Of all CANAM series none had the glamour of the real first organised in 1966. In no later issue the entry field was so strong and so diverse as in the 1966 series. No less than 11 Grand Prix drivers entered that year the competition,  a figure which will later no more improved. The 1966 edition is one of the highlights in the history of autosport. It was the clash among the best European, American, Canadian and Kiwi racers. Even God himself, A.J. Foyt, and his successor Mario Andretti were seen at one or more rounds. Such F1 world champions as John Surtees (1964), Phil Hill (1961), Graham Hill (1962), Denny Hulme (1967), Jackie Stewart (1969-71-73) and Mario Andretti (1978) were all seen in competition. But also the most famous winners of the Indianapolis 500 miles were present: A.J. Foyt (1961-64-67-77),  Parnelli Jones (1963), Mario Andretti (1969), Al Unser sr (1970-71-78). Among the Le Mans winners we found such racers at the start as Phil Hill (1958-61-62), Masten Gregory (1965), Bruce McLaren (1966), Chris Amon (1966), Dan Gurney (1967), A.J. Foyt (1967), Pedro Rodriguez (1968), and Graham Hill (1972).  

In the history of autosport one can - apart from the F1 world championship - not find one series having been entered by so many excellent racers as the CANAM series, at least the editions of 1966 to 1968. Before the first series, in 1966, there existed already several lucrative races with open sports cars. They were organised from September to November. Top of the bill was undoubtedly the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside with more than $ 50,000 US on prize money, a record in those days. "The entry for the '65 Times GP was the most impressive in US sports car racing history: Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Ken Miles and David Hobbs led the international contingent with Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt, Augie Pabst, Peter and Doug Revson, Jim Hall, Richie Ginther, Hap Sharp, Parnelli Jones, Jerry Grant, Skip Hudson, Chuck Parsons, Bob Bondurant, Ronnie Bucknum, George Follmer, Walt Hansgen, Lothar Motchenbacher, Richie Ginther, Ed Leslie, Jerry Hansen, Jim Hurtubise, Jerry Titus, Charlie Hayes and Skip Scott leading the Americans." At this particular race F1 world champion Jim Clark proved what a hell of a driver he was. He came at the start with the 4.7 Lotus 40 Ford, an unbelievable nice car built by Colin Chapman, but undoubtedly the worst car he ever built. When journalists asked Richie Ginther what he found from the Lotus 40 he answered: "It's just a Lotus 30 with ten more mistakes." Nevertheless Clark succeeded to follow the Chaparral 2A - a car having won 16 times on 22 outings - during 200 miles to finish second.
But also the Player's 200 miles at Mosport and at Mont Tremblant, Saint-Jovite, the Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca and the Stardust Grand Prix at Las Vegas were popular for their high purse. Already in 1963 Canadian organisers proposed to join those five 200-miles races in a series. Coming at the end of the year, when the USRRC series was already finished, and spread over no more than two months, a joint series - they said - should be one of the highlights in autosport. By finishing such series before the start of the (also lucrative) Nassau Speedweek at the Bahamas  nobody's interests were hurt. [Yes, during the same period of the year, there was the Springbok series in southern Africa, but that was rather for prototypes than for open sportscars.]
Before the start of the 1966 season FIA's CSI created a new class of cars, the famous Group 7, respecting the formula libre for open two-seaters. This recognition contributed undoubtedly to the start of the CANAM series - officially Canadian American Challenge Cup - in 1966. Organisers were the SCCA (Sports Car Club America) and the CASC (Canadian Automobile Sports Club). Main sponsor of the first issue was Johnson Wax.

"While European sportscar racing in the World-championship of Makes had been under strong rules, the cars used in CanAm racing were nearly out of any limitations. The FIA regulations for the group 7 (double-seater racing cars) had de-manded ony covered wheels and a two seat cockpit with also two doors. The other rules introduced, had concerned only safety matters, so the type and the cubic capacity of the engines used had been absolutely free, a dream of every racing car designer."
Eventually it was decided to contest six rounds, the three first at the East-coast, the three last at the West-coast. Of the six rounds two went to Canada, res. at Mont-Tremblant, St-Jovite and at Mosport Park. The USA was in for four rounds, with the classical trio Laguna Seca, Riverside and Las Vegas at the end of the series. One circuit, having no "big banger" tradition, Bridgehampton, was added to the series after the FIA had decided that the Brid-gehampton Double 500 miles was no longer eligi-ble as a round for the Worldchampionship of Makes.

CANAM 1966 - The first round at Mont-Tremblant St-Jovite in Canada was won by the 4.9 Lola T70 Mk2 entered by the 1964 F1 world champion John Surtees from London.

CANAM 1966 RIVERSIDE - Having contested the first rounds with the Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis number SL71/17 which Surtees raced for his own team in close co-operation with Eric Broadley, the father of all Lolas. At the fifth round at Riverside he let race his country mate and F1 racer Graham Hill with the SL71/17 (with race number #3) and entered for himself the Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with race number #7, the one with chassis number SL71/43. Here we see Graham Hill following another F1 driver, himself an ex-world champion in F1, America's Phil Hill in the Chaparral 2E. Graham Hill is followed by the #5 McLaren M1B Chevrolet of Kiwi Chris Amon and by the Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet of the USRRC champion George Follmer.

         CARS, TEAMS & DRIVERS AT THE 1966 CANAM
The two most succesful manufacturers of Group 7 cars in 1966 are based in England. It are Eric Broadley (Lola) and Bruce McLaren.
LOLA T70 Mk2 - Distributor of the Lola cars in the US is John W. Mecom. During the 1966 CANAM he'll let race two cars on a regular basis for his John Mecom Racing Team: a Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis SL71/24 for Indy car ace Parnelli Jones (#98) and a Lola T70 Mk2 Ford with unknown chassis number (probably the SL71/39) for USCC champion George Follmer. Originally the SL71/24 was equipped with a Paxton super-charged 4.7 Ford giving approximately 470bhp. Jones's race engineer, George Bignotti, however decided before the start of the series to replace it by a big block Chevrolet, tuned by Traco. At round #2 Al Unser will drive this car, when Jones is absent. Up from round #4 Jones will drive a brand new Lola T70 Mk2 (chassis SL71/44) equipped with a 5.9-litre Chevrolet coupled to a Hewland LG500-95 gearbox. Follmer's car is replaced up from round #4 by the SL71/41. The car uses no longer a Ford motor but a big Chevrolet, tuned by Bartz and coupled to a Hewland LG500-94 gearbox. In the course of the season John Mecom Racing will also enter the SL71/25 for Grand Prix driver Jacky Stewart (who'll contest two rounds with it) and the SL71/37 for the new star in American racing, Mario Andretti. The last car will be equipped with a 7-litre Ford motor coupled to an automatic transmission (as earlier used by the Ford GT-X1). Eventually, at Riverside, J.W. Mecom will enter the #83 Lola T70 Mk2 with chassis SL71/26 (or SL71/35) for A.J. Foyt, at that moment the absolute God of all American racing. The car will be equipped with a 7-litre Ford engine as used at Le Mans in the Fords Mk2 prototypes, and coupled to a new Hewland LG500-61. It's remarkable that J.W. Mecom's team will use no less than eight different cars in the 1966 CANAM for six different drivers.
Another team, All American Racers will contest the CANAM with two other Lolas T70 Mk2. Owner Dan Gurney, an F1 racer, will use a T70 in blue with white flashes - chassis SL71/34 -  equipped with a 5.3-litre Ford-Weslake engine coupled to a Hewland LG500-79 box. The team's second car is a T70 Mk1, raced one year earlier in white colour by Parnelli Jones, chassis SL70/10. In a test session, shortly after the Mosport GP, the car, demonstrated to journalists, will be crashed by Chuck Jones and destroyed. At Riverside Grant will receive the Bardahl Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis SL71/20 (or the SL70/46?).  Contrary to most privateers A.A.R. bought its cars directly from Eric Broadley in England, not from John W. Mecom.
No less than three Lolas T70 Mk2 will be entered by Team Surtees, working in very close co-operation with Eric Broadley. John Surtees will start the series with the Mk2 Traco-Chevrolet, chassis SL71/17 bought from Mecom after the SL71/16 was crashed at John's terrible accident prior to the 1965 Canadian Grand Prix of Mosport. Suspension, brakes, engine and gearbox of this car were later used in the SL71/17. At the second heat of the Monterey GP this car was hit by Parnelli Jones, so that Surtees used the SL71/43 at the two last heats. At Bridgehampton and Mosport Surtees, however, used his SL71/48, the same Lola T70 Mk2 which he used to win earlier the Wills Trophy at Croft and the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch - two British sprint races for "big bangers", organised in August. At Riverside F1 champion Graham Hill will use the team's SL/17. 
New in 1966 is the Roger Penske Racing Team, enetering a Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis SL71/32 for Mark Donohue. The very well structured team had also the SL71/21 as spare car.

At the 1966 edition of the CANAM Player's is not al-ready sponsor of the round at Mosport Park. Indeed; their race was already organised in June as round #2 (out of 4) of the Canadian Sports Car Championship. Winner was Bruce McLaren in his new M1B Ford, ahead of Lothar Motschenbacher in the olde McLaren Elva M1A Oldsmobile and Chris Amon in the new M1B Oldsmobi-le. The Mosport round of the 1966 CANAM was thus officially the 6th Canadian Grand Prix for the Pepsi Cola Trophy. However, the first round, on September 11 at St-Jovite Mont-Tremblant was officially called the Player's 200. There were thus TWO Player's 200 in 1966.

The British Racing Partnership Team, owned by Tony Sergeant and Hugh Dibley entered its Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis SL71/19 for the six rounds of the 1966 CANAM. Equipped with A 5.9-litre engine the car finished in 1965 second at the Tourist Trophy and won several local races in England. At practice for the first round the car flipped onto its back after cresting a rise. It was in time repaired for the re-maining rounds.
Another Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet with chassis SL71/38 was entered by Jackie Epstein/Marvin Webster Racing for the Australian all-rounder Paul Hawkins. The car is equipped with a 6-litre Alan Smith engine coupled to a Hewland LG500-82 box. The car has knock on hubs and rear and front spoilers. Two weeks before the start of the series Hawkins finished fifth with it at its maiden race at the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch.
Another enthusiast of British "big banger" racing, Sid Taylor, sent his very succesful Lola T70 Mk2 Chevrolet overseas for F1 racer Denny Hulme.  This car with chassis SL71/31 was built up by Ron Bennett, Sid Taylor's mechanic, at the Lola Works in Slough. Initially it had a 5-litre engine, but later that one was replaced by a 5.9-litre engine, similar to the one used by John Surtees. Prior to being shipped overseas the car won the Tourist Trophy at Oulton Park, the International Trophy Race at Sil-verstone, and the Grovewood Trophy at Mallory Park. It was circuit record holder at Snetterton, Silverstone, Oulton Park, Mallory Park and Castle Combe. At the CANAM however it was victim of all kinds of woes and could only finish once as fifth at the first heat in Laguna Seca. [Indeed, the Monterey GP went over two heats.]
John Mecom sold also a Lola T70 Mk2 Ford - with chassis number SL71/40 - to Alderman Auto Ser-vice of America's George Alderman. He raced it personally at the first round, and entered it for Brett Lunger at three later rounds.
Team Ringfree Motor Oil Special of Bobby Brown entered the Lola T70 Mk2 Ford with chassis num-ber SL71/29 for himself.
LOLA T70 Mk1 - Several teams and privateers show with the Lola T70 Mark 1 of the previous year. Haskell Automotive Co of California will enter its SL70/15 for F1 racer Ronnie Bucknum at the first round and for Dave Jordan at Laguna Seca. The 6.2-litre Chevrolet engined SL70/7 of Hugh Dibley is loaned to Scooter Patrick for the round at Riverside.  Young B.A.R.F. Inc has a T70 Mark 1 for Bobby Buchner. We note also private entries of the T70 Mark 1 by Jerry Crawford (using a Chrys-ler engine), of Norman Smith (using a Ford motor), and of Monte Sheldon (using a Chevrolet motor).

BRIDGEHAMPTON GRAND PRIX CANAM 1966 - Jerry Grant in the All American Racers's 4.4 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Mk1 Roadster. The car finished as 7th. PICTURE: Racing Sports Cars Archive.

McLAREN M1B - Direct concurrent of Eric Broadley is Bruce McLaren. In November 1964 he started the production of his own car, the McLaren-Elva M1A. Elva Cars Ltd didn't exist any longer at that very moment, since after a voluntary liquiditation in 1961 - due to the bankrupt of an American importer having never paid the delivery of a whole lot of Elva Courier cars having been shipped over from England to the States - all assets went over in hands of Trojan Ltd, based in Croydon. At Trojan they started in 1965 the production of a new Group 7 car, the McLaren M1B, following a design from the automotive artist Michael Turner. Development was in hands of Robin Herd. Of the new car Trojan sold 28 copies in the USA and Canada. Originally the car was equipped with a 4.5-litre (later 5-litre) Traco Oldsmobile motor. Whilst Broadley and his American agent Mecom sold several of their cars to multiple-car-race-teams for the 1966 CANAM series, only three teams had two cars on their disposal. One of them was the official Bruce McLaren Motor Racing entering two M1B cars, one for Bruce McLaren himself (chassis 2-66) and one with chassis 1-66 for his country mate Chris Amon. Those cars were equipped with a 6-litre Chevrolet V8 with Hilborn injection.
The second team was Drummond Racing Organisation based in England. The car with chassis 12-66 is one of the two cars bought by America's Bill Kay for himself and Peter Revson. Unfortunately Kay died from a heart attack shortly before the start of the 1966 CANAM series. His 12-66 car was bought by George Drummond who let Peter Revson continuing to race it. Drummond had also a second M1B, also  with a 5.4-litre Chevrolet-Traco engine, and let this one being raced by Skip Scott.
The third team was Charles Hayes Racing with a 5.6-litre Chevrolet engined McLaren M1B for the mysterious Earl Jones, whilst  Charlie Hayes himself drove the very special McLaren Elva Chevrolet Mark II with chassis 001 as tested in 1966 by the American magazine Road & Track. This car was equipped with a 333 cu in. Traco Chevrolet V8 of 466bhp. We reproduced earlier a fac simili of the test in EuroSlot n°2, Spring 1966. A copy of it can be found here.
Among the private teams racing the McLaren M1B at the CANAM we note:
Hilton Racing Team with a 6-litre Chevrolet engined car for Chuck Parsons;
Ecurie Carabine  with a 6-litre Chevrolet engined car for Canada's John Canon;
Nickey-Vinegarone Racing with a 5.6-litre Oldsmobile engined car for Lothar Motschen-bacher; this team had also a second car, however no M1B, but a Genie Mk10 Oldsmobile, driven by Bob Harris; Motschenbacher's car was later entered by Don Blocker Motor Racing;
Autodynamics Corporation  with a 5.3-litre Ford engined car for Sam Posey;
Pacesetter Homes Racing with a 6-litre Chevrolet engined car for Masten Gregory;
We note also private entries of an M1B by Billy Foster, Bill Amick, Dick Brown and Canada's Ludwig Heimrath.

CANAM 1966 - Although Bruce McLaren had more cars on the grid at the 1966 CANAM than his direct concurrent Eric Broadley, he failed to win one of the six rounds: the Lola T70 Mk2 won five out of six rounds (three with John Surtees, one with Dan Gurney and one with Mark Donohue), McLaren none. Here we see Bruce McLaren in the #4 and Chris Amon in the #5. One year later the McLarens will take their revenge at the CANAM winning five rounds and letting only the last one to the Lola of John Surtees. Above pic comes from the cover of the French Sport Auto magazine of November 1966.
RIVERSIDE 1966 - The McLaren M1B of Masten Gregory is refreshed before the start. Picture from the French Sport Auto magazine of November 1966.

McLAREN ELVA MARK II - Sponsored by Nickey Charlie Hayes  raced this car being an intermediary construction between Elva's M1A and Trojan's M1B.A similar car with chassis MAB-30-05 was entered by Bud Morley.  

McLAREN ELVA M1 - Of the older Elva M1A only one copy was seen at the 1966 CANAM series driven by Canada's John Lersch.

McLAREN GOTH SPECIAL CHEVROLET - America's Mike Goth raced for his own Mike Goth Racing a transformed McLaren M1B It concerned the original M1B with a changed rear holding a big rear spoiler.

NOTE: McLAREN  M1C - Towards the end of the series Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon showed with an M1B with at the rear an inclined big rear spoiler. Officially those cars were noted in the standings as a simple M1B, but up from 1967 they were called "McLaren M1C". Dick Brown and John Cordts were also seen with similar cars.
One has to consider that both the Lolas T70 and the McLarens M1A, M1B, M2 are typical English cars. Number of American cars starting in the 1966 was mainly restricted to typical artisanal cars as the McKee Mk6, Mirage M1A, Stanton Special, Denmacher Mk2, Burnett Mk2, and other Webster Oldmobiles. Among the competitive American cars only the Chaparral 2E, the Huffaker Genie Mk10 and the Hamill SR3 are worth to be studied.

MOSPORT 1966 - Although Dan Gurney realised the pole position, he had to start from the pits. So we find the two McLarens MB1 Chevrolet of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon in front of Sam Posey with the white and blue McLaren M1B. John Surtees and both Chaparral2E come a couple of cars further.

HAMILL SR3 - Another all-American car is the Ha-mill SR3 entered by Ed Hamill and equipped with a Brabham-Repco engine. Although the fact that the car misses the necessary power to compete with the five and six litres "big bangers" it will finish twelfth at the Los Angeles Times GP at Riverside.

PORSCHE 906 - Several Porsches 906 will be seen at the 906 CANAM, but only the one driven by Doug Revson will be consistent, finishing five of the six rounds among the top-15 and even once tenth, despite its small two-litre engine.

FERRARI DINO 206S - Two little Dinos were entered without success at the 1966 CANAM. N.A.R.T.'s was driven by Pedro Rodriguez.