You whined you cried, “It’s toooo hard!” Actually it wasn’t that difficult at all, as you’ll see in the following.

Here is each question, with the correct answer, and with the Bear’s comments. Less than half an hour of time and some willingness to exercise the brain was a sure winner.

1. Name PTG’s drivers in the 2001 American Le Mans Series season. (1 point for each)
Bill Auberlen, Hans Stuck, Boris Said, Niclas Jönsson, Peter Cunningham, Joe Foster, David Murry, Brian Cunningham (Joey Hand was on the Sebring entry, but did not drive.) The maximum number of points is 8 (the number who actually drove in a race) but any of the nine can count toword that total. The information needed to answer this question is readily available on IMSA’s web site. The average score on this question was 6.

2. What is the significance of Portola Road in sports car racing history? (5 points)
Location of the start-finish of the Pebble Beach Road Race. If you didn’t know this, a web search on “Portola Road” would have turned up numerous California locations – and none elsewhere. There would logically be a reason for that. A search on just “Portola” would have found Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira (1716–1784) founder of San Diego and Monterey. The spelling of Monterey (one “r”) ID’s it as the California city. Now a bit of knowledge helps: Laguna Seca was built after a death ended its predecessor, the Pebble Beach Road Race. Web searching that quickly turns up a wiki entry.

3. Who is Mel Hawkins? (5 points)
Driving partner and co-owner with Steven Knight in Knighthawk Racing, 2002 ALMS P675 team champion. This isn’t supposed to be very difficult, given that it’s about a former ALMS class champion team, and it wasn’t. Almost every entry got this one right.

4. What progenitor of a famous racing family was proud to be on Richard Nixon’s ‘Enemies List’? (5 points)
Charles Dyson, Rob Dyson’s father. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon%27s_Enemies_List Paul Newman was also on the list but isn’t the “progenitor of a famous racing family.” This is one of the questions on which Reading is Fundamental. First, if you don’t know it, look up “progenitor.” Then consider the clause the word refers to “of a famous racing family.” That should immediately rule out Paul Newman.  The easily found wiki entry reproduces Charles Colson’s original list of 20; number 5 is Charles Dyson. If you want to confirm, you can look up Dyson-Kissner; that will locate Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, where you’ll find Rob.

5. Who was the winner of the first Pebble Beach Road Race in 1950? (5 points)
Phil Hill. A not-too-difficult web search will find this one. A cut and paste of the last six words finds philhill.com

6. When and where did seven time World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher last race in North America? (5 points)
Las Vegas, Nevada, November 22, 2009. Right smack in the middle of Schumacher’s Official web site is this headline/link: 20/11/09 Michael at Michael at the SuperNational in Las Vegas.

7. Who was the last driver to qualify and race a front engine car in the Indianapolis 500? What year was it? (5 points)
Jim Hurtubise, 1968. You might actually have to know this one, but most of those who entered did. If not, “‘front engine’ Indy” yields a site with a list of all drivers who drove both front and rear engine cars at the 500. Hurtubese is listed with the latest year for a front-engine car.

8. Identify the driver and the car. (3 points for each)
Consalvo Sanesi, Alfa Romeo Type 159. Murphy made this one more difficult by first misspelling “Alfa,” didn’t he? Sorry. The key to this question and the following one is to identify the car in the photo. Having done that, you’ll find its wiki page includes a box titled “Competition History.” In that are listed (under “GP”) “Notable Drivers.” Each is a “live link.” Those who wanted to do the drudgery were rewarded; the entry on Consalvo Sanesi includes the description of the incident at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1964, so the driver in the photograph must be Sanesi. The lesson? If two questions are “linked,” as these two are, take all the information from both. That cat can be skinned from either end.

9. What North American racing incident involved the driver in the photograph? (5 points)
Sanesi had a near fatal accident at Sebring in 1964 when his Alfa Giulia TZ burst into flames and he was rescued by a mechanic and driver from Poughkeepsie, New York, named Jocko Maggiocommo.

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)
Leo Hindery and Peter Baron. Baron started playing tennis at age four and was going to be a tennis pro, “But then I figured out I’m not one of the lucky seven or eight naturally blessed people. I was not going to make a career of tennis, but I was able to go through college playing tennis. Once I got out, I didn’t want to see a tennis racket again.” You can find that information in an Orbit Racing press release published on motorsport.com. Before he ran the YES Network for the New York Yankees, Leo Hindery was CEO of Global Crossing.

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)
1 – Sebring, 1970, Ferrari 512S; 2 – Kyalami, 1970, Ferrari 512M; 3 – Brands Hatch, 1971, Alfa Romeo T33/3, 4 – Watkins Glen, 1971, Alfa Romeo T33/3. Here’s another case where it’s important to read the question carefully in its entirety. Murphy didn’t put the phrase “whether points-paying or not” in there for the hell of it. It’s a big clue. Also, pay attention to the phrase “in which they entered the 917.” It means what it says. If those teams entered a different car in some of those races, they would not then be defeats for the 917. In fact, that’s what happened. Wyer, Porsche Salzburg and Martini parked the 917’s and started 908’s exclusively at Nurburgring and in the Targa Florio in both years.  Bill Oursler writes in his “History of the 917” for the web site 962.com, “As for the 917’s record, it was near perfect for the two seasons that it ran (in the World Championship of Makes), the only loss in 1970 coming at the hands of Ferrari, whose 512S won at Sebring after the 917 brigade suffered a series of mechanical woes. (A Ferrari 512M likewise defeated Porsche in the non-championship Nine Hour event at Kyalami at the end of the year as well.) In 1971, the 917 was defeated twice, once at Brands Hatch, and again at Watkins Glen, both times by Alfa Romeo.” Reference to Janos Wimpffen’s “Time and Two Seats confirm’s Oursler. About the 1971 Targa Florio (aka Palermo) Wimpffen writes, “As was the case in 1970, the Porsche entry consisted only of 908/3’s…”  Some might be confused by the appearance of a 917 in practice sessions at Palermo in 1970, but Wimpffen covers that, too: “Besides the spare 908, drivers also played around in practice with the original 909 Bergspyder and an out-of-place 917.

 A Ferrari source contributes this: “At the end of the 1970 season, Ferrari had won the 12 hours of Sebring, while Porsche 917 and 908 took all other nine wins of the championship season. The modified 512M had proven to be fast at the end of the season, and Ickx/Giunti also won the Kyalami non-championship Springbok 9 hours race. As the loophole for the five litre sports cars would become obsolete after 1971, Ferrari decided to abandon factory entries of the 512 in favor of developing a new three litre prototype.”

12. What Le Mans winner won a race in a Scarab?  (5 points)
Carroll Shelby, 1960 USAC Road Racing Championship race at Continental Divide Raceway in Denver, CO. Google “scarab” and there it is.

13. What driver finished second overall in NASCAR points in his rookie season, then third overall at Le Mans and third in points in the following NASCAR season? (5 points)
Dick Hutcherson. The key here is Ford; what else would cause Le Mans and NASCAR to intersect? Chevy, perhaps, but that’s recent history, and it doesn’t take much to reject that possibility. Any Google or Bing that can find the Ford 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966 will find the 3rd place Holman-Moody (yes, that Holman-Moody) entry and Dick Hutcherson. You’re on your way. (Murphy found an autoblog.com article on the 40th Anniversary of the sweep at the 2006 Le Mans Classic.)

14. Who celebrated a milestone birthday at Sonoma, California in July, 2000. (5 points)
Lucas Luhr turned 21. Maybe you had to know that, or be a real Porsche fan. None of those around here, are there?

15. What do TWR USA/Jaguar, Nissan Performance Technology, Risi Competizione, and Tafel Racing have in common? (5 points)
Each team employed Peter Kaczmar (aka PK) as the No. 1 mechanic on its “lead” car. Is that a little arcane? If so, too bad, sports car fakers. It can be argued that the most important position for a winner in motor racing is the car’s “Number 1,” at least as important in sports car endurance racing as your drivers. To have been that on the lead cars of each of those programs is really one hell of an achievement. If Peter isn’t the best in the sport, he’s obviously damn close.

16. Which team won the biggest ever sports car purse, what was the race and year? (5 points)
TWR USA/Jaguar, Del Mar 1989. $193,000 ($310,000 if today) paid for winning RJ Reynolds’ “Camel Pyramid.” Sports car and GT endurance racing has always been known for its lousy winner’s purses, so you were looking for something out of the ordinary. The Camel Pyramid was a scheme that allowed the purse to accrue over the season into a “winner take all.” One of our entrants got this one right.

17. What driver called a GT1 a “real race car” when asked to contrast it to the car he usually raced. (5 points).
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. when asked to compare the Corvette C5-R at Infineon Raceway in 2004 to his Cup car. You wouldn’t have read that quote in any of the many NASCAR rags (or any publication that wanted to suck up to the gorilla). Dailysportscar.com reported it, though.

18. What driver competed in six ALMS seasons with an artificial heart valve? (5 points)
Tom Weikardt, 2001 – 2006. Another tough one you’d just have to know. It’s a ‘condition’ shared by a long-time ALMS scribe, and by PMG’s CEO.

19. Murphy the Bear’s office is located in what institution on Monterey’s Wave Street? (5 points)
A stool in the lounge of The Sardine Factory. Regular readers of murphythebear.com (that’s where you are now) should have gotten this one. The Wave Street address of the Sardine Factory is on the Bear’s business cards, too.

20. Who completed a cross county motorcycle ride between ALMS races at Lime Rock and Infineon. (5 points)
JJ Lehto and Frank Biela. The 8-day cross country ride was covered by the Series’ own web site, among others, in 2005. Still lots of ways to find it.

Murphy’s become just a little concerned that recent readers think the Bear has few interests beyond passing on paddock poop and patter (rumors and other stuff). That’s not how Murphy started. From the beginning, he’s commented on whatever he saw around him in his (mostly) sports car racing-related travels. Over the years (yes, years – amazing, isn’t it?), he’s written about a Russian restaurant in New York City, about going to the Monterey Historic Races, (without going broke or ending up in divorce court) and singing at a piano in Portland.

He’s going to make a real effort to get back to that balance. So, if you’re just looking for rumors and get no fun out of riddles and restaurant reviews, then…well…farewell, and Murphy doesn’t nuch care.

Still Seventeen – With an “If” or Three

The Bear wrote earlier this month that he expected 17 prototype entries at Road America. As expected, there were 14 at Mid-Ohio. Murphy’s Mid-Ohio “miss” was in GT, where sixteen, not eighteen, showed (a second VICI Porsche and the Bell Motorsports Aston Martin being the absences.) All the Mid-Ohio entries will be back – GT and prototype – for the four hour enduro in Wisconsin’s kettle moraines.

Murphy’s hoping you can add those two GT cars not at Mid-Ohio, plus he still believes it’s very possible to add three prototypes. That depends on (1) completion of “due diligence,” (2) the cost of salad oil, and (3) a big change for one team – actually entering after you say you’re going to.

Friends

One of the first things the Murphy did at Lime Rock Park was look up his friend Don, (aka AutoXerPCA) who was directing traffic (with the lovely Barbara) at the Porscheplatz. We missed them at Sebring. We’ll hope to connect at Petit Le Mans – Paddy’s perhaps?

Watering Holes and Such

The Bear had a good time at Lime Rock Park, and yes, he did stop by the Woodland. Unfortunately, the rather small bar was full. Murphy and his friends had come from The Boathouse, up the road from there, and recommended by his buddy Bibendum. He might be convinced otherwise, but small sedate bars and white table-cloth dining aren’t exactly Bear fare.

He liked the Vodka Sauce pasta (with the optional chicken chunks, being the omnivore type). The Boathouse –strangely for the decor and location – has a sushi menu. Though one of his companions has been a big fan of the raw fish dish (four years in NYC and some time in Japan will do that), she passed this time; perhaps next year.

This year, as in the past, the lack of (reasonably priced) nearby accommodations put a crimp in the nightlife of Murphy and friends. His temporary cave this time was in Monroe, New York. A two hour drive after spending a day at the track will put a crimp in any celebration. Walter the Walrus was over in Torrington and reports that Bachi’s is a fine watering hole with a lean and lovely barkeep. (Murphy was there a few years ago with a couple of lady bears.)

Next up is Road America, one of the Bear’s favorite tracks – and so little time, so many hangouts, including The Commercial Break, (Murphy dares you to fine this one – you’ll get help if you go back and do some “vintage Bear” reading) the Outback in Appleton, and of course Seibkens in Elkhart Lake, one of the world’s great racing watering holes (check out this crowd).

The Quiz of the Week (OK, you wanted a rumor, so here it is.)

Sometimes rumors come with encyclopedic detail. So much that it almost has to be true – or the output of a diabolically fertile imagination. Anyway, something Murphy was told the other day leads to this Quiz of the Week: 

What do Ed Rendell, Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps, Lukoil, the 4th of July, 100,000 square feet of concrete, 200,000 bushels of corn, the US Navy, and a grove of willows have in common?

Murphy H. Bear

We all know that through the past few years, the ALMS has been a bit “GT heavy,” or should the Bear say “prototype light.” We’ve had – still have actually, looking at the Lime Rock entry – as few as three regulars in LMP-1. And that sorry count was preceded by years in which the LM-P2 count was just as bad. (If you counted at the end of races, rather than at the beginning, that LM-P2 count was worse than awful – certainly not awesome, eh?)

Then along came Porsche, and it all started to change. The prototype count at Lime Rock will be 12, at Mid-Ohio, about 14. GT at Lime Rock, 16, and perhaps 18 at Mid-Ohio. Then it gets interesting.

Cytosport returns, and Intersport fields two cars, increasing the LM-P1 entry at Road America, and it’s now possible that a Zytek makes the grid there – certainly soon thereafter. Who? Not the usual suspects. The team will be near a great North American lake, and the drivers on hand have relevant (useful, even) American Le Mans Series prototype experience.

In fact, there are other possible new prototypes as we go through the remainder of the season, but increases to the GT grid are improbable. Put Road America down for 17 prototypes and 18 GT entries. All the trends are for the “tipping point” (when prototype entries equal GT entries, and thereafter exceed them) soon after that, certainly at Petit Le Mans (and not just temporarily because of a European invasion). In GT, we’ve lost a Ferrari – that’s likely to stay that way.

The Bear is still hearing that Road America will remain off the IRL schedule in 2009. With only minor league racing on Sunday, can North America’s best race track build on the success of last season’s shared event? Murphy certainly hopes so. (He’s planning his time at Siebken’s Stop-Inn Tavern, Neenah’s Commercial Break, Appleton’s Outback, and other favorite bear haunts. Say hi.) The Bear’s still looking for a drop-in kind of pub near Lime Rock – a place where friends can gather after a thirsty day at the track.

Houston won’t be back – for anyone. Sebring and Long Beach are “fixed” on the calendar – that’s a good thing. Will there be a 12th race? If there is, Murphy thinks it should be before Le Mans. Where? A friend of the Bear’s was at Millville this past week, and there was still talk at the members-only event of an ALMS visit in 2009. On the other hand, this place has strong ties to Grand Am through one of its investor-owners, and already has a Guppie race on the 2008 calendar. Would it work before Le Mans? Yup. (Murphy checked his Almanac and New Jersey’s just as warm as Utah in May.)

Is the Lime Rock entry good enough to make it a show? On a 1.5 mile track? Are you kidding? 28 entries (or 26, given that PrimeTime has hinted its “under the gun to make it,” and Black Swan isn’t all that certain either) (Murphy adds, “I just heard that PrimeTime is certain for Lime Rock, car is set, and barring some complete disaster, count on them for the remainder of the season…that makes the Bear very happy.) will keep the field and the fans occupied on the short and narrow course. Hope that the racing takes place “for position” and not just for the hell of it. Drivers challenging cars laps ahead has ruined races before.