235 replies to this topic

[Jerry Entin]

I would like to start a thread on Jerry Hansen. This thread is being started at the suggestion of Tom Schultz and with the aid of pictures from Jerry Hansen's daughter Jordyn, I hope to be able to tell the story and show the cars that Jerry drove during his racing years. I also want to thank Jerry's whole family for allowing me to tell this story.
above picture of Jerry Hansen in the Lola F-5000 car.
photo- Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 30 April 2010 - 20:17.

[Rosemayer]

© Schlegelmilch Photo






Tony Adamowicz passing Jerry Hansen at Sebring 1969

[pete3664]

If anyone has a photo, I'd love to see the "Wolverine" which Jerry drove, it was a one-off "special" I heard was designed and built by Lee Dykstra , Don Gates, and Bob Stout way back in the late 60's or early 70's, a tube frame, rear engined Chevy powered piece. If any of the above info is incorrect I apologize, but remeber seeing it in the midwest races.

[David M. Kane]

He drove a lot of really nice cars.

I remember that his 1st wife married Bill Scott who was Tom Milner's original partner. They were the original Royale dealer in the US.

[Rob Ryder]

Originally posted by pete3664
If anyone has a photo, I'd love to see the "Wolverine" which Jerry drove, it was a one-off "special" I heard was designed and built by Lee Dykstra , Don Gates, and Bob Stout way back in the late 60's or early 70's, a tube frame, rear engined Chevy powered piece. If any of the above info is incorrect I apologize, but remeber seeing it in the midwest races.

This one? 1966 USRRC race at Pacific Raceways I think...


Copyright free CD

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen first became interested in racing when he went with a friend to Elkhart Lake to watch the races. Jerry started out in drag racing in 1960. He had a stock Corvette. It had an engine called a 270 hp engine. That was a 283 cu in engine with what was called a Duntov cam and 2- 4 barrel carburetors and a 4 speed transmission. He later got a fuel injected version. He learned power shifting in drag racing. That was going through the gears without ever letting off the throttle. Jerry won over 50 drag competitions. He next bought a car called an Echidna. This was a poor man's Scarab. It was built by some fellows in Minnesota. John Staver, Ed Grierson and Bill Larson. Using a Corvette engine and their own designed chassis. It used a Devin body. And Corvette brakes and transmission. Jerry used this car for his driving school. An Echidna is an Australian Anteater.

This is Steve Steers Echidna as seen last year at Elkhart Lake at the CanAm Reunion. The car Jerry Hansen ran was very similar.

Engine compartment of Echidna showing fuel injected Corvette engine.
photos lent site Chuck Brandt.

[pete3664]

Sorry Rob Ryder, that's not the one- as I remember, it was the only one I saw that did not have the distinctive orange that most of Jerry Hansen's cars were painted in. It was kind of a burgundy with a real distinctive nose, it didn't look like any of the other can am cars.

[David M. Kane]

How did he fund these great cars?

[TIPO61]

Perhaps from the same souce that led him to declare to Roger Penske over the phone one day...

"Hi Roger, it's me. The Clark Gable of Minneapolis."

Roger: "Hi Jerry."

Jerry: "How'd you know it was me?"

[Bob Riebe]

He ran his own garbage collection business, at least that is how he got started.
Bob

[David M. Kane]

Really, isn't it amazing the money in cleaning up after people. I had a friend who did really, really well cleaning office building.

I remember Jerry Hansen always going to the SCCA championships in 3 or 4 classes of cars every year.

[raceannouncer2003]

Originally posted by Rob Ryder


This one? 1966 USRRC race at Pacific Raceways I think...


Copyright free CD

No, this is one of Stan Burnett's specials. Wearing the number 741, I would think it was one of the Conference races at Pacific Raceways. As it happens, I was at the Pacific Northwest Historics this past weekend, and Merrill Faulk was driving the "1964 Burnett Mk II". Same car, I believe, but with different body style and now painted red. Faulk won the race I saw.

Vince Howlett, Victoria, B.C., Canada

[RA Historian]

Jerry Hansen was a Minneapolis stock broker. He also was quite active in real estate, and at one time was the biggest landlord in the Twin Cities, according to a story in Sports Illustrated.

He started racing in 1961, with an Echidna. His first win, I believe, was at an SCCA Regional at Wilmot Hills, Wis., in fall, 1961.

He quickly moved up, as for the 1962 season he purchased a Scarab. This was chassis 003, which had run in the fall, 1961, pro races entered by Skip Lehmann for Chuck Daigh. He painted the Scarab a maroon color, which was the color of most of his race cars through 1966. He ran the Scarab at Meadowdale in May, 1962, at a Midwest Council race, finishing second to Harry Heuer in the Meister Brauser Chaparral. His next race was the Road America June Sprints, where he stated confidently that he could take the infamous "kink" without lifting. Augie Pabst, who of course had great experience both at Road America and in the Scarab, advised against it. Jerry tried it anyway, on I believe lap two of the race.

When the dust settled, the Scarab was upside down in a tree on the outside of the kink, some ten feet in the air. When the uninjured Hansen popped the seat belt release, he tumbled to the ground, breaking his nose in the process!

Jerry had the Scarab rebuilt, and drove it at Meadowdale in July and the Road America 500 in September, but was a dnf both times. He was a dns at Meadowdale later in September, and then had the car burn to the ground in a garage fire. (This car was rebuilt and is currently in the Collier collection)

He replaced it with a Chaparral 1, chassis 001, for 1963, but drove it very sparingly. He also had a Cobra and a Formcar FV. For 1964 he bought a McKee, the Mk II. He won many, many SCCA races with that car in 1964 and 1965 before having the Wolverine Special built for 1966. While he was awaiting the Wolverine, he bought Jerry Grant's Lotus 19-Chev, which he drove early in the year.

For 1967 he bought a McLaren Elva Mk III (M1C) with which he won still more races. He drove that in the 1967 Road America Can Am, and finished a very respectable sixth overall. Following the 1967 Can Am season, he bought one of Roger Penske's Lola T-70s, which he used to win his first of 27 SCCA National Championships, taking the big sports racing class at that year's Runoffs, held at Daytona.

Tom

[RA Historian]

After winning the 1967 SCCA title, Jerry used the Lola T-70 to win a number of races in early 1968, including the Road America June Sprints, the first of 12 feature wins at this prestigious race. He also purchased a Lola T-140 for F-5000 (FA at this time in the US) and won the 1968 Road America Badger 200, a round of that year's pro championship series. He also won several other SCCA races in the T-140.

In August, 1968, he sold the Lola T-70 to Dick Kantrud, to whom he had earlier sold his ex-Grant Lotus 19-Chev. Hansen then bought another Lola T-70, this from Carroll Shelby. He won the Donnybrooke SCCA race in this car before selling it to Jerry Rosbach. He then bought a McLaren M6A from Roger Penske, and used it in the 1968 Can Am series, and to win the 1968 SCCA Class A Sports Racing National Championship at that year's Runoffs at Riverside.

For 1969 he sold the McLaren M6A to Dave Causey and bought a Lola T-160 from George Bignotti. Again, a number of wins in this car before he sold it at mid-season and bought another Lola T-160, this one from Dan Gurney. More wins followed. The Penske McLaren M6B (M6A-3) also passed through his hands briefly. For the 1969 Runoffs, this year at Daytona, he rented George Eaton's McLaren M12 and won again. He rented the M12 because it had a big block Chev in it, while his T-160 used a small block.

Concurrently, he remained active in F-5000, buying a new McLaren M10. This was the first car that Hansen drove which was orange, a color which was on most of his cars for the next ten plus years. Unfortunately, he rolled the M10 at Road America in the July pro race, wrecking it. He rented a FA Eagle for the Runoffs, but did not win.

On to the 70s next installment.

Tom

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen in his Wolverine Special following Mak Kronn in his McKee Mk Vl, during the running of the 1966 Elkhart Lake June Sprints. That is Charlie Cox in a McLaren right behind them.
photo lent site Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

Edited by Jerry Entin, 05 August 2010 - 10:03.

[Jerry Entin]

Here is Jerry Hansen in his Scarab at the 1962 Road America 500.
photo lent site- Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

[Lotus23]

I attended a lot of SCCA Runoffs during the years they were run at Road Atlanta.

ISTR that at one point during that era, Jerry had won more SCCA National Championships than any other competitor; that record may still be intact. His rides were always immaculately prepared and it appeared that disposable income was not a big problem for him.

I remember him as being soft-spoken and a nice guy. He'd be close to 70 by now.

[Rob Ryder]

Originally posted by raceannouncer2003


No, this is one of Stan Burnett's specials. Wearing the number 741, I would think it was one of the Conference races at Pacific Raceways. As it happens, I was at the Pacific Northwest Historics this past weekend, and Merrill Faulk was driving the "1964 Burnett Mk II". Same car, I believe, but with different body style and now painted red. Faulk won the race I saw.

Vince Howlett, Victoria, B.C., Canada

Damn, my mistake. I had two copies of this image on my PC, one with the correct id and one with Jerry Hansen

It was identified by the TNF gurus some time ago (2003) here...
http://forums.autosp...&threadid=60965

Thanks
Rob

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Lotus23
I attended a lot of SCCA Runoffs during the years they were run at Road Atlanta.

ISTR that at one point during that era, Jerry had won more SCCA National Championships than any other competitor; that record may still be intact. His rides were always immaculately prepared and it appeared that disposable income was not a big problem for him.

I remember him as being soft-spoken and a nice guy. He'd be close to 70 by now.

You are right about the multiple Championships. Hansen won 27 in all. In second place is Duane Davis with 13. Since Davis runs but one class a year, and did not even enter last year's Runoffs, it is safe to say that at least for the time being Hansen's record is very safe.

For the record, Hansen's 27 are:

A Production -1972
A Sports Racing -1968, '69, '71, '72, '75 through '84 inclusive
B Production -1980
B Sports Racing -1973. 1974
C Sports Racing -1967 (renamed ASR in 1968)
Formula A (5000) -1971 through 1976 inclusive
Formula B (Atlantic) -1978
GT-1 -1983
Tom

[RA Historian]

Hansen dominated the 1970s in the US Midwest. For 1970 he bought two new cars, a Lola T-190 for Formula A (5000), and a Lola T-165. Again, many wins, but mechanical difficulties saw no Runoffs wins this year.

At the end of 1970 Hansen bought the Lola T-220 from Carl Haas. He used this car on and off for the next several years in A Sports Racing. He won the Runoffs in the T-220 in 1971, then sold it to Dan Kampo. He bought it back from Kampo after the 1974 season and used it to win many more races, including the Runoffs in 1975 and 1976.

Hansen bought the Lola T-260 from Carl Haas after the 1971 Can Am season where Jackie Stewart had driven it. Hansen quickly discovered what Stewart knew: the car was a dog. Hansen drove it only once before disposing of it.

Hansen won several SCCA races in 1972, back in the trusty T-220. At the conclusion of that year's Can Am season, Jerry bought the Lola T-310 from Carl Haas. It was in this car that Hansen drove what he considers to be his best race. At the 1972 Runoffs he was up against Milt MInter in Vasek Polak's Porsche 917-10K turbo Spyder. They put on one heck of a race at Road Atlanta, and Hansen triumphed over the more powerful Porsche. That was Hansen's only race in the T-310, as he found the car as unwieldy as David Hobbs had in the Can Am.

Meanwhile, for 1971 in addition to the T-220 Hansen also drove a Lola T-192 F-5000 and a Corvette in A Production. He won two National Championships in 1971, ASR and FA, and for 1972 he did the triple, winning championships in three classes, ASR, FA, and AP. Nobody else has ever won three in one year.

Hansen dabbled in the pro events when they were close to home, that is, at the Road America or Brainerd tracks. He had a good run at Road America in the 1971 F-5000 pro race, winning the first heat and coming in second overall behind David Hobbs.

1972 saw a new Lola T-300 F-5000 in which he won the Runoffs. He also fitted a roll cage on it and ran it in a USAC sprint car race at the ST. Paul fairgrounds, beating all the USAC sprint car drivers! Needless to say, this struck fear and confusion in the sprint car ranks, and it was not long before USAC banned rear engined cars from running in the sprint car races.

For 1973 Jerry answered the critics that said that he won only because he bought the latest and the most powerful cars. He bought a 2.0 Lola T-292 and ran it in the B Sports Racing category for those two years, racking up many wins and yes, two championships in BSR.

Hansen reverted to another Lola T-192 for FA in 1973, but at the end of the year bought the modified Lola T-330 from Carl Haas that Brian Redman had used in the pro F-5000 series. He won the 1973, 1974, and 1975 Runoffs with this car, then sold it to (I believe) Glenn Brown in Washington state. MIdway through the 1976 season he bought it back and used it to win some more events, including the 1976 Runoffs.

In 1975 he bought another Corvette and used it to win two SCCA Trans Am races, at Brainerd and Road America.

Speaking of Brainerd, the track had been known as Donnybrooke, and it opened in 1968. However, by the early '70s it went bust. Hansen bought it around 1974 or so, and revitalized the track, updating it and reopening it. He wore the hat of track owner/promoter into the 1980s when he sold the track.

We wil pick up later with the second half of the 1970s.

Tom

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen signing autographs after winning the 1968 Badger 200 at Elkhart Lake. This was a pro Formula 5000 or Formula A race, as it was called in the states at that time, held at Road America. The SCCA called this series the Continental Championship. Jerry was driving a Lola T-140 and was the fastest qualifier at 2:19.5.
photo lent site Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

[Jerry Entin]

Bob Riebe is right about Jerry Hansen running his own garbage pickup to get started. However it wasn't garbage he was picking up. When Jerry was 15 and attending Washburn High School which was in the South Minneanpolis area, he had just got a drivers license, he bought a 4 door Plymouth and he and his friends painted it red. He bought a trailer with high sides and used this to go and pick up bottles and yard waste that the city didn't pick up. The city picked up the garbage and Jerry picked the trash that they didn't. Some weekends he would make $100 per day. This was in the 50's when fuel was 25 cents a gallon. Jerry had only one friend who would help him with the trash pickup and that was Dick Hammond. Jerry took these monies and invested it by buying small rental units. He wasn't old enough to put them in his name at this time. He had to put them in his mother Freda's name. In Minnesota you had to be 21 to own property. She thought he was buying junk and wasn't too thrilled about it. It was from these properties that Jerry would get the funds to go racing.

Dave Kane: Jerry's first wife Ingegerd did marry the Bill Scott who raced and had the driving school at Summit Point. Jerry and Ingegerd had a son named Frans. They always got along well and shared custody of Frans. They are friends till this day. She has since divorced Bill Scott. Jerry's wife now is Nanci and she is helping me with this site by printing out e-mails so Jerry can answer questions for the forum members.

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen in his Scarab at Elkhart Lake, trailing the Lister/chevy of Pete Harrison. This was from the June Sprints of 1962. This was Jerry's first national race. He had gone to the track by himself and knew nothing about running the car. He should have put in warm up plugs for the highly tuned fuel injected engine. Then for the race he needed to put in a fresh set of spark plugs and go racing. He didn't! The car was running terribly and Jerry was trying his hardest. He only lasted 1 lap before he hit a guard rail, skidded out of control and ended up in a small tree upside down. He was bruised but not badly hurt. This was his introduction to high speed motor racing.
above photo lent site Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

[Chris Townsend]

In either late 82 or early 83 Jerry bought his last F.Atlantic car [a Ralt RT4]
This was sold to Mike Angus for 1984 and then to Jim Maetzold in Oklahoma.
Did Jerry buy this car new or was it one of the very few cars he ever bought second hand, perhaps from Tom Gloy at Lane Sports?

Jerry's other Atlantic cars:
1976: Lola T460 HU5 and one of the few drivers to really do much with the car [2nd at Road Atlanta]
1977: Lola T560 HU1 [DNS at Road Atlanta]
1978: March 78B [chassis unknown] 1st at Road Atlanta. What happened to this car?
1979: Did not run Atlantic?
1980: March 80A [chassis unknown] 11th at Road Atlanta. What happened to this car?

From the way Jerry could take these cars to pro races at Elkhart Lake and run with or near the best of the year I'd say he was pretty damned good in any class of racing

Chris

[RA Historian]

In 1976 Hansen decided to 'step down' a class in Formula racing, so he bought a Lola T-460 for SCCA Formula B (Atlantic). The next year he ran a Lola T-560, and for 1978 he bought a March 78B. It was in the March that Hansen won the 1978 FB Championship.

In 1977 Hansen still drove the Lola T-220, now on its eighth season. He qualified for the Runoffs by winning a number of SCCA events. For the Runoffs he bought a Lola T-333CS from Carl Haas, the car that Patrick Tambay had driven in the 'new' Can Am. He won the Runoffs in this car in Class ASR from 1977 through 1982.

Also in 1977 John Greenwood built his ultimate "Super Corvette". It was a tube frame car with a big wing and with the radiators set in NACA ducts in the door. Hansen bought the car and ran it in the Trans Am Twin 80s at Road America in September. He was a DNF in Saturday's race, so he had to start Sunday's event at the rear. He finished third behind Peter Gregg in a Porsche 934 and Tuck Thomas in a Chevrolet Monza. Hansen then sold the Corvette to Greg Pickett, who used it to win the 1978 Trans Am championship. In partial trade Hansen acquired Pickett's Chevrolet Monza AAGT car. He used the Monza to win the 1978 Trans Am at Brainerd.

1980 Jerry ran the Lola, a March 80A Formula Atlantic, and a Corvette. He won not only ASR at the Runoffs, but also BP in the Corvette.

1981 it was the Lola and a GT-1 Camaro. For 1982 he added another Corvette, with which he won two more Trans Am races, at Road Atlanta and at Road America.

For 1983 he sold the Lola and replaced it with a VDS 001. In addition he ran a Ralt RT-4 in Formula Atlantic, a Datsun 280ZX in Showroom Stock A, and a Pontiac Trans Am in GT-1. He added two more Runoffs Championships, in ASR in the VDS, and in GT-1 in the Pontiac.

1984 was Hansen's last big year. He ran the VDS and won the Runoffs yet again, the Pontiac, and a Nissan 300ZXT in Showroom Stock. But at the end of the year SCCA eliminated the ASR class. This was the beginning of the end of Hansen's racing. He always favored the big V-8 cars, for what he said was "the immediacy of the action. You have to react NOW!".

In 1985 there was little to attract Jerry. He ran a Corvette in Showroom Stock A, a Ford Mustang in GT-1, but he only had one race in a sports racing car. SCCA's top sports racing class at this time now was CSR, and the sub two liter cars had little attraction. Hansen bought a Lola T-598C that was powered by a 1.8 Volkswagen four, but as you can imagine, this was not the same as being pushed around a race track by a big thumping V-8. Jerry ran it once and sold it. In 1986 he ran the Mustang, then quietly retired.

But what a career it was!

Tom

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Chris Townsend
From the way Jerry could take these cars to pro races at Elkhart Lake and run with or near the best of the year I'd say he was pretty damned good in any class of racing

Chris

Chris is right. Hansen drove pro races only sporadically, but did well. Five Trans Am wins and one F-5000 win. Several poles, other high places, and a number of DNFs.

In 1981 I interviewed him for a piece in Sports Car magazine. He told me thn that he really was not interested in running the pro events outside of those in his neighborhood. He said that he had his businesses in the Twin Cities that kept him busy, and that if he went pro those would be neglected. Plus he said that he did not want to become consumed by pro racing as some other drivers had, to the detriment of their personal lives.

He also said that he had been offered, and had turned down, a season long drive for Shadow in the Can Am in the early '70s.

Tom

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen in his Lola T333 CS.
photo lent site Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Jerry Hansen...as a teenager, a name that I knew very well from the pages of Sports Car Graphic thoughout the 1960's. I marvelled at his seemingly inexhaustable string of victories in SCCA racing but to the best of my knowledge, he never made the trek to Mosport which was just a trot down the road from me. My loss...

[David M. Kane]

Jerry Entin:

I just remember Ingegerd was a very, very, very attractive Nordic woman. I just can't remember
whether she was Swedish, Danish or Norgewegian. I want to say Norge.

Sounds like he was a man who always had a plan, funny how those guys get the good rides!

[mwphoto]

May 1984 from Blackhawk Farms:
The ASR was listed as a Berger-Chevrolet



GT-1 Pontiac Firebird

[David M. Kane]

Blackhawk Farm BTW is a neat little track.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by mwphoto
May 1984 from Blackhawk Farms:
The ASR was listed as a Berger-Chevrolet



GT-1 Pontiac Firebird

The car was the VDS 001 that Jerry drove in 1983-84. The other, of course, is his Pontiac Trans Am GT-1 class car.

Excellent photos, by the way!

Tom

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by David M. Kane
Blackhawk Farm BTW is a neat little track.

Blackhawk Farms is a small 'club' circuit located in South Beloit, Illinois, just south of the Wisconsin border. It was opened in 1968 and was owned by Tito Nappi. A number of years later it was sold to Ray Irwin, who also owns Heartland Park Topeka. Irwin has constantly put improvements into the track. It is used extensively each year not only by SCCA but by the Midwest Council and other local clubs. It is used as a test circuit by major pro teams occasionally. It originally measured 1.8 miles, but currently is 1.9 after a section of the track was modified in the early '90s.

Back to Jerry. I do not really know how many races he has won at Blackhawk, but I am aware of at least 12 feature wins and many more class wins.

Tom

[Allen Brown]

Jerry

Another question for Jerry H. Where did VDS-001 go after he had it? Does he remember who had it next or whether it was sold outside the US?

Thanks

Allen

[mwphoto]

One more of Jerry that weekend at Blackhawk. SS/GT Datsun...


That weekend is one of the few Nationals I was at were I kept (or can find) most of the result sheets.
In SSGT Jerry was on the pole and finished second to the #28 Corvette of Bob McConnell. In GT-1 he was second to Tuck Thomas in a GT-1 Corvette and won in ASR. There are errors on the result sheets I have, such as the ASR being listed as a Berger-Chev Can-Am and Jerry's name being typed as Hanson in the SSGT results.

[S&M Minis]

The Wolverine at a Mid Ohio SCCA Nationals weekend, most likely winning.

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by RA Historian

1972 saw a new Lola T-300 F-5000 in which he won the Runoffs. He also fitted a roll cage on it and ran it in a USAC sprint car race at the ST. Paul fairgrounds, beating all the USAC sprint car drivers! Needless to say, this struck fear and confusion in the sprint car ranks, and it was not long before USAC banned rear engined cars from running in the sprint car races.

We covered this in a thread titled "Rear-engined Sprint cars"

http://forums.autosp...ht=Jerry Hansen

scroll down to message #19 and #26 for pictures. Hansen is discussed in several of the posts.

Hansen added to the confusion, as he was the third driver to win a USAC Sprint Car feature in a rear engined car. Dave Roahrig scored the first rear engined win on July 4, 1973 at the 1/2 mile Tri-County Speedway in Cincinnati. Tom Sneva then won 3 straight races in July. Hansen won the first of the traditional Labor Day races at the Minnesota State Fair with Sneva winning the following day. Hansen also competed in the 1972 IMCA Sprint Car race on the same track.

Apparently, Hansen made his USAC Sprint Car debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park, but evidently did not make the feature race. Hansen is pictured standing along the car at IRP in Carl Hungness' "USAC Sprint History 1956-1980".

Sneva winning 6 races overall and the threat of a whole field of obsolete equipment (and pig headed traditionalism) prompted USAC's ban of rear engined cars from the Sprint Car series. There were concerns that owners would need one car for dirt and one for pavement, which is what happened even using only upright Sprint Cars...so, so much for that.

On a side note, Allen, have you located the Lola that Hansen used in the Sprint races?

[Jim Thurman]

I want to thank Jerry Entin, as always, for posting the great photos. And all those who loaned the photos

And also to Tom, for not only the great photos, but the story of Jerry Hansen, who I've always felt was one of the most underrated and versatile drivers around.

Tom, you left out that Hansen drove in three NASCAR Grand National races in 1974, fielding his own Chevrolet at Talladega, Michigan and Darlington (the latter being the Southern 500).

I'd like to know more about his short stint in NASCAR. What possessed him to do it, why he didn't do more, where he got the car, where the car went to...

Tom, any idea of Hansen's win totals at Road America and at Brainerd/Donnybrooke?

[JacnGille]

Originally posted by Lotus23
I attended a lot of SCCA Runoffs during the years they were run at Road Atlanta.

Me too.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

I note with interest the colour pix in post # 36 from S&M Minis. Jerry's Wolverine was sporting the then very-popular bronzie-brown that was found on a number of cars of the period. You may recall that Peter Lerch's car was so liveried. There were several others, too.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman
Tom, you left out that Hansen drove in three NASCAR Grand National races in 1974, fielding his own Chevrolet at Talladega, Michigan and Darlington (the latter being the Southern 500).

I'd like to know more about his short stint in NASCAR. What possessed him to do it, why he didn't do more, where he got the car, where the car went to...

Tom, any idea of Hansen's win totals at Road America and at Brainerd/Donnybrooke?

Not to mention that Hansen also drove USAC Indy Cars for Pacesetter Homes in 1969 at Brainerd, Seattle, and Riverside. I limited my comments largely to sports car racing as that was Hansen's focus. I also gave short mention to his sprint car exploits and USAC's reaction because I knew that had been covered in detail in another thread.

Jerry won 12 June Sprints feature races, and he won a total of 26 times in class. Add to that his win in the 1968 Badger 200 F-5000 pro race (then called SCCA Continental Championship), his Trans Am wins in 1975 and 1982, and if you will, his heat race win at the 1971 L&M F-5000 race, and his win total at Road America is 30.

I do not know his win total at Brainerd, but it is several, including two Trans Ams. Hopefully someone from that area can fill us in.

Tom

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman

On a side note, Allen, have you located the Lola that Hansen used in the Sprint races?

A year or two ago I sold some photos of Hansen's T-300 to Donald McGreevey, who is restoring it to the way it was when Hansen ran it.
Tom

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen in 1966. Jim Thurman thank you very much for your kind words. I am sure before we are done with this site that you will really be surprised. Also, Jerry Hansen never drove a NASCAR type car in any santioned NASCAR event. The Jerry Hansen that NASCAR says raced in their events must be another Jerry Hansen.

Jerry Hansen chasing George Follmer in 1966. These photos are from the Riverside USRRC race.
photos lent site by Pat Smith- photos by Mike Smith
Turbo's Racing photos- www.turbosracingphotos.com

[Jerry Entin]

I haven't said anything about the mechanics who helped Jerry Hansen. Scotty Beckett who was a friend of Don Skogmo helped Jerry after Don Skogmo passed away. Scotty had a shop in Bloomington, Minnesota. Jerry was also helped by Roy Campbell and Steve Kranz and the late Mike Lindorfer. Jerry went to his early races with just friends and neighbors helping. He basically knew nothing about the type of racing he was involved in and going to the races was his learning experience.
His racing club was called LOL which meant Land of Lakes. It was in the Central Division of the SCCA. Jerry saw Teams like the Mecom Team and the Cunningham Team with their tractor trailers and the latest cars and best drivers and was impressed with their whole setup. He also saw Teams like Chaparral arrive with a pickup truck and trailer and unload a car that looked like something out of the twilight zone. Jerry remembers Jack Hinkle and Chet Johnson presenting a car that always finished and looked immaculate. He felt their relationship was more like best friends or buddies, than of mechanic and owner, driver. This was the type of team Jerry Hansen aspired to have.
I also want to thank Randy McConnell and Mark Windecker for helping this site out with their great pictures.

[David Pozzi]

I don't know if it was mentioned before, but long ago I read of Hansen entering a F5000 car in a circle track race and I believe he WON it???

Any info on this?
David

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by David Pozzi
I don't know if it was mentioned before, but long ago I read of Hansen entering a F5000 car in a circle track race and I believe he WON it???

Any info on this?
David

See post 37, this thread.

[kma4444]

What an amazing record Mr Hansen has in club racing. I could not be more impressed or amazed by somethign as impressive as 27 national championships. I've gotten several poles and fast laps but never pulled off the win. I know how hard winning even one is, Mr Hansen, I'm in awe.

[NGSmith]

Originally posted by Jerry Entin

Jerry Hansen in 1966. Jim Thurman thank you very much for your kind words. I am sure before we are done with this site that you will really be surprised.

Jerry Hansen chasing George Follmer in 1966. These photos are from the Riverside USRRC race.
photos lent site by Pat Smith- photos by Mike Smith
Turbo's Racing photos- www.turbosracingphotos.com

Is this the car listed for sale in the Vicory Lane Magazine?

Nick

[Jerry Entin]

Jerry Hansen's team in 1974. The car on the truck was the ex Haas/Hall T-330 Lola. This picture was sent to fellow forum member Wolfgang Klopfer by former Hansen helper Bill Peters.
above photo lent site Wolfgang Klopfer collection.

[Jerry Entin]

1967 Carl Haas USRRC Team. This is Elkhart Lake the event is called Road America 500, Jerry Hansen and his co-driver Chuck Parsons were to finish a fine 2nd.
In the picture are Frank Gates, with Simoniz, and Jerry Hansen and Carl's wife Bernie Haas with her sister Bridie Murphy, Carl Haas, Chuck and Sherry Parsons, Skip Scott and Ike Smith, Tony Hartford and Gil Munz and Harry Woodnorth.

Cars on the grid for the 1967 Road America 500. Jerry is in car on right. The next year 1968 Jerry teamed up with Mark Donohue in Roger Penske's McLaren Mk 6. They dominated the race but dropped out at the 56 lap mark that year.
Above photos by Stephen Kaye.