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Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Interview with Robert Barg, Trans-Am racer
« on: March 13, 2011, 06:09:24 AM »
1969 Sebring weigh-in Photo: Robert Barg Collection
For the 1969 Sebring race, Rick Stevens was recruited as my co-driver. During the race, our team had no clue where we were in class until the hourly reports came in. I ended up driving for eight hours out of the twelve as Rick was not feeling well – too much sunburn from the days before. I did the last night stint and turned my fastest race lap in the dark with about 1 hour to go. Without a working tach, we just sort of shifted by ear – probably under the redline.
Early in the race I ran the car off the road in the esses by getting out on the marbles while moving over for a Porsche prototype. It turns out I bent up the front suspension and the car became hard to steer (no power steering). We had to find front tires every hour. I got some used ones from Firestone, as I remember. We won $1000 and were a happy bunch. It was after the Sebring race the car was updated to better Konis and rear disc brakes. Al acquired a cross ram in ‘69 but I can’t remember if we actually used it – he says yes.
One other interesting stat from that race was it was the last ever Le Mans start. In fact there was a false one, and the drivers had to do it twice. I started the race and made sure I didn’t get involved in any first lap nonsense. There were several drivers competing who were also Trans-Am drivers. That race was probably one of the highlights of my humble racing career.
Robert Barg and Dick Hoffman at Michigan Int'l Speedway in 1969 Photo: Robert Barg Collection
After Sebring, we met Dick Hoffman through the referral of another racer. To my knowledge, Hoffman and his partner Dave Horchler had sold their car to Levester Lewis in early ’69 and this is why Dick became available. We did an SCCA National or Regional race together at MIS and Dick drove the car solo at one of the Canadian Touring car races also that year at Mosport. He would put some money in the pot. Then Al decided to enter the ‘69 T/A at Mid-Ohio with Dick and I as co-drivers. I started the race but shortly after a pit stop where Dick took over driving, the rear axle broke and we were a DNF.
After that Mid-Ohio race, Dick organized a deal with Ford to take Al’s car to Riverside. The deal was Ford wanted to use the car to mount a camera on the roof. The footage was to be used in a film promoting Ford racing exploits for the ’68 –’69 racing seasons. Dick did that race on his own, I wasn’t able to go. The results say he finished 20th, 12th in O-2.
The Camaro (second from left) at Riverside with the camera on the roof Photo: Petersen Publishing
Riverside Trans-Am Photo: Mike Smith
Dick was of great help in sorting out Al’s ‘67 because of his GM engineering background and knowledge of the Penske ‘67 Camaros. Dick was, in my estimation, a very quick driver. He had already done (with Dave Horchler) several T/A’s in ‘67-‘68.
