Indycars in the UK - 1978

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

I believe Pancho Carter had one in a Lightning early 1979 and finished races at Atlanta International Raceway in April 1979.

(sorry - I just had to do that, didn't I?)

Allen

Pancho only drove Indy in seventynine, perhaps you mean someone else.

Bob

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

Pancho only drove Indy in seventynine, perhaps you mean someone else.

Bob

I'm talking about these two races:

http://www.oldracingcars.com/results...sp?RaceID=Y79D
http://www.oldracingcars.com/results...sp?RaceID=Y79E

As ever, I'm happy to be corrected. That's how we move forward.

Allen

[Bob Riebe]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

I'm talking about these two races:

http://www.oldracingcars.com/results...sp?RaceID=Y79D
http://www.oldracingcars.com/results...sp?RaceID=Y79E

As ever, I'm happy to be corrected. That's how we move forward.

Allen

Well now you have me getting curious.
The Motorsport site obviously missed the races Pancho ran in '79 besides Indy, but they list him running a Cosworth at all three Atlanta races.(If you go to results at individual tracks, not driver history)

What source did you use that lists the first two as Drake V8s?

I believe you are correct, but then what engine did he actually use in the third race.
Bob

[allenbrown]

My data has the same roots as their data - i.e. Phil Harms - but the dataset was enhanced by Michael Ferner before it reached me. I've checked the data Michael sent me and he has noted the Drake V8 as his addition to Phil's data. I trust Michael - he wouldn't have added that information if he hadn't been sure.

At the September Atlanta, Carter used a Morales Lightning with a standard Drake Offy.

Allen

[Lightning Bug]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

On the link provided by Vitesse it states "Entrants determined by special qualification session during fall Michigan race."

Maybe some of the other top line teams didn't fancy a trip over the pond? Anyway what we got was entertainment and I still remember Gordon Johncock in the Wildcat, Salt Walther in the McLaren, Spike Gelhausen in the Eagle and the rest.

I think they were decided by a qualification session (at Trenton) in July, because IIRC they announced the 16 qualifiers over the PA at the British Grand Prix meeting in July. Might be wrong but that's how I remember it - I guess they'd have needed to do it a couple of months in advance because maybe it was the first time some of the Americans ever needed to get a passport!

If any of the leading runners didn't make it, it would most likely have been because of problems in that qualifying session rather than not wanting to go to the UK.