ROUND 6: AT LEAST LOLA T70 & JOHN SURTEES

Starting the last round of the 1967 CANAM series - the Stardust GP at Las Vegas - only two racers have still a chance to win the Challenge: Bruce McLaren (30 points) or Dennis Hulme (27 points). Whatever may be the rank of Bruce at this last race: if Hulme wins here, he'll win also the final ranking with 36 points and 4 victories out of 6 rounds.
The $ 90,000 US offered by Johnson wax to the top-10 results in a serious improvement in most cars. Where no solution was found for the road holding problems with his Lola T70 Mk3B with chassis SL73/41, the 1964 F1 world champion John Surtees, winner of last year's CANAM Challenge, opts for his Lola T70 Mk2 with chassis SL71/43 of last year. Ford's two factory cars, the Honker II Ford for Mario Andretti and the Shelby King Cobra Ford for Jerry Titus are present, but their 10th and 13th time at the qualifications let fear that they are not in for victory lane. (Eventually none of both cars will be seen on the starting grid: bearing problems on the Honker II and suspension failure after an accident in practice for the King Cobra.)
Not in for victory too are the two Ferraris 350P4 entered for Chris Amon (13th time) and Jonathan Williams (18th time): their cars are too heavy - at least 50 kgs more than most American "big bangers", and they lack at least 40bhp horsepower to be really competitive. Of them both only Amon is faster than the three best private cars entered by gentleman drivers. Chuck Parsons clocks the 14th time at the wheel of his personal McLaren M1C Chevrolet. Rick Muther realises the 15th time with his per-sonal Lola T70 Mk2, bought in December from America's Lola distributor John Mecom. And Indy-car racer Roger McCluskey, this year 19th at the Indianapolis 500 miles, is 16th in the Lola T70 Mark 1 owned by Califor-nia's John Klug. The same Klug is a "big banger" enthusiast, having had Dan Gurney racing for him his King Cobra in 1964. Normally, another privateer, Bill Eve, should have been in their company. However, he destroyed his Lola T70 Mk3 at Riverside, and shows now at the grid with a Lotus 19G Ford V8 which will be retired before the start, since of the 32 cars seen in practice only the Platypus Oldsmobile of Dennis Harisson is slower.
Of the top-team racers Bruce McLaren is fastsest in his McLaren M6A with 1'30"8. The Kiwi supremacy, so manifest at the former rounds, seems at once over since several racers realise sharp times. Jim Hall is second in his Chaparral 2G Chevrolet in 1'31"1. Third is Dan Gurney with the AAR Lola T70 Mk3B Ford in 1'31"2. Then follows Parnelli Jones with the 5-litre Indy powered Lola T70 Mk3 Ford of George Bignotti (1'31"3). Denis Hulme is fifth with the second McLaren M6A in 1'31"4. With five cars within only a half second from the pole sitter there will be at least a real race at this last round of the 1967 CANAM Series. Peter Revson is 6th in the Dana Lola T70 Mk3 (1'32"3), but he'll have to start from the pits. The other Dana Lola of Lothar Motschenbacher is 10th best qualifier. The light-weight Roger Penske Lolas T70 Mk3B of Mark Donohue (1'32"6) and George Follmer (1'34"6) are 7th and 12th on the grid.
Mike Spence, always at the wheel of the ex-Amon McLaren M1C Chevro-let, is again surprisingly fast in the old car: 1'32"6. For the second time this year Charlie Hayes and his McKee Mk7 Oldsmobile are among the fast boys. At Mosport he qualified already as 8th, now as 11th in 1'34"3. John Cannon disappoints, realising only the 19th time with his privatly owned McLaren M1B Chevrolet. The rest of the field is for the traditional field fillers and back benchers.
Among the top-20 on the grid - as Mike Spence explained - one finds several mediocre American racers, being only well-placed since their hairy cars have more horsepower than others. There can be hardly doubt that the F1 racers are so much more talented. With slower cars - Spence is an excellent example - they are during the race faster than several American "big banger" drivers. Only Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones and Peter Revson show enough racer's abilities to compete with the experien-ced F1 drivers.

  [JPVR]

Rear suspension of the Shelby King Cobra, a Len Terry design, improved by Phil Remington. The car was, together with the Honker II Ford the big deception of the 1967 CANAM series.

The big air intakes of the Ferrari 350P4 Canam. Photo: Sport Auto, Decem-ber 1967, n°71, p. 64..

Bruce McLaren wins the 1967 CANAM Series. He won two rounds out of six (one less than team mate and F1 world champion Denis Hulme), but collected also two second places. Cover of the French magazine Sport Auto of December 1967.

     
Dan Gurney was one of the best racers at the 1967 CANAM Series, being able to fight against the superior McLarens M6A. However, at none of the six rounds he could reach the finish. The Gurney-Weslake headed Ford engine was the Achilles heel of his Lola T70 Mk3B.

fac simili of article in Autosport, November 24, 1967, p. 904.

fac simili of article in Autosport, November 24, 1967, p. 905