The Record of the USRRC series is being printed as I type.  They will be bound and shipped (by boat) next week, to arrive for sale before the end of March.

This is the first full-length story of the whole original USRRC series that ran from 1963 to 1968.

There 438 pages with a background of SCCA racing leading up to the USRRC, stories and results for each race, 500 photographs, points tables, championship charts, and an appendix with a list of winners, race course maps and records, plus a foreword by 1965 USRRC Champion, George Follmer.

For U.S. residents this will be available from the author, for $115 ($100 + $15 for shipping).  Washington State residents will have to pay $125 ($100 + $10 tax + $15 shipping).
Canadian residents the price is $150 US, which includes shipping.
The price plus shipping for European residents is $170.

Only 1,000 copies are being printed, with 900 available for sale. 
Orders can be placed via Paypal.  send to:  grimeheel62@comcast.net. 

You can also send a check to:

Mike Martin
6043 - 45th Ave SW
Seattle,  WA  98136-1426


Questions can be sent to the author at:   grimeheel62@comcast.net

Chuck Daigh and the Troutman-Barnes Special

Back to the Santa Barbara races of September 1955.  This is Chuck Daigh, in the Troutman-Barnes Special.  Daigh finished in second place in the Sunday main event.  Initially he was running in fourth spot behind Ernie McAfee, Phil Hill and Ken Miles. 
The car is a slick piece of mid-50's engineering.  It had a tube frame, independent front suspension, a live axle and transverse leaf springs in the rear, drilled and ducted Ford drum brakes and MG rack & pinion steering.  The body was 9 aluminum panels attached to the frame with dzuz fasteners.  It started life with a heavily modified Mercury flathead V-8 engine, but soon got an overhead valve V-8 from a Ford Thunderbird with Hilborn injection.  It ran in Southern California races from 1954 through 1957 with a variety of drivers.

USRRC photos

Here are three photos I took at the 1968 USRRC race at Pacific Raceways.  The first is the Carl Haas Simoniz Lola T70 driven by Charlie Parsons.  Charlie had the fourth fastest qualifying time and placed second (to teammate, Skip Scott) in the race.

The second photo is Roger Penske's Sunoco Special, driven by Mark Donohue.  This is the McLaren M6A that Bruce McLaren used to win the 1967 Can-Am championship.  Mark qualified on the front row with the second fastest time and led from the start of the race.  However, just past the halfway point of the race the engine blew and Donohue rolled into the pits to retire.

The bottom photo is the Carroll Shelby entered Lola T70, driven by Peter Revson.  Peter qualified on the pole with a time .2 faster than Donohue.  Unfortunately he completed only one lap before the ring and pinion failed.

If you desire an 8x10 print of any photo on this blog please send a $27 Paypal payment to:  grimeheel62@comcast.net.  If you don't want to use Paypal you can send a check to:  Mike Martin,  6043 - 45th Ave SW,  Seattle  WA  98136.  Be sure to add or enclose a note stating which photo you desire.

Quick little speedster

This is John von Neuman in his Porsche 550 at the 1955 September Santa Barbara races.  John beat Ken Miles in the Saturday preliminary race by 3 seconds.  Sunday was another matter.  Von Neumann led from the start, with Richie Ginther second in another Porsche 550.  Ken Miles was third, for the first 6 laps.  Then Ginther spun and Miles moved up to von Neumann's rear.  On lap 20, they came up to lap some slower cars at the last corner.  Miles went to the inside and von Neumann went to the outside and off the course.  Try as he might, von Neumann was not able to catch Miles, but finished in second place.  He was followed by Ginther, Jack McAfee and Dr. Troy McHenry, all in Porsche 550's.

Ernie McAfee at Santa Barbara, Sept 1955

Here is Ernie McAfee in Bill Doheny's Ferrari Monza, holding off Phil Hill in John von Neumann's Monza.  This is the Saturday Over 1500cc Modified race.  It was a classic battle between McAfee, Hill and Ken Miles (in Tony Parravano's 4.9 liter Ferrari). McAfee led the first lap, then Miles led the next seven laps.  Hill passed both McAfee and Miles to lead three laps, before spinning. Hill recovered, passed Miles for second place and finished three seconds behind McAfee. Miles finished in third place, four seconds in back of Hill.

Ken Miles in his Flying Shingle

Here is Ken Miles, driving his R2, Flying Shingle.  This was taken at the September 1955 Santa Barbara road races.  Ken finished second, to John von Neumann's Porsche 550, in the Saturday prelim. event.  On Sunday, von Neumann led Miles by inches for 18 laps, when they came up to some backmarkers.  Miles took to the inside and von Neumann went outside, then way wide and off course.  Miles held the lead to the end of the race (32 laps) with von Neumann in second place.

This blog will be about sports car racing history.  The photo on the header is John Korst, driving an Effyh 500cc Formula 3 car at the Santa Barbara road races, in September 1955.  He did not finish in the top five, but this photo looks COOL.