Model Specific Discussions > Trans-Am Camaros
ARRC - American Road Race of Champions
Jon Mello:
This is an article from my Feb/Mar 1969 issue of Corvette News. The ARRC (American Road Race of Champions) was an end of
the year event (typically late November) that featured the top two points earners for each class in each division across the US.
The outcome of each race determined the National Champion for each class and there was a lot of prestige not only for the
drivers but also for the manufacturers when you won one of these races. Camaros competed in the A/Sedan class against other
pony cars but this was amateur SCCA club racing and not professional racing, as was the case with Trans-Am. Many guys who
did run in A/Sedan also did try their luck in the Trans-Am series. In the '68 ARRC event at Riverside, Dick Lang's Camaro won
and he was crowned the SCCA A/Sedan Champion beating John Martin in one of the '68 AMC Javelin team cars. Dick did so well
that he took that same car Trans-Am racing the following year. Also of note here are Jerry Thompson and Tony DeLorenzo in their
Corvettes who both came in second in B/Production and A/Production respectively. Those two would spend several years in Trans-
Am starting in 1970 with the Owens-Corning sponsored Camaros. Also mentioned in the article is Gerry Gregory, who raced a Dick
Guldstrand-built '69 Camaro in Trans-Am (which is currently owned by our own Mr Sixteen Grand Sedan #56, Robert Lodewyk).
Jon Mello:
Bob Sanders Collection, courtesy of Robert Lodewyk
Jon Mello:
From the February 1969 issue of Sports Car Graphic, the A/Sedan report from the '68 ARRC.
Jon Mello Collection
klvn8r:
Such a strange twist of fate....I just saw this posted tonight.....after I spent a full day with Ronnie Kaplan, Javelin Racing Team president and car builder! My brother and I came to Chicago and the super nice guy spent the day with us, answering our questions and telling stories for over 8 hours!! He also gave us a DVD....this ARRC race with Lang and Martin. Yes, follow up interviews too. See if we can somehow share it with the forum!!!!
klvn8r
Jon Mello:
Wow, that's terrific. I'd love to see you share what you found out here on the forum. I have a whole lot of respect for Ronnie Kaplan and would have loved to see what he could have gotten done with a Penske-like AMC budget and some of the engine stuff that got disallowed in '69.
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