1972 Trans-American Sedan Championship

1972 Trans-Am Series
Previous: 1971 Next: 1973

The 1972 Trans-American Championship was the seventh running of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series. The first seven rounds used split classes, while the last four classes had the Under 2500cc class only. Milt Minter brought Pontiac its first win, at Mid-Ohio. George Follmer and American Motors won the over 2.5L division, while John Morton led Datsun to the championship title of the "Two-Five Challenge".

1972 is considered to be the end of the series' "golden era". From 1973 onward, Trans Am would evolve into a lesser clone of the rival IMSA GT Championship, with similarly modified cars, but with a more conventional focus with vehicles such as the Chevrolet Beretta being used. IMSA GT's focus on exotic cars such as Ferraris and Porsches provided a more adaptable format, in comparison to Trans Am's reliance on domestic performance sedans.

Also contributing to the series' decline was the dominance of AMC. Follmer and Donohue had switched to AMC in 1970, ending the Ford vs Chevy rivalry that had made the series famous.

Schedule

Rnd Date Circuit Distance Over 2.5 Winning Car Under 2.5 Winning Car
Over 2.5 Winning Driver(s) Under 2.5 Winning Driver(s)
1 May 6 Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut 130.05 mi (209.30 km) (U2L)
200.43 mi (322.56 km) (O2L)		 AMC Javelin Datsun 510
United States George Follmer United States Bob Sharp
2 May 29 Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire 112 mi (180 km) (U2L)
152 mi (245 km) (O2L)		 AMC Javelin Datsun 510
United States George Follmer United States John Morton
3 June 4 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio 120 mi (190 km) (U2L)
180 mi (290 km) (O2L)		 Pontiac Firebird Datsun 510
United States Milt Minter United States Peter Gregg
4 June 17 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York 114.818 mi (184.782 km) (U2L)
192.489 mi (309.781 km) (O2L)		 AMC Javelin Datsun 510
United States George Follmer United States Peter Gregg
5 July 2
July 4		 Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota 150 mi (240 km) (U2L)
210 mi (340 km) (O2L)		 AMC Javelin Alfa Romeo GTV
United States George Follmer Australia Horst Kwech
6 July 16 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 108 mi (174 km) (U2L)
200 mi (320 km) (O2L)		 Ford Mustang Datsun 510
United States Warren Tope United States John Morton
7 July 30 Sanair Super Speedway, Saint-Pie, Quebec 104 mi (167 km) (U2L)
169 mi (272 km) (O2L)		 Ford Mustang Alfa Romeo GTA
United States Warren Tope United States Bert Everett
8 August 19 Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia 126 mi (203 km) not contested Datsun 510
United States John Morton
9 September 17 Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon 105.325 mi (169.504 km) not contested Datsun 510
United States John Morton
10 October 15 Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California 102.5 mi (165.0 km) not contested Datsun 510
United States John Morton
11 October 28 Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California 127.5 mi (205.2 km) not contested Datsun 510
United States John Morton
[1]

Championships

Drivers' championships

The points system was as follows:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
20 15 12 10 8 6 4 3 2 1

Over 2.5L

Pos Driver Car LRP BRY MDO WGL DON ELK SAN Pts
1 United States George Follmer AMC Javelin 1 1 2 1 1 25 95
2 United States Milt Minter Pontiac Firebird 2 1 28 4 2 25 60
3 United States Warren Tope Ford Mustang 5 7 7 26 28 1 1 56
4 United States Warren Agor Chevrolet Camaro 2 3 3 12 6 27 6 51
5 United States Bill Collins AMC Javelin 7 4 29 7 3 2 45
6 United States Paul Nichter Chevrolet Camaro 6 4 4 20 6 3 44
7 United States Roy Woods AMC Javelin 4 5 3 3 11 42
8 United States Jerry Thompson Ford Mustang 28 2 2 41 30
9 United States Carl Shafer Chevrolet Camaro 11 8 7 4 17
10 Canada Dick Brown Chevrolet Camaro 6 5 16 14
11 United States Gene Harrington Chevrolet Camaro 8 35 4 21 13
12 United States Tony DeLorenzo Pontiac Firebird 3 21 12
13 United States John Gimbel Ford Mustang 21 11 25 5 27 31 8 11
14 United States Kent Fellows Chevrolet Camaro 26 14 6 7 12 38 15 10
15= United States J. Marshall Robbins Ford Mustang 5 8
15= Canada Alfred Ruys de Perez Chevrolet Camaro 17 8 29 9 26 8 14 8
15= Canada Steve Bradley Chevrolet Camaro 5 21 8
15= United States Dick Hoffman Chevrolet Camaro 21 40 5 8
19= United States Walter Parkins Chevrolet Camaro 9 9 14 30 12 27 4
19= United States Bob Bienerth Chevrolet Camaro 14 13 13 18 17 7 4
21= United States Dan Moore Ford Mustang 8 13 3
21= United States Martin Shook Chevrolet Camaro 23 27 23 8 23 3
21= United States Jerry Petersen Chevrolet Camaro 31 10 9 30 3
24= Canada Jean-Guy Roy Chevrolet Camaro 9 22 23 13 2
24= United States Warren Fairbanks Chevrolet Camaro 9 2
24= United States David Hoselton Ford Mustang 15 9 2
24= United States Steve Ross Chevrolet Camaro 20 10 12 10 2
28= United States Fred Kashkork Ford Mustang 10 1
28= United States Ed Hinchcliff Ford Mustang 11 17 10 16 19 1
28= United States Joe Chamberlain Chevrolet Camaro 10 33 1
28= United States J. A. Lagod Chevrolet Camaro 10 1
[1][2]
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th–10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing

Under 2.5L

Pos Driver Car LRP BRY MDO WGL DON ELK SAN ATL POR LAG RIV Pts
1 United States John Morton Datsun 510 DSQ 1 16 2 12 1 1 1 1 1 135
2 United States Bert Everett Alfa Romeo GTA 4 4 3 5 2 15 1 11 7 3 91
3 Austria Horst Kwech Alfa Romeo GTV 19 17 4 3 1 5 15 2 17 65
4 United States Mike Downs Datsun 510 2 6 2 4 2 61
5 United States Peter Gregg Datsun 510 1 1 11 2 55
6 United States Bob Sharp Datsun 510 1 2 35
7 United States Ken Schley Alfa Romeo GTA DSQ 6 2 4 10 28 11 32
8 United States Ed Wachs Alfa Romeo GTA 5 9 4 7 19 DNS 27 20 24
9 United States John McCollister Volkswagen Super Beetle 21 8 6 14 17 5 9 8 16 25 22
10 United States Harry Theodorocopulous Alfa Romeo GTV 26 16 17 6 14 13 3 9 10 28 21
11= United States Lothar Stahlberg Datsun 510 3 13 5 13 20
11= United States Richard Hull Toyota 1600 5 3 16 20
11= United States Walt Maas Datsun 510 3 5 14 20
11= United States Lee Midgley Alfa Romeo GTA
Alfa Romeo GTV		 4 17 12 17 4 12 20
15= United States John Buffum Ford Escort 15 3 21 7 16
15= United States Vic Provenzano Alfa Romeo GTA 4 6 19 16
17= United States Sam Posey Datsun 510 18 2 15
17= United States Hershel McGriff Datsun 510 2 15
17= United States Corky Bell Datsun 510 10 9 5 7 15
20= United States Jerry Thompson Datsun 510 3 12
20= United States Dave Madison Datsun 510 3 22 12
20= United States Bobby Allison Datsun 510 3 24 12
23 United States Tony Rolfe BMW 1600 8 9 12 6 11
24= Canada Ron Shantz Datsun 510 4 10
24= Canada Bob Stevens Datsun 510 15 4 10
26 United States Ole Anderson Volvo 142 6 8 9
27= United States Wayne Sherer Alfa Romeo GTA 5 15 20 8
27= United States Richard Gordon Volvo 142 5 8
27= United States Bob Burns Alfa Romeo GTA 5 8
30= United States Jim Lombard Volkswagen Super Beetle 12 10 6 16 7
30= United States Gary Witzenburg Datsun 510 12 7 15 8 7
32= United States John Diamanti Alfa Romeo GTV 6 6
32= Canada Don Sobering Austin Cooper 6 6
32= United States Carl Fredricks BMW 6 6
32= United States Ed Long Datsun 510 9 7 6
36 United States Ted Straight Toyota 1600 7 10 5
37= United States George Alderman Datsun 510 7 18 18 15 4
37= United States Mickey Cohen Ford Pinto 7 4
37= Canada Jacques Bienvenue Ford Pinto 7 4
37= United States Douglas Sande Datsun 510 7 4
41= United States Ed Rogers Alfa Romeo GTA 8 15 3
41= United States Bob Shafer Datsun 510 8 3
41= United States Tom Cronin Austin Cooper 8 11 3
41= Canada Monique Proulx BMW 2002 8 3
41= United States Vic Matthews Toyota 1600 8 3
41= United States Dave Redding Datsun 510 8 3
47= United States John Meskauskas Datsun 510 9 14 14 16 2
47= United States Stephen Sharkey Volvo 122 9 2
47= United States Robert LaZebnik BMW 1600 22 11 DNS 9 2
47= United States George Cheyne Ford Pinto DNS 9 26 2
47= United States Jim Ethridge Alfa Romeo GTA 9 2
52= United States Paul Choiniere Austin Cooper 10 12 1
52= United States Art Mollin Volvo 142 13 10 19 1
52= United States A.L. Entwistle BMW 2002 10 1
52= Canada Werner Gudzus BMW 10 1
52= United States Jim Fitzgerald Datsun 510 10 14 1
52= United States Tex Guthrie Lotus Cortina 10 1
[1][2]
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th–10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing

Manufacturers' championships

Only the highest-finishing car scored points for the manufacturer. The points system was as follows:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
9 6 4 3 2 1

Over 2.5L

Best 6 results count toward the championship.

Pos Manufacturer LRP BRY MDO WGL DON ELK SAN Pts
1 American Motors 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 48 (52)
2 Ford 5 5 7 2 2 1 1 34
3 Pontiac 3 2 1 4 2 28
4 Chevrolet 2 3 3 4 5 4 3 24 (26)
[1][2]

Under 2.5L

Best 9 results count towards the championship.

Pos Manufacturer LRP BRY MDO WGL DON ELK SAN ATL POR LAG RIV Pts
1 Datsun 1 1 1 1 3 1 4 1 1 1 1 81 (88)
2 Alfa Romeo 4 4 3 3 1 4 1 4 4 2 3 40 (51)
3 Toyota 5 3 6
4 Ford 3 4
5 Volkswagen 6 6 5 4
6 Volvo 5 2
7 BMW 6 6 2
8 Austin 6 1
[1][2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "1972 Trans-Am Box Scores" (PDF). Sports Car Club of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 de Jong, Frank. "1972 Trans-Am Championship Table". Touring Car Racing History. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
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