Pictures Pikes Peak Hill Climb race dune buggies and more

[colorado_aircooled]

Txfly any pictures would be great. Back in those days, many folks lived around the area here in VW Campers. Hippies and Colorado go hand and hand,still do !
Nice car in the classified to make a clone of Ted Trevors 1966 Hill Climb car. Once I get my ragtop oval window volksrod done, something like that will be my next project

www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1056216

[colorado_aircooled]

Ok the monthly update is running late ,sorry. Did find a nice picture to show the changing of the guard on Pikes Peak. The car in the background, is the traditional Pikes Peak open wheel car. Basic front engined V-8, sprint type race car. The car in the front is one of the Newman Dreager race cars. Now you can see why the old time hill climb drivers were thinking crazy things about the Volkswagen guys early on. (picture from late 70's ?)

[colorado_aircooled]

Now for the Hero cars from the Newman Dreager time frame. The red car is one of the early N/D cars, the Rick Mears 1976 (#48 ) overall winner and the (#9) the 1981 overall winning car driven by Gary Lee Kanawyer.

1974-1982 were the best and fastest years for VW/Porsche aircooled cars.

[Manx102]

Great pictures again C_A. On a side note Gary Kanawyer is a local man to where I live and I watched him race at our local track for years. Until a few years ago I had no idea of what he had accomplished at the Peak and had never seen a picture of his car. Thanks for posting it.
_________________
"The simplest of outdoor adventures - the most treasured memories." - Bruce Meyers
54 years of "outdoor adventures" and "treasured memories" with our Manx in my gallery.

[colorado_aircooled]

Going to try and list the top ten Aircooled VW/Porsche Pikes Peak Hill Climb times. Most of the following are N/D type race cars.

11:47 Gary Lee Kanawyer 1982 2nd overall
12:01 Danny Arant 1989 7th open wheel
12:03 Gary Lee Kanawyer 1981 1st OVERALL
12:06 Gary Lee Kanawyer 1979 2nd overall
12:11 Rick Mears 1976 1st OVERALL
12:14 Fred Allen 1979 3rd open wheel
12:21 Dennis Keeff 1978 4th open wheel
12:24 Bill Brister 1980 B-Tracker not a N/D
12:26 Gary Lee Kanawyer 1978 5th open wheel
12:28 Doug Dreager 1977 3rd open wheel

Many other great drivers attacked the Hill Climb in Newman Dreager cars. Please help add additional names to the list and hope by posting this maybe we can snag some info or more photos .

Roger Mears , Bruce Canepa , Paul Newman ,Gary Potter , Brett Ford , Jim (James) Chamberlian , Nancy Reader , Dick Conners , Bill Warner , Cliff Cappos , Donner Billingsley , Jay Stewart .

A few of the names are from a later generation of N/D drivers, who else is out there???

[colorado_aircooled]

Manx102, As you see by the top times above, Gary Lee Kanawyer was fast on Pikes Peak. He started off young racing at Ascot in Ca . Then onto the Hill Climb. Hot Vw's did a couple of features on him. (AUG 76 and DEC 81).

13 years that I know of ,he raced Pikes Peak went to the Wells Coyote cars in 1985 and went even faster!

Gary driving both styles of race cars.

[colorado_aircooled]

GREAT NEWS , Thanks for saving one of these cars ! (PM sent)

[fastone]

Just came across this thread sweet, Any how here's a picture of the car I built, From 1992.

I'am sure I have more from the 92 race, I'll see if I can dig them up.

[bobfalfa5]

wonderful topic, especially for good old fibergalss days!!!
_________________
http://beachwheels.blogspot.com/ FIRST SPACE ON THE NET ONLY FOR VINTAGE BUGGIES AS THEY BUILT THEM IN THEIR GLORY DAYS, LOT OF PICS, MOVIES, TECHNICAL TIPS

[colorado_aircooled]

Now this is what I was hoping for,getting the word out and finding some of these great race cars !

irowan5 -His N/D car in it's day ran with a Vega Cosworth motor first ran in 1979. Glad it found a new cartaker! Hope for more info soon

fastone- can you tell us were you got your car, years you ran it. We have not yet had any drivers of the Newman Dreager cars tell us how it was racing the Peak. Did the front and rear wings help. Wings rules in the open wheel class early on were always changing, recent times wings front and rear seem to be the standard.

Many of these cars were passed on from driver to driver, Gary Lee Kanawyer's car was Nancy Readers at one time. Fred Allen ended up running one of the Mears N/D cars. Nice to see these cars running for so many years.

[fastone]

I built the car from scratch, It was a copy of a Newman Dreager A guy named Bill Smiley had a jig for the frame and the body molds.

I never ran the race I rented the seat to a local Midget racer his name is Gordy Edwards, we ran 91 and 92.

Any how here are some more pictures..

Here's how the car looked in 91 black frame no front wing

This is Danny Arant car I built his motors Auto-Craft 170CI 86x101.6

Some other VW cars from 1992

[colorado_aircooled]

fastone- Great pictures ! How many years did you work with Danny Arant ? He was one of the early guys who started out in sandrail type (grizzley) of car and then ran a 1977 N/D car for 10 plus years.

Do you know were any of these cars are today. I don't have much info from the races in the 90's do you? The last of your pictures. the purple car looks to be an early N/D or a TT kit, wing is of the 1st type. Thanks for the pictures !

[fastone]

Well I was working for Auto-Craft when Danny bought that engine, I built my car to run Ascot at the time there was a class for them.
Long story short in 1990 I went with him to the Peak, I was hooked there's no other race in the world like it.

As to where the cars went I sold mine 15 years ago, Danny sold his to a guy that I think ran CHCA.

Here a picture of Danny, He always ran very well there for a old guy

[colorado_aircooled]

Very fast for an old guy I would say !!! 2nd faster time ever for a N/D car on Pikes Peak ( 12:01). Plus he started off racing in 1980 until 1992 (?) . I would say he was by far,the longest running Newman-Dreager driver .

Here is a shot of the car he ran in 80-81 called a 75 Grizzley VW. From 1982 he was in the 77 N/D VW . Danny was also the Rookie of the Year ,(open wheel) 1981

[colorado_aircooled]

With all of the Newman-Dreager cars, I have left out an important part to the Volkswagen Hill Climb Formula.

The Whitfield Brothers John and Bud

They were there from the beginning! Bud was there in 1966 with Ted Trevor and Don Wilcox. He was running a dune buggy with Corvair power as well (no known photos) In 1971 he was running a Deserter with a turbo Corvair with Alex Dearborn, Ted Trevor, and his brother John Whitfield, who won the class with a VW Manx pictured below.

John just ran a few years ,but Bud Whitfield and his heavily modified Funco #3 gave the open wheel class a run for their money.

1972 13:32 2nd overall to Roger Mears 1st Place time 13:26
1973 13:16 2nd overall again to Roger
1974 13:00 2nd and the fastest VW powered car
1975 12:39 4th overall fastest VW power
1976 DNF

The Mears and the Whitfields , a classic Hill Climb battle. Bud Whitfields # 3 car was considered nearly as innovative as the 1976 N/D designed Rick Mears winning car.
I am disappointed for not bringing up the Whifield's sooner, they were FAST and a VERY important part of the VW Hill Climb Legend.

Hope all of you Samba folks have great stuff to add to this story!

[colorado_aircooled]

Both Paul Newman and Doug Dreager have provided this same picture for all of us. A GREAT group shot from the 1977 Hill Climb. Lots of history in this one. I will be adding the list of names soon

This will help . Sorry for the poor attempt at tracing

1. unkown
2. unkown
3. Matt Kosek
4. Don Reader's SON
5. Jim Chamberain
6. Don Reader
7. Nancy Reader, 1st women ever to qualify for oprn wheel class
8. Rich Weaver
9. J.C. Agajanian
10.unkown
11.unkown
12.Gary Potter
13.Dennis Keefe
14.unkown
15.Dick Conner (Ascot Champion)

If you can help fill in any of these names Please Help.

[fastone]

That's a cool peace of history there...

[colorado_aircooled]

Here is a picture for fastone, early picture with the auto-craft decals . There is a chance this car is still alive and racing ! More info soon.

[colorado_aircooled]

Found a jewel of a car, will have more information coming. Hard to see with the dust but this car was John Johnson's car from Reno NV. Lettering on the hood reads, GENE BERG ENT. out back reads" Engine by Gary & Clyde Berg."

[Steve Arndt]

Bump.

This thread is awesome! Have you ever heard of Super Dave Durell ( #58 ) that raced a Rotax dirt/flat track bike for years at the peak? I raced with Dave a few times back in when i was still racing.

Steve