell	4 Laps	35.GTO
59	2	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Tim Chitwood	4 Laps	10.TO
60	61	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Bill McVey	4 Laps	36.GTO
61	25	FORD MUSTANG	Joe Rodriguez	1 Lap	11.TO
62	17	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Vince Gimondo	0 Lap	12.TO

Cars that did not start

3	FORD CAPRI	Harry Theodoracopoulos-Horst Kwech	GTO
4	PORSCHE 911	Bill Webbe-Mike Landrum	GTU
14	CHEVROLET CAMARO	C.C Canada-Russ Boykin	TO
21	PORSCHE 911	Jeffrey Foster-Charles Hurst-Bert Everett	GTU
23	CHEVROLET CORVETTE 194679S702572	Allan Anderson	GTO
31	DE TOMASO PANTERA 2344	Warren Tope	GTO
34	PORSCHE 911	Tom Kuentz	GTU
35	BMW 2002	David Vogel	TU
37	FORD MUSTANG	Danny Moore	TO
39	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Herb Jones-Radjah Rodgers	TO
42	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Dale Koch-Jerry Mull-Arnold Reid	TO
44	TRIUMPH GT6	Dale Kreider	GTU
45	SHELBY 350GT	Manuel Quintana-Luis Sereix	TO
46	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Al Cartlidge-Ron Metcalf	GTO
47	SHELBY 350GT	Augusto Molina-Mike Tabernero	TO
49	DATSUN 240Z	William Frates-Vic Capone	GTU
50	PONTIAC FIREBIRD	Dennis Dallmeyer-Jacques Groleau	TO
53	FORD MUSTANG	Roberto Boza-Pepe Romero	TO
54	BMW 2002	Bob Lazebnik-Milner Nobley	TU
56	PORSCHE 914/6	Lee Cutler	GTU
57	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Herb Kanady	GTO
69	OPEL MANTA	Steve Coleman-Dennis Shaw	TU
70	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Bruce Eshak	GTO
71	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Bill Arnold	GTO
73	DATSUN 240Z	Tom Flavin-Carson Baird	TU
75	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Jim Stewart	GTO
79	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	John Carr-Susan Call	GTO
81	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Joe DeFever-Bob Kiefer	TO
83	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Lou D'Amico	GTO
89	DATSUN 240Z	Gordon Johnson-Jacques Groleau-Craig Ross	GTU
91	PORSCHE 911	Marc Dancose-Jacques Bienvenue	GTU
92	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	Tony Ansley-Ron Connelly	GTO
93	CHEVROLET CAMARO	Gene Harrington	TO
138	MAZDA RX2	Paul Fleming	TU

Peter Gregg in the end

Porsche drivers aren't the only hot-shoes around these days, as was clearly demonstrated during a November weekend in Daytona at the final Camel GT Challenge series race. With only one and one half- points between first and second place in the series, held respectively by Mike Keyser (Toad Hall Racing Porsche) and Peter Gregg (Brumos- Garrard Porsche), one knew that this race would be no picnic for anyone except the spectators. Vying strongly for a piece of the action was a Camaro driven by Warren Agor, a young man who obviously did not take seriously Gregg's prediction that Porsche would win both the Trans-Am and the IMSA series this year. Agor and his Camaro were reportedly clocked at around 197 mph on the high banks and such a claim was entirely credible as he metho- dically built up a 35 second lead over the starting field of 61 cars in the first few laps of the race.

The start of the race with Warren Agor leading the field.

Veteran driver Wilbur Pickett, of Daytona, in a Corvette, found his "Pig" seized an engine in practice Saturday morning and sent to St. Petersburg for another. Not being able to qualify, he was forced to start at the back of the pack on Sunday, sporting a smaller engine. Never being comfortable at the rear, Pickett threaded his way through the traffic and less than halfway through the race was sitting serenely in forth place after Bruce Currin's Vette took a long, literal, break. So, there we were - Camaro (Agor), Porsche (Gregg), Porsche (Keyser), Corvette (Pickett). Time for Agor's first pit stop (one of two that were necessary for the bigger cars, versus only one for the Porsches). Turned out his 35 second lead wasn't enough since the Camaro declined to restart, costing Agor over 50 seconds in the pits while he had to be pushed off. He moved back up as high as second, but other problems forced further stops and Pickett moved up to second place for awhile. Pickett eventually was slowed by shock and suspension problems and at the checkered flag found himself unhappily in 15th place while Agor sorted things out and claimed second overall for his team. After 31 of the 65 laps, Gregg brought his Carrera in, relinquishing the wheel to co-driver Hurley Haywood. We clocked the pit time at 17 seconds, with Haywood and Gregg changing seats faster than the car could be refueled. Gregg's second car, an identical Carrera (number 95), driven by Guillermo Rojas of Mexico, was brought in after 4-5 laps and Gregg then took the wheel of that car to finish the race, pulling up to 8th place by the finish, We were beginning to wonder whether Keyser was running his engine on imagination when, after nearly 55 laps he still has not pitted. Finally he stormed in, gassed up, and roared out in a smooth 18 second stop that was nearly as well choreographed as Gregg's routine. Try as he might, though, Keyser just couldn't get the best of the Gregg Porsche and Peter took home the bacon ---- again. Later, in victory circle, Gregg modestly stated that he had not thought he could beat Agor. But then when you've won two major series in one year, you can afford to be magnanimous!

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