Jeff Allison Captions Ferraris by Glendenning

JANESVILLE AIRPORT RACE, SCCA REGIONAL, AUGUST 3, 1952
Following fatal accidents on temporary circuits laid out on city streets and country roads, the Sports Car Club of America was forced to race on airport courses while permanent road racing facilities, such as Road America and Watkins Glen, were being built. The Janesville airport was 75 miles southwest of Milwaukee in southern Wisconsin, and the 2.0-mile road racing course was laid out on the airport runways and taxiways. In this SCCA Regional event, Edmund P. (Ebby) Lunken drove his 1995CC, 140HP V12 166 MM (0054M) in the 25-lap, 51-mile Parker Pen Trophy Race. Fred Wacker, in an Allard J2-Cadillac V8, won in the rain but Lunken’s placing isn’t known. 0054M was retained by Ferrari before passing to Luigi Chinetti and then American Bill Spear, who raced it often in international and national racing events, before Lunken.

FLORIDA NATIONAL SPORTS CAR RACES, SCCA NATIONAL, MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 21, 1953 Influenced by his interest in sports car racing, General Curtis E. LeMay, the commander of the Strategic Air Command, offered his bases as sites for SCCA races while permanent courses were being built. One such venue was MacDill Air Force Base, near Tampa, Florida. It was laid out on the runways, taxiways, and parking ramp of the nuclear-capable B-47 Stratojet bomber, resulting in a 4.2-mile, fifteen-corner temporary road racing course. General LeMay couldn’t get funding from Congress for his troops so he created the “SAC Airmen’s Improvement Fund” to raise money for their necessities and amenities. An estimated 90,000 spectators attended the “Sam Collier Memorial Trophy Handicap Race” at this SCCA National event! It was a six-hour handicap race, contributing $30,746 to the fund of which $27,486 went to window fans for ventilation to provide relief from the Florida summer heat and humidity for the 850 barracks-dwelling airmen at MacDill (RUNWAYS & RACERS, 2011). Jim Kimberly, driving his 4102CC, 220HP V12 340 America (0204A) with help from George Huntoon, finished third overall and one lap behind winner John Fitch in a works Cunningham C4-R. Kimberly raced 0204A frequently around the US after Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas drove it as a works car at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans.

BRIDGEHAMPTON SPORTS CAR RACES, SCCA NATIONAL, MAY 23, 1953
The first sports car race held at Bridgehampton after World War II was held in 1949 on a 4.0-mile circuit laid out on public roads just south of town on the eastern tip of Long Island. But four years later, this 1953 event would be the last on this temporary circuit because of driver and spectator deaths at several circuits, including Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen. Robert Yung raced his 225 Export Vignale coupe (#12) (0168ED) in this SCCA National Bridgehampton Cup Race. However, the race was stopped on Lap 9 of the 25-lap, 100-mile race when Harry Grey’s C-type Jaguar (XKC030) lost control, went off course, and injured spectators in an area marked for no spectators. Bill Spear’s Ferrari 340 Mexico (0228 AT) was leading when the race was stopped. In the background is the 166 MM Touring barchetta (0010M) of Jim Simpson with Ed Tobin’s white BMW 328 Special behind.

SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDWEST (PROBABLY ROAD AMERICA) IN 1956
Probably at Road America in 1956, the 2563CC, 165HP V12 212 Export berlinetta (0128E) of Bob Wilke of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the president of Leader Card, Inc., an Indianapolis 500 entrant with the Leader Card Specials, and a prominent collector mingles with the commoners in a spectator car park, including the Packard and Pontiac in the background. The Vignale-bodied car was distinctive with its yellow body color with a blue roof, hood, and trunk lid.

JUNE SPRINTS, SCCA NATIONAL, ROAD AMERICA, JUNE 24, 1956
In the classic June Sprints that’s still run today sixty-five years later, Carroll Shelby drove Luigi Chinetti’s 4412CC, 330HP in-line, six-cylinder 121 LM (0558LM) in this SCCA National event on the 4.0-mile road racing course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Shelby survived the challenges of a host of Ferraris and the three D-Type Jaguars of the Briggs Cunningham racing team. He led all 38 laps of the 152-mile race, setting the fastest race lap, and beating Lou Brero’s D-type across the line by six seconds. 0558LM was raced by the factory with Umberto Maglioli, Phil Hill, and Eugenio Castellotti in 1955 before going to Luigi Chinetti, who provided it to Hill and Shelby to race in 1956.

JUNE SPRINTS, SCCA NATIONAL, ROAD AMERICA, JUNE 24, 1956
Charles “Chuck” Hassan drove his 1985CC, 170HP, in-line, four-cylinder 500 Mondial (0556(0446)/MD) in this SCCA National event. Hassan was a member of the Cincinnati Gang, an informal, casual group of very active amateur racers from the Ohio Valley area. They all drove Ferraris, including 250 MM, 500 Mondial, 500 TR, 250 TR and 375 Plus models. Hassan finished eighth overall and sixth in the E Modified class. Ironically, the winner was Cincinnati Gang member, Edmond P. (Ebby) Lunken, in his 500 TR (0612MDTR). Hassan purchased the Mondial from Dominican diplomat Porfirio Rubirosa, who won class in the 1955 Governor’s Trophy at the Bahamas Speed Weeks and also class with Jim Pauley at the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring with the Mondial.

JUNE SPRINTS, SCCA NATIONAL, ROAD AMERICA, JUNE 24, 1956
Gentleman Jim Kimberly of the Kimberly-Clark Corp., otherwise known as Kleenex, etc., is leaning into the car. He was already a pioneer in amateur racing and a leader in the SCCA, and he brought many of the early racing Ferraris into the US. Bob Goldich is sitting in his 500 Mondial (0536 MD) talking with Kimberly. Goldich finished 6th overall and 4th in the E Modified class behind a Ferrari 500 TR, 500 Mondial and Maserati A6GCS. Kimberly raced an OSCA in the F Modified class, finishing 9th overall and 3rd in class behind two Porsche 550 Spyders.

JUNE SPRINTS, SCCA NATIONAL, ROAD AMERICA, JUNE 23, 1957
Rich Lyeth is focused and ready to race his 4523CC, 340HP V12 375 MM (0364AM) in this SCCA National in the C Modified class. Lyeth was the owner of Lyeth Engineering Co. in Detroit, which designed and sold the Hi-Tork Differential that provided “balanced traction under all conditions.” This is the car that became the infamous Hi-Tork Special in 1958 when a Chevy V8 replaced the Ferrari V12 motor. In the June Sprints, Lyeth set the fastest qualifying lap and finished third overall behind the Briggs Cunningham D-type Jaguars of Walt Hansgen and John Fitch. Noteworthy is the entry of the Comet Special. It was a homebuilt special with a MG TD chassis, Glaspar body and Ford Flathead V8 engine, entered and driven in B Modified by our “Le Fotografie Ferrari” photographer, Glen Glendenning, with his yet-to-be-noticed 26-year old co-driver Augie Pabst. 0364AM was first owned by Jim Kimberly, who raced it extensively and won frequently around the US in 1954-1955 before selling it to Lyeth.

JUNE SPRINTS, SCCA NATIONAL, ROAD AMERICA, JUNE 23, 1957
Loyal Katskee was a car dealer and active amateur racer from Omaha, Nebraska, who founded the Nebraska Region of the SCCA and was instrumental in organizing the SCCA events held at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska in the 1950s. In this SCCA National, Katskee drove his 2999CC, 250HP, in-line, four-cylinder 750 Monza (0554M) to twenty-ninth overall and finished sixth in the D Modified class behind class winner John von Neumann’s 625 TRC (0672 MDTR), which was an excellent fifth overall. First raced by Masten Gregory in Europe and the US in 1955, 0554M was purchased by Katskee, who painted it black and raced it often around the Midwest from 1956-1959.

ROAD AMERICA 500, SCCA NATIONAL, SEPTEMBER 7, 1958
“Honest John” Kilborn was a car dealer from Decatur, Illinois, who raced extensively around the Midwest. He’s driving his 3491CC, 320HP V12 290 MM (0616) in the village of Elkhart Lake to give spectators an up close look at the car he would race in the next day’s SCCA National in the Road America 500. Before Kilborn’s ownership, 0616 was a works car, winning the 1956 Mille Miglia with Eugenio Castellotti. NART benefactor George Arents owned it for a short time in 1957 before going to Kilborn.

ROAD AMERICA 500, SCCA NATIONAL, SEPTEMBER 7, 1958
E. D. Martin owned and operated successful businesses involving theaters, television stations, and motels and was a competent amateur driver from Columbus, Georgia. He began racing in 1957, and in a very short period, owned and raced a number of Ferraris, including a 3.0-liter 750 Monza (0498M), a 315 Sport (0656), and his 2953CC, 300HP, V12 250 TR (0730TR) in which he teamed with John (Jack) Quackenbush for this grueling SCCA National 500-mile race. According to the event program, the car was entered by the North American Racing Team in the D Modified class. Helped by the retirement of the dominant Briggs Cunningham Lister-Jaguars, it became a race between Martin and the Gaston Andrey and Lance Reventlow 335 S (0674) until Martin’s right rear tire blew, causing the damage seen in the photo. Later, the clutch failed in front of his pit and Martin was disqualified when he pushed the disabled car while on the active track. He was the first owner of 0730TR, racing it at Sebring and Le Mans and numerous national and local events in the US in 1958-1959.

ROAD AMERICA 500, SCCA NATIONAL, SEPTEMBER 7, 1958
Gaston Andrey has stopped to pick up the checkered flag from race officials after winning this SCCA National race and is greeted by co-driver Lance Reventlow (leaning into the car) of Scarab fame. Andrey was supported by Mike Garber, a wealthy racing enthusiast and successful Connecticut businessman in industrial chemicals. The 4023CC, 390HP, four-cam V12 335 Sport (0674) had been raced extensively by the factory at Sebring, Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Sweden, and Venezuela before going to Luigi Chinetti, who leased 0674 to Garber. Andrey and Reventlow were victorious in one of America’s premier road races, beating the previously dominant Lister-Jaguars of Briggs Cunningham.

MEADOWDALE RACEWAYS, SCCA REGIONAL, SEPTEMBER 14, 1958
John (Jack) Quackenbush was another member of the fun-loving Cincinnati Gang. He owned and raced a 1985CC, 180HP, in-line, four-cylinder 500 TR (0634MDTR), which was upgraded with a 2.5-liter engine in 1957. This was the inaugural race at the new 3.27-mile Meadowdale road racing course near Carpentersville, Illinois. It combined the elements of oval and road racing with elevation changes, blind corners, and crests with no escape roads, but its most unique feature was a one hundred-eighty-degree turn banked at forty-five degrees. “Quacky” finished eighth overall and second in this SCCA Regional event in the E Modified class to Ernie Erickson’s Porsche 550A RS (550A-0118). Quacky was the first owner, and he raced the car in many SCCA events around the Midwest from 1956-1958.