12 replies to this topic

[ssperka]

I ran across an advert in a 1966 issue of CP&A for a car being sold by a person/team I can't find any information on. Following is the ad for a Lola T70 by Melcher Racing of Houston, Texas. I managed to find a Louisiana sports car race write-up in a 1963 issue with Melcher Racing racing a Kurtis-Chevy. The driver Melcher was mentioned several times, but never with a first name. Does anyone know anything about this team, driver, or the Lola T70? Thank you,, in advance.

[layabout]

I ran across an advert in a 1966 issue of CP&A for a car being sold by a person/team I can't find any information on. Following is the ad for a Lola T70 by Melcher Racing of Houston, Texas. I managed to find a Louisiana sports car race write-up in a 1963 issue with Melcher Racing racing a Kurtis-Chevy. The driver Melcher was mentioned several times, but never with a first name. Does anyone know anything about this team, driver, or the Lola T70? Thank you,, in advance.

There was a Leroy Melcher from the Houston area who had a T70 & I thought he was the driver. I'll look through some of my Lola books to see if I can find anything.

[Cynic2]

I remember the name from SWDiv SCCA, and I have some photos from SWDiv races in 1966 -1969. I'll try to go through them, and scan any images I find.

[ssperka]

There was a Leroy Melcher from the Houston area who had a T70 & I thought he was the driver. I'll look through some of my Lola books to see if I can find anything.

I have found a Leroy Welcher Jr. from the Houston area during this period. He drove Ferrari TR 0758TR, I believe. Are we confusing 2 different drivers with similar sounding name? There is a photo of his TR (the name is spelled on the car fender, so no confusion there)on FerrariChat along with another shot of a T70, which, I believe is the same one Hansgen/Donohue drove at the 1965 Road America 500. Certain details in the paint job are identical, so let's not confuse this obvious Mecom car with Melcher's car. Not likely the same.

[Jerry Entin]

SSperka: This comes from Willem Oosthoek:

"I have never heard of a LeRoy Welcher, but the name LeRoy Melcher Jr is a familiar one. He shows up in my files for the first time as the owner of the FoMoCo 2/Ford, a brutal special in which Jack Saunders won the July 1963 Galveston Regional for him.

LeRoy's dad was a wealthy Houston philanthropist, having made his money running brokerage and food companies.

Melcher, Saunders and Mecom were all good friends in Houston. Saunders raced for Mecom later on [Lola T70 and Scarab]. I am not familiar with Melcher racing a T70, but apparently he did race a Lotus 30 by the mid 60s.

It is possible that Mecom sold his T70 and 250TR to Mercher after focusing on Indy car racing. Or Melcher could have just raced the old 250TR for Mecom, by then an uncompetitive car. As for the chassis number of the 250TR in the photo [which I have not seen], I doubt it was chassis 0758, which had no history in the U.S. More likely to have been chassis 0748, the former Gary Laughlin Ferrari. After Laughlin retired from competition in 1960, his chassis 0748 went, via Big Jim Hall in Houston, to Gary Wilson, who sold it to John Mecom after the 1963 season."

[Tim Murray]

According to this Lotus 30 article Melcher at one time raced chassis 30/L/8:

http://www.conceptca...us-Type-30.aspx

[ssperka]

SSperka: This comes from Willem Oosthoek:

"I have never heard of a LeRoy Welcher, but the name LeRoy Melcher Jr is a familiar one. He shows up in my files for the first time as the owner of the FoMoCo 2/Ford, a brutal special in which Jack Saunders won the July 1963 Galveston Regional for him.

LeRoy's dad was a wealthy Houston philanthropist, having made his money running brokerage and food companies.

Melcher, Saunders and Mecom were all good friends in Houston. Saunders raced for Mecom later on [Lola T70 and Scarab]. I am not familiar with Melcher racing a T70, but apparently he did race a Lotus 30 by the mid 60s.

It is possible that Mecom sold his T70 and 250TR to Mercher after focusing on Indy car racing. Or Melcher could have just raced the old 250TR for Mecom, by then an uncompetitive car. As for the chassis number of the 250TR in the photo [which I have not seen], I doubt it was chassis 0758, which had no history in the U.S. More likely to have been chassis 0748, the former Gary Laughlin Ferrari. After Laughlin retired from competition in 1960, his chassis 0748 went, via Big Jim Hall in Houston, to Gary Wilson, who sold it to John Mecom after the 1963 season."

I did mis-transfer the chassis number from the thread, going from memory, always a dangerous thing. It is as you state. Also, I may have mis-read the name on the side of the car. It is a fair photo, but not great. In the post accompanying the photo, the name "Leroy Welchel" was used, so I thought perhaps the poster had other resources not mentioned. Thank you so much for straightening things out, Willem and Jerry.

[Cynic2]

I did mis-transfer the chassis number from the thread, going from memory, always a dangerous thing. It is as you state. Also, I may have mis-read the name on the side of the car. It is a fair photo, but not great. In the post accompanying the photo, the name "Leroy Welchel" was used, so I thought perhaps the poster had other resources not mentioned. Thank you so much for straightening things out, Willem and Jerry.

Scott,

I'm about 99% certain this is the ex-Leroy Melcher Jr. Lotus 30. Bob Ferstl was from Houston, and had raced an H/P Bugeye Sprite for several years, always as #77. (That car is in the background, numbered 98.) I know Bob bought this Lotus 30 from someone he knew in Houston, and there can't have been that many Lotus 30s in Houston in the late '60s. I took this photo at Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1969 at an SCCA National race.

David

(Scott -- I definitely owe you a reply on the other.)

[ERault]

I ran across an advert in a 1966 issue of CP&A for a car being sold by a person/team I can't find any information on. Following is the ad for a Lola T70 by Melcher Racing of Houston, Texas. I managed to find a Louisiana sports car race write-up in a 1963 issue with Melcher Racing racing a Kurtis-Chevy. The driver Melcher was mentioned several times, but never with a first name. Does anyone know anything about this team, driver, or the Lola T70? Thank you,, in advance.

I can add Melcher raced the T70 at the february 1966 Polar Prix at Green Raceway Valley.

[Michael Oliver]

Melcher Racing seemed to be selling up most of what they owned in 1966. In February and March 1966, they ran a series of ads in Competition Press offering the above-mentioned Lotus 30 for sale, as well as Cosworth and Holbay engines, a wrecked Lotus 20, a Testa Rossa Ferrari ("mint, spare crank and center section, $6750"!!!), a Cooper-Chevrolet Formula A and a wrecked MGTF with Chevy 2 engine and Corvette 4-speed. "No reasonable offer refused". No mention at that time of the T70, though...

[ReWind]

LeRoy Melcher, Jr., was born on 08 November 1938 and died at the early age of 42 on 08 March 1981 from lung cancer.
(Source)

[Jerry Entin]

ERault: The following comes from Willem Oosthoek:

"Was it actually the Lola T70 that LeRoy drove at Green Valley in February 1966? In the text he is listed as driving the Lola, but in the results in the same CP report he shows up in the Lotus 30.

Another mystery to solve!"

Edited by Jerry Entin, 19 September 2011 - 17:55.

[ERault]

You're right, of course. I did not check the results table before posting. In front of these cases of discrepancy, I find the text is usually correct, being the results of the writer's observations at the track, whereas the results table could be provided by the race promoters, built on what was submitted by drivers on the entry list. Having said that, a confirmation of Melcher racing the Lola, at Green Valley or elsewhere, would be nice.