1980 C-Prod Runoffs

[preith]

This was posted on the prodracing forum. Even though it's about a Jaguar, it is Z-car related and perhaps you guys might find it interesting. Nissan of course dominated the SCCA CP championships through the 70's but 1980 was the first that got away from them. The article is a bit biased, but assuming the info is true, I found the "DH" claim to be appalling.

Here's the original URL: http://www.jtc-nj.com/jagcorner/GTJNo19.html

1980 wasn't a good year for the British automobile industry. The British Leyland combine had begun the decade with the consolidated resources of Jaguar, MG, Triumph and Austin. It ended the decade as a near disaster. BL lost $220 million that year, and was surviving only through a multi-billion dollar assistance package from the British government. Britain had been the largest exporter of cars to the US in the 1950's, and was still a major presence in the 1960's. But by 1980 the Japanese dominated the US import marketplace.

Symbolic of the new Japanese automotive hegemony, Datsun had dominated SCCA National Class C Production competition for ten years. SCCA racing was nominally amateur, but the chance to showcase products in a competitive environment was attractive to many manufacturers. The Datsuns, while not an official factory team, had major support. With cars prepared by Bob Sharp, and driven by champion drivers, there seemed little chance that their dominance of Class C racing could be challenged.

Enter Gran Tursimo Jaguar. A small dealer, then in East Lake Ohio, GTJ was little more than a group of enthusiasts, working around guru Lou Fidanza. They began working with E-Types in the early 70's, and felt they could make the six cylinder E a much more competitive sports racer.

Beginning with a 1966 roadster tub with more than 140,000 miles on the clock, they gradually built a race car. Improvements were made to the engine, drive train, suspension, brakes and body. By 1976,. the car was already impressive, with eight first place and three second place showings in Class C Production races. Without big factory support, they could only afford to work on one system at a time. Their progress was slow, but deliberate.

It all came together for 1980. By then, the team included Fred Baker, who proved to be an outstanding driver. Racing just five times that year, he amassed four wins in Number 19, the fifth race being called for weather. A short season, but good enough to be invited to the Nationals at Road Atlanta. The grassroots team barely had the funds to make the trip,and was lucky to get some help from their local sponsors, Pesses Metal and Alloys. Arriving late, they surprised the field by rolling the car off the trailer with minimal prep, and then being fastest in practice. This immediately attracted the attention of the other competitors, who vainly attempted to have the car disqualified.

Much time was spent that week with race scruitineers. Protests were filed against the roll cage, bonnet, brakes, exhaust system and aerodynamics. Datsun had dominated this Class C for years, and was not about to let a grassroots interloper walk away with the title. But the car had been carefully designed within SCCA rules, and was allowed to race. At the Datsun party prior to the race, one of the racers proudly wore a lapel button with the letters DH, for designated hitter. Rumors reached the GTJ team that this driver intended to knock the Jaguar off the course, if necessary to insure a win. The car was locked and guarded around the clock to prevent sabotage. Such was the nature of the competition.

Number 19 qualified in pole position for the race. Based on the "DH" rumors, Sunday practice was skipped to preserve the car. At the very start of the race, one of the Datsuns deliberately rammed the left front fender of the Jaguar in an attempt to force it off track. Carrying the Datsun on his fender through turn 1, Baker pushed hard in a tight dice with the Datsuns. Forced onto the rough margins, the Jaguar took a beating. But coming into the straight at the end of the lap, Baker blew by the Datsun of Jim Fitzgerald, and never looked back. Not so fortunate was the Huffaker prepared TR8 of Kenny Slagle. This car was given the "Datsun treatment", and ended up as a wreck in the center of the track. But Baker and the Jaguar had the lead for keeps, taking the checkered flag seven seconds ahead of Paul Newman's highly prepared Datsun.

After the race, the scruitineers tore down the car to verify once more that it complied with all SCCA regulations, which it did. GTJ had stopped the Datsun juggernaut with an aged sports car, and avenged the British motor industry. Fred Baker was awarded "Jaguar Driver of the Year" personally by John Egan, president of Jaguar Cars.

GTJ and Number 19 weren't done, though. For 1981, the SCCA rulemakers required that the Jaguar be detuned, with solid brake disks and 1.75" SU carburetors. Despite this, the winning streak continued. At the championships, only a minor spin on the rain slick track denied a Baker repeat victory. GTJ's second place showing didn't escape the rulemakers, and 1982 found the car forced into GT-1 class, the fastest SCCA racing category. The car would compete with 500+ horsepower Camaros and Corvettes, and the new turbocharged Datsuns. It was expected that the "old lady" would finally be brought down to earth. But the winning streak continued, with the Jaguar winning four straight GT-1 races against daunting competition. Finally, the car was required to carry a 200lb weight penalty, and succumbed to Datsun at the championship race.

[preith]

Here are a few more photos

Jim Fitzgerald is helping Fred Baker Jaguar E-type down the esses on the first lap. Jim was later disqualified for helping Fred.

[260DET]

Just a little bit biased that article, reminds me of the Euro snobs in my country. The simple fact of the matter was that most British cars were incomplete eg they were not a complete package like the S30 was. There was always something that dragged their performance/reliability down, with the E type it may well have been weight.

A friend of mine prepares old Euro cars for competition, some of the 'engineering' under the fancy bodywork is rubbish, they often take a lot of work to just get them somewhere near competitive and reliable.

Edited May 8, 2009 by 260DET

[hls30.com]

It is easy to write history with a bias toward your target audience( the poor taken advantage of Jag crowd) and make others(Datsun) look evil, what the author so kindly left out was that rolling the car off the trailer with minimal prep allowed officials only minimal review before the race too! You can bet the car was fully prepped outside of and around the corner from the track, and pulled in at the last minute to compete.

After listening to the stories of most of the guys he called by name at the "Drivers of the Can AM" talk at Amelia Island Last year, all of those teams believed trying to get away with as much as possible and keeping the other team from doing so was as important as gasoline and tires!

I'll see if I can capture and post the video in the next few days, cool admissions of down right sneekiness, conniving, and rule(and official) manipulation! Reminds me fully of Errol Flynn Ali Babba and the Fourty Thieves movies I watched on Saturday Mornings after Cartoons while growing up!

Will

[Phred]

I was there, and BTW, this wasn't the first time something like this has happened. The rumors flowed through the Datsun tent like wildfire. The tent was a large rectangular affair, supplied by Datsun, and where most of the Datsun competitors were kept in paddock. Everyone, with a wink in their eye, talked about it. Most didn't think it would happen, but a few were serious. If there was an actual drawing of straws, nobody talked. And when race time came, there were a lot of knowing glances being exchanged. But when it actually happened, nobody could believe it. The Runnoffs, in years past, could be a genuine challenge to ones commitment as a race driver. I personally witnessed some serious acts of intimidation. And in most cases, if you were not on top of your game, you could get run over. Freddy Baker was (and probably still is) a very good race driver. My guess is he just couldn't believe someone would take him out so early in the race. If his race would have gone full distance, he would have been ready for full contact racing in the last few laps. Many racers are like frustrated fighter pilots, and drive accordingly. So I counted myself neutral in this affair, as I had engines in both Datsun, and British Leyland cars.

Phred

[preith]

Just a little bit biased that article, reminds me of the Euro snobs in my country. The simple fact of the matter was that most British cars were incomplete eg they were not a complete package like the S30 was. There was always something that dragged their performance/reliability down, with the E type it may well have been weight.

A friend of mine prepares old Euro cars for competition, some of the 'engineering' under the fancy bodywork is rubbish, they often take a lot of work to just get them somewhere near competitive and reliable.

Agreed, but IMO it's ultimately about being in the right place at the right time in regards to rules and allowed preparation, or modifications. I feel one poster on the prod board hit the nail on the head "the SCCA classified the car figuring it would never be developed to it's full potential", or perhaps didn't realize it at the time.

I was there, and BTW, this wasn't the first time something like this has happened

Thanks for sharing, wild that you were there, I wish I was. I've heard similar stories from some of the Blackhawk Farms old-timers as well.

[coop]

Phillip, cool pics. Do you have any of the 1978 race at Road Atlanta, especially the first lap that shows the Logan Blackburn and Frank Leary Zs?

Coop

[preith]

Phillip, cool pics. Do you have any of the 1978 race at Road Atlanta, especially the first lap that shows the Logan Blackburn and Frank Leary Zs?

Coop

Any older pics I post are found elsewhere on the web. There are some of Logan & Frank in the "vintage pics" thread, but I don't know what year:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33512

[The570z]

Reminds me of the old racing adage

"I know your cheating because Im cheating and your faster then me"

Words to live by eh?

[proracer]

I have a copy of the race and it shows Jim Fitzgerald trying to take Fred Baker out in the race on the first lap. Jim continues to hound Fred but is not able to catch him. His tires give out and you can see that he has handling problems.

You can also see that the TR8 of Ken Slagle is taken out by another Datsun later in the race. I have heard talk that if one of the top running English cars could be taken out, they should be. I do not know how true it is, but you can see that the actions will speak for themselves. I wonder why some of the drivers wanted to wear a badge called "Designated Hitter", "DH".?

I think if the Datsun's strategy was a different, Datsun may have come out ahead.

Jim

[preith]

sorry to drag up an older thread, but here's the race on youtube!

[240260280z]

Thanks, that was great... felt sorry for the tr8 in second.