So in my search for lap times related to that McLaren crash thread, I found my way over to FerrariChat, where I stumbled on to this: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/post-your-best-lap-times.510170/ Okay, here's the deal, over the years I've posted pics and stories in other sections of FChat when asked to do so, but instead of just posting links here, I'll just give a quick synopsis for those who are interested. Here goes: The excerpt that Pete posted in this thread is from Brock Yate's story in the March '72 issue of Car and Driver. The part about our entry being a 1971 Caddy with 2,500 miles and driven to California for a NY businessman was the cover story concocted by Brock to protect us from potential liability. We actually drove a brand spanking new '72 Caddy Sedan DeVille (obtained under false pretenses from a NY driveaway agency) that a doctor from LA purchased from a NY dealership and wanted to have delivered from NY to his home in LA. The rules included not driving after 9 PM (or before 8 AM), not exceeding 75 mph, not eating in the car, etc., all of which were broken between the start of the race at the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street, just after midnight, and our entry into the Lincoln Tunnel, three minutes later. We hit 80 mph in mid-town Manhatten. NY to Columbus was done in 6 hours flat. As I mentioned, the speedo needle was resting on the 120 peg the entire 2,863 mile trip. Our speeding stops were all for speeds of 110 mph. Thus, unless our speedo was more accurate than police radar, we figured that 120 on the peg was really 110. Dan and Brock won in a '71 275 GTB/4 Daytona. I passed Dan during the ice storm in New Mexico when he and Brock stopped to deflate the Ferrari's tires for increased traction. Actually, when I passed Dan in the ice storm, the speedo was buried, so we were doing either 120 or 110. Crazy stuff! However our lead, which lasted through most of Arizona as well, was short-lived as Dan, who hailed from California, knew an alternate route enabling him to bring the Ferrari to speeds up to 175 mph. Their winning time was 35:54. Nevertheless, despite losing the race, I think I can safely say that I'm the only FChatter who not only passed Dan Gurney in an actual race, but passed him like he was standing still. As I mentioned, we finished third in 36:56, losing second place by 9 minutes, despite 15 fuel stops, the 6 police stops and a court appearance. BTW, the first of our 2 gunpoint arrests was for "stealing gas" (not really true, but hey it was a pit stop and we all know the importance of quick pit stops) and the second was for "threatening the life" of a gas station attendant (also not true, threatening to turn someone into a quadriplegic, wheelchair-bound for the rest of their life for impeding a pit stop, is technically not the same as threatening someone's life!). Tony Adamowicz and Oscar Koveleski were the guys that beat us by 9 minutes. They drove a Chevy van specially outfitted with enough gas on board---five 55 gallon fuel drums holding 298 gallons---linked together by a myriad of hoses so they could run non-stop. The van even had a set-up where oil could be added without stopping. Tony and Oscar were both Can-Am veterans, with 24 hour race credentials (Le Mans and Daytona). Additionally Tony, a graded FIA driver, was an IMSA and F5000 Champ. Yet, I wonder what would have happened if they had been required to make a sudden movement like we did when the Caddy had to be thrown sideways, while running flat out, to avoid hitting a deer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I doubt that their considerable combined experience, and Nomex driving suits, would have avoided a total disaster. As Stephen Smith, the Co-Editor of Car and Driver opined, "If they as much as coughed, it would have made Amchitka (the site of the last US underground nuclear detonation) look like a wet match." Luckily, they ran without incident. An interesting tidbit: Brock Yates' first choice for a co-driver for the Ferrari was Dan Gurney. However, while Dan thought that a cross-country race was a fantastic idea, he declined Brock's invite because he thought the race publicity could possibly tarnish his image. Brock then turned to his second choice, Phil Hill. Phil also thought it was a great idea but, get this, he told Brock that he couldn't participate because it was far too dangerous. Brock responded by telling Phil that, as a Formula One driver, he risked his life every time he was strapped into a F1 car, to which Phil replied that he still thought that racing over public roads was far more dangerous than driving a F1 car in a more controlled environment. Brock then turned to Don ("Big Daddy") Garlits, the perennial drag racing champion, who was an excellent road driver. Don had to decline because he had scheduled appearances that couldn't be cancelled. Then, on the virtual eve of the race, Dan Gurney called Brock and said he had a change of heart and would do it, and would fly to NYC in time for the start. I only learned the reason for Dan's change of heart a few years ago when Dan revealed that, after he had turned Brock down, he had gone to the hospital to visit with his terminally ill father-in-law who, after hearing about the proposed cross-country race and Brock's invitation for Dan to co-drive with him, advised Dan that "our time here on earth is way too short, so you should never let ANY opportunities slip by." Dan then accepted Brock's invitation. We should all abide by Dan's father-in-law's wisdom! As most of you already know, the race was the basis for the Cannonball Run movie and developed a huge cult following. For example, the 40th anniversary of the inaugural race was celebrated at the Amelia Island Concours in 2011. About 1,000 people paid to see the Cannonball seminar, and the line at the table set up for us to autograph Car and Driver cover posters, took about 3 hours. Fucking Epic!
Lookup VINwiki on the YouTube...Lots of Cannonball and 2904 stories including those from the current record holders. You'll also find the interesting story of the Whittington brothers there....
Planes on the back straight at night during race weekends.... Guns on the desk during track settlement...
Don't think so. He ran IMSA back in the day. Now he operates a private airport somewhere on the east coast of FL, iirc.
