huh? Andy Wallace inaccuracy

[independent]

I am not normally a stickler for details but in this case I must post.

In a press release today I was reading today on the Grand Am official board, I came across this concerning Andy Wallace and Nextel Cup drivers teaming up for the 24:

"Wallace was on the winning team in 1990, 1997 and 1999 and is the only driver to win all three major road racing endurance events, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Sebring 12 Hours and LeMans 24 Hour. "

Of course all who have followed endurance racing for years have two or three names immediately pop into your heads. I have a pet peeve against racing history being misconstrued because it is a Sport of Legends and accomplishments. I then checked Andy's Homepage:



"I currently have over 16 years experience in sportscar racing. I am one of only a few of drivers worldwide who has won all three major endurance sportscar races (Le Mans 24 hours, Daytona 24 hours, Sebring 12 hours)"

It may seem miniscule to some but I see it as an insult to the drivers who have come before and have achieved this great milestone.

I would hope that in the future, the Grand Am webmasters would pay more attention to what they releasing to the public.

[paul-collins]

Cripes, Hurley Haywood's just down the pit lane!

[paul-collins]

Oh, I notice they've corrected it - "one of five drivers..."

So who are the other three?

[paul-collins]

So the five are Wallace and Haywood as mentioned, plus Ickx, Foyt, Oliver, and Holbert. Oh, and Phil Hill, if you count the early Daytona races - he won the first 12 hour version of the race.

So that's, ummm, seven.

[Fogelhund]

Hans Herrmann, Mauro Baldi,

[Megatron]

The Grand Am site usually has one or two botches in their press releases. I love it when they can't bother to have the " in quotes and it turns out with a ?

?The new car is quick?

I have seen that more than once with no attempt to correct it for days.

Dedicated aren't they?

[iucrmh]

Originally posted by paul-collins
So the five are Wallace and Haywood as mentioned, plus Ickx, Foyt, Oliver, and Holbert. Oh, and Phil Hill, if you count the early Daytona races - he won the first 12 hour version of the race.

So that's, ummm, seven.

Jacky Ickx hasn't won the 24 hours at Daytona, but he did win a 6 hour race there (I think with Mario Andretti).

[skycafe]

Ickx won 1972 6 Hour Race at Daytona with Mario in a Ferrari 312.

Robert

[The Badger]

Originally posted by skycafe
Ickx won 1972 6 Hour Race at Daytona with Mario in a Ferrari 312.

Robert

That was only quarter distance man !!! = to 1000KM race .

[independent]

actually, six hours = about 500 km

[The Badger]

Originally posted by independent
actually, six hours = about 500 km

Sorry mate , your wrong . The 1986 1000KM race at Brands Hatch was just over 6 hours

[EliseGT1]

Yep, just as the 2003 LMES Le Mans 1000kms, 6 hours as well

[The Badger]

I suppose it depends on what exactly your driving !!!

[Aysedasi]

Yep, 6 hours in a Debora is roughly equivalent to about 50 miles and 23 pit stops.........

[skycafe]

Originally posted by The Badger
That was only quarter distance man !!! = to 1000KM race .

The 1972 Daytona race was scheduled as a 6 Hour race. It was not shortened during the running, it was planned that way. The winning Ickx/Andretti Ferrari covered 738.24 miles, 1188.57 kilometers (I hope my math is correct). Average speed was 122.573 miles/hour. Car ran most of the race on only eleven cylinders. Source of information is one of my Daytona Programs.

Don't freak at the speed man. Two issues, infield was somewhat longer and faster, and there was no chicane used on the back straight. Straight run at full acceleration from entry point at beginning of Nascar One and all the way around to road course turn one, a full out distance of around two miles.

I have heard different reasons as to why the race was only scheduled for six hours. This was the first year of the Group 5 3 litre cars as top class and there was a concern over their long distance reliablity (Sebring was still 12 Hour, and Le Mans 24 Hours, and the same type of cars had run previous years in the shadow of Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512). The big supporter of the class was Ferrari, who won all World Champion events in '72, except Le Mans which they didn't contest and which was won by Matra. I don't think Ferrari wanted a 24 Hour race, worked on FIA and France (Daytona owner) and got their wish. France probably didn't trully understand sports car crowds at that point and probably looked at supporting a 24 Hour race at the physical plant as something of a pain. Figuring he could do six hours and avoid all the light bills and security costs. The race went back to 24 Hours the following year. It was not run at all in 1974, at any distance. Gas crunch year, and the 24 got sacrificed so the Daytona 500 wouldn't come under undue criticism-the '500' was shortened to 420 miles that year-I believe.

[skycafe]

Daytona 500 was shortened that year, and I believe the magic number was 420 miles, but I dont' know for sure and I am not looking it up.

By the way, I am happy to either fax or scan my source for Daytona program I dug out to defend this point, simply give me a request.

Also, as far as the source for the information about the shorter distance, I suggest you go to library and read old Road and Track magazines, and race article by Pete Lyons, by far the greatest motor sports writer that has ever put word to page. His articles about Daytona and Sebring put me as a young pup into another world, were not else mattered but sports cars running over long distances.