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JULY 7, 1962
“#50, Triumph Herald spun in the middle of the esses and came to rest in the middle of the track with the engine blazing.” (Pit Talk)
The sixth running of the Little Le Mans attracted twenty-four car entries, and this year the weather was kinder than last year, allowing the organizers to be able to stick to the original planned date, for what was now the established eight-hour race. The race had been given full international status by ACCUS and the FIA, and as a result the cars would comply with FIA Category J specification.
Twenty-two cars were gridded along the track edge, and Joe Dodge was first away in his Saab, but beaten to the first turn by Rune Svensson in his Volvo 122S with an 1800 cc engine. Last away was Harry Fanelli in a NSU, a car that failed to trouble the lap scorers as it lasted for just one lap. Denise McCluggage was another early casualty, covering twenty- five laps in a Mini-Cooper before a broken oil seal put her out of the race, leaving co-driver Bob Grossman as a spectator.
Svensson made his first pit stop after two and a half hours, giving the lead to Bob Holbert, driving a Saab 96, for five laps. Meanwhile the casualties were piling up, with Floyd Stone’s Saab and Charles Callanan’s BMW going out.
At the half way stage the Index of performance showed three Saabs ahead of three Volvos.
With three hours left, Art Riley lost a wheel off his Volvo PV 444, splitting the fuel tank in the process. The car slid across the track leaving a trail of flaming fuel and ended up near to the pits. Remarkably Riley made repairs to the fuel tank and replaced the half shaft in a time of eighteen minutes and rejoined the race.
An unusual event occurred ten minutes from the end of the race. George Waltman came into the pits for a driver changeover in a Triumph Herald supplied by Genser-Forman, Triumph distributors. A magazine writer had earlier persuaded Waltman and Cone to let him drive for the final ten minutes (highly irregular, if not against the rules for a number of reasons) as it would be good publicity. After completing one lap the writer rolled the car in the esses, ending upside down, engine blazing. The driver was uninjured and the car was soon set upright and wheeled to the side of the track. George Waltman arrived on the scene and through sheer determination, managed to get the car started again.
As the finish flag was waved two Volvos came into sight, but three laps divided them for overall position. The Rune Svensson/Art Tattersall Volvo was first, followed by Cunningham and Walsh with Louis Braun and Hal Mayforth in third place in their Saab, a further twenty-two laps adrift. Much to the surprise of the crowd, George Waltman’s battered Triumph Herald made it to the end of the race within the three-minute window from the flag being waved to be classified as a finisher. The top was tilted at a jaunty angle, all the glass was missing and the rear right wheel wobbling, but somehow it made it across the line finishing twelfth overall. Albeit crossing the finish line in third place the Saab driven by Gaston Andrey and Bob Holbert was subsequently disqualified as it was discovered that their Saab model had not yet been homologated.
JULY 21, 1962
“A sudden downpour was the cause of many near accidents.” (Lisca News)
There was a good turnout of cars to support the LISCA races, eighty- nine in total. It was an encouraging response from the membership following the cancellation of the June 9 meeting, where it was a case of “too few, too late”.
CHAPTER SEVEN • 1962: THE FINAL PETIT LE MANS RACE
Racing commenced after lunch, the morning being devoted to practice sessions. Classes 1-4 took to the track for the first race (equivalent to SCCA Classes FP, GP, HP and Sedans).
The second race was more spectacular in that rain caused its cancellation after the fifth lap. The sudden downpour was the cause of many near accidents. Out of the twenty-seven starting in Classes 5 and 6, ten spun out, six dropped out, two collided and the remainder were black flagged. The rain eased within minutes and once again the cars were called out to circulate for ten laps to help dry the track. Having done that the cars lined up for the second start, however practically the same cars spun out due to the wet conditions, but the spectators appeared to enjoy the difficult conditions that the drivers were experiencing.
According to a scant report in LISCA News, Race Three, Classes 6 and 7, Race Four, Classes 8 and 9, Race 5, Modified, and Race Six for Formula Libre cars, went off successfully. However, no detail of the races was mentioned.
AUGUST 4, 1962
“Three N. E. Regional Races Produce Six Roll Overs.” (Boston Globe)
A number of better-known drivers who had forsaken the amateur ranks of the SCCA to seek their fortune in the USAC series did not diminish the spectators interest in the SCCA Regional races, as a crowd estimated at over 5,000 turned out for the New England races on August 4. It certainly did not affect the number of owner-drivers who applied to join the races either, as more than 200 turned out for the meeting, with some other late would-be entrants having to be turned away.
With eight races on the card it was a busy day, as practice was carried out on Saturday morning prior to the races in the afternoon, putting a slick glaze of oil and rubber on the track. This was to have consequences as twenty-nine cars set off in the first race. On the second lap a phalanx of cars seemed to go into spins and slides at the first turn. Spectators were on their feet as three Austin-Healey Sprites rolled over in unison, but fortunately the drivers, Philip Wheeler, Gil Page and Bob Burge were all unhurt. When the dust had settled and it was all sorted out, the race continued and was won by Mark Robinson ahead of Bradford (Brad) Picard, both driving Austin-Healey Sprites.
In the second race for Class GP and HM cars, two more drivers managed to roll their cars at the first turn, and again nobody was hurt. The race
LIME ROCK PARK • THE EARLY YEARS 1955-1975
Gordon Heald’s Elva sits in the paddock area at the August 4 meeting. (ES) 209
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