Don’t tell Murphy, but here are my answers to his quiz. Hanging round the World Center of Racing gives me an advantage in all kinds of racing knowledge, so to be fair, I’m sharing with all you sporty car types.
AC
1. Name PTG’s drivers in the 2001 American Le Mans Series season. (1 point for each)
Trick question, they ran Grand-Am that year.
2. What is the significance of Portola Road in sports car racing history? (5 points)
That’s the road Junior Johnson’s moonshine still was located just off of.
3. Who is Mel Hawkins? (5 points)
He invented the “lucky dog.”
4. What progenitor of a famous racing family was proud to be on Richard Nixon’s ‘Enemies List’? (5 points)
Bill France, Sr.
5. Who was the winner of the first Pebble Beach Road Race in 1950? (5 points)
Typo you idiot: It should be Daytona Beach, NOT Pebble Beach.
6. When and where did seven time World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher last race in North America? (5 points)
Who the hell is Michael Schumacher?
7. Who was the last driver to qualify and race a front engine car in the Indianapolis 500? What year was it? (5 points)
Richard Petty
8. Identify the driver and the car. (3 points for each)
Scott Pruett with Smokey Yannick’s Chebby Special
9. What North American racing incident involved the driver in the photograph? (5 points)
Scott pulled an 8-year old girl out of a burning motorhome he spotted in the infield while driving during the Rolex 24. After saving her and putting out the fire, he jumped back in the car and won by a 32-lap margin of victory.
10. Name the ‘Odd Couple,’ a Silicon Valley CEO and a former college tennis player who combined to launch a sports car racing team, then drove to a podium finish at Le Mans. (5 points)
Hurley Haywood and Willy T. Ribbs.
11. The werks John Wyer and Porsche Salzburg (1970) and Martini (1971) teams won all but four races in which they entered the 917 in the FIA Group 5 World Championship of Makes. Name the four races in which the werks 917’s were beaten, whether points-paying or not, and the car that won in each instance. (8 points, 1 for venue, 1 for car in each instance)
Daytona 500 (1970) – Plymouth Superbird, Southern 500 (1970) – Ford Galaxie, Bristol 500 (1970) – Chebby Monte Carlo , Talladega 500 (1971) – Ford Torino
12. What Le Mans winner won a race in a Scarab? (5 points)
Benny Parsons won a race in a taxi cab, is that what you mean?
13. What driver finished second overall in NASCAR points in his rookie season (year 1), then the next year third overall at Le Mans (year 2) and finally third in points in the following NASCAR season (year 3)? (5 points)
Tim Richmond.
14. Who celebrated a milestone birthday at Sonoma, California in July, 2000. (5 points)
J.C. France.
15. What do TWR USA/Jaguar, Nissan Performance Technology, Risi Competizione, and Tafel Racing have in common? (5 points)
They never raced a Daytona Prototype.
16. Which team won the biggest ever sports car purse, what was the race and year? (5 points)
Who the hell drives with a big purse? Danica?
17. What driver called a GT1 a “real race car” when asked to contrast it to the car he usually raced. (5 points)
Who makes up this crap?
18. What driver competed in six ALMS seasons with an artificial heart valve? (5 points)
The Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz.
19. Murphy the Bear’s office is located in what institution on Monterey’s Wave Street? (5 points)
The zoo.
20. Who completed a cross county motorcycle ride between ALMS races at Lime Rock and Infineon. (5 points)
Someone with too much time on their hands.
If you’d like to enter Murphy’s contest, answer the following questions in an email by numbering your answers the same as the questions are numbered here, and send to mhbearesq@gmail.com You must submit your answers no later than Midnight, Eastern Standard Time, 14 December, 2009.
Tags: Benny Parsons, Bill France, Danica, Daytona Beach, Daytona Prototype, Ford Galaxie, Ford Torino, Hurley Haywood, J.C. France, Junior Johnson, NASCAR, Plymouth Superbird, Richard Petty, Scott Pruett, Smokey Yannick, Sr., Tim Richmond, Willy T. Ribbs, World Center of Racing