1969 Wolverine Trans-Am photos

[Jon Mello]

Mark Donohue on the banking.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jerry Lagod approaches the banking from the infield part of the course.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Follmer's Mustang at the same spot. A nightmare if you get off course into the mud.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Peter Revson and Jerry Titus.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Porsches of Peter Gregg and Gary Wright.

Photo by Jerry Melton

A different angle looking at the same corner (actually they are several feet back from there) and the roles are reversed.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Peter Revson's Mustang in about the same spot.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Now pivoting to the left to look at the banked oval section, heading to the S/F line.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[wrongwayron]

Jerry's pix just get better and better

[Jon Mello]

Exiting the esses and heading toward the banking...

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bill Ortega's Firebird leads another group of cars exiting the esses.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Dick Brown's Firebird works its way through the esses with Dean Gregson's Mustang hot on its heels.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Bob Grossman's Camaro comes through the esses with Mark Donohue, a Porsche and Ron Grable's Javelin right behind.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Don Yenko's Camaro leads one of the Firebirds.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Another look at Bill Ortega's Firebird.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Fred Opert's #73 and Bob Bailey's #52 mix it up.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Here comes Rusty Jowett's Camaro

Photo by Jerry Melton

Peter Revson's Mustang

Photo by Jerry Melton

Check out all the crud on the windshield of Tullius' Javelin.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Revson's smoking Mustang navigates the esses.

Photo by Jerry Melton

If you don't like doing body work, you probably should not be a crew member for Parnelli Jones.
Oh, and you probably ought to stay out of his way also.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[Jon Mello]

Other items, courtesy of Jerry Melton.






Preliminary entry list







Official entry list

[Jon Mello]

Michigan Int'l Speedway "RAM Regionals", April 27, 1969

Many thanks go out to Jerry Melton for his photograph contributions below.

Two weeks prior to the Wolverine Trans-Am, an SCCA regional race was run to see if there were any issues with cars running on the road race
course. This was a brand-new facility that had only put on one race prior to this. That was an open-wheel USAC race in late '68, won by Ron
Bucknum. The USAC race was run only on the oval and so the road course was an "unknown quantity".

Here's the winner of the A/Sedan category, John Martin in a factory-backed, Ron Kaplan prepared Javelin.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Notice the lack of the domed hood. This would indicate they were not using the special 304" engine which showed up for the T/A race.
Note also that the car is using a rear spoiler similar to the '68 Javelins, however this was the only race the Javelin team used it in 1969.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Here comes Martin's Javelin, going for a pass on the B/Sedan Porsche 911 of Erhard Daum. Both cars would be in the T/A race too.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The '67 Z-28 of Robert Barg and his co-driver Dick Hoffman.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Robert Barg (L) and Dick Hoffman (R)

Robert Barg Collection

Apparently they ran one number during practice and another during the actual race.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The '68 Camaro of Dick Lang, a Chevy dealer from Xenia, Ohio.

Photo by Jerry Melton

I'm not sure who Dick is waving at here.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Mark Donohue actually came to this regional race and drove Dick's car to get a feel for the track prior to the Trans-Am.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Another shot of Dick Lang's Camaro.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Notice that the side markers lights have been deleted from the side of the car.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Camaro of Wayne Allen, from Indianapolis.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Wayne also entered his car in the Wolverine Trans-Am.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Corvair of Bill Schmitt. Lots of tough competition for Corvairs in A/Sedan.

Photo by Jerry Melton

This B/Production Corvette, driven by Tom Simpson from Illinois, would be running a 327.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Another B/Production Corvette, this one driven by W. Mark Childs, also from Illinois. It finished 1st in class.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ron Weaver in the A/Production class winning L-88 Corvette.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Looks like Erhard Daum's Porsche is getting passed again. Erhard would win the B/Sedan class.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The unusual Holman-Moody Challenger III ran in the A/Sports Racer class rather than A/Sedan. The driver is W. Scott Clawson.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Shelby Mustang of Mike Murray out of NW Ohio.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The #77 Ford Mustang of John B. Addison out of the Detroit Region of the SCCA.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Ed Hinchcliff's Mustang got into an accident during this regional race and did significant damage to the passenger side of his car.
That damage was not repaired in time for him to make it to the Trans-Am event although he does show up on the entry lists.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Looks like Jim Harrell's Mustang was a Mach1 body that he was trying to convert to look like a Boss 302 (removal of the side scoop).

Photo by Jerry Melton

Jim Harrell's Mustang again. Jim was also in the Wolverine Trans-Am.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Brooke Doran's Lola T160 A/Sports Racer spins out between John Martin's Javelin and Dick Lang's Camaro. Martin and Lang finished 1-2 overall.

Photo by Jerry Melton

An article indicating who the '69 Javelin Trans-Am team drivers would be.


This is a brief article on the race and the results (winner only) of each class run. If anybody has the program, entry list
or more complete race results from this race, I would appreciate your contribution to this thread.


The track changes talked about below were a direct result of damaged oil pans which were occuring as a result of the
original layout of the road course. The cars for the regional event turned right immediately after the pit road exit and went
straight over the banked back straight. This caused them to slam down and smash the oil pans if they got going too fast.

[oldtransamdriver]

Jon,

 Dick and I shared the car but drove separate races, hence the different numbers.  I want to know who is the guy impersonating my body that wknd? (guy on the left in the photo).

Robert

[Jon Mello]

Thanks, Robert. Do you remember how you guys placed in your respective races?

[MO]

Great pictures... I've never seen the Challenger III, neat car.

[Jon Mello]

A photo of Robert Barg and his Camaro, taken at the April 27 MIS regional race.
He says this was his first Nomex driving suit, which he still has.

Robert Barg Collection

[Jon Mello]

An "Official Race Results" sheet for the RAM Regional at MIS.


Jon Mello Collection

[Jon Mello]

Dash plaque for the Wolverine Trans-Am.

Frank Dihartce Collection


A ticket for the Trans-Am race.

Frank Dihartce Collection

[musclecarmatt]

Love the photos...being 25 i wasnt even thought of yet lol.....looking at these photos must be awesome watching penske and donohue work on the track!

[Jon Mello]

Well, I got a surprise email today from Jerry Melton telling me he found more images from the
1969 Wolverine Trans-Am in an unexpected place so I will post them now. Thanks a lot, Jerry!

Tullius' Javelin on the approach to the banked oval.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Tullius' Javelin on the infield part of the track.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Javelin of Ted Roberts. This was one of the AMC factory team cars during the '68 season.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Harry T's Alfa on the the banking heading toward the main grandstands.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The aftermath of the Horst Kwech crash.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The man who was sitting in the car with his wife understandably did not survive the impact.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The front end of another Javelin situated nearby.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Mustang was also severely damaged. I don't know if this car got repaired later or scrapped.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Another look at the Mustang damage.

Photo by Jerry Melton

The Catalina wagon in the background may be an ambulance on the way to the crash site.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Larry Bock's '68 Camaro on the infield portion of the track.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Mark Donohue's Camaro.

Photo by Jerry Melton

Rusty Jowett's Camaro coming up onto the banking.

Photo by Jerry Melton

[klvn8r]

In 69, the Tullius Javelin was the 1968 Peter Revson car....Ted Roberts got the 1968 George Follmer Javelin for 1969.  The local AMC dealers were having a day at the track, hence the reason all of Javelins in the spectating areas.  The dead man was an AMC salesman, if I recall my old readings.

klvn8r

[Jon Mello]

Thanks for the input. Was Tullius' Javelin truly considered a "factory team" car or was he considered a "privateer"? He seems to have gotten a lot of attention at this race from the AMC officials and crew members.