1969 Trans-Am season review

[Jon Mello]

Yeah, the video has some great content. The AMX was a factory show car, if I remember correctly.

Here's a short Donnybrooke write-up from Car & Driver magazine. (Jon Mello Collection)

[Jon Mello]

Both George Follmer's Mustang and Larry Bock's '68 Camaro sustained damage in their crash but Bock's Camaro was really creamed.

[Jon Mello]

Donnybrooke Trans-Am coverage, as found in Competition Press & Autoweek. (Jon Mello Collection)

[Jon Mello]

Donnybrooke Trans-Am.
A shot from the front showing the damage to Follmer's Mustang. Bock's damaged #11 Camaro is in the background with the hood up.


Petersen Publishing photo

[Jon Mello]

Reserved

[Jon Mello]

Bryar Trans-Am coverage as found in National Speed Sport News. (Jon Mello Collection)
Mark Donohue's first win of the season and a 1-2 finish for Camaro closed the points gap considerably.

[Jon Mello]

Bryar Trans-Am coverage as found in Competition Press & Autoweek. (Jon Mello Collection)
This is the first race during the '69 season that the Penske cars ran without vinyl tops.

[Jon Mello]

Bryar Trans-Am, a brief write-up found in Car & Driver magazine, courtesy of Mike K. (Swede70)

[Jon Mello]

Le Circuit Mt. Tremblant (St. Jovite) Trans-Am coverage. (Jon Mello Collection)
A huge crash wiped out 3 of the 4 factory Mustangs and Chevy won its second race in a
row, laying claim to first place in the standings. The tide had turned for Camaro... finally.









"From the Editor's Notebook" column by Chris Economaki

[Jon Mello]

Le Circuit Mt. Tremblant (St. Jovite) Trans-Am coverage from Competition Press & Autoweek. (Jon Mello Collection)

[Jon Mello]

Le Circuit Mt. Tremblant (St. Jovite) article from Car & Driver magazine, courtesy of Mike K. (Swede70).




The photo below was found in Road & Track Trans-Am coverage.

[oldtransamdriver]

Dick Hoffman is listed on the starting grid, but not in the race results - curious as to what 68 camaro he was driving, as H & H racing had sold their 67 by then.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Was he not driving the car you and he shared that year, the ex-Mo Carter '67?

[oldtransamdriver]

I don't remember him driving  at St. Jovite, but will ask Al Richards (car owner) for some info.  I know I did not attend that race.

Robert Barg

[Jon Mello]

Robert, keep us posted on what you find out from Al Richards.

Below is a photo of the Gagnon Spring Firebird during a Wednesday practice session for the St Jovite
Trans-Am race. This is the last known photo of the car before Jerry Titus took it out for a test run and
crashed it. There are conflicting stories about whether this car was rebuilt later or scrapped and several
of us here are working "behind the scenes" to see if we can come to a definitive conclusion. There are
a bunch of stories of cars that got wrecked in Trans-Am and were they rebuilt or were they replaced.
It's part of the "fun" of researching the old Trans-Am series. Lots of mystery and intrigue for those who
care to delve deeper into the subject.


Dick Brown Collection


Here are some Montreal Gazette newspaper articles (courtesy of Chad Raynal) which discuss the
midweek (pre-race) crash of Dick Brown's Firebird by Jerry Titus. The Firebird was replaced with
a '69 T/G Firebird and we're not sure of the details behind who paid what for the car. This
new '69-style car was orange rather than the previous yellow/green and research is pointing
toward this orange car being the car used by Guillermo "Bill" Ortega at the Wolverine Trans-Am
earlier in the season.