Tag Archives: Chip

F.A.Turbo Express – Joest Porsche 962 C #962-011

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Following on from yesterdays Lancia LC2 blog today I am looking at a FATurbo Express sponsored Porsche 962 C that used to be run in Group C races by the Joest Team in the second of a series of three blogs on Group C cars.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

The Porsche 962 was born out of the Porsche 956 programme in 1985, the principle difference between the two models is that the drivers feet are behind the front axle line in the 962 which affords the driver better protection in the event of a frontal accident.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

The 962 was built to compete with twin turbo motors in the World Prototype Sportscar Championship and with single turbo motors in the IMSA GTP series. 962’s are known to have won 82 races of at least 250 races that they competed in. Although the Porsche factory raced the 962 it increasingly left it’s customers to represent the marque from 1987 on, apart from the riveting 1988 Le Mans 24 hour race.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

Former Porsche driver Reinhold Joest’s team continued to receive support from the Porsche factory at Le Mans in 1989 and 1990. Indeed to emphasise the level of backing Joest received from Porsche the last 6, of 16, works built Porsche 962 chassis all went to the Joest Team.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

This chassis is thought to be #962-011 the last of the 956/962 series to win a World Prototype Sports Car championship event at Dijon, France driven by Bob Wollek and Frank Jelinski in May 1989. Chassis #962-011 is thought to have won at least 8 other races the last of which was an open formula Interserie event at Zeltweg, Austria in the hands of Manuel Reuter in October 1993.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

The #962-011 chassis raced with FAT International colours, thought to be a european logisitics company, in the 1993 Daytona 24 hours with Chip Robinson (USA)/Hurley Haywood (USA)/Henri Pescarolo (F)/Danny Sullivan (USA) listed as drivers but running with the #6. At it’s next race the Sebring 12 Hours the car appeared as a back up car for ‘John Winter’ and Manuel Reuter carrying the #7 T.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

This car is not carrying standard Porsche 962 bodywork, as Jaguar and later Mercedes became increasingly competitive in Group C events Porsche customers undertook their own aerodynamic development programme’s to stay competitive.

Joest Porsche 962 C - Goodwood FoS

Joest Racing won the Le Mans 24 hours twice with private Porsche 956 entries in 1984 and 1985 and then twice again with Porsche powered TWR chassis in 1996 and 1997. Today Joest is known as a crack Audi team having clocked up 5 wins at Le Mans running the Audi R8 (3 wins), R10TDI, and this year the R18TDI.

This car has taken part in the Group C race at the Silverstone Classic before, I have not seen an entry list for this years event, but I am hoping Paragon who run the car will be able to bring it along again this year.

My thanks to Thundersport and Porsche expert Mike at The Nostalgia Forum who confirmed the chassis number.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s FAT Turbo Express edition of ‘Gettin’ a little psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me again tomorrow for a look under the skin of a Japanese Group C car built in England. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Sea Ray Boats – Wildcat Cosworth IX

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The story behind Ueal Eugene ‘Pat’ Patricks Wildcat Indy cars allegedly begins with the Oil Crisis during the mid 70’s. The US Government desperate to secure it’s own oil supplies ran a programme designed to encourage exploration for oil reserves of which Pat Patrick’s ‘Patrick Petroleum’, a wildcat oil exploration company, was a beneficiary.

The rumour goes that Patrick used some of these ‘funds’ to finance the manufacture of racing cars called ‘Wildcats’ for his team that had won the 1973 Indianapolis 500 with Gordon Johncock driving an Eagle Offy. Allegedly Patricks racing car construction programme was a total write off billed as part of the expense of drilling for oil.

By 1982 the #20 Wildcat XIII designed by Gordon Kimball and Peter Gibbons won the Indy 500 driven again by Gordon Johncock. For 1983 Chip Ganassi, seen above in the #60 Sea Ray Boats Wildcat IX joined Gordon Johncock in the Patrick team.

Chip qualified a 16th and finished a career best 8th, from 5 Indy 500 starts, 5 laps down in the 1983 Indy 500, his CART career was interrupted by a crash in 1984 and he hung up his helmet 1986. By 1988 he purchased an interest in Patrick Racing and the following year they entered the #20 Penske PC 18 in the Indy 500 which Emerson Fittipaldi drove to Victory Lane at Indy in 1989.

For 1990 Chip went his own way starting his Champ Car team which won titles in 1996, with Jimmy Vasser, ’97 & ’98 with Alex Zanardi and ’99 with Juan Pablo Montoya, in 2000 Chip entered his first IRL race and won the Indy 500 with Indy Rookie JP Montoya.

Ganassi subsequently switched his open wheel team to the IRL and his drivers won the IRL Championship in 2003, ’08, 09 and ’10. Scott Dixon won the 2008 Indy 500 in a Ganassi entered car and Dario Franchitti repeated the feat last year.

Chip is also part of the Ganassi with Sabates NASCAR team currently running Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray, the latter won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 last year.

To round out his portfolio Chip Ganassi also runs a Grand Am team which won championship titles in 2004, ’08 and ’10 winning the prestige Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Grand Am event in 2006, ’07, ’08 and ’11.

‘Pat’ Patrick wound up his team in 2000 though he did make a return in 2004 entering Al Unser Jnr in a hand full of races in the IRL until Al announced his retirement leaving Pat to sell his team.

My thanks to Steve Arnaudin for the scan of his Dad’s photo.

Slightly off topic, spare a thought for a brave woman Manal Al Sherif who has been arrested for committing the heinous crime of driving a car and encouraging other women to do the same, which under ‘religious’ laws is apparently illegal for all women in Saudi Arabia.

It is surely a bizarre circumstance when a country that produces so much oil, for the rest of the world to be driving around, should also be the ONLY country in the world which forbids women from driving ?

Please join me in showing your support for Manal Al Sherif on this facebook link.

Thanks for clicking on to today’s Wildcat edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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