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#1 aportinga

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 22:42

Now I just feel stupid over the fact that I never realized just how many F1 drivers competed in the IROC (International Race of Champions) series here in the States. I mean it must have been a far better series years ago to attract so many drivers which it did back then.

Anyhow here is a list which was presented on another board.... Just amayzing if you ask me.

Donohue
Revson
Unser
Follmer
Fittipaldi
Hulme
Peterson
G. Hill
Scheckter
Redman
Andretti
Hunt
Nilsson
Ickx
Jones
Reggazzoni
Bell
Ongias
Rahal
Watson
Mass
Stuck
Mikey Andretti
Sullivan
Brundle
Zanardi
Cheever

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#2 Rob G

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 22:50

That is a very impressive list. It's a shame that IROC is barely a shadow of its former self, having existed for the past decade and a half as merely a chance for non-NASCAR drivers to draft behind the Winston Cup stars.

I could have sworn that Keke Rosberg participated too, but I very well may be wrong.

#3 Ross Stonefeld

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 22:54

The problem with modern IROC is its not International, Racing, or made up of Champions

#4 Ray Bell

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 22:56

I think you're getting close to the real issues there, Ross...

#5 aportinga

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 22:58

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
The problem with modern IROC is its not International, Racing, or made up of Champions


Indeed that is the reason why it has always turned me off. That and the many ovals.

Why was it called "International". Was it more so years ago or was this just another way of American media trying to make us feel as if we were the world.

#6 chrisj

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Posted 14 November 2003 - 23:15

I remember one race at Riverside that Niki Lauda was in, 1978 I think. He broke his clutch on the first lap and retired. There was some minor controversy about whether he did it on purpose, to just collect his fee and go home. I don't remember too many of the GP stars at the time either taking it seriously or doing very well.

#7 rdrcr

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 00:28

Originally posted by chrisj
I remember one race at Riverside that Niki Lauda was in, 1978 I think. He broke his clutch on the first lap and retired. There was some minor controversy about whether he did it on purpose, to just collect his fee and go home. I don't remember too many of the GP stars at the time either taking it seriously or doing very well.



A little story about the IROC series (when it was really “international” in driver make-up and had real "racing" and had real "champions")

Posted Image
Mark Donohue IROC I Champion


IROC I 1973 - 74

For the opening 1973 series, the 15 cars were identically prepared 1974 Porsche Carreras built by the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. The cars were powered by a 3.0 liter engine putting out 320 hp. the only driver adjustment allowed was to the seat. The cars were put under armed guard during the week and only the mechanics had access. no one else had access, not even Penske or Richter. for the first time in racing history, the entire field was insured and the premium of $25,000 was the highest ever paid. The Porsches were replaced by z-28 Chevrolet Camaros for the 1974 -75 series.

The series would have four races in 1973-74 with 15 NASCAR, USAC, formula 1 and road race drivers invited to participate. There were three races at riverside in October 1973 with a fourth race on Daytona’s road course in February 1974. After each race, the drivers are required to change cars and the starting field for the next race is inverted based on the finishing order of the previous race. The winner of the first race driving the last place car in the second race and all others drivers changing accordingly. Only three cars were used for practice, the other twelve were put away for the race.

The drivers in this first IROC series had won 32 national or international championships, the Indy 500 six times, the world formula 1 championship twice, the Can-Am challenge cup five times and the NASCAR grand national championship seven times.

At the first race at Riverside, Emerson Fittipaldi won the pole but had to start from the back, along with George Follmer, for missing the driver's meeting. Mark Donohue moved up to the pole position and led the race flag to flag. Mark was followed by Bobby Unser, Peter Revson, George Follmer and Denny Hulme.

The second race, held later that day, had Fittipaldi on the pole. The race was won by Follmer after lead changes between Fittipaldi, Allison, Pearson and Follmer. Pearson came home second, Fittipaldi third, Revson fourth and A.J. Foyt fifth.

The third race, the following day, had Mark Donohue on the pole due to mechanical problems in the second race. Mark went flag to flag for the win followed by Unser, Fittipaldi for third, Pearson in fourth and Follmer in fifth. Mark Donohue won two of the three IROC races that weekend and also won the Can-Am race on Sunday in the Penske prepared Sunoco Porsche 917-30kl.

Only the top six drivers in points moved on to the last race of the series at Daytona on the road course. Donohue and Revson were on the front row, followed by Pearson and Follmer and then Unser and Foyt. Donohue and Follmer battled through most of the race until Follmer spun out. Mark went on to win the race. Revson barely beat out Unser for second, followed by Pearson in fourth and Follmer in fifth.

The final standings were as follows:

1 - Mark Donohue
2 - Peter Revson
3 - Bobby Unser
4 - David Pearson
5 - George Follmer
6 - A.J. Foyt
7 - Emerson Fittipaldi
8 - Denny Hulme
9 - Bobby Allison
10 - Richard Petty
11 - Gordon Johncock
12 - Roger McCluskey

Notice that most of these top 12 have F1, sports car and/or Indy car experience… Also, I think that Pearson acquitted himself pretty well in such company.

#8 Manfred Cubenoggin

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 00:29

The IROC certainly started life with a true international flavour. Stars from many front rank disciplines in Porsche RSR's at Riverside for a series of heats to determine a winner. Mark Donahue emerged a worthy champ.

One of my fondest memories of the whole IROC deal was back in circa 1974-75 when Ronnie Peterson was running a Camaro on one of the high-banked ovals. He was back in about 7th or 8th on this particular lap when he suddenly made some kind of sweeping motion from the high groove down to the apron and had the TV announcers screaming, 'Hey, you can't do that! It's just not done!' Well, he did and promptly swept up to P2 or P3 in a flash. Brilliant. Wish I had the video of that. What a keeper.

Haven't watched the IROC in years. Ho-hummmmm...

#9 troyf1

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 00:33

IROC lost all credibility with me when they quit running on road courses.

#10 rdrcr

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 00:36

Originally posted by troyf1
IROC lost all credibility with me when they quit running on road courses.


...yeah, me too...

#11 rdrcr

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 00:42

Originally posted by Rob G
That is a very impressive list. It's a shame that IROC is barely a shadow of its former self, having existed for the past decade and a half as merely a chance for non-NASCAR drivers to draft behind the Winston Cup stars.

I could have sworn that Keke Rosberg participated too, but I very well may be wrong.


Right on all counts Rob,

Keke was in the IROC series in 1980.

Here's the whole list:

BOBBY ALLISON
DAVEY ALLISON
DONNIE ALLISON
MARIO ANDRETTI
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
BUDDY BAKER
JACK BALDWIN
DEREK BELL
JOHNNY BENSON JR.
GREG BIFFLE
MIKE BLISS
GEOFF BODINE
NEIL BONNETT
GEOFF BRABHAM
KENNY BRACK
MARTIN BRUNDLE
JEFF BURTON
KURT BUSCH
HELIO CASTRONEVES
EDDIE CHEEVER JR.
CHRIS CORD
WALLY DALLENBACH
WALLY DALLENBACH JR.
PATRICK DEPAILLER
MARK DISMORE
MARK DONOHUE
DALE EARNHARDT
DALE EARNHARDT JR.
BILL ELLIOTT
JUAN FANGIO II
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ
EMERSON FITTIPALDI
GEORGE FOLLMER
A.J. FOYT
HARRY GANT
FELIPE GIAFFONE
TOM GLOY
SCOTT GOODYEAR
JEFF GORDON
ROBBY GORDON
JEFF GREEN
PETER GREGG
ROBERTO GUERRERO
PETE HALSMER
KEVIN HARVICK
HURLEY HAYWOOD
GRAHAM HILL
DAVID HOBBS
AL HOLBERT
SAM HORNISH JR.
DENIS HULME
JAMES HUNT
JACKY ICKX
DALE JARRETT
GORDON JOHNCOCK
JIMMIE JOHNSON
ALAN JONES
DAVY JONES
TOM KENDALL
STEVE KINSER
ALAN KULWICKI
BOBBY LABONTE
TERRY LABONTE
RANDY LaJOIE
DANNY LASOSKI
NIKI LAUDA
BUDDY LAZIER
KLAUS LUDWIG
ARIE LUYENDYK
DAVE MARCIS
STERLING MARLIN
MARK MARTIN
JOCHEN MASS
ROGER McCLUSKEY
RICK MEARS
STEVE MILLEN
GREG MOORE MIKE MOSLEY
RYAN NEWMAN
GUNNER NILSSON
DANNY ONGAIAS
BENNY PARSONS
DAVID PEARSON
RONNIE PETERSON
KYLE PETTY
RICHARD PETTY
SCOTT PRUETT
BOBBY RAHAL
GREG RAY
BRIAN REDMAN
CLAY REGAZZONI
PETER REVSON
CHIP ROBINSON
KEKE ROSBERG
RICKY RUDD
JOHNNY RUTHERFORD
JODY SCHECKTER
KEN SCHRADER
DORSEY SCHROEDER
SCOTT SHARP
TOM SNEVA
JACK SPRAGUE
TONY STEWART
HANS STUCK
DANNY SULLIVAN
AL UNSER
AL UNSER JR.
BOBBY UNSER
JIMMY VASSER
RUSTY WALLACE
DARRELL WALTRIP
JOHN WATSON
DON WHITTINGTON
BOB WOLLEK
CALE YARBOROUGH
ALEX ZANARDI

#12 Frank S

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 06:06

There was some monstrous fun on the first fast lap of practice in those immaculate Porsche road cars: I think it was Pearson (orange car?) who first straightened the esses, twisted the chassis, and popped the widscreen out. It flew across the landscape like a Frisbee™ sailing disk. There must be some fault in my memory: I seem to remember three or four such ejections, so it may have not have happened until after the racing got hot, rather than at practice.

I really used to look forwaed to those IROC races, when the participants seemed to be having fun and the feeling infected the fans.

#13 biercemountain

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 14:22

I once read that there was more "real" racing in a single lap of IROC (in the Porsches) than there was during an entire season of Can-Am.

Now there's probably more racing in the sprint to the first turn in an F1 race than an entire season of IROC.

IROC is a joke.

#14 Mark A

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Posted 15 November 2003 - 19:03

I seem to remember Brundle doing quite well (in fact he was on the way to winning it) when the 'good ol boys' decided to punt him off!!!

#15 Jim Thurman

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Posted 16 November 2003 - 00:29

As someone who saw the first round of the IROC at Riverside, and then saw Round 1 the next year, I too can only echo comments on what a joke it's become. Like anything else they touch, it's NROC.

Very sad to see what it's become.


Jim Thurman - who still can't explain why I decided to experiment with black & white film when I took photos of the IROC cars in the RIR paddock :rolleyes:

#16 Hieronymus

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Posted 06 September 2008 - 16:31

I am trying to find a copy of any decent magazine report on an IROC race on 14 October 1978 at Riverside, California. The likes of Alan Jones, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Patrick Depailler and Niki Lauda competed in this particular race over 30 laps.

I do have the results, but if someone can please perhaps help me with a race report, I'll be most happy.

#17 Jon Saltinstall

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Posted 22 April 2013 - 22:38

I am trying to find a copy of any decent magazine report on an IROC race on 14 October 1978 at Riverside, California. The likes of Alan Jones, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Patrick Depailler and Niki Lauda competed in this particular race over 30 laps.

I do have the results, but if someone can please perhaps help me with a race report, I'll be most happy.


Do you have any pictures, Hieronymus, or particularly any knowledge of what colour car Lauda drove?

#18 MCS

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 19:59

Do you have any pictures, Hieronymus, or particularly any knowledge of what colour car Lauda drove?


"mphewitt" has some pictures on his tumblr page. Looks black from where I am sitting.

#19 Emery0323

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 22:03

"mphewitt" has some pictures on his tumblr page. Looks black from where I am sitting.


Here's a couple of links:
http://mphewitt.tumblr.com/page/10

http://mphewitt.tumb...age/50306057246

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#20 fbarrett

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 23:27

IROC became pretty much meaningless when it swung toward NASCAR devices and tracks. The F1 guys, most of whom had little to no experience on ovals, were at a distinct disadvantage. Ironically, those '73 Porsche IROC cars are now highly sought-after. The later Camaros, hmmm, not so much...

Frank

#21 Jon Saltinstall

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Posted 28 June 2013 - 22:58

Here's a couple of links:
http://mphewitt.tumblr.com/page/10

http://mphewitt.tumb...age/50306057246


Thanks guys - really appreciated! Now after months of searching for an image' I can finally model this car in 1/43.....