Road America '500' - 1957

Might anyone have a programme or list of starters with race numbers for the big Elkhart Lake '500' meeting of 1957?

DCN

I have a "work in progess" list,very incomplete:

2 Lotus MkII P Wyllie / J Wyllie
6 Ferrari 500TRC 0658MDTR Lunken / J Kimberly
8 Maserati 300S Shelby
T Maserati 450S 4504 Kimberly
10 Ferrari 290MM 0616 Hively / Kilborn
15 Ferrari 500TR/625 Johnson / Bear
16 Ferrari 212E 0128E McConnell / Ulrich
22 Jaguar XKC Spl Loudon / Gatz
23 Porsche 550RS McCluggage / Levy
38 Mercedes 300SL Roadster O'Shea / Thomson
41 Ferrari 315S 0684 P Hill (in practice Ferrari 860M 0606M)
58 Excalibur Ullrich
61 Jaguar D type XKD605 Hansgen / Forno
62 Jaguar D type XKD507 Wallace / Gordon-Benett
63 Jaguar D type XKD506 Cunningham / Boss
T Jaguar D type
69 Porsche 550RS Crawford
83 Porsche 550RS
91 Ferrari 375MM 0364AM Lyeth / Goldman

AC Bristol
Aston Martin DBRS Carveth / Constantine
Chevrolet Corvette Haas / Roloson
Chevrolet Corvette Jeffords
Elva
Elva
Lotus Mk11 Smith
Lotus MkII Rosales / Merino
Lotus MkII Weiler / Donnelly
Lotus
Maserati 2l Kimberly / McAfee
Nash Healey Rosenberger
Porsche 550RS Berlin / Lowe
W.B.Spl Cook / Hallock
W.B.Spl

55 entered
52 starters
33 finished

Doug, hope this helps.
Tom

1. 41 Phil Hill, Ferrari 315-S
2. 8 Carroll Shelby, Maserati 300-S
3. 69 Ed Crawford, Porsche RS
4. 38 Dick Thompson/Paul O'Shea, Mercedes-Benz 300-SL roadster
5. 62 John Gordon Bennett/Charles Wallace, D Jaguar
6. 10 John Kilborn. Howard Hively, Ferrari 290-MM
7. 6 E B Lunken/Jim Kimberly, Ferrari 500 TR
8. 83 Don Berlin/James Lowe, Porsche RS
9. 54 Rod Carveth/George Constantine, Aston Martin DB3-S
10. 85 John Cook/Ralph Durbin, WB Special
11. 15 James Johnston/Roger Bear, Ferrari 2.5 TR
12. 32 John Haas/Bob Roloson, Ford Thunderbird
13. 2 MRJ Wyllie/Peg Wyllie, Lotus 11
14. 43 Don Skogmo/Bill Larsen. D Jaguar
15. 11 Jerry Earl/Jack Quackenbush, Corvette SR-2
16. 82 Bobby Donner/John Max Wolf, Porsche RS
17. 19 George Reed/Frank Rand. Porsche RS
18. 35 Charlie Kolb/Frank Baptista, Elva Mk II
19. 66 Warren Smith/Duncan Furlong, Lotus 11
20. 75 Allen Ross/J C Kilburn, Elva Mk I
21. 29. Charlie Cox/Russell Lee, Cooper T-39
22. 28 Pete Bunn/Bill Kimberly, Austin Healey 100
23. 26 Alex Ratelle/Chris Tanikla, Porsche RS
24. 68 Harry Carter/Evelyn Mull, Ace Bristol
25. 64 John Staver/Ed Grierson, Corvette
26. 16 Richard McConnell, Ferrari 2.6
27. 84 Edward Leverenz/Thomas Gilmour, MG A
28. 22 Robert Lenulin/Robert Gatz, Jaguar C
29. 98 Andy Rosenberger/Don Warren, Nash-Healey Le Mans
30. 94 Hugh Alexander/Dean Rollins, Corvette
31. 39 Trant Jarman/O H Grosse, Ace Bristol
32. 99 Glen Glendenning/Augie Pabst, Comet C-3
33. 51 Fred Vetter/Bill Tannhaueser, Elva Mk I
dnf 19 Gene Baker/Howard Fairbanks, Allard
dnf 65 Rafael Rosales/Victor Moreno, Lotus 11
dnf 44 W E Aldrich-Ames/Bill Bowman, Lotus 11
dnf 58 Frank Beich/Hal Ulrich, Excalibur SJ
dnf 1 Robert Weiler/Robert Donnelly, Lotus 11
dnf 23 Denise McCluggage/Ruth Levy, Porsche RS
dnf 18 John Moore/Wilfred Gray, Kurtis
dnf 61 Walt Hansgen, D Jaguar
dnf 21 Lloyd Barton, Porsche Spl
dnf 91 Rich Lyeth/Max Goldman, Ferrari 375
dnf 76 C W Brantinghaus, Kieft
dnf 72 Jack Baker, El Toro II
dnf 92 Dave Causey, Lotus 11
dnf 89 William Wilson, Austin-Healey/Chev
dnf 57 Jack Manting, Porsche 550
dnf 46 Jim Jeffords, Corvette
dnf 5 Jack McAfee, Maserati 200-S
dnf 49 Mike Ward, Elva
dnf 63 Briggs Cunningham/Russ Boss, D Jaguar

Thank you both, very much indeed. Unfortunately the references pose more questions for me than they answer when it comes to identifying photos of Gullwing Mercedes, a Cooper 'Bobtail', Porsches and assorted Ferraris and Jaguars - allegedly at that event. I presume there was some kind of support race in the programme? Yes, no?

DCN

With the RA Historian result, I have up dated my list:

1 Lotus MkII Weiler / Donnelly
2 Lotus Mk11 P Wyllie / J Wyllie
5 Maserati 200S Kimberly / McAfee
6 Ferrari 500TRC 0658MDTR Lunken / J Kimberly
8 Maserati 300S 3071 Shelby
NP Maserati 450S 4504 Kimberly
10 Ferrari 290MM 0616 Hively / Kilborn
11 Corvette SR-2 Earl / Quackenbush
15 Ferrari 500TR/625 Johnston / Bear
16 Ferrari 212E 0128E McConnell / Ulrich
18 Kurtis Moore / Gray
?19 Porsche RS Reed / Rand
?19 Allard Baker / Fairbanks
21 Porsche Spl Barton
22 Jaguar XKC Spl Loudon / Gatz
23 Porsche 550RS McCluggage / Levy
26 Porsche RS Ratelle / Tanikla
28 Austin Healey 100 Bunn / Kimberly
29 Cooper T-39 Cox / Lee
32 Ford Thunderbird John Haas / Bob Roloson (Chevrolet Corvette Haas / Roloson ?)
35 Elva MkII Kolb / Baptista
38 Mercedes 300SL Roadster O'Shea / Thomson
39 ACe Bristol Jarman / Grosse
41 Ferrari 315S 0684 P Hill in practice 41 Ferrari 860M 0606M P Hill
43 Jaguar D type XKD536 Skogmo / Larsen
44 Lotus 11 Aldrich-Ames / Bowman
46 Chevrolet Corvette Jeffords
49 Elva Ward
51 Elva MkI Vetter / Tannhaueser
54 Aston Martin DBRS Carveth / Constantine
57 Porsche 550 Manting
58 Excalibur Beich / Ullrich
61 Jaguar D type XKD605 Hansgen / Forno
62 Jaguar D type XKD507 Wallace / Gordon-Benett
63 Jaguar D type XKD506 Cunningham / Boss
NP Jaguar D type
64 Chevrolet Corvette Staver / Grierson
65 Lotus MkII Rosales / Merino (Moreno?)
66 Lotus 11 Smith / Furlong
68 ACe Bristol Carter / Mull
69 Porsche 550RS Crawford
72 El Toro II Baker
75 Elva Mk1 Ross / Kilburn
76 Kieft Brantinghaus
83 Porsche 550RS Berlin / Lowe
85 W.B.Spl Cook /Durbin (Cook / Hallock ?)
82 Porsche RS Donner / Wolf
84 MG A Leverenz / Gilmour
89 Austin Healey Chevy Wilson
91 Ferrari 375MM 0364AM Lyeth / Goldman
92 Lotus 11 Causey
94 Chevrolet Corvette Hugh Alexander / Dean Rollins
98 Nash Healey Rosenberger / Warren
99 Comet C-3 Glendenning / Pabst
? W.B.Spl

The saturday,two support race:
Race 1:F Production,G Production and H Modified.
Race 2:GT ?
in SCCA magazine
race 2 report:"The lone 300SL,of John Middleton ended up in the dead car park"
RA500 report:"....left the bob-tailed Cooper Climax of Chas.Cox a little morose,but some fast work by his pitmen enabled Cox to join the pack at the first corner."

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Thank you both, very much indeed. Unfortunately the references pose more questions for me than they answer when it comes to identifying photos of Gullwing Mercedes, a Cooper 'Bobtail', Porsches and assorted Ferraris and Jaguars - allegedly at that event. I presume there was some kind of support race in the programme? Yes, no?

DCN

Can you list the numbers or show photos of the cars you are trying to identify?

Vince H.

Yes, of course. I can't post the photos but I can certainly list cars and numbers in question:

Silver-grey Cooper-Climax 'Bobtail' sports - No 23

Dark blue or black Jaguar D-Type (with angry eyes painted on headlight covers and a white/red design around the radiator air intake imitating a red mouth with sharp-pointed teeth! (Hardly distinctive at all then?) - wearing No 12.

Packard-engined Allard J2X(ish) - No 1

Headrest-finned red Corvette SR - No 19

White sports Ferrari - No 7

Silver Porsche 550 - driver in bright red helmet - No 72

Bright yellow Porsche 550 with red flashing extending back over fender tops from headlights - driver wearing matching yellow helmet with similar red flash over centreline (I wonder if this is the Levy/McLuggage girls' car) - not No 23 but No 73 in this instance...????

'Gullwing' Mercedes - silver - No 33 - one of at least three 'Gullwing' Coupes in this race

Did Gus Andrey ran a polished aluminium-bodied Lotus 11? No number visible.

White, cream or pale yellow D-Type Jaguar - only first digit of race number visible - a 2

Pretty sure John Fitch in a Cunningham D-Type - but running race No 58 - which in 1957 could only be Lime Rock on April 28...it would appear - unless this pic is from 1956???? Perhaps that's part of the problem. Are these Elkhart 1956???

DCN

Doug:
If all photos are of the same race, it can't be 1956 since the 1957 SR2 prevents it. It can't be RA in June or September 1958 since the Cunningham team ran Listers. It isn't the 1957 June Sprints or the 1957 500, so it can't be Road America.

At least if the SR2 has a headrest. In 1956 an SR2 was raced by Dick Thompson without a headrest but a small fin on the trunk.

There was no RA 500 in 1956, it was the Road America 6 Hours then. John Fitch ran one of Cunningham D-types, Reventlow had a silver bobtail Cooper, Bob Fergus a silvery Porsche RS, Ernie Erickson a yellow D-type, and Paul O'shea and Phil Hill shared a MB 300SL. Ted Boynton ran a white #7 2-liter Ferrari.

The black D-type may be Loyal Katskee's, the yellow Porsche Art Bunker's


all research Willem Oosthoek

Thanks Jerry - curiouser, and curiouser...

DCN

Jerry/Willem -
Did RA in that period host divisionals or regionals or even smaller events than the ones you mention?

David:

Just three events in 1956:

- the June 23-24 June Sprints
- the August 12-13 NASCAR race
- the September 9-10 Six Hours

Based on Doug's description, I feel that virtually all of the cars could have participated in the 6 Hours, especially since Loyal Katskee's D-Jag was described as a black "Flying Tigers" D-J, plus he typically used #12 on his cars. Erickson's yellow D-type carried #27, so that would fit too. The only thing that puzzles me is the SR2 described as "with headrest and fin". I only have photos of the car in 1956 without headrest, and shallow fin attached to the rear deck. But then not all photos may have been taken at the same event.

Also, the photos were probably taken during two races held on the September 9-10 weekend, a 300-miler on Saturday for smaller modifieds [under 2-liter, meaning FM and under] and production cars up to EP, and Sunday's 6 Hours for the big iron, plus CP and DP, the latter won by the O'Shea/Hill 300SL.


all research Willem Oosthoek.

Originally posted by David McKinney
Jerry/Willem -
Did RA in that period host divisionals or regionals or even smaller events than the ones you mention?

No. Back then Clif Tufte promoted using the "big event" idea, just two (3 in 1956 and 1960) races a year, big, National, spectator events. He did allow the track to be used for a non-spectator event in October, 1959, which was the first "Oktober Rennen", an annual event run by the Milwaukee Region at various Milwaukee area tracks for the next dozen years or so. However, that event does not factor into this discussion.

I agree with Jerry and Willem that the descriptions seem to match up best with the 1956 Six Hour event, run in September of that year.

The SR-2 photo may be out of sequence. As mentioned, the SR-2 ran without a headrest, but with a small fin, as a C Modified car in 1956. In 1957 the headrest and fin were added and the car was raced by Jerry Earl. It was metallic purple with white and silver trim. This car was purchased by Jim Jeffords and used sparingly by him in 1958, with the best result being a win at the Milwaukee SCCA Regional in May. The purple color was adopted by Nickey Chevrolet for the BP Corvette they were running for Jeffords.

Tom

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Yes, of course. I can't post the photos but I can certainly list cars and numbers in question:

Silver-grey Cooper-Climax 'Bobtail' sports - No 23 - 4 Hr., 4th oa, GM 1; 6 Hr., DNF, L. Reventlow/R. Ginther

Dark blue or black Jaguar D-Type (with angry eyes painted on headlight covers and a white/red design around the radiator air intake imitating a red mouth with sharp-pointed teeth! (Hardly distinctive at all then?) - wearing No 12. - 6 Hr., DNF, L. Katskee/R. Miller

Packard-engined Allard J2X(ish) - No 1 - 6 Hr., DNF, W. Gray/T. McGrade

Headrest-finned red Corvette SR - No 19 - 6 Hr., DNF, J. Earl/R. Goldich

White sports Ferrari - No 7 - 6 Hr., 4th OA, EM 1, T. Boynton/R. Ballenger

Silver Porsche 550 - driver in bright red helmet - No 72 - 4 Hr., 3rd OA, FM 3; 6 Hr., 9th OA, EM 3, J. Manting/M. Ward

Bright yellow Porsche 550 with red flashing extending back over fender tops from headlights - driver wearing matching yellow helmet with similar red flash over centreline (I wonder if this is the Levy/McLuggage girls' car) - not No 23 but No 73 in this instance...???? - 4 Hr., 5th OA, FM 4; 6 Hr., 14th OA, EM 4, A. Bunker/D. Duncan

'Gullwing' Mercedes - silver - No 33 - one of at least three 'Gullwing' Coupes in this race - 6 Hr., 8th OA, DP 1, P. O'Shea/P. Hill (I believe my friend Rudy Koniczek restored this car a few years ago; I interviewed Phil Hill at Seattle at that time about the car and about George Tilp. Let me know if you'd like a transcription)

Did Gus Andrey ran a polished aluminium-bodied Lotus 11? No number visible. - two Lotus listed, one in FM, another in GM

White, cream or pale yellow D-Type Jaguar - only first digit of race number visible - a 2; 6 Hr, probably E. Erickson/F. Bott, 5th OA, CM 4

Pretty sure John Fitch in a Cunningham D-Type - but running race No 58 - 6 Hr., 2nd OA, CM 2, B. Cunningham/J. Fitch - which in 1957 could only be Lime Rock on April 28...it would appear - unless this pic is from 1956???? Perhaps that's part of the problem. Are these Elkhart 1956???

DCN

All results above from the SCCA National Newsletter, September 30, 1956. The race appears to be the Road America National Championship Races, September 8/9, 1956, 4 Hours for small bore, 6 Hours for large bore (FM and GM cars allowed to run in Class EM to fill the field). Thank you, Bob Norton!

Vince H.

n°7 is Ferrari 500TR 0622MDTR Ted Boynton and Bob Ballenger.

Jean, le chassis de:
Jim Johnston/Roger Bear 500 TR/625 LM "0612MDTR" N°15

et quelle est cette voiture:
n° 6 Ferrari 212E 0128E McConnell / Ulrich

merci

Salut Bruno,
n°16,c'est une 212 Export berlinetta,ma source est Cavallino 152 p51,il y a une photo 3/4 arrière.

merci Jean

This thread jumps around so much that it is hard to stay focused.
First the SR-2s were 1956 Corvettes, not 1957. In the Sep 1957 Elkhart Lake, could I suggest that Corvette #11 driven by Earl/Quackenbush might not have been the SR2 but another Corvette Special. Note that the car is running C Sports - whereas the larger displacement SR-2 would have competed in B Sports in 1957 - check the class of #46 - the Jeffords entry. I suspect that this may have been the "test drive" for the SR-2 that Jeffords/Nickey campaigned during the 1958 season.

Originally posted by Loren Lundberg
This thread jumps around so much that it is hard to stay focused.
First the SR-2s were 1956 Corvettes, not 1957. In the Sep 1957 Elkhart Lake, could I suggest that Corvette #11 driven by Earl/Quackenbush might not have been the SR2 but another Corvette Special. Note that the car is running C Sports - whereas the larger displacement SR-2 would have competed in B Sports in 1957 - check the class of #46 - the Jeffords entry. I suspect that this may have been the "test drive" for the SR-2 that Jeffords/Nickey campaigned during the 1958 season.

The SR-2 had a 283 so it would have been CM. I cannot comment directly on the 57 500 entry of Jerry Earl, as I did not see that race, being a young lad whose parents were not interested in driving him to the track. However, two weeks after the RA 500 that year Jerry Earl ran a metallic purple SR-2 at the Milwaukee track in an SCCA Regional. That I did see, and Earl was definitely in an SR-2. Further, at this Milwaukee race the SR-2 was in CM, so it had a 283. Hence, the Earl car at the 500 was the SR-2. It is my understanding that Jeffords bought this car over the winter and drove it for the first time at Sebring in March, 1958.
Tom

In post 13, the drivers of the cars Doug was asking about are identified, except for the Lotus. However, they are identified as additions to Doug's quote, so some of you may not have noticed. These also seem to agree with what Tom and Willem were saying about the 1956 race.

Vince H.

Originally posted by RA Historian
The SR-2 had a 283 so it would have been CM. I cannot comment directly on the 58 500 entry of Jerry Earl, as I did not see that race, being a young lad whose parents were not interested in driving him to the track. However, two weeks after the RA 500 that year Jerry Earl ran a metallic purple SR-2 at the Milwaukee track in an SCCA Regional. That I did see, and Earl was definitely in an SR-2. Further, at this Milwaukee race the SR-2 was in CM, so it had a 283. Hence, the Earl car at the 500 was the SR-2. It is my understanding that Jeffords bought this car over the winter and drove it for the first time at Sebring in March, 1958.
Tom

Perhaps that's why it's hard to keep track - where is ANYTHING stated about the "58 500"?????
In 1956, production Corvettes ran in C Production, altered 283s ran in C Modified. By the Sept 1956 6 hour, the SR2 had received an upgrade to the level of the modified 1956 at Sebring (Fitch, et al) that was a 307 cu in.
In 1957, the class structure was changed, with production Corvettes now appearing in B Production, etc. Take note that the National Champion in 1957 B Sports was J.E. "Eb" Rose in what had been the Bill Mitchell SR2.

SR-2 Corvette
This car was run by Ebb Rose in this picture

All this makes one wonder how many SR-2 were actually built.

Van Valkenburgh mentions that how Harley Earl prepared a 'stylish' Sebring Racer [SR-2] for Dick Thompson to run in 1956 SCCA amateur races, the caption of Thompson in the #144 car with shallow fin only, right in the middle of the trunk lid. Thompson ran the car in the 1956 June Sprints.

Ludvigsen shows us a color photo in his book with the metallic blue #144 car next to a red SR-2, which does have the full headrest/fin treatment, so these were different cars. According to Karl the first version was built in May/June 1956, with low fin on the rear deck, for Jerry Earl, Harley's son. The red version with full headrest/fin was built in the fall of 1956 and may have been the version used in the September 1956 RA 6 Hours.

Then at Daytona and Sebring in 1957 another SR2 shows up, technically more adavanced. After Sebring this car went to Ebb Rose in Houston, who raced it successfully in the Southwest, while Jeffords raced his purple version in the Midwest. Does this add up to three cars or was the first one used up in the production of one of the two headrest versions?
all research Willem Oosthoek
photo Richard Macon

Earl drove a few laps at the June 56 Sprints, then pulled in to put Thompson in the seat in hopes of getting a more accurate picture of what was needed. This version was the small center mounted fin, which later appeared on the Styling SR-2 (non-performace) that was done for Harlow Curtice. By the time the car returned to GM, Mitchell's car was being completed with the high fin and Earl's car was re-equipped with the high fin also. Weight was removed where possible, engine size increased, etc. Mitchell's car would appear at Nassau in December 1956, also equipped with an early version of Corvette fuel injection. Mitchell's car also appeared at 1957 Sebring and thereafter was campaigned by Eb Rose to the B Sports National Points championship. (Jerry - any chance that the photo you furnished has a "6" on the other side of the trunk?)

Both of the SR-2s were 56s sitting at Detroit dealership when Harley cut his deal with Jerry. Jerry picked the car up and drove it to Styling/Engineering and got out of the way (VINs were 2522 & 2532). A number of pictures exist of the rebuilding. (The dealer for Mitchell's car remains unknown.)

Rich Mason of Carson City NV owns the Earl car and vintage raced it at Monterey and elsewhere for 15-20 years. I was there at a Carlisle "racers reunion" when Jim Jeffords told Rich about the race where he was "extra aggressive" with braking and managed to back a Halibrand knock-off OFF the car. I believe it's accurate to say that from that time on, Rich paid extra attention to saftey wires......

Front View of Ebb Rose Corvette SR-2

Loren: These are the only two pictures I have of the car. I don't have one of the right hand side.

Jesse Ebb Rose always raced his SR2, as well as his later Maserati 300S, with the race number 46.
research Willem Oosthoek.
photo Richard Macon

Originally posted by Loren Lundberg

Perhaps that's why it's hard to keep track - where is ANYTHING stated about the "58 500"?????

My mistake. I meant 57 and have edited my earlier post.
Tom