Messages

301

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1967 Mt Tremblant 4-Hour race, May 21 1967

« on: January 17, 2012, 05:50:13 AM »

This was a most interesting 4 hr. sedan race - I attended as a crew member for my friend Rick Stevens who brought his 1293 mini. Rick and I would later team up in camaros.  The mini he brought was the same one he raced earlier in the year at the Sebring Trans-Am 4 hr.  For this race he recruited ace mini driver Bill Brack (twice Canadian Driving Champion in a F B and F Atlantic stalwart).

Unfortunately, they were protested at race's end, by another compeitor, Ted Powell.  It was deemed the rear track was 1" too wide, necessitated by spacers to accomodate some new Firestone rear tires.  There was a long discussion for several hours by race stewards before the decision was reached.

The decision meant that $800 flew out the window, and they were disqualified from the results, not just a penalty or a small fine.
It was not a happy gang that loaded up and went home after that bitter taste.

Robert Barg

302

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1967 Z/28 Trans Am Anniversary Customer List......

« on: January 06, 2012, 05:13:04 PM »

I see that my car was the 24th built (City Chev-Olds).  Mo Carter took this car on the Shell 4000 Cross Canada Rally early in 67 (20th o/a) before building it into a road racer for club racing in Ontario. I can remember him battling Bill Brack's famous mini at Mosport.

Do we know how many of those cars on the list went road racing?

Robert Barg

303

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1968 Daytona 24-Hour recollections

« on: January 01, 2012, 06:22:09 PM »

Jon,  the secret here was to drive 7 or 8 10ths - keep the revs down. A big block Corvette in those days was a scary thing to drive, especially for small bore guys who were maybe used to 69 HP!  They would also have been lucky to avoid any nonsense on the track.

Craig drove some T/A races in small bore cars according to URH.

Robert Barg

304

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1968 Daytona 24-Hour recollections

« on: January 01, 2012, 04:26:51 PM »

I love this story!  I can relate to the "David vs. Goliath" aspect (Sebring 12 hr. 1969).  Did the Corvette and the drivers do more racing?

Robert Barg

305

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: December 29, 2011, 02:16:10 AM »

I remember the name but we only did 3 Camel Gt's in 72, so did not meet him.  Rick later did 1 or 2 of those races in his 1293 Cooper S at Talledega.

Is that car alive somewhere?

Robert Barg

306

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: December 26, 2011, 08:52:58 AM »

Nice photos of Jerry's car - you can see the MH he used to come to the track with - not too many of them in the paddock in those days.  Looks like the photos were taken at Watkins Glen.  The crowds were getting sparse in 72 as the factories were gone, although still lots of privateer guys.

Just realized I quoted the auction price in Canadian dollars, as that is what comes thru in my thread, since I'm north of the border.

Al Richards (my car owner) just advised me that he remembers we had oil pump problems that resulted in engine failure at the Glen.  That was the last race for the old 67 camaro.  Al retired the car and it was sold to a stock car guy who went oval racing with it.

At about the same time, Rick Stevens and I purchased the ex Alfie Ruys de Perez 69 T/A camaro and went IMSA Camel GT racing.

Robert Barg

307

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: December 24, 2011, 07:20:49 PM »

Ok you guys, if you want to play with the west coast boys, the 1969 ex Jerry Petersen T/A camaro is on ebay for a cool "buy it now" of only $132,600!  Lance Smith is the current owner.

Jerry was one of the guys I got to know a bit at the track  - a lawyer guy from the Cleveland area. I qualified one spot ahead of him at the 72 WG race but had a dnf - to this day I can't remember why!

Robert Barg

308

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: The 1972 SCCA Brass Tags and Log Book issued to TA Cars

« on: December 10, 2011, 06:41:52 AM »

Hi Ken,

Welcome to the forum.  Can you tell us who drove your car in those races?

Robert Barg

309

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: So many questions...

« on: November 18, 2011, 01:19:13 AM »

The 67 camaro "barn find" which appears to be an old SCCA  A sedan car, that my friend has purchased in OR, may have had some owner involvement with a race car club that was associated with Clippinger Chev out of West Covina. LA.  Doubt that anyone on this forum can go back that far to the late sixties thru the seventies, but you never know!

Still don't have any names to attach to this car but working on it.

Robert Barg

310

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1969 Wolverine Trans-Am photos

« on: November 13, 2011, 04:10:53 PM »

Jon,

 Dick and I shared the car but drove separate races, hence the different numbers.  I want to know who is the guy impersonating my body that wknd? (guy on the left in the photo).

Robert

311

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: November 04, 2011, 03:37:53 AM »

oops, I made a typo - I meant to say A sedan phased out in 78 but I was apparently wrong on that date.

Ron, I ran one race at Waterford Hills in 67 in a 998 mini - great track for a small bore car.  It happened to be on the same wknd. as the Detroit riots - on the way home we wondered what all the smoke plumes were coming out of downtown Detroit as we headed to either the bridge or the tunnel.

My engine guy Brian also brought his 327 4 dr . biscayne that weekend and we checked out Woodward Ave.  Brian was badly outgunned with his puny 275 hp biscayne that he used to drag race I think in something like H stock.

Robert Barg

312

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: For All of You That Want to Own A Trans Am Race Car

« on: November 03, 2011, 01:14:34 AM »

I believe A sedan was phased out starting in 68 and those cars were morphed into GT 1.  A friend, Al Ratcliff in Toronto, started building a 69 camaro into a Trans-Am car in the mid seventies and I drove it a few times including the 77 T/A at St. Jovite.  By then we had Category 1 and Catergory 2 cars in the same race. In 80 it was Cat 1 only. By 81 the tub cars were totally obsolete as the tube frame cars took over.  Al's car was later wrecked at Mosport after he sold it.

There was another recent 69 camaro road race car for sale recently on ebay with no known history. It was red if I remember, then later in primer.  I have emailed the seller to see what happened to it.

Robert Barg

313

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1970 Road America Trans-Am photos

« on: October 25, 2011, 03:49:42 AM »

Nice to see those photos Jon, especially of my buddy Peter Schwartzott in his 69 camaro.  I knew Peter quite well. He was from Niagara Falls NY and one time he brought his camaro over to the Harewood Acres track where I raced against him in a Canadian Touring Car race. Peter only did 4 T/A races that year I think, and I believe then sold the camaro.  His car has not appeared in the Vintage race world to my knowledge.  He and his gang called "Dimension Racing" later built a very fast 2.5 Datsun 510.  He later was a strong competitor in the Rabbit Bilstein series and then World Challenge or similar in several Hondas.  Have lost track of him but I believe he has moved elsewhere in NY state.

Robert Barg

314

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Old Bits That Still Work - Chevy 12-Bolt Rear End

« on: October 05, 2011, 08:33:38 PM »

I rememeber that when we changed the rear end assembly at Lime Rock to 4:56 on the Saturday night from 3:73 I picked up an easy 2 seconds within ony a few laps - was for the 73 T/A race when we still had the 302 in our 69 car. Many of the camaro guys just carried 2 or 3 complete assemblies with them to the tracks.  4:56 would have worked great also at Bryar.

Robert Barg

315

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: October 05, 2011, 04:44:32 PM »

Bruce, I remember that races at Mid-Ohio were usually well attended.  The track has several small "knolls" that spectators usually congregated at. That was either a practise day or just not a good viewing area.

Mid-Ohio was a favoutite track of mine to go racing at.

When are you going to bring that car over and do some of the tracks that we raced at?  I will make sure to attend!

Robert Barg