Cars that did not start

AJ and Bob did it again

The race was to feature an international field and attracted many racers with a $100000 purse. The Porsche 962 would come to Sebring for the first time, and with no other intention than win the race. The racetrack had been improved, and offered new media facilities. A strong entry list was to be recorded, and Porsche should have to face the likes of Jaguar, March and Chevrolet Corvette GTP. Many Porsche 935s were still entered, and while they were no longer the dominant cars, they could still run very strong. Al Holbert and Derek Bell were the favorites, but they had to be aware of the Coke entry driven by Hans Stuck, Jim Mullen and Bob Akin. The TBIrd Swap Shop car, driven by Bob Wollek, AJ Foyt and Preston Henn, had just won Daytona and was eager to make it two in a row. The BF Goodrich Team, led by Jim Busby, now fielded a pair of Porsche 962s, with Pete Halsmer, Rick Knoop and Dieter Quester. Jim Busby, Jochen Mass and John Morton drove the other car. The two Jaguar XJR5s were also in contention for the win, with Bob Tullius, Chip Robinson and Bill Adam driving the first car. Brian Redman and Hurley Haywood would be at the wheel of the second one. Two March 84Gs were able to play a major in this race. The Blue Thunder car, driven by Bill Whittington and Randy Lanier who were always driving hard. The Buick powered Pegasus car was driven by John Paul Jr and Ken Madren. A challenge could be expected from both cars. Darin and Tony Brassfield, co-driven by Arie Luyendijk, were at the wheel of the De Atley March 85G Chevrolet. John Kalagian and John Lloyd drove another 84G, as well as the Leon Bros. The new Chevrolet Corvette GTP was probably too young to be a threat, but Lew Price, Carson Baird and Terry Labonte were somewhat optimistic. Seven Porsche 935s were entered, with the strongest car being the Preston Henn entered one. The same team of drivers as the 962 was supposed to drive this car. Bill Whittington would join them in the race. A string of Lights cars would add diversity to the field, with Jim Downing and John Maffucci driving an Argo JM16 Mazda. Don Bell and Michael Brockman had a Royale RP40 Buick, which was quite a similar car. A Gebhardt BMW was also to be driven by Frank Jelinski and Jan Thoelke. The GTO class was to be very exciting, with a furious battle to be recorded between Chevrolet, Pontiac and Ford. Walt Bohren and Billy Dingman drove a nice looking Firebird, prepared by Dingman Bros. Dave Heinz, Jerry Thompson and Jim Trueman would drive the Dave Heinz Imports Chevrolet Corvette. They would have to fear a lot from the Roush Protofab Ford Mustang, which was driven by Wally Dallenbach Jr and John Jones. This car proved extremely fast and won the Daytona round. A very large field of Porsche Carrera RSRs and 934s, Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes, as well as two Ferrari 512BBs, now eligible in GTO, would fight it up. The GTU class seemed to be all Mazda, with nearly ten of them making for the green. Jack Baldwin and Ira Young were the class favorites, while Roger Mandeville and Logan Blackburn were aiming at another class win. Some Porsche 911s no longer had a chance for the win. But it's what they probably told themselves before the race! The practice sessions saw Hans Stuck easily break the previous mark at the wheel of his Porsche 962. He would be 6 seconds faster than Bob Tullius 1984 best time! Al Holbert was second, but more than 3 seconds slower, not willing to fight for the pole. Bob Wollek's car was struggling with ignition problems. Jim Downing would be the fastest of the Lights cars, while Walt Bohren posted a 2m36s816, right behind the Argo. Jack Baldwin was the fastest GTU driver, doing a 2m43s015, followed by Roger Mandeville, as expected. The weather was beautiful when the cars would be parked in front of the pits, à la Le Mans. The Sebring airport would look like a giant camping field, hosting more than 60000 people.

AJ Foyt and Bob Wollek ran steadily to a fine Sebring win.

Everything was set for a fine sportscar race. It looked like a dream for many people. The rolling field would be unleashed thirty three minutes later, with Hans Stuck not so fast as John Paul Jr, who grabbed the lead, but only for three laps. Al Holbert had a very bad start, losing the wheel in the first lap, and being sent into one the walls by a driver, who was surprised at a 962 running so slowly. He would be back to the pits for repairs, and lose eleven laps. Hans Stuck had passed John Paul Jr, who ran ahead of the Jaguar XJR5s. Carson Baird was surprisingly fast with the new Chevrolet Corvette GTP, running in sixth place. Unfortunately, he would retire after forty five minutes with a broken suspension. AJ Foyt was running at their own pace, in eleventh position. Bob Wollek would overtake his teammate with the 935. Later in the race, John Paul Jr would tangle with the Gebhardt. This incident resulting in both cars retirement. The two Jaguar XJR5s, which running well, would experience some trouble. Brian Redman lost some time with an ailing engine while Dieter Quester and Chip Robinson had a run in. The Jaguar would lose thirty minutes or so for repairs. Bob Akin had a tire explode and retired with a broken suspension. The Porsche 962 driven by Jochen Mass, Jim Busby and John Morton would take the lead and keep it for a while. With such an attrition, Bob Wollek and AJ Foyt, who ran steadily, were now in second place, just ahead of Dieter Quester and Rick Knoop, who were recovering well from their mishap. However, they would suddenly be stranded on the track, out of fuel. Meanwhile, the Mauricio de Narvaez, who drove the winning car, lost 25 minutes in the pits, with suspension problems. John Kalagian's March 84G was now in third place, with Al Holbert and Derek Bell running in fourth place, running at a fantastic pace. Still seven laps down, they were obviously unabashed. The BF Goodrich car would keep the lead for many hours, but after seven hours and a half, Jim Busby suddenly was back in the pits with a big hole in the floor. The car was retired. Bob Wollek and AJ Foyt were in the lead, now chased by Al Holbert and Derek Bell. The leading car would then lose a wheel on the track, and the first place in the process. Still two laps ahead of the Löwenbrau car, it looked like things were badly engaged. However, the Holbert Racing car would run slower and slower, losing fifth gear. The TBird Swap Shop car finally had another win packed up. Dieter Quester ran into a pile of used tires while trying to gain second place. Jim Downing and John Maffucci won the Lights class, as expected. The GTO class was won by Wally Dallenbach Jr and John Jones, who drove their Ford Mustang to sixth place overall. Gary Auberlen, Peter Jauker and Cary Eisenlohr won the GTU class in their SP Racing Porsche 911, beating the class favorites. A fine unexpected but well deserved first win for a small team. Tom and Bart Kendall finished second in the Kendall Racing Mazda RX7, but they were seven laps down! A very interesting and entertaining race in the end. A new era was born.