senor honda

1956 Daytona Speed weeks
Original 1956 Chevrolet documentary of the Daytona Speedweeks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETJMdEhroeE
For more info:
http://corvette-racing.tripod.com/id3...

senor honda

I just added Preston Henn to post #12 and post #38
See his massive car collection before it gets broken up.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/829131-preston-henns-swap-shop-car-collection-museum.html

senor honda

Repaving Daytona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCN7__1ihss
by ESPNInternational

senor honda

Paving Daytona and a bit of track history

Caterpillar D9 supports Paver. Cat D8 supports Roller. Hamm DV-8 Double Steel Drum Roller compacts asphalt. ABG 525 fixed screen paver places asphalt. Triaxle Dump Truck hauls asphalt. Roadtec 1000 shuttle buggy transfers asphalt from truck to crane. Link Belt 60 ton hydraulic crane supports conveyor that feeds asphalt to paver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trwHfsIgqMI

senor honda

World Champion Brian Redman drives a Ferrari that Ran in the 24 Hour races at Daytona

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8xRoabtcdk

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Mark Donohue's 512 Ferrari raced the Daytona 24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404PMZtqopA

When the Sunoco Ferrari 512 M first appeared at Daytona in 1971 it was a revelation. Manned by a dream team that included owner Roger Penske, chief mechanic John “Woody” Woodard, and drivers Mark Donohue and David Hobbs, the car combined Ferrari’s pedigree with Penske’s legendary attention to detail in everything from his crew’s uniforms to the polished wheels. Slated to run at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans, and Watkins Glen, this 512 M was the odds-on favorite every time the Penske team rolled it onto the starting grid.

In a historic run of bum luck, however, the car never won a single race.

Debuting at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Donohue put the 512 M on the pole. Just before midnight, however, Vic Elford blew a tire on his Porsche 917 and in the ensuing slowdown, Charles Perry and his 911S ran into Donohue and the 512 M. The Penske crew taped and patched up the car as best they could and watched Donohue and Hobbs fight their way back to a third place finish.

Next up was the 12 Hours of Sebring, where the 512 M was once again on the pole. In the fourth hour of the race, away from photographers’ cameras, Pedro Rodriguez, driving a Porsche 917, rammed Donohue multiple times, sending the Ferrari into the pits for repairs. Once again, the pit crew managed to get the car back on the track, where it finished sixth.

Shipped to France for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Ferrari 512 M was considered an underdog against the long-tailed Porsche 917s, which had a speed advantage over the Ferrari. Alas, the Sunoco team barely got a chance to prove itself: the 512 M retired with engine failure on Saturday evening.

Finally, it was back to the United States for the Watkins Glen 6 hours. Donohue was leading in the 54th lap when a broken steering knuckle sent him into the pits and out of the race. The Penske team came back the next day to run the car in the Watkins Glen Can Am race but the car’s original racing days were over.

Despite its misfortunes on the track, the Sunoco Ferrari 512 M and the team that ran it remain among the most important racing stories of the 1970s. At a time when racing teams paid little attention to “spit and polish,” Roger Penske demanded that his cars and his teams be precise, disciplined, and spotless. Remove bad luck from the equation and this insistence on excellence would’ve paid off. As it is, it still changed the world of motorsports, as other teams quickly realized that they would have to change their own operations if they hoped to compete successfully in the long term.

*********************
An exhaust leak at Daytona 24 took 6 hours in segments to fix and Mark Donohue still took 3rd.
When a car crashed into the 512, Penske took shop broom handles and duct tape to make a frame under the front end
so the car could finish the race.

senor honda

The BF Goodrich Radial "Tirebird"

senor honda

[h=2]1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am[/h] STOCK NUMBER 3582
VIN
72AS18

Engine
305 CI CHEVROLET V8

Transmission
4 SPEED MANUAL

Drivetrain
RWD


MILEAGE
N/A

Exterior Color
BLUE

Interior Color
BLACK

Interior Surface
VINYL



[h=3]HIGHLIGHTS[/h] First production car to win a race using radial tires
Raced in Trans-Am, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring
Built by Jerry Titus' TG Racing
Recognized by the Historic Trans-Am Registry
Fully restored to a concours standard by Mark Mountanos

[h=3]OVERVIEW[/h] 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
VIN: 72AS18

In the days before our modern 186-mph Y-rated tires, street tires were street tires, and race tires were race tires, and never the two shall meet - until the T/A. The B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A was the first American-made tire that was DOT rated, and also had SCCA approval for track competition. In order to prove the new tire had what it took, B.F. Goodrich looked for a team and a series to run a street tire in professional competition. They found a perfect partner in Terry Godsall and Jerry Titus' T/G Racing. They had built a trio of Pontiac Firebirds for the 1970 season. At the end of the season papers were signed, and the Firebirds became Tire Birds. This car was the third of three cars built by Jerry Titus' T/G Racing for the 1970 Trans-Am season.

Driven by Canadian champion John Cordts, Don Pike, and Larry Dent, this car was raced in Trans-Am, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and SCCA events. B.F. Goodrich took stock T/As and shaved off half the tread and had them put on the 3,200 lbs racecar. This Firebird eventually became the first production car to win a race using radial tires with a class win at Watkins Glen. At the 24 Hours of Daytona they moved up 14 places in the first 5 hours, but the 303 ci Pontiac V8 would let go early in the morning on Sunday, ending their race. They proved their point though, being the first street tire ever to run at Daytona.

After Daytona the Firebird would become a Camaro. The team had already convinced the SCCA to allow this car to run with a Chevrolet engine instead of the problematic Pontiac engine based on the fact that Canadian Firebirds could be delivered with Chevrolet engines. As a precaution the car was converted to Camaro bodywork in time for the 12 Hours of Sebring. It remained in Camaro trim for the remainder of its active racing career.

At the conclusion of Godsall's contract with B.F. Goodrich the car was sold to Alfie Ruys de Perez, and was raced by him in the 1972 Trans-Am season with assistance from Mo Carter's team. He recorded a top speed of 187 mph during his time with the car.

Its final professional stint would be with Canadian Don Clement who campaigned the car in IMSA and CSCC events. Don Clement would advertise the car for sale in February 1980.

This car has been restored to a very high concours standard by Trans-Am specialist Mark Mountanos and his team. The attention to detail down to the nut and bolt level is second to none. A huge collection of documentation, historic photographs, and interviews with Titus team members has insured a proper period correct restoration. The car has participated in just seven races since the restoration was complete including the Monterey Historics.

Today the car is in spectacular condition, fully sorted, and race ready. Last owned by a prominent west coast collector and vintage racer it has always had top quality care and preparation. The car looks as if the restoration had been completed yesterday.

The car has only three race weekends since a complete race-prep. Tony Oddo built the Chevy engine which has only 12 hours of track time, and produced 485.1 hp and 377.6 torque on the dyno. The T10 transmission has been completely rebuilt by Tex Racing.

senor honda

I saw this car raced at the Daytona 24. They were very hard working, and if the Pontiac
engine had lasted, they may have done well.

senor honda

BFG Radial Tirebird