ROUND 1: HULME WINS ROAD ATLANTA

For youngsters it must be quite difficult to realise what was the famous CANAM series, launched in 1966. Racing in those days was totally diffe-rent from now. Can you imagine Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella and other Jenson Buttons being involved in still another race series than the F1 World Championship? Nevertheless in the 1960s several F1 racers entered lots of other races than just F1 Grand Prix. World champions as John Surtees, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Denis Hulme or Graham Hill entered all kinds of races. One saw them at the Le Mans 24 hours, at the 8 rounds for the FIA Prototypes World Champion-ship, at local races in England (as well in a Lotus 40, a Lola T70, a McLaren big banger, as in a simple Ford Cortina Lotus). Clark and Hill contested for Colin Chapman even the Indianapolis 500 miles (coming home with victory in 1965 and in 1966!)
In 1967 no less than 9 excellent and famous F1 racers entered the lucrative CANAM series: John Surtees (GB), Denis Hulme (NZ), Dan Gurney (USA), Mike Spence (GB), Bruce McLaren (NZ), Chris Amon (NZ), Lodovico Scarfiotti (I), Eppie Wietzes (CDN) and Jonathan Williams (GB). Earlier this season one saw most of them at the several endurance races (Daytona 24 hours, Sebring 12 hours, Monza 1000-km, Spa 1000-km, Targa Florio, Nürburgring 1000-km, Le Mans 24 hours and Brands Hatch 500 miles) where the gruelling Ford-Ferrari combat was raging. The first round of the CANAM series (Road Atlanta) came exactly one week after the Candaian F1 Grand Prix, with still 3 Grand Prix to go.
Racing with "big bangers" - open bi-places - was extremely popular in the States and in Canada. Since at those days colour TV didn't exist, and since most families had not already an own TV (even no phone!) attendance of those races was pretty high.

The 1960s were the start of prosperity in the western world. Under the general market form of monopoly capitalism owners of production goods could at least sell their products above their intrinsic value, so that there was room to let rise average wages. There was no economic crisis ang economic growth rates were far above 5 per cent. In a rock'n roll subcul-ture where Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Stones were status symbols for young people coming more and more in conflict with older generati-ons

Start at Elkhart Lake with at the front row the McLarens M6A of Bruce McLaren and Denis Hulme. On the second row we see the Lola T70 Mk3 of Dan Gurney and the simular car of 1966 USRRC champion George Folmer. Then follow the Lola T70 Mk3 of Mark Donohue and the McLaren M1C of Chuck Parsons. Surtees's Lola T70 Mk3 is in 7th position. Automotive art by Michael Turner. Turner, himself  a modest racer in the 1960s, designed for McLaren the body of the McLaren M1B.

The 1960s were in motorsport the start of Ford' spectacular sales program of Global Performance. Winning Le Mans, by defeating the unbeatable red Prancing Horse cars was the main objective. Ford had to wait from 1963 until 1966 to achieve that goal. In 1967 they could win again the Le Mans 24 hours. But they were also involved in Indy car racing, in rally racing, in Transam racing, in dragster racing, etc. Mid-1967 was a period of social unrest. Concerning the CANAM series that resulted in a delay in preparing own Ford "big bangers". Only the Honker II Ford, built by Alan Mann Racing (GB) for film star Paul Newman and tuned by Holman & Moody (USA) comes in Elkhart Lake at the start, but the car is absolutely not competitive and will be retired at the qualifications.
Nearly all cars at the start have glassfibre bodies, a device already installed in 1963 by Colin Chapman on his street cars (Lotus Elan). All cars have hairy engines of 450bph until 525bph. So Elkhart Lake becomes the Thunder Valley. Most of the cars are far from ready for top compitition. At the qualifications John Surtees complains that the new suspension on his Lola T70 Mk3 is far from working as it should be. Of those Mk3 Lolas only Surtees, Dan Gurney and Mark Donohue received Eric Broadley's light weight version. Jim Hall feels unhappy with the new Chaparral 2G, by far not so competitive of the former 2A, 2C and 2E. Having invested too much time in his Chaparral 2F protype - having won the Brands Hatch 500 miles - the 2G is full of children diseases. Eventually only the two brand new McLarens M6A are ready for the combat.

Of the 35 cars seen at the qualifications 16 are private entries by gentle-men racers. Number of cars able to go after victory is limited. Most dangerous cars are:
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing: #4 McLaren M6A for Bruce McLaren and #5 McLaren M6A for Denis Hulme;
Roger Penske Racing: #6 Lola T70 Mk3 for the new USRRC champion Mark Donohue (having won 6 out of 8 rounds) and #16 for his predeces-sor George Follmer;
All American Racers: #36 Lola T70Mk3 for Dan Gurney and #78 Lola T70 Mk2 for Jerry Grant;
Team Surtees: #7 Lola T70 Mk3 for previous series winner John Surtees;
Chaparral Cars Inc: #66 Chaparral 2G for Jim Hall;
Caldwell Autodynamics: #1 Caldwell D7 for Sam Posey and #2 McLaren M1B for Brett Lunger;
Dana Chevrolet: #11 Lola T70 Mk3 for Lothar Motschenbacher and #52 Lola T70 Mk3 for Peter Revson.

Of the CANAM Ferraris, promised by Luigi Chinetti of N.A.R.T., none already arrived from Italy. If they show it will be in a world of fiberglass the lonely cars with rivetted aluminium body.
Of the 35 cars seen at qualifications only 3 are powered by Ford; 1 by the Brabham-Repco (the Australian Match SR3); all the rest is powered by Chevrolet, because the Canam world is Chevrolet's world. Noteworth also is that there are 3 McKees in Elkhart Lake: 2 new Mk7s and one older Mk6.
Except for European magazines as Autosport, Sport Auto and L'Automobile (nearly all in black and white, except for the cover and perhaps 2 pages in the middle) there is still little interest in Europe for the CANAM series. In the prestigious L'Année Automobile/Automobile Year, published at the end of each season (edition 1967-1968, n° 15) one'll find not the smal-lest mention of the competition.

round #2