Cars that did not start

The race that should not have been

The Wisconsin track was renowned as being one of the most attractive in the world. The track was smooth, reasonably fast and safe, and the Racing was generally excellent. The entry list was 53 car rich, with a bunch of Porsche 962s facing a Chevrolet Corvette GTP, a new March 86G Buick and the Nissan ZX Tc GTP. It also meant that Porsche had a great chance at winning this race, but a new parameter would add some spice to that race : the weather. Sixteen Lights cars were to fight over, with as much GTO cars and eleven GTU cars. The shape of things to come was to happen as soon as the first practice session took place when a thick fog blanketed the track. The cars would run on a drying track, with Elliot Forbes Robinson setting the fastest time in 2m06s275 at the wheel of the Nissan ZX Tc GTP. The second practice session was to be run in worse conditions, with the rain back again. Sarel van der Merwe would post the second lap time for the grid, meaning that every Porsche 962 would start behind the front row. The Brun car was the fastest of the squadron, with Oscar Larrauri just behind the leaders. As the race approached big clouds Moore in the sky and it was clear that weather conditions would not improve. Puddles of water had developed all around the track and the race start would be undoubtedly delayed. The green flag would be set at 1:40, with Elliot Forbes immediately Stirling into the lead and building an impressive 5.2 second lead at the end of the first lap. Sarel van der Merwe was in second place, with Derek Bell running fast and carving his way back into second place, before pitting for slick tires. After five laps, Elliot Forbes Robinson also stopped for slicks, leaving Price Cobb in the lead. The track was getting dry and everyone would stop for fresh slick tires at any moment. After ten laps, EFR had recovered the lead with Oscar Larrauri in second place under Sarel van der Merwe pressure. The latter would soon pass the Porsche and trying to overcome the gap, which was around 13 seconds or so. Al Holbert, on the second Lowenbrau car, managed to overtake Oscar Larrauri and was the strongest Porsche runner. Price Cobb was in fifth place, just ahead of Derek Bell, whose car was slowed by some misfires. The First series of refueling pit stops occured on lap 26, with Sarel van der Merwe being the first to lend his car to Doc Bundy. Al Holbert would remain on the track until lap 33, and keep on running fast, right with John Morton, who had taken over the Nissan. Doc Bundy was third. The rain would soon be back while the track was getting dry, and it was time for another tire switch session. Johnny Dumfries, who had stepped in for Price Cobb, was the first into the pits, but the pace car was brought as the track was awash within minutes. The Nissan ZX Tc GTP had stopped on the track, around turn five, but was able to restart after a while. This was not to be the case for the Chevrolet Corvette GTP, which drowned. The race, soon, was red flagged. The race would eventually restart on lap 60. Chip Robinson, Al Holbert's co-driver, was now the leader. Johnny Dumfries was in second place, but he would soon take the lead and build up a substancial lead. Then a seriously accident took place, and Chris Cord lost control of his Toyota Celica Tc and hit the wall. Seconds later, Whitney Ganz would hit Hurley Haywood Porsche 962. The pace car was out again. It looked like the race should have been stopped, with visibility close to zero. From that moment, it looks like everybody was just waiting for the race to finish. While Derek Bell had managed to get back to second, he was soon overtaken by Oscar Larrauri who was 35 seconds behind Johnny Dumfries. The race direction had settled the finish at 6:00, which left 35 minutes until the chequered.

Tom Kendall took the GTU win in his unbreakable Mazda RX7.

With the track drying again, Johnny Dumfries had a clear path to the win, which he clearly deserved. Oscar Larrauri took a great second place, while Al Holbert and Chip Robinson finished third, just ahead of the second Holbert Racing car driven by Derek Bell, who was quite unhappy with his car. The chequered was welcomed by everyone, from the drivers to the spectators. A race to forget without any doubt! Jim Rothbarth and Charles Morgan won the Lights class in their Spice Fiero, with Don Bell and Jeff Kline second in a similar car. The GTO class was won by Chris Kneifel and Paul Dallenbach, who ran flawlessly their Chevrolet Camaro, with the teammates car of Greg Pickett and Tommy Riggins in second place. Tom Kendall would win the GTU class at the wheel of the CCR Mazda RX7, who dominated the race from the outset. Amos Johnson and Dennis Shaw ended up in second place, but lost a great deal of Time when the pace car went out, being passed by the leaders and allowing Tom Kendall nearly a full lap lead. That's the race, ain't it?