1972 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship

The 1972 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship was the Sports Car Club of America's sixth annual professional open-wheel auto racing series. It was open to Formula 5000 cars, these being Formula SCCA Class A open-wheel, single-seat cars with 5000cc restricted design engines or 3000cc unrestricted design engines.[1] The championship was won by New Zealand driver Graham McRae.

Race schedule

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The championship was contested over eight races with two heats per race.[2]

Race Date Race Name Circuit Race winner Car
1 May 7 Monterey Grand Prix Laguna Seca Raceway   Graham McRae Leda GM1 - Chevrolet V8
2 June 4 Lucerne 100 Edmonton International Speedway   David Hobbs Lola T300 - Chevrolet V8
3 June 18 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Watkins Glen International   Graham McRae Leda GM1 - Chevrolet V8
4 July 16 Road America Grand Prix Road America   Graham McRae Leda GM1 - Chevrolet V8
5 July 30 Minnesota Grand Prix Donnybrooke   Eppie Wietzes Lola T300 - Chevrolet V8
6 August 20 Road Atlanta Grand Prix Road Atlanta   Brett Lunger Lola T300 - Chevrolet V8
7 September 4 Lime Rock Grand Prix Lime Rock Park   Brett Lunger Lola T300 - Chevrolet V8
8 September 24 Riverside Grand Prix Riverside International Raceway   Brian Redman Chevron B24 - Chevrolet V8

Points system

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Championship points were awarded to drivers on a 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 basis for the first ten places in each race, those places having been determined from the results of the two heats.[2] Total points for each driver were based on the best six finishes.[2]

Championship standings

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Graham McRae won the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Championship driving a Leda GM1 and a McRae GM1 (similar to that pictured above)
Position [3][4] Driver [3][4] Car [2][3][4] Points [3][4]
1   Graham McRae Leda GM1 Chevrolet & McRae GM1 Chevrolet 87
2   Sam Posey Surtees TS11 Chevrolet 69
3   Brett Lunger Lola T300 Chevrolet 60
4   Brian Redman Chevron B24 Chevrolet 60
5   Eppie Wietzes Lola T300 Chevrolet 47
6   Skip Barber March 711 Ford Cosworth DFV 44
7   Lothar Motschenbacher McLaren M18 Chevrolet 32
8   David Hobbs Lola T300 Chevrolet 31
9   Bob Muir Lola T300 Chevrolet 22
10   Jerry Hansen Lola T300 Chevrolet 21
11   Gus Hutchison Lola T300 Chevrolet 18
12   John Gunn Lola T300 Chevrolet 16
13   Allan Lader McLaren M18 Chevrolet 15
14   Derek Bell McLaren M10B Chevrolet 15
15   John Morton Lotus 70B Ford 14
16   Rocky Moran Surtees TS8B Chevrolet 13
17   Sandy Shepard Lola T300 Pontiac 12
18   Kevin Bartlett McLaren M10B Chevrolet & Lola T300 Chevrolet 11
19   Peter Gethin Chevron B24 Chevrolet 10
=   Horst Kwech Lola T300 Chevrolet 10
21   Evan Noyes Leda LT27 Chevrolet & Leda GM1 Chevrolet 8
=   Warren Flickinger Lola T300 Chevrolet 8
23   Horst Kroll Lola T300 Chevrolet 7
=   John Cannon March 725 Oldsmobile & McLaren M10B Chevrolet 7
25   Colin Hyams Lola T192 Chevrolet 3
=   George Follmer Matich A50 Ford & Lotus 70B Ford 3
27   Ed Felter Lola T192 Chevrolet 1
=   Dave Jordan Eagle Chevrolet 1

References

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  1. ^ Watkins Glen L&M Grand Prix Facts Sheet, mclaren-m18-06.com Archived 2014-04-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 20 April 2014
  2. ^ a b c d Wolfgang Kopfler, 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Championship, Formula A and Formula 5000 in America - Race by Race, 2003, pages 59 & 60
  3. ^ a b c d 1972 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship Review (Part 1), www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 21 April 2014
  4. ^ a b c d 1972 SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship Review (Part 2), www.myf5000.com Retrieved on 21 April 2014

Further reading

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  • F David Stone, Continental Championship - Formula 5000 comes of age, Motor Racing Year, 1973 Edition, pages 91 to 93
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