Trans Am racing pace car pics...are there any?

[Jon Mello]

This photo was posted on this thread earlier but here is a clearer photo as scanned from my 1972 Watkins Glen program.

[oldtransamdriver]

Great photo - looks to be my car in the outside row 10 cars back.  I can barely make out the camera mount plate.  We were dnf with engine problems.  The old 67 had finally run out of steam - was
the last race for it.

Robert Barg

[oldtransamdriver]

Sorry - memory fade.  In 71 the front drive-shaft yolk exploded going down the front straight - reason for the dnf that year.  It was engine failure in 72.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

What happened when the driveshaft yoke went? Did it polevault the car or just fall out without doing much damage? Seems like many of the cars did not have driveshaft safety loops back then but maybe you guys did.

[oldtransamdriver]

When it let go there was a terrific explosion - it beat up the inside of the driveshaft tunnel.  Mist have had a safety loop as I coasted around the large turn at the end of the straight and came to a stop
off to the side.

Robert

[69Z28-RS]

.. instead of a loop, might have had just the same sort of angle iron lower stop that was on the Lagod camaro.. which was based on the tunnet being the 'upper stop'..     

[oldtransamdriver]

That sounds more like it as the tunnel was really beat up.

Robert

[oldtransamdriver]

Note that Jerry Lagod Q 19th and went out with engine trouble and I Q 20th and dnf with the driveshaft problem.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Lady Luck was not smiling on row 10 that day.   

[group/7]

SMKZ28, back in post #80 you had a link to the facebook trans am site. there are a lot of cool shots there, thanks for that. there have not been any updates on that link for a while, I guess we are locked out ?

group/7

[SMKZ28]

Here are two more pictures of the 1971 Chevy Corvette roadster that was used to pace both the over 2 liter and under 2 liter Trans Am races held at Watkins Glen International Raceway, Watkins Glen, New York on August 15, 1971.  It shows the pace car in front of the under 2 liter field as they were leaving for their pace laps.  The scene is from the period movie, "Against All Odds," which is a 26 minute documentary on the Peter Brock owned Datsun BRE 1971 Trans Am U2 Championship season.  See it on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5XAP4pCRps

I took the pictures with my digital camera while the footage was paused at 13:34 in the film.

[SMKZ28]

SMKZ28, back in post #80 you had a link to the facebook trans am site. there are a lot of cool shots there, thanks for that. there have not been any updates on that link for a while, I guess we are locked out ?

group/7

Very strange!  You are right.  Only the pictures can be seen, not the Facebook conversations, etc.  Not sure if they are still maintaining it but here is an updated link to the photos page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=o.109038482465812&type=1

[Jon Mello]

The 1968 Continental Divide Trans-Am had two identical '68 Mustang pace cars. Photo courtesy of Craig Fisher.


Craig Fisher Collection

[SMKZ28]

Great color picture of the 1968 Continental Divide Trans-Am grid.  Thank you Jon and Craig!

One of the Mustangs also appears in this shot from Craig Fisher.  It was posted by Jon Mello in the 1968 season review here: http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=10304.135

[SMKZ28]

Here is a picture of the grid for the 1971 Mission Belle 200 Trans Am race held at Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California on October 3, 1971.  At the head of the field you can see the back of the 1972 AMC Javelin AMX that was used to pace the race.  Notice the attached yellow flag.  The picture was taken by John Ryals and posted by Jon Mellow in the Riverside thread: http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=9431.30.  Other pictures of the car can be seen on page 5 of this thread in replies #64-66.  In these earlier posts I mistakenly identified the car as a 1971 model, but since the race took place in October of 1971, it is probably a 1972 model since new car model years usually start in the fall.