As this one had a much Faster top speed vs.
Seabiscuit!
So mucho for rest ‘n relaxation over Ye Gory
Christmas Holidazes’ break! As I went down a mighty Wabbit’ Hole chasing this
story…
Since thee Older I get, the more I’m amused
over how skewed my memories are. With my mind playing tricks upon Mwah!
Although Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary ellen exclaimed really Tomaso! You’re
wondering why you cannot remember something from thirty-plus years ago,
Seriously?
Yet having learned via that fantastic Laura
Hillenbrand book Seabiscuit, which I scribbled labouriously about earlier this
year, which Y’all can read in two part harmony below…
http://www.nofenders.net/2025/01/when-horse-outweighed-horsepower.html
Learning that thee heralded crooner Bing Crosby
was instrumental in the creation of the Del Mar Racetrack for four legged
Horses, along with the adjoining Fairgrounds. This triggered my foggy memory of
attending a lone IMSA GTP race Thar’, Wayback I thought in the early 1990’s,
Stee-rike!
As the main things I recall now some thirty-five
years later is my mode of transportation. As I rode Shotgun’ from Arizona to
Del Mar and back in a “loaner” Jaguar XJS 12-cylinder road car, Sweet! And how
a Fool in a Lincoln Mercury thought He could keep up with us on the Highway at
an extended rate of high speed; Hey Batter-Batter…
Whilst I recalled that the Jaguar racecars
turbochargers “Chirpped” quite audibly, making me have to search for what model
they were, with the No. 60 Castrol Jaguar XJR-10 with Jan Lammers winning. With
Price Cobb as the #61’s chauffeur.
Along with walking thru the paddock and taking
a picture of the great looking Miller Beer Porsche 962C. Which John Andretti,
Bob Wollek and Derek Bell drove to victory at that year’s Rolex 24.
Not to mention the blood red, rosso No. 60
Ferrari F40 LM Being solid red, devoid of any sponsor decals, other than
perhaps Pirelli tyres adorning the front windshield? Having mistakenly thought
it was Jean Alesi behind the wheel of said F40 that October weekend All these
years…
Initially, I had one Helluva time finding any
pertinent information upon the IMSA GT season finale on Del Mar Fairgrounds
1.6-mile 10 turn temporary circuit in its parking lot. Where apparently the
Prototypes and Saloons’, or Sedans category as Tom Gloy called ‘em ran in
separate “Sprint” races. Since I eventually found a complete classification for
the 22 entry IMSA GTP and Lights race. And then finally found the complete
30-car results for the separate Sedans race. Which was split evenly between
both categories.
Also bumped into a sliced ‘n diced 45mins race airing
on Youtube of the One hour ESPN Sprint race with Bruce Flanders calling the
action with Tom Gloy alongside as Colour commendatore. Uhm, Oops! I meant
Commentator, as I’m getting ahead of thyself! While Chris Economaki, who’d just
celebrated His 69th birthday one week earlier and Ralph Sheheen were the Pit
reporters.
The thirty car field of IMSA GTO and GTU competizione
saw Hans-Joachim Stuck on Pole in the Audi 90 Quattro All-wheel Drive Terror! Which
had won the previous four races in-a-row. While Wally Dallenbach Jr. was alongside
in the “Blown” Mercury XR-7 Cougar. Row-2 featured Steve Millen in the first
Nissan 300ZX with Roushe Racing’s Pete Halsmer, the GTO points leader
alongside. And the third row of All turbocharged entreis saw Hurley Haywood in
the second Audi flanked by John Morton in the Seester’ Nissan 300ZX. As
Flanders said we’ll talk about that Ferrari F40 shortly…
Before mentioning Jeremy Dale’s name, aboard
the #07 Dodge as the Pole sitter for the GTU Class. With Bob Leitzinger
becoming that year’s GTU Champion.
Loved the interview by Ralph “Keyboard warriors
R-US” Sheheen with Ferrari France’s Jean Sage regarding the Ferrari F40 LM.
With the Frenchman saying that basically everything’s bigger on the racecar vs.
production street car. Noting the front spoiler’s bigger. The rear wing’s
bigger, etcetera-etcetera-etcetera. Also noting that the engine’s intercoolers
are bigger, along with the turbochargers you guessed it – being bigger!
Whilst Sheheen noted that all 300 of the
production F40’s which retailed for $250,00 were sold; Uhm try like $400k
Ralph! And now ranged in the neighbourhood of one million dollars price-wise,
Aye Darumba!
Micelotto, a Ferrari Specialist built two Ferrari F40 LM’s initially from
three road cars for the 1989 racing debut, with Jean Alesi debuting the
Prancing Horse at that year’s Laguna Seca race in the IMSA GTO category. With
the third converted “Road Car” F40 LM being a spare chassis that was never
utilized.
Alesi later told Racer’s Marshall Pruett in
2016, that the F40 had a tendancy for spinning its Pirelli tyres profusely! And
that the engine’s turbo boost had to be turned down to try accommodating for
this. As Alesi noted being a young racing driver, He was loathe to heed to not
planting His right foot on the “Loud” pedal…
Alesi presumably stunned the IMSA grid with an
excellent second place qualifying effort besides Hans Stuck’s Audi 90 Quattro,
before ultimately finishing third.
For Del Mar one week later, the Ferrari France
F40 LM was driven by “Jelly-Belly”, aka Jean-Pierre Jabouille. But retired
after 18-laps with mechanical “maladies”. Although Sheheen noted during a race
interview that the car was once again spinning its Pirelli tyres badly and had
just been passed by one of the lower tier GTU entries, Zouza!
Meanwhile, Dallenbach Jr. led a Mercury Cougar
1-2 sweep with Halsmer winning the GTO Drivers title. While both of the Audi’s
Done Blown Up!
The Ferrari returned to IMSA GTO competition
the following year, with Jabouille, Jacques Laffite and Hurley Haywood as its
drivers. Scoring a “treble” of second place finishes.
Reportedly a total of 19 Ferrari F40 LM and
latter (GTE) Competition examples were built between 1989-96, with the car
having moderate success. Including a lone victory at Vallenlunga in 1994.
Followed by back-to-back wins at Anderstorp between 1995-96, before the car was
ultimately retired.
A lone Ferrari F40 GTE “Competizione” racecar
run by Obermaier Racing in conjunction withTeam Ennea competed in the ’94 24
Huers du Mans, albeit retiring. With Anders Olofsson, Sandro Angelastri and Max
“the Ax” Angelelli at its controls.
For 1995, three F40 GTE racecars showed up at
Circuit de la Sarthe. With a pair of Ennea Ferrari Club entries, including the Pole
winning No. 41, which finished P18 overall. Whilst its Seester’ car (No. 40)
Did Not Finish. (DNF) With the No. 34 Pilot Aldix Racing F40 finishing 12th
overall.
For ’96, the Ferrari F40 made its Swan song at
Le Mans with a quartet of GTE Competizione entrants. Yet all four Prancing
Horses had retired by Dawn. With three Team Ennea entries and a single Pilot
Racing entry competing.
Yet nearly ten years old now, the F40 was no
longer a match for the superior McLaren F1 GTR, and simply faded from the
racing landscape…
(Rosso Ferrari F40 image source: wallpaperflare.com)
