14 replies to this topic

[ghinzani]

Anybody have any idea why Al had Racing for Britain stickers so prominent on his Eagle in 1982, alongside those of Empress Travel?

[ghinzani]

Bump! I would have thought a Sicilian-Italian-American Indy driver running RfB stickers would have ellicited some sort of curiosity at the time from Autosport readers?

[ghinzani]

Autosport August 4th 1983, page 8.
"RfB go Cart racing - David Leslie ... is heading to Mid-Ohio next month to make his CART Indycar debut. He was introduced via RfB two years ago to Tom Smith, the owner of GTS racing's Penske PC9B which David will be driving, and which was handled last weekend at Elkhart Lake by Drake Olsen"

So from this we can surmise that GTS racing were the people Al Loquasto ran with in 1982 in their old '72 style Eagle with RfB and Empress Travel stickers on. Anyone now able to shed any light on this team?

[ensign14]

Well, they ran number 86, which was Loquasto's number in the late 70s, the team did not make it to Mid-Ohio, possibly cos Loquasto blew the engine at Pocono? That seems to be their last appearance of the season.

[ghinzani]

82 or 83 Ensign? Actually probably 83. Fabi won at Pocono IIRc, that came between Elkhart and Mid-Ohio didnt it? I still cant udnerstand why they had been running RfB stickers, although Empress Travel sounds a bit British, maybe the link was there? Shame though I bet Leslie would have been good on a road course even if the car was old.

Edited by ghinzani, 13 August 2009 - 21:38.

[ghinzani]

Never answered and I dont know now where I saw the pictures of the car   

[ensign14]

Rainer Nyberg tweeted a pic of Loquasto in a Penske in 1983...no RfB sticker I can see.

[ghinzani]

I asked the question again on on an 80s Indycar FB page and the picture provided does show the stickers there.

https://www.facebook...20929734620233/
 

[ensign14]

Link is coming up blank for me...

[ghinzani]

Link is coming up blank for me...

Probably a closed group I'll get the picture tomorrow.

[ghinzani]

Hopefully these work Ensign me ol china!

 

[ensign14]

They do, thanks.

 

Trying in 1982 with a car from 1972.  One has to admire their determination. 

[Henri Greuter]

They do, thanks.
 
Trying in 1982 with a car from 1972.  One has to admire their determination.

Back in 1979, Roger Rager had entered what was effectively an uprated 1968 Eagle chassis, fitted with a Chevy V8. In the Hungness yearbook it was said that he should have been given an award for driving as fast as he did with that car.

And I have not on my mind any longer how old that particular chassis was but Jerry Karl used an McLaren M16 tub to create a wingcar around it, fitted with a Chevy V8 engine. He still qualified and raced that car in 1980 and 1981. Now I know that the last two examples of the M16 series were the /E's built in 1975 but both these cars are accounted for to exist in either a 1975 or 1976 trim. So Karl could at best have used a 1974 built tub as the base of his car.
Perhaps a McLaren M16 specialist can shine a light on what year the chassis Karl used was built.

[Tim Murray]

According to ORC Jerry Karl acquired M16C/2 and M16C/6 from the Walthers for 1978. It was M16C/2 that was converted to Chevy power and run until 1981:

https://www.oldracin...m/mclaren/m16c/

[Henri Greuter]

According to ORC Jerry Karl acquired M16C/2 and M16C/6 from the Walthers for 1978. It was M16C/2 that was converted to Chevy power and run until 1981:

https://www.oldracin...m/mclaren/m16c/

Thanks!!!!