Jerry Melton's photos taken in North America during the 1950s to the 1970s.

Ken H, have that car in 1;43 as well as a European Race one - similar but doesn't have the window safety meshing - great looking car !!

The winner of the GTU class (Under 2.5 Litres) was Brad Frisselle in his Datsun 240 Z # 47.
I met Brad a couple of times when he had his family car serviced in Santa Barbara and he was a very unassuming man but a brilliant race engineer/ driver who along with Trevor Harris built a Can Am car in the eighties known as the Frissbee and it did well in that series when driven by Al Unser jr. etc.

Attachment 55582

Attachment 55584
Brad Frisselle in the Datsun 240 Z, Mosport. June 1975.
(Jerry Melton photos.)

Attachment 55583
Brad' s 240 Z # 47,beautifully maintained, as raced at Laguna Seca, August 2017.
(Hyndman photo )

Brad has two very talented sons racing in various series here too, great genes!

Carl Shafer surprised many when he came home second against the mighty Porsche Carrera RSR contingent in his Chevrolet Camaro
# 21.
Attachment 55585

Another Camaro # 88 of Mo Carter came in 6th.
Attachment 55586

Other local drivers such as the Carter brothers did not do as well.
Craig Carter in Camaro # 56 did not start in the race.
Attachment 55587

and his brother Darrel did not qualify in his Corvette # 54.
Attachment 55588

The Corvette of Richard Ortman # 42 finished in 24th position.
Attachment 55589

(Jerry Melton photos..)

The American cars were challenged by the Porsche Carrera RSR cars and some well known drivers.
The GTO winner was Hurley Haywood in Porsche Carrera # 6.
Attachment 55600


Peter Gregg came in 4th in his "Brumos" Porsche # 59

Attachment 55604

Attachment 55605

Attachment 55606


Al Holbert driving Porsche Carrera # 14.

Attachment 55607

Attachment 55608

(Jerry Melton photos.. )

The next day, June 15th 1975, was the Formula 5000 race.
One of the entrants was English driver Tony Dean driving a Chevron B24. # 7. When I checked the chassis number (24-73-07) I saw that it began life as a VDS Team car for the 1973 European F 5000 season driven then by Chris Craft. I happened to take a photo of the VDS team at Snetterton which shows Chris Craft waiting while his NZ mechanic, Graham Donaldson, checks it out.Attachment 55629
Chevron B24 (24-73-07 ) ( K Hyndman photo..)
Now raced by Tom Tweedie in Australia this car has quite a history.
" Chevron B24
24-73-07................... As per Oldracingcars.com http://www.oldracingcars.com/chevron/b24/


Built for 1973 season. VDS: for Chris Craft UK 1973; for Peter Gethin Tasman 1974; loaned to Adlards Crowne Racing for Craft UK 1974; returned to VDS, converted to B24/B28 specification and used by Vern Schuppan to win at Brands Hatch October 1974. Sold to Tony Dean UK 1975 (up to R6 Zandvoort 19 May 1975), who typically described it as a "B28". On 19 May, Dean raced the car at Zandvoort, a couple of days after Wunderink wrecked his older B24. Five days later, on Saturday 24 May, Dean won a libre at Rufforth in a "B24", followed home in second by Richard Simms also in a B24. Two days after that, Dean had his "B28" at Thruxton, finishing fifth. Then to USA for US series (3 races: debut R2 Mosport 15 Jun). Confiscated by UK Customs & Excise on return from US when Dean was accused of misunderstanding the rules covering cigar imports. Bought by Don Gray (Sittingbourne, Kent) at auction: raced in UK 1977 (3 races: debut R4 Brands Hatch 11 Apr 1977; later fifth in second race at R7 Brands Hatch 26 Jun 1977) and in libre (2nd behind Keth Holland at Brands Hatch 19 Jun 1977) - Keith Holland: Australian Internationals 1978 - Barry Singleton 1978: raced in Australia 1978 - Jim Lowe: won Queensland Racing Car Championship in 1980, beating Ivan Tighe; Australian Gold Star 1980; crashed at Surfers Paradise in early 1981 and heavily damaged.

Wreck sold to Russel Gomersall then to Peter Phillips, who is believed to have got it back to running condition, and then Laurie O'Neill (Sydney). Sold by O'Neill to Dr Bill Marshall some time around 1985 and raced in Australian historic racing, running in HSRCA events at Amaroo Park and Oran Park in 1986, 1987 and 1988. Sold by Marshall to George Parlby in the early 1990s and restored for Parlby by Ralt Australia. Said to be for sale in the US in 2005. To Aaron Lewis (NZ) late 2005. Raced by Lewis in the Formula 5000 Tasman Cup Revival at the Australian GP meeting 28 Mar 2009.

Sold in Jan 2012 to Robert Tweedie to be driven by his son Tom Tweedie, the 2009-10 Australian National F3 Champion. Tweedie won first time out at HSRCA Eastern Creek (Sydney Motorsport Park) 29 Jun-1 Jul 2013. Raced by Tweedie in the 2013/14 F5000 Australia Cup, winning at Sydney Motorsport Park 1 Sep 2013. Won again at Sydney Motorsport Park November 2014. Raced at the Phillip Island Classic in March 2016, and in March 2018, where Tom Tweedie won all four races.

Driven by: Chris Craft, Peter Gethin, Vern Schuppan, Brian Redman, Tony Dean, Don Gray, Keith Holland, Barry Singleton, Jim Lowe and Russel Gomersall. First race: Mallory Park (UK R10), 8 Jul 1973. Total of 49 recorded races.

Attachment 55630
Tony Dean at Mosport. June 1975.

Attachment 55631
(Jerry Melton's photos.. )
Another photo of Tony Dean lining up beside B.J. Swanson in his Lola T332 # 42.
Swanson's promising career came to a tragic end at Mid-Ohio in August 1975 and he died about the same time as Mark Donohue, so it was a sad time for the US racing fraternity.
This site explains how it happened.
http://racing-reference.info/showblog?id=2836


(Ken H)

Dan Gurney's All American Racers Team had an Eagle 755 (01) # 48 at Mosport for Bobby Unser to drive. This was the only F5000 car of this type (755) built by the Gurney team. Sponsored by Jorgensen Steel.
Attachment 55638
Check out those "bell-bottoms"

Attachment 55639
Bobby Unser in a rare F 5000 appearance.
(Jerry Melton photos..)

Attachment 55640
A Jorgensen Steel ad from 1975. )

(Ken H )

Bobby Unser's brother Al did not have a memorable weekend as he damaged his Lola T 332 and then tried the new Lola T 400 # 51 for the Viceroy sponsored Vel's Parnelli Racing Team. It was raced just this one time before going back to his tried and tested T 332 for the remaining 1975 races.

Attachment 55641

Attachment 55642
Al Unser sr. in his only appearance in a Lola T 400.
(Jerry Melton photos.. )

Another Lola T 400 (HU 9) at Mosport was Eppie Wietzes in car # 94 that finished in 5th place.
Attachment 55662

Attachment 55663
Jerry Melton photos..

The same car is now raced in NZ by Glenn Richards.
Attachment 55664

Attachment 55665
Glenn Richards in his Lola T 400 (HU 9) # 99 at Taupo. Jan. 2018.
(K Hyndman photos.. )

Australian Warwick Brown was always a hard charger in F 5000 and at Mosport he finished 3rd behind Mario Andretti and Brian Redman in his McCormick, Pat Burke Racing Talon MR-1A # 4.
Attachment 55668
It must have been a handful in the wet with those "slicks" on !

Attachment 55669

Attachment 55670
Warwick Brown in # 4 alongside Brian Redman's Lola # 1. Jon Woodner # 91 in behind.

( Jerry Melton photos.. )

Well folks we are down to the final stretch.
David Hobbs drove the Hogan Racing Team Lola T 332 # 10 home into 4th place.
Attachment 55707


Attachment 55708


Finishing in 2nd place was another English driver, Brian Redman, in the Carl Haas Lola T 332 # 1 chassis (HU 45)..more on this car later.
Attachment 55709

Attachment 55710

Attachment 55711


(Jerry Melton photos.. )

The winner of the June 1975 F 5000 race at Mosport was Mario Andretti in the Viceroy Lola T 332 # 5.

The pit conditions were not exactly ideal at Mosport when the weather changed !

Attachment 55719

Attachment 55720

Attachment 55721
Mario discussing tactics with teammate Al Unser Sr.

Attachment 55722
Mario Andretti waiting for the track to open up.


(Jerry Melton photos.. )

Mario Andretti in his Lola T332 # 5. Chassis HU 29.
Attachment 55723
Mario leading Warwick Brown, David Hobbs and Jon Woodner through Turn 1 at Mosport at the start of the first F5000 Heat race.

Attachment 55724
Andretti coming up to pass John Cannon driving a March 73A # 9


Mario Andretti (an American legend) at speed in his Lola # 5.

Attachment 55725

(Jerry Melton photos.)


That is the end of my input of Jerry Melton photos.
Thanks to Cliff Reuter for letting me share these photos from such a wonderful era of racing here in North America.
I have mentioned it before but this time I am going to give you a break from my "ramblings" for a while.
Ken Hyndman

Just one p.s.
I noted that the Lola T332 that Brian Redman was driving at Mosport in June 1975 was chassis HU 45 and owned by Carl Haas.

In September 1975 at Long Beach, Brian Redman was still in the same car but it was now run by Jim Hall and was painted in "Boraxo" (hand cleaner )colours.
Attachment 55749
Hyndman's signed photo of Brian Redman and Jim Hall beside the newly painted Lola at Long Beach.

Attachment 55750
The same car today as it appeared at Laguna Seca in 2015.
K Hyndman photo.

Attachment 55751
Hyndman and Brian Redman discussing the 1975 Inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. 2015.


Attachment 55752
Now Hyndman is off to go mix with the "big boys" around the back roads of Los Olivos, California.
Take care.

Ken H.

Ken, are you going to be at La Guna Seca Rolex this year. be great to catch up, we there both weekends, so hopefully see you and have that beer at last. This has been a great thread, lot of good work mate. Cheers Grimme

Rod,
This year I can only get to Laguna on Sunday August 19th for the day so I am pleased to learn that you will be there and we can catch up.
Also thanks for enjoying this thread as it takes time to input all the of Jerry Melton's photos and sometimes add some information.
Due to the lack of replies I thought not many were very interested in what happened in North American racing back then, so your comment was appreciated.
May you and all the NZ contingent have a safe journey over and we will have that drink together, my shout !
Cheers, Ken.

Yes we were interested and we appreciated you posting them, thank you. It's a shame that's it.
Allan

Hi Ken,

We are all loving the photos, and I know I speak for many when I say we are truly grateful for the photos and the fact that you take the time to post them for us.
We can be a little slack with comments.

Sorry I will miss you this year at Laguna, I get there on the 23rd.

Ken, your photos are always of interest. I never stop looking at them and it is always my morning hit along with a good cup of coffee.
Kind Regards, Bruce D

Me too Ken!!, It makes most excellent reading in the morning with my coffee in hand too. Great pictures and commentary.
I look forward to it everyday.
Cheers from downunder