61 replies to this topic

[brickyard]

Thank you David.

 

As far as i know, MRT Spl. stands for "Mecom Racing Team Special". Could this one be the Hussein Mk.I ?

Edited by brickyard, 18 December 2013 - 17:26.

[grimeheel]

At the '64 Pensacola USRRC, Penske drove a Cooper T61 with Chevrolet engine as part of the Chaparral team.  Cannon drove Mecom Racing Team entered Zerex Special with Climax engine, which was THE Zerex Special driven by Penske in '63.  There is a photo of Penske in the Cooper at the '64 Pensacola race in my forthcoming book on the USRRC series.  Google "sports car racing through time" for order info.

[David McKinney]

I don't know what my source was, but I bow to you greater knowledge of the series, Mike, and look forward to seeing the book

[Jerry Entin]

 

At Pensacola in 1964 Penske drove a standard-bodied Cooper Monaco T-61 with Chevy V8, while Cannon drove the original Zerex Special [which started life as Cunningham's Formula One Cooper], now a two-seater with 2-liter Climax engine.

 

MRT stood for Mecom Racing Team.

 

Here is the link to Mike's site:http://grimeheel.blogspot.com

Edited by Jerry Entin, 18 December 2013 - 22:12.

[RA Historian]

The Mecom Cooper Zerex Spl (ex-Penske, ex-F-1) must have crossed the Atlantic in a hurry. Two weeks after Pensacola, April 19, 1964, Bruce McLaren won the Aintree 200 sports car race in that Cooper Zerex Special. On May 2 Bruce won again, this time at Silverstone. Both times were with Climax fours,  presumable 2.5 liters. After this, Bruce put the small block Olds V-8 into the car.

 

Jerry, are you sure about the two liter Climax in the car at Pensacola? Penske always had the bigger Climax four in it, and the car raced in the Nassau Trophy Race in Dec., 1963, with a 2.5 engine. Or did Mecom take the 2.0 Climax out of his Lotus 19 (which was getting an Olds V-8) and put it into the Zerex to try for U-2 money at Pensacola?

 

I have seen photos of Penske at Pensacola in 1964 in what is a Cooper Monaco T-61 as stated by Jerry. I believe that this Cooper was sold to George Wintersteen shortly thereafter.

 

Tom

Edited by RA Historian, 18 December 2013 - 23:03.

[David McKinney]

I think McLaren's Climax engine was a 2.7, which may also have been in the car earlier

[Jerry Entin]

 

Tom and David,

 

Based on my files, the original Zerex carried a 2-liter Climax both at Nassau in 1963 [Augie Pabst] and at Pensacola in 1964 [Johhn Cannon].

 

 

Willem Oosthoek

[Jerry Entin]

Sports Car Graphic, July 1964: Pensacola USRRC report by Wally Korb

 

"At Pensacola the under-two-liter field was even more competitive, with such entries as the Mecom Zerex Climax, and a tremendous array of the relatively new Elva Porsches, including three cars entered by Oliver Schmidt's team, ......"

 

" Qualifying times of some of these cars were truly fantastic: John Cannon [Mecom Zerex Climax] - 2:06.5 [0.3 seconds better than last year's best time for all cars]; Charlie Hayes [Elva Porsche] - 2:08.3; ......."

 

All research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 21 December 2013 - 00:35.

[RA Historian]

Sonofagun. All these years I was not aware that they ran the smaller Climax at this race.

[Jerry Entin]

Start of the 1964 Pensacola USRRC race.

 

Mecom teammates John Cannon [Zerex/Climax] and Augie Pabst [Scarab/Chevy] almost side by side, behind Ken Miles [King Cobra].

 

Among the latest sportsracers are some interesting relics from the past: Bill Fuller's Rebel Special [D-type/Chevy] on the right and in the back, Johnny Snyder's Costin Lister/Chevy, the former Cunningham car.

 

Photo: Wally Korb

All Research: Willem Oosthoek

Edited by Jerry Entin, 21 December 2013 - 00:36.

[brickyard]

Thank you all for your answers.

 

Regards

Luis

[T54]

I think you may be mixing up your Coopers here. By the "Kimberley Cooper" are you referring to the Cooper built specially for the 1961 Indianapolis 500 and driven there by Jack Brabham? It was sponsored by Jim Kimberly. In any event, this was not the car that became the first Zerex Special.

I believe you are thinking of the Formula One Cooper T53 originally owned by Briggs Cunningham that was crashed by Walt Hansgen at the 1961 USGP at Watkins Glen. That chassis was purchased by Roger Penske from Cunningham and became the basis for the original Zerex Special. And Mark Donohue had nothing to do with it. Roger Penske was the driver. It was several years before Donohue drove for Penske.

 Actually the Zerex-Cooper was a mix of the two since it used one of the two engines from the kimberly-Cooper Spl.