32 replies to this topic

[RaceCarToons]

After the 1978 Grand Prixs in the USA and Canada, Patrick Depailler was invited to take part in the International Race of Champions series and Paul Newman entered him in the Can Am Challenge race at Riverside in California.

In an unfamiliar car and racing category, Patrick apparently was quite impressed by the powerful, but strange looking Spyder-Chevrolet which was based on a Lola T332. He was starting the race in a creditable six position, but had to retire on lap 13 with valve problems. I also understand he ran as high as second during the race

In the International Race of Champions the previous day the first four finishers of each race, advanced to two final contests. I think Depailler started in third position in his Chevrolet Camaro and finished 6th in an exciting race, held over a distance of 76 miles (30 laps) but I do not know if that was the first or final race

If any one has any more details or photos (i have found this image to share) of Patrick’s Can Am race I would be very grateful, or confirm any thing else about the IRoC race, then all would be good.

[TooTall]

I have these two photos on hand. One from the Can-Am and one from the IROC qualifying race.





Cheers,
Kurt O.

[Hieronymus]

Great photos!

If anyone can please send me a magazine/newspaper report of the IROC race, I shall be most happy. I have race reports for every single race that Patrick contested from 1964-1980, execpt for the IROC race. I asked before on TNF, but no luck. Surely there must be some sort of race report of this event.

[f1steveuk]

Are the Can-Am pics the same event, as the intakes on the air box are different. Just curious.

[Hieronymus]

Patrick only competed in one Can-Am race in his career, so it is the same event. Perhaps TooTall can confirm if his photo was taken during the race or qualifying.

[TooTall]

I'm not sure which day I shot that photo, but because of the sun angle I would think it was possibly a Friday practice session. I used to love to go to Riverside on the Friday before the race, no crowds and no rent-a-cops to tell you where you couldn't go.

Cheers,
Kurt O.

[Hieronymus]

Thanks Kurt.

This is all I can add with regards to the IROC race:

[RaceCarToons]

Completely Brilliant. Thanks all very much for the photos and information, on both races. Please keep them coming if any one has any more.

TooTall, thanks for sharing the images, would really appreciate seeing any others that you have from Patrick’s American adventure

f1steveuk, Looking at the 1978 Can Am images on racingsportscars.com, Patrick’s team mate Elliot Forbes-Robinson’s Spyder is shown with the double side in takes at the Riverside meeting. As are all the other 1978 races with images of EF-Rs. First look at the 1979 Can Am images and you can see EF-R and Keke Rosberg in Spyders with the high single in take. Perhaps Patrick was testing the 1979 spec car at some point over the race week end or raced with it.

Hieronymus. If you have race reports for every one of Patrick’s races can you share any more about how he got on during his Can Am debut race. I am interested to know how he raced against the Can Am regulars

[B Squared]

Automobile Year #26 has a photo on page 188 that shows Depailler starting 6th on the grid. The caption reads: "CanAm final at Riverside: (Alan) Jones (1) needed to to beat (Warwick) Brown (2) to take the Championship. Despite a brief intervention by Depailler, the two Australians finished the race in the same order as their numbers."

Jones & Brown were 1-2 on the grid also. There are no individual race results listed to see his final placing. Sorry, my Autoweeks & SpeedSports are buried to look it up for you at present.

Brian

[Hieronymus]

RaceCarToons

I can email you a report from a French magazine, also with b/w photo, so send me your particulars and I'll do so.

Brian

Whenever you again look at your treasured magazines, please check if there is a report of the IROC race. Many thanks.

[eldougo]

Originally posted by f1steveuk
Are the Can-Am pics the same event, as the intakes on the air box are different. Just curious.

_______________________________________________________________
Top teams would run tall and short air box's at Riverside because of the air density change from the am / pm the old L.A. pollution.

[f1steveuk]

That's intresting, I wonder if the F1 boys ever considered this at Kyalami?

[Bob Amblard]

Thanks a lot for this topic and these photos of the great Patrick Depailler.

[JB Miltonian]

I have the Autoweek issue of October 27 1978, which includes the Riverside Can-Am and IROC events. It's hard to fit these old Autoweeks into the scanner, I can email it to you tomorrow in multiple passes if you send me a PM with your email address.

[Stefan Schmidt]

Great photos, nice thread!

[RaceCarToons]

I have seen an IRoC results that suggest there were 2 IRoC races that October week end at Riverside in 1978. The second was on the same day Patrick had his Can Am debut.
Does any one know why he was not enter the second race. I appreciate 72 laps in a 5ltr Can Am car would have been tiring but if he was there why not?

Thanks again for the interset shown in this for the images and info. I will attempt to email those who have kindly suggested they have more info on the subject.

[don hodgdon]

Originally posted by RaceCarToons
I have seen an IRoC results that suggest there were 2 IRoC races that October week end at Riverside in 1978. The second was on the same day Patrick had his Can Am debut.
Does any one know why he was not enter the second race. I appreciate 72 laps in a 5ltr Can Am car would have been tiring but if he was there why not?

They used an odd qualifying format in IROC in '78. IROC VI featured qualifying races for three different "types" of racing. The top 4 drivers in each qualifying race advanced to the final two races, one on an oval and one on a road course.

There were qualifying races for drivers from NASCAR, USAC and Road Racing (F1, Can-Am, WMC). Patrick ran on Saturday in the Road Racers Qualifying Race against the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Peter Gregg, David Hobbs, John Watson and Niki Lauda. I don't know the finishing order but I'm guessing Depailler did not finish in the top four and did not qualify for the final.

[TooTall]

I believe the first IROC race that weekend was a qualifying race for the road racers and Patrick (and others) did not place high enough to make it into the main race.

Kurt O.

[don hodgdon]

I thought I had more of the Can Am car but this was all I could find. The rest are from the IROC festivities on Saturday.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by don hodgdon


They used an odd qualifying format in IROC in '78. IROC VI featured qualifying races for three different "types" of racing. The top 4 drivers in each qualifying race advanced to the final two races, one on an oval and one on a road course.

There were qualifying races for drivers from NASCAR, USAC and Road Racing (F1, Can-Am, WMC). Patrick ran on Saturday in the Road Racers Qualifying Race against the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Peter Gregg, David Hobbs, John Watson and Niki Lauda. I don't know the finishing order but I'm guessing Depailler did not finish in the top four and did not qualify for the final.

Don, your photos are beautiful. Being a life-long admirer of Depailler, I can assure you that I really appreciate rare finds like these.

In my records here is my note on the IROC race:

"The International Race of champions series, took a different format with special qualifying races been staged for NASCAR, Indy Car and Road Racing drivers. The first four finishers of each race, advanced to two final contests. Patrick was asked to compete in the Road Racing Qualifying event, after his North American F1 races. This race was included in the program of the California Grand Prix meeting that was staged over two days at the Riverside circuit. Other F1 drivers that also competed in this race, were Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Alan Jones, John Watson and Niki Lauda. The race was held at Riverside over a distance of 76 miles (30 laps). Depailler started in third position in his Chev Camaro and finished 6th in an exciting race".

[raceannouncer2003]

Originally posted by don hodgdon

OT, but I believe that is Michael Brayton in his Wolf-Brayton behind Depailler in this photo. I spoke with Michael on the phone a few weeks ago. And yes, he still has the ex-John Cannon/Rex Ramsey Eagle. I believe he said he still has all the Talon parts, as well as the ex-Graham McRae McRae GM2. I have his email address.

Vince H.

[Hieronymus]

Yes, the results confirm that it is Michael Brayton in #12. He finished 15th. Any relation with the late Scott Brayton?

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by RaceCarToons


Hieronymus. If you have race reports for every one of Patrick’s races can you share any more about how he got on during his Can Am debut race. I am interested to know how he raced against the Can Am regulars

From the French magazine report it seems that Depailler made a good start and that he occupied 2nd position for most of the race, before he retired with engine problems on lap 13. Perhaps an America race report can confirm this.

[don hodgdon]

Originally posted by Hieronymus

From the French magazine report it seems that Depailler made a good start and that he occupied 2nd position for most of the race, before he retired with engine problems on lap 13. Perhaps an America race report can confirm this.

The race program for the following year shows him finishing 17th, retiring with a broken valve spring and winning eight hundred and ninty-five dollars

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by don hodgdon


The race program for the following year shows him finishing 17th, retiring with a broken valve spring and winning eight hundred and ninty-five dollars

Here is a nice website showing all the competitors in this CanAm race:

http://www.racingspo...0-15-photo.html

Not sure how they can classify him as a finisher, if he retired on lap 13? A definate "dnf" here, I would imagine. Perhaps the cassification (17th) has something to do with the prize money that was allocated to every competitor??

[B Squared]

"Any relation with the late Scott Brayton?" Hieronymus

Not to my knowledge. Scott has two brothers, neither named Michael. I never heard Scott or his dad talk of any other relation of theirs in the sport. As far as a distant, family tree type thing - I cannot 100% discount it. Next time I talk to Mr. Brayton, I'll inquire to confirm.

Brian

[fines]

Originally posted by Hieronymus
Not sure how they can classify him as a finisher, if he retired on lap 13? A definate "dnf" here, I would imagine. Perhaps the cassification (17th) has something to do with the prize money that was allocated to every competitor??

American practice!;)

Since about WW2, they usually list all starters in any event as finishers, even if they retired. Probably triggered by the purse structure beginning to include DNFs, as you quite rightly surmised. Earliest example I have seen of this is from 1929, but today these DNF classifications are often applied retrospectively, and so you find nonsense like Ralph de Palma finishing 11th at the 1912 Indy 500.

[Hieronymus]

Thanks fines for explaining.

JBMiltonian, was very kind to send me a report from AUTOWEEK.

With regards to the CanAm race, the following interesting remark:

" Anyway back to Depailler. He was not one to fool around and just get in the car and take the drive as it was. The car was subject to more than one change in suspension and wing height to suit the canny Frenchman. He dropped the front wing six inches and had the car set up so differently from EFR's that Elliot said it was a whole different car underneath the body".

Yes, Depailler occupied 2nd position from the start until lap 13 when he broke a valve spring. AUTOWEEK confirms this.

[don hodgdon]

Found another shot of Depailler in the IROC car today, the exit of turn 6,

[Hieronymus]

Great photo, Don! Thank you for sharing this wonderfully rare image.

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Simon Davis
Don, thanks for sharing these great photos of Depailler. I particularly like the Andretti/Depailler/Lauda shot. Very interesting and tremendous quality.

and bizzare to see the two Europeans (lets not argue as to whether Mario is/was) in U.S. style overalls.

[RaceCarToons]

Thank you every one for contributing on this thread. I am very greatful for the details and photos, which I must say are brilliant, you have all shared with us, many thanks

[Stefan Schmidt]

Originally posted by don hodgdon
Found another shot of Depailler in the IROC car today, the exit of turn 6,

WOW