The idea occured to John Bishop back in 1970. The RS category would be based on limited modifications to the cars. This new race series should feature :
Compacts and sub-compacts Restrictive rules Low-cost preparation Roll cages Big fields Close racing Street radial tires
The Baby Grand series was created in 1971 to provide an inexpensive entry [...]
It was the last 1982 race, and John Paul Jr had dominated the IMSA season as no one ever did before. He had clinched the championship but wanted to win that race for one good reason : he could become the first American driver to win the Porsche Cup. [...]
Harald von Keszycki wanted to build a really fast car out of a Porsche 914/6. In fact, his car was one of the 50 which were designed to run under the group 4 FIA rules. He purchased the car from Erwin Kremer, who had found the 914/6 no longer [...]
Caught by the racing bug early in his life, Phil Currin's life seems to have been dedicated to racing. He has spent most of his life building race cars and running them. His childhood probably helped a lot as his father held a Dodge dealership. He would deal with engines [...]
The Camel Grand Prix was to take place in Sears Point, California. The twisty and hot track would display an interesting field of cars. The race should also be very close, as the 1991 rules were introduced and applicable immediately. They would allow the Porsche 962s to get a [...]
The 1993 season was the last GTP season so far. This concept went to an abrupt end when it came to think about the future. The GTP cars were fast, spectacular and exciting, but the rising costs compelled the IMSA staff to drastically rewrite the rules. They had no [...]
The next race was to take place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time, on 18th april. Seventeen cars would show up, with only seven GTPs facing nine Lights and one WSC. Still undefeated in 1993, the track seemed perfectly suited to the Eagle Toyota MKIIIs abilities. [...]
It would be the last GTP season, and it seemed that the IMSA Championship was already doomed. NPTI had withdrawn his Nissan NPT91 from the competition, and Gianpiero Moretti had purchased one of them. AAR seemed to be the sole entrant willing to earn yet another crown. This crown [...]
I wished to tell everybody that the mailing list that was offered to the fans is no longer available. The Zookoda website does not offer such service definitively, so I won't be able to send personalized email to the mailing list users. I wished to apologize for a decision which [...]
The twisty Californian track would host another GTP race in which Porsche still earned the lion's share. However, Nissan was beginning to set its mark with Geoff Brabham and Elliot Forbes Robinson setting some very good lap times at various tracks. The field was attractive, with twenty one cars [...]
These cars were the most advanced Corvettes ever built. The names were John Paul Sr, Greg Pickett, Rich Sloma, RV Schulnburg, Joe Chamberlain, Richard Valentine, Rick Hay, Larry Stephens, Jerry Brassfield or Ray McIntyre. Each car was specifically built and very different.
John Paul Sr purchased the second [...]
The next race was scheduled at New Orleans street circuit. With eighteen cars entered, the field was almost the same which could be seen at every track. The prognosis was : one Jaguar XJR14 driven by Davy Jones facing two Toyota Eagle MKIIIs. Juan Fangio and PJ Jones were [...]
The next race was the Contac 12 Hours of Sebring. A forty eight car field was to be displayed, which was your typical IMSA one. AAR had brought two Eagle Toyota MKIII, and the team was now aiming at the overall win. Juan Fangio was teaming with Andy Wallace while [...]
It was to be a season of revelations. Nissan was having a hard time keeping his cars up to date, and Toyota had a new weapon in the name of the Eagle Mark III. Jaguar would try to make for a very disappointing 1991, with more wins than ever, [...]
Hugh Kleinpeter purchased chassis 1603, then entered it in IMSA racing by the end of 1974. He was no newcomer to racing, and had entered many international events before. He was a true Pantera fanatic, and he purchased a 1971 car, which he modified extensively. He replaced the body with [...]
It was the fourth race of the season. A very colorful field of forty cars was to be displayed to the Californians. It would be a sensational battle too. The AAGT class was in its heyday, with four cars defending the class. It would provide an interesting challenge. The previous [...]
Paul Newman passed away on 27th september 2008. He was 83 and suffered from a lung cancer. A true gentleman, he was a worldwide renowned actor. An actor who enjoyed a great career, but he nurtured a passion for auto racing, and he then became a very good race driver. [...]
The next race was to be held at Watkins Glen, but it was no longer a 6Hour race. It was a 2H30 race which was held on the short course. Twenty three cars were entered, with the usual top cars ready to fight again. The track was extremely fast and [...]
The next race was due to take place in Miami, on the street circuit which had been christened the previous year. Twenty five cars would make it to the track. Two Nissan NPT90s, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson would face two Jaguar XJR10s driven by Davy Jones and [...]
The 1991 season was to be a 1990 repeat for the title, but this time Nissan won thanks to its consistency. Unlike the other seasons, the Japanese manufacturer had to face a very strong opposition. Jaguar, Toyota, Porsche and Intrepid were all strong contenders and won races. It was by [...]
The car ended up its story at the end of the 1987 IMSA season as it was no longer eligible. Does anyone know anything about a car that nearly experience any dnf? While it may sound as extraordinary, this car did exist. Was it a megabucks car? No, it just [...]
He graduated from Cornell University, then was a captain in the US Army. Then, he worked for Roger Penske's racing team as a mechanic and fluids specialist. Then he became a stockbroker, but he absolutely hated it, and he left his job very soon.
He did so until 1968, when [...]
It was round five of the 1986 championship, and the first race on the west coast. It featured a fifty four car field, with some new cars to be seen at this somewhat shortlived track. Very dusty and dangerous, it would be withdrawn from the racing scene two years later. [...]
The second generation of Chevrolet Corvette racers would appear in 1971. From the beginning of the series, theses cars were running for the overall. Running with V8 engines, with 7,0L or 7,5L displacement, they could rely on 500hp or so. The most prominent car, in 1972, was the Dana English [...]
This post is essentially a tribute to one of the most beloved car in the US : the Chevrolet Corvette.
The Chevrolet Corvette has always been an American favorite, from the spectator's point of view. The car has been introduced in 1956, and became an icon right from the beginning. The [...]
The race was to take place on a very short and crowded track. The Meadowlands circuit was probably the shorter one ever used in IMSA. It attracted a thirty car field, which meant that it would bring some very close racing. The 1990 season was highlighted by the fact that [...]
The next race was due to take place at Watkins Glen, for the Camel Continental race. Twenty cars would be entered, which was a very scant figure. Two Nissan NPT90s were entered for the first time, which was an achievement for the NPTI team. Geoff Brabham and Derek Daly were [...]
The next race was due to take place at Road Atlanta, on a very fast course. A twenty three car field was to take the green, and three Nissan ZX T GTPs were entered. The two usual NPTI cars were backed by the Busby Racing car. Geoff Brabham and Derek [...]
It would be the year John Bishop and his wife would retire, as they sold their interests to Mike Cone and Jeff Parker. The IMSA would lose its original spirit, going downhill very rapidly. Racing was getting a Japanese business, as Nissan would sweep another Championship. Their sole valuable contender [...]
It would be the first sprint race of the 1973 season. The Porsche Carrera, which had been introduced early in the season, was to face a new challenge, in the name of the Horst Kwech entered Ford Capri. The race promised a lot. Forty six cars were entered, with a [...]
John Fitzpatrick was one of the best Porsche drivers. He began his career driving Touring cars in the ETCC. First it was Ford Escort, then BMW CSs and then Porsche 911s. He then became renowned for his expertise at driving the German machines. He was the 1972 European GT Champion, [...]
Hi everyone,
It's a great pleasure for me to introduce the brand new IMSA history forum, at IMSA forum.
This forum is aimed at gathering every information available about the IMSA Camel GT history. It will be the place every IMSA fan will want to visit, in order to share, talk [...]
Al Holbert has been immersed in auto racing when he was in his early twenties. He began his racing career working at Roger Penske's shop. He was part of Mark Donohue's crew in 1971. He learnt what he could and was involved in the car's development. He would move up [...]
It was the first race of the 1980 IMSA Camel GT Championship, and the race would be a success, as to the entry list, which was a huge one. Ninety three cars were listed, which was one of the biggest ever. Eighty five cars would eventually show up at the [...]
The next race race was scheduled at Portland. Twenty four cars would take the start of the race. Two Nissan ZX T GTPs were entered, driven by Geoff Brabham and Chip Robinson each driving one car. They would have to face two Jaguar XJR10s for the first time. Jan Lammers [...]
Bob Sharp was no newcomer to racing when he started thinking about the Datsun ZX Turbo project. He began racing Austin Healey Sprites and Lotus Seven cars around 1964, then working for Paul Bruck, who was a Rambler-Datsun dealer in Greenwich. He and friend Alan Wiley asked him if they [...]
The next race was to take place at Road Atlanta, which was a very fast course. The race featured an extremely poor starting field, with only sixteen cars showing up. Fortunately, every possible winner was not missing and you could expect a hot race. A single Nissan, driven by Geoff [...]
By 1989 the manufacturers were getting more and more involved in Sportscar racing. Gone were the days when one talented team of drivers could enter the Championship with a slightly modified GT car and hope to win some races. Each major team wanted to be part of this now famous [...]
Group 44 was the first team to introduce the Jaguar XJS into racing. British Leyland Inc had been impressed enough by the team's ability to prep and run the E type, which had won two SCCA B production titles. Bob Tullius was aware of the E type potential to win [...]
The Nissan Grand Prix of Miami, as it was dubbed, was the second race of the 1990 season. The race was to be a hard fought one, with NPTI anxiously willing to take revenge after the Daytona disaster. The IMSA series had changed a lot, with shrinking fields and TV [...]
He was your atypical racer. A corn and soya bean farmer, Carl Shafer began his professional career racing in the Trans Am series. He mainly drove Chevrolet Camaros, entered by Don Winters. Winding out some good results, he posted a fourth place at Road [...]
The race would sport a new name in 1992, and it was now called the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The teams had hard times, as it was just after the Gulf crisis, and the rising costs of racing had driven many independant teams out of racing. IMSA racing was [...]
It was the time when street legal Audis began to earn a very negative feedback, following a string of accidents caused by the cars capability to self-accelerate when you turned on the ignition key. Countless people sued Audi, whose cars were highly prized. Sales had fallen down to 23000, compared [...]
The next race was to take place at Portland International Raceway. It was a relatively fast track which suited well the Nissan potential speed. Twenty eight cars were entered, and for the first time, two Nissan ZX T GTP were entered. Geoff Brabham drove his usual car while John Morton [...]
The next race was to take place on a very fast track, which was Road Atlanta. Thirty one entries were to be registered. Only five Porsche 962s were entered, which the lowest figure so far. Holbert Racing had Chip Robinson and Derek Bell while Dyson Racing had the strong pair [...]
It would be the season of changes. In addition to a rules change introduced by John Bishop in order to even everyone's chances, it was clear that the series was on the move. The biggest news was the arrival of the works TWR Racing Jaguar XJR9s. The Porsche fleet had [...]
The very first IMSA program cover. A piece of history.
Courtesy Nick England
This was the first IMSA race ever, and it took place at the Virginia International Raceway course on April 18. The race featured a twenty four car field, which was the first of its [...]
Ford's involvement in IMSA racing became effective in 1980, with Walter Hayes, vice president of public affairs in Europe. He was transfered to Dearborn, Michigan and started to take actions to get Ford more racing prone. Michael Kranefuss, who ran Ford touring cars as well as he worked for Zakspeed, [...]
It was the second round of the IMSA 1985 Championship, and it was due to take place on a very critisized airport. The racetrack, which hosted World Championship events years before, was now a classical Camel GT venue. Many regular entrants would not make the trip to the Floridian airport, [...]
The very first Ferrari involved in an IMSA event was not a 365GTB4, but a Dino 246GT instead. This car was not very successful, as were not the Ferrari 365GTB4s. However, they brought IMSA the style needed to boost the series. Some teams did specialize in them, they were the [...]
Roger Mandeville made his debut in GTU in 1971, right through the beginning of the series. He has driven various types of cars, ranging from the Opel Kadett to Mazda RX2 or RX3. However, his beginnings were quite humble and he did participate in a few events. At that point [...]
With a new rules system introduced by John Bishop, the 1988 season was beginning with new hopes for normally aspirated engines. The main purpose of the new rules was to even the chances between the top competitors. Thus, with a new 57mm strap, it was the rpm limit that was [...]
This was to be a very special race as Grand National cars were allowed to enter the race. The organisation did allow these cars to provide the spectators with new cars. They thought that their renowned drivers would draw a better crowd, which was the case, with a 30000 spectators [...]
The next race was to be held at Road Atlanta, one of the fastest racetracks in the US. The previous year had seen the victory of the Chevrolet Corvette GTP, and it seemed that everything would go the same way as Sarel van der Merwe put again the Hendrick car [...]
If anybody had to be called Mister Corvette, it would undoubtedly be John Greenwood. He began to prepare Chevrolet Corvettes in his early twenties and built up a reputation of Corvette guru. His cars were always well prepared as well as good looking. In the early seventies, John Greenwood was [...]
