Auto Racing: Grudge Match at Trenton

“I’ll win the race and break the course record too,” boasted Scotland’s jaunty Jimmy Clark before the U.S. Auto Club’s 200-mile race at Trenton, N.J., last week. “Bah,” sneered the U.S.’s pugnacious Parnelli Jones. “Clark may go back to Scotland talking out of the other side of his mouth.”

Racing drivers do not often sound off like fighting cocks—the sport is hairy enough as it is. But this was a real grudge match. Ever since World War II, U.S. big-car racing has worn a “members only” sign, dominated by a tight knot of drivers piloting burly 400-h.p. Offenhauser roadsters. But this year the “sports-car crowd”—the road racers and gear shifters—was trying to muscle in with dinky, British-built Lotuses using 375-h.p. Ford V-8 engines.

In the Indianapolis 500 last May, Parnelli Jones drove his Offy to a controversial victory. In second place that day was Clark in the rear-engined Lotus-Ford. In August Clark got a measure of revenge when he whipped 22 Offies in the Milwaukee 200. Now, having already sewed up the Grand Prix championship, Jimmy Clark and his Lotus teammate, California’s Dan Gurney, were at Trenton for the rubber match and $42,000 in prize money.

“Let’s Go Home.” Hardly a seat remained in the stands by 1 p.m. when Gurney’s Lotus took off in the time trials to decide starting positions. A gasp went up when the announcer gave his speed: an average of 109 m.p.h. for the short one-mile track, almost 3 m.p.h. better than the fastest ever posted by an Offy at Trenton. Then came Clark, just a fraction faster to set still another record.

Two by two, they lined up: Clark and Gurney in front, a snarling pack of Offies stretched out behind. The starter’s flag dropped—and the race seemed over before it really began. Blasting nearly full-bore into the shallow-banked turns, the lighter (by 600 Ibs.) Lotus-Fords made the U.S. cars look like dump trucks. After 20 miles, Clark and Gurney were already lapping the slowest Offies. Parnelli Jones gave up the chase with magneto failure on the 43rd lap. U.S.A.C. Sprint Champion Roger Mc-Cluskey rammed into California’s Chuck Hulse, and both Offies cracked into the retaining wall at close to 100 m.p.h., although neither driver was hurt. At the end of 50 miles, Clark had a 7-sec. lead on Gurney and a half-lap on the nearest straining Offy. “Let’s go home,” said a man in the stands to his wife.

Hoses & Cam Covers. Suddenly a great roar went up from the crowd. Clark’s Lotus was spewing oil. A 10¢ connecting hose had given way. Now it was Gurney out front, gracefully threading through traffic like a patrolling turnpike cop. After 131 miles, only one other car was on the same lap: the white Offy of Texas’ Veteran A. J. Foyt, 28, winner of the Indy 500 in 1961, two-time U.S.A.C. champion. At one point, Foyt closed to within 7 sec. But Gurney was boxed in. He broke clear and within ten laps the lead grew to 13 sec. It was all over—unless.

On the 147th lap, a huge puff of smoke belched from Gurney’s Lotus. A camshaft cover had burst and oil was seeping into his engine block. That was it. With the last Lotus limping into the pits, the race belonged to the dogged Foyt. At the checkered flag, he had averaged 101 m.p.h. for 200 laps around the tiny Trenton track.

With a big wink from Lady Luck, A. J. Foyt had won his third U.S.A.C. championship, and the sturdy old Offy had won its match with the pesky Lotus-Ford. But the reign of the Offenhauser was clearly over: in the works was a faster Lotus—powered by a 400-plus-h.p., overhead-cam Ford engine. Champion Foyt knew the score: he asked Lotus Designer Colin Chapman to build him a car for the 1964 season.