By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. The sport of motor racing is filled with memorable races marked by both triumph and tragedy. It's the nature of the sport that these two extremes have left such an indelible impression that they live on for decades, leaving a legacy that is part and parcel of our collective memories. The many heroic individuals - and individual efforts - that have carved out their place in motorsport history are too often luridly offset by gut-wrenching tragedies that have torn us apart along the way. It is an unfortunate consequence of a sport that consumes everything and everyone in its path, a fevered, relentless pursuit marked by unbridled elation and devastating, soul-crushing disappointment. In this series I will try to avoid dwelling on the tragic stories, because as enthusiasts of this sport we are all too familiar with them. If, in the course of talking about a particular race mentioning a tragic event is unavoidable that will have to be, but this series will mainly focus on those memorable moments from those glory days that rivet us to this day. This week, we're going back to Riverside International Raceway for three pivotal races in the annals of the Shelby American Cobra. A 3-Hour race in the Fall of 1962, an SCCA "A" and "B" Production race in February, 1963, and a special 1-Hour GT race in the Fall of 1963. These races would establish the reputation of the Shelby American Cobra - and send Zora Arkus-Duntov back to the drawing board.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Riverside International Raceway, October 13, 1962. Bill Krause hard on the gas in the very first competition Cobra (CSX2002) - and the second Cobra built - in a 3-Hour race for sports cars. The first comp Cobra was so new, it was classified as "X" production (more below), and it was powered by Ford's new 260-cu. in. V8. Peter Brock put the initial development miles on this Cobra, but Bill Krause - known as a young, hard charger - was assigned the Cobra for its competition debut. The modifications to CSX2002 were minimal: Higher compression, a high-performance ignition system, side-mounted exhaust pipes, air scoops to cool the brake discs, a roll bar and a cut-down windscreen. And that was pretty much it. Now, back to that "XP" classification. SCCA rules required that production cars must have been built in minimum numbers, and needless to say, the Cobra met none of the requirements. But since the race stewards had received a great number of entries by Corvette Sting Ray drivers and opened up a "XP" class for them, Carroll Shelby persuaded the race organizers to let the Cobra start as well. Right from the green flag, Krause immediately pressed the leading Corvettes, and with each lap his confidence in the Cobra's capabilities grew. By the end of the first hour, Krause had pulled out a mile-and-one-half lead. The initial elation for the Shelby American team was short-lived, however, as a rear hub carrier broke on the Cobra. And even though Doug Hooper's No. 119 '63 Corvette Sting Ray would go on to win, the bad news traveled swiftly back to Warren, Michigan, and Zora Arkus-Duntov saw the writing on the wall: it would only be a matter of time before the lighter Cobra asserted its dominance over the brand new Sting Ray. (Thank you to Exoto and Dave Friedman for the details.)
(Dave Friedman photo)
Doug Hooper's menacing black 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray prevailed in the 3-hour race at Riverside in the fall of '62. Any positive takeaways from the victory didn't last long, however, as Zora and his troops received a sobering report about the potential of the Shelby American Cobra.
Detroit. The sport of motor racing is filled with memorable races marked by both triumph and tragedy. It's the nature of the sport that these two extremes have left such an indelible impression that they live on for decades, leaving a legacy that is part and parcel of our collective memories. The many heroic individuals - and individual efforts - that have carved out their place in motorsport history are too often luridly offset by gut-wrenching tragedies that have torn us apart along the way. It is an unfortunate consequence of a sport that consumes everything and everyone in its path, a fevered, relentless pursuit marked by unbridled elation and devastating, soul-crushing disappointment. In this series I will try to avoid dwelling on the tragic stories, because as enthusiasts of this sport we are all too familiar with them. If, in the course of talking about a particular race mentioning a tragic event is unavoidable that will have to be, but this series will mainly focus on those memorable moments from those glory days that rivet us to this day. This week, we're going back to Riverside International Raceway for three pivotal races in the annals of the Shelby American Cobra. A 3-Hour race in the Fall of 1962, an SCCA "A" and "B" Production race in February, 1963, and a special 1-Hour GT race in the Fall of 1963. These races would establish the reputation of the Shelby American Cobra - and send Zora Arkus-Duntov back to the drawing board.
(Dave Friedman photo)Riverside International Raceway, October 13, 1962. Bill Krause hard on the gas in the very first competition Cobra (CSX2002) - and the second Cobra built - in a 3-Hour race for sports cars. The first comp Cobra was so new, it was classified as "X" production (more below), and it was powered by Ford's new 260-cu. in. V8. Peter Brock put the initial development miles on this Cobra, but Bill Krause - known as a young, hard charger - was assigned the Cobra for its competition debut. The modifications to CSX2002 were minimal: Higher compression, a high-performance ignition system, side-mounted exhaust pipes, air scoops to cool the brake discs, a roll bar and a cut-down windscreen. And that was pretty much it. Now, back to that "XP" classification. SCCA rules required that production cars must have been built in minimum numbers, and needless to say, the Cobra met none of the requirements. But since the race stewards had received a great number of entries by Corvette Sting Ray drivers and opened up a "XP" class for them, Carroll Shelby persuaded the race organizers to let the Cobra start as well. Right from the green flag, Krause immediately pressed the leading Corvettes, and with each lap his confidence in the Cobra's capabilities grew. By the end of the first hour, Krause had pulled out a mile-and-one-half lead. The initial elation for the Shelby American team was short-lived, however, as a rear hub carrier broke on the Cobra. And even though Doug Hooper's No. 119 '63 Corvette Sting Ray would go on to win, the bad news traveled swiftly back to Warren, Michigan, and Zora Arkus-Duntov saw the writing on the wall: it would only be a matter of time before the lighter Cobra asserted its dominance over the brand new Sting Ray. (Thank you to Exoto and Dave Friedman for the details.)
(Dave Friedman photo)Doug Hooper's menacing black 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray prevailed in the 3-hour race at Riverside in the fall of '62. Any positive takeaways from the victory didn't last long, however, as Zora and his troops received a sobering report about the potential of the Shelby American Cobra.
(Dave Friedman photo)
An early test session for CSX2002 - the first Shelby American Cobra competition car and second Cobra built - right before its Riverside debut. These test sessions proved to Shelby that he had a serious competitor to the new Corvette Sting Ray.
An early test session for CSX2002 - the first Shelby American Cobra competition car and second Cobra built - right before its Riverside debut. These test sessions proved to Shelby that he had a serious competitor to the new Corvette Sting Ray.
(Dave Friedman photo)
"A" and "B" Production race, Riverside International Raceway, February 3, 1963. Just another SCCA race? Hardly. The stage was set for a showdown that had been brewing between the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray and the Shelby American Cobra since the previous fall. For this race, Carroll Shelby poached a west coast Corvette road racing star - 27-year-old Dave MacDonald - and paired him with the great Ken Miles in a second competition Cobra. MacDonald's bright red Cobra would wear No. 198, while Miles would have his traditional No. 98 on a white Cobra. Shelby's Cobra had been further developed, and was notably faster than at its debut race at Riverside. MacDonald was an aggressive driver who specialized in hanging it out in spectacular power slides, and Miles was no slouch either, being the lead development driver for Shelby American and one of the most talented race engineers in the business. They were a formidable tandem. The lead Corvettes for this race weekend were the No. 6 Sting Ray wheeled by Paul Reinhart, another West Coast road racing star, the No. 56 Sting Ray driven by Dick Guldstrand, and the No. 614 Sting Ray driven by Bob Bondurant. Zora Arkus-Duntov and his engineers hadn't been asleep either, as they had tweaked the new Sting Ray for all it was worth. The Reinhart/Guldstrand/Bondurant entries benefited from everything Zora and his troops had learned since the previous fall. The race itself didn't disappoint, instantly turning into a major league shootout. This picture above shows Miles (No. 98 Shelby American Cobra) leading Reinhart (No. 6 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray) and MacDonald (No. 198 Shelby American Cobra) at the front of the field early on. The competitive scrum wouldn't last long, as MacDonald would soon assert himself at the front.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Dave MacDonald would go on to win that day, finishing seven seconds ahead of Ken Miles in second place. The dominant 1-2 finish for Shelby American was significant, but even more important was the fact that it was the Shelby Cobra's historic first major victory. Dick Guldstrand finished one minute and a half behind, a distant third. The reality of Shelby's first win with the Cobra hit Zora Arkus-Duntov hard. The brand-new Sting Ray was simply no match for the Cobra, being 600 pounds heavier (at least) than the Ford-powered sports car. It was February 1963, and Duntov immediately set about to create an answer to the Shelby Cobra - a Sting Ray that would be much lighter and much more powerful. The world would see Chevrolet's answer to the dominant Shelby Cobra the following December, in the Bahamas, for Nassau Speed Week. The answer? The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.
"A" and "B" Production race, Riverside International Raceway, February 3, 1963. Just another SCCA race? Hardly. The stage was set for a showdown that had been brewing between the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray and the Shelby American Cobra since the previous fall. For this race, Carroll Shelby poached a west coast Corvette road racing star - 27-year-old Dave MacDonald - and paired him with the great Ken Miles in a second competition Cobra. MacDonald's bright red Cobra would wear No. 198, while Miles would have his traditional No. 98 on a white Cobra. Shelby's Cobra had been further developed, and was notably faster than at its debut race at Riverside. MacDonald was an aggressive driver who specialized in hanging it out in spectacular power slides, and Miles was no slouch either, being the lead development driver for Shelby American and one of the most talented race engineers in the business. They were a formidable tandem. The lead Corvettes for this race weekend were the No. 6 Sting Ray wheeled by Paul Reinhart, another West Coast road racing star, the No. 56 Sting Ray driven by Dick Guldstrand, and the No. 614 Sting Ray driven by Bob Bondurant. Zora Arkus-Duntov and his engineers hadn't been asleep either, as they had tweaked the new Sting Ray for all it was worth. The Reinhart/Guldstrand/Bondurant entries benefited from everything Zora and his troops had learned since the previous fall. The race itself didn't disappoint, instantly turning into a major league shootout. This picture above shows Miles (No. 98 Shelby American Cobra) leading Reinhart (No. 6 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray) and MacDonald (No. 198 Shelby American Cobra) at the front of the field early on. The competitive scrum wouldn't last long, as MacDonald would soon assert himself at the front.
(Dave Friedman photo)Dave MacDonald would go on to win that day, finishing seven seconds ahead of Ken Miles in second place. The dominant 1-2 finish for Shelby American was significant, but even more important was the fact that it was the Shelby Cobra's historic first major victory. Dick Guldstrand finished one minute and a half behind, a distant third. The reality of Shelby's first win with the Cobra hit Zora Arkus-Duntov hard. The brand-new Sting Ray was simply no match for the Cobra, being 600 pounds heavier (at least) than the Ford-powered sports car. It was February 1963, and Duntov immediately set about to create an answer to the Shelby Cobra - a Sting Ray that would be much lighter and much more powerful. The world would see Chevrolet's answer to the dominant Shelby Cobra the following December, in the Bahamas, for Nassau Speed Week. The answer? The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.
(Dave Friedman photo)
The Shelby American Cobra team barnstormed around the country, winning race after race in the summer of 1963, while humiliating the competition Corvette Sting Rays at every opportunity. The Cobra team was so dominant that Shelby's drivers raced each other for the wins at America's greatest race tracks - Road America, Bridgehampton, Riverside, Laguna Seca and Meadowdale, to name just a few. As the '63 racing season came to a close, the Shelby American team assembled at Riverside International Raceway for one last romp: a special 1- Hour GT race on October 13th. Shelby American entered three factory Cobras: The No. 97 for Dan Gurney, the No. 98 for Lew Spencer, and the No. 99 for Bob Bondurant (now another ex-Corvette racer). There was also a No. 96 Shelby Cobra entered by Coventry Motors for Allen Grant. (A notable tidbit? One of the Coventry Motors crew members was a young kid named George Lucas. Yes, that George Lucas.) One other entry of note? Richie Ginther was in the No. 211 Otto Zipper Motors Ferrari GTO. An impossibly young Dan Gurney (above) stands next to his No. 97 Shelby American Cobra before the race.
(Dave Friedman photo)
A classic image from that Riverside race: Dan Gurney on the gas in the No. 97 Shelby American Cobra during the 1-Hour GT race at Riverside.
The Shelby American Cobra team barnstormed around the country, winning race after race in the summer of 1963, while humiliating the competition Corvette Sting Rays at every opportunity. The Cobra team was so dominant that Shelby's drivers raced each other for the wins at America's greatest race tracks - Road America, Bridgehampton, Riverside, Laguna Seca and Meadowdale, to name just a few. As the '63 racing season came to a close, the Shelby American team assembled at Riverside International Raceway for one last romp: a special 1- Hour GT race on October 13th. Shelby American entered three factory Cobras: The No. 97 for Dan Gurney, the No. 98 for Lew Spencer, and the No. 99 for Bob Bondurant (now another ex-Corvette racer). There was also a No. 96 Shelby Cobra entered by Coventry Motors for Allen Grant. (A notable tidbit? One of the Coventry Motors crew members was a young kid named George Lucas. Yes, that George Lucas.) One other entry of note? Richie Ginther was in the No. 211 Otto Zipper Motors Ferrari GTO. An impossibly young Dan Gurney (above) stands next to his No. 97 Shelby American Cobra before the race.
(Dave Friedman photo)A classic image from that Riverside race: Dan Gurney on the gas in the No. 97 Shelby American Cobra during the 1-Hour GT race at Riverside.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Gurney (No. 97) leads Grant (No. 96) and Bondurant (No. 99) in the 1-Hour GT race at Riverside.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Bob Bondurant (No. 99 Shelby American Cobra) led a 1-2-3-4 sweep as the Cobras crushed the field. Allen Grant (No. 96 Coventry Motors Shelby Cobra) was second, Lew Spencer (No. 98 Shelby American Cobra) third, and Dan Gurney (No. 97 Shelby American Cobra) finished fourth. The Shelby American Cobra team delivered one of the most dominant runs in U.S. sports car racing history that season, but things would change dramatically in just a couple of months.
(Dave Friedman photo)
Bob Bondurant would go on to become a key driver for the Shelby American Cobra team, helping deliver the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturer for Shelby American in 1965 with class wins at Daytona, Sebring, Monza and the Nurburgring.
Gurney (No. 97) leads Grant (No. 96) and Bondurant (No. 99) in the 1-Hour GT race at Riverside.
(Dave Friedman photo)Bob Bondurant (No. 99 Shelby American Cobra) led a 1-2-3-4 sweep as the Cobras crushed the field. Allen Grant (No. 96 Coventry Motors Shelby Cobra) was second, Lew Spencer (No. 98 Shelby American Cobra) third, and Dan Gurney (No. 97 Shelby American Cobra) finished fourth. The Shelby American Cobra team delivered one of the most dominant runs in U.S. sports car racing history that season, but things would change dramatically in just a couple of months.
(Dave Friedman photo)Bob Bondurant would go on to become a key driver for the Shelby American Cobra team, helping deliver the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturer for Shelby American in 1965 with class wins at Daytona, Sebring, Monza and the Nurburgring.
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