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 return to Laguna Seca for the Can-Am Series race on October 18, 1970. This race would mark one of the last appearances by Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars team in Can-Am competition (there was one more race that season at Riverside), and the end of the 1970 Can-Am season would also mark a transition for what was to come in the Can-Am in the next three years.
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 return to Laguna Seca for the Can-Am Series race on October 18, 1970. This race would mark one of the last appearances by Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars team in Can-Am competition (there was one more race that season at Riverside), and the end of the 1970 Can-Am season would also mark a transition for what was to come in the Can-Am in the next three years.
(Getty Images)Vic Elford put Jim Hall's No. 66 Chaparral 2J Chevrolet ground effects machine on the pole for the 1970 Laguna Seca Can-Am by turning a lap that was almost two full seconds - 58.800 sec. - over the the Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren 8D Chevrolets of Denny Hulme (No. 5) and Peter Gethin (No. 7), who qualified second and third with identical lap times of 1:00.600 sec. The 2J was a magnificent engineering achievement entirely conceived by Chevrolet engineers and developed over the course of the 1970 season with at first Jackie Stewart, then Elford doing the driving. When the 2J was running correctly, which admittedly wasn't often enough, it was blindingly quick, capable of running 2-3 sec. a lap faster than the vaunted McLarens. The astonishing cornering speeds of the 2J were visible to the naked eye, and the machine would heavily influence Gordon Murray, who would design the Brabham BT46 for the 1978 F1 season utilizing similar technology. But, needless to say, the reliability of the 2J was a constant issue, and Elford was unable to start the race due to an V8 engine failure - not the auxiliary engines - in the morning warm-up. It was a crushing disappointment for everyone on the Chaparral Cars team and at Chevrolet. But there were other notable entries that weekend too. Pedro Rodriguez would be in the No. 1 Castrol Team BRM/BRM P154 Chevrolet. Tony Dean (No. 8 Porsche 908/02), Roy Woods (No. 9 Overhauser Racing Ltd. Lola T160/163 Chevrolet), Chuck Parsons (No. 10 Douglas Shierson Racing Lola T160/163 Chevrolet), Tony Adamowicz (No. 12 Lothar Motschenbacher Racing McLaren M12 Chevrolet), John Cannon (No. 15 Agapiou Brothers Ford G7 B), Bob Bondurant (No. 21 Smith-Oeser Racing Lola T160 Chevrolet), Jackie Oliver (No. 22 Titanium Racing Components Ltd. Ti 22 Mk II Chevrolet, Peter Revson (No. 26 Carl Haas L&M Lola T220 Chevrolet) and Chris Amon (No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. STP March 707 Chevrolet) were all in the field. Needless to say, an impressive lineup of drivers.
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Peter Revson (No. 26 Carl Haas L&M Lola T220 Chevrolet) qualified fourth and finished third, 1 lap behind the winner. Peter was strong in every kind of car - and series - he was entered in.
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Chris Amon finished fourth in the beautiful No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. STP March 707 Chevrolet.
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Pedro Rodriguez (No. 1 Castrol Team BRM/BRM P154 Chevrolet) dabbled in the Can-Am Series on and off for a couple of seasons. He finished fifth in the 1970 Laguna Seca Can-Am.
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Chris Amon's stunning No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. March 707 Chevrolet is worth another look.
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The Lola T220 Chevrolet that Peter Revson drove at the Laguna Seca Can-Am in 1970 would be replaced by the radical, snub-nosed Lola T262 for the 1971 season, with Jackie Stewart behind the wheel.
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Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet) and Peter Gethin (No. 7 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet) proved to be a formidable combination in the 1970 Laguna Seca Can-Am. Denny would go on to win that day, while Gethin's machine succumbed to a flat battery, and he didn't finish.
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Vic Elford and the No. 66 Chaparral 2J Chevrolet looked great in practice and qualifying, but he failed to make the start due to a blown engine in the morning warm-up.
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The No. 1 Castrol Team BRM/BRM P154 Chevrolet wheeled by Pedro Rodriguez was a brutal-looking machine.
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Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf/Reynolds Aluminum McLaren M8D Chevrolet) won the 1970 Laguna Seca Can-Am. Jackie Oliver (No. 22 Titanium Racing Components Ltd. Ti22 Mk II Chevrolet) was second, Peter Revson (No. 26 Carl Haas L&M Lola T220 Chevrolet), third, Chris Amon (No. 77 March Engineering Ltd. March 707 Chevrolet), fourth. Pedro Rodriguez (No. 1 Castrol Team BRM/BRM P154 Chevrolet) finished fifth.
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG