Turbo's Racing Photos - International Race of Champions IROC

Turbo's Racing Photos

International Race of Champions - IROC

Photography by Mike Smith

INFORMATION PROVIDED FROM 1978 CALIFORNIA GRAND PRIX RIVERSIDE RACE PROGRAM.

IROC I 1973 - 74

THE IROC SERIES WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF PENSKE PRODUCTIONS HEADED BY ROGER PENSKE, LES RICHTER AND MIKE PHELPS. THE CONCEPT WAS TO PUT TOP DRIVERS FROM EACH RACING SERIES IN IDENTICALLY PREPARED CARS TO DETERMINE A TRUE DRIVING CHAMPION.

FOR THE OPENING 1973 SERIES, THE 15 CARS WERE IDENTICALLY PREPARED 1974 PORSCHE CARERRAS BUILT BY THE PORSCHE FACTORY IN STUTTGART. THE CARS WERE POWERED BY A 3.0 LITER ENGINE PUTTING OUT 320 HP. THE ONLY DRIVER ADJUSTMENT ALLOWED WAS TO THE SEAT. THE CARS WERE PUT UNDER ARMED GUARD DURING THE WEEK AND ONLY THE MECHANICS HAD ACCESS. NO ONE ELSE HAD ACCESS, NOT EVEN PENSKE OR RICHTER. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RACING HISTORY, THE ENTIRE FIELD WAS INSURED AND THE PREMIUM OF $25,000 WAS THE HIGHEST EVER PAID. THE PORSCHES WERE REPLACED BY Z-28 CHEVROLET CAMAROS FOR THE 1974 -75 SERIES.

THE SERIES WOULD HAVE FOUR RACES IN 1973-74 WITH 15 NASCAR, USAC, FORMULA 1 AND ROAD RACE DRIVERS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE. THERE WERE THREE RACES AT RIVERSIDE IN OCTOBER 1973 WITH A FOURTH RACE ON DAYTONA'S ROAD COURSE IN FEBRUARY 1974. AFTER EACH RACE, THE DRIVERS ARE REQUIRED TO CHANGE CARS AND THE STARTING FIELD FOR THE NEXT RACE IS INVERTED BASED ON THE FINISHING ORDER OF THE PREVIOUS RACE. THE WINNER OF THE FIRST RACE DRIVING THE LAST PLACE CAR IN THE SECOND RACE AND ALL OTHERS DRIVERS CHANGING ACCORDINGLY. ONLY THREE CARS WERE USED FOR PRACTICE, THE OTHER TWELVE WERE PUT AWAY FOR THE RACE.

THE DRIVERS IN THIS FIRST IROC SERIES HAD WON 32 NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE INDY 500 SIX TIMES, THE WORLD FORMULA 1 CHAMPIONSHIP TWICE, THE CANADIAN AMERICAN CHALLENGE CUP FIVE TIMES AND THE NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEVEN TIMES.

AT THE FIRST RACE AT RIVERSIDE, EMERSON FITIPALDI WON THE POLE BUT HAD TO START FROM THE BACK, ALONG WITH GEORGE FOLLMER, FOR MISSING THE DRIVER'S MEETING. MARK DONOHUE MOVED UP TO THE POLE POSITION AND LED THE RACE FLAG TO FLAG. MARK WAS FOLLOWED BY BOBBY UNSER, PETER REVSON, GEORGE FOLLMER AND DENNY HULME.

THE SECOND RACE, HELD LATER THAT DAY, HAD FITIPALDI ON THE POLE. THE RACE WAS WON BY FOLLMER AFTER LEAD CHANGES BETWEEN FITIPALDI, ALLISON, PEARSON AND FOLLMER. PEARSON CAME HOME SECOND, FITIPALDI THIRD, REVSON FOURTH AND A.J. FOYT FIFTH.

THE THIRD RACE, THE FOLLOWING DAY, HAD MARK DONOHUE ON THE POLE DUE TO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS IN THE SECOND RACE. MARK WENT FLAG TO FLAG FOR THE WIN FOLLOWED BY UNSER, FITIPALDI FOR THIRD, PEARSON IN FOURTH AND FOLLMER IN FIFTH. MARK DONOHUE WON TWO FOR THE THREE IROC RACES THAT WEEKEND AND ALSO WON THE CAN-AM RACE ON SUNDAY IN THE PENSKE PREPARED SUNOCO PORSCHE 917-30KL.

ONLY THE TOP SIX DRIVERS IN POINTS MOVED ON TO THE LAST RACE OF THE SERIES AT DAYTONA ON THE ROAD COURSE. DONOHUE AND REVSON WERE ON THE FRONT ROW, FOLLOWED BY PEARSON AND FOLLMER AND THEN UNSER AND FOYT. DONOHUE AND FOLLMER BATTLED THROUGH MOST OF THE RACE UNTIL FOLLMER SPUN OUT. MARK WENT ON TO WIN THE RACE. REVSON BARELY BEAT OUT UNSER FOR SECOND, FOLLOWED BY PEARSON IN FOURTH AND FOLLMER IN FIFTH.

THE FINAL STANDINGS WERE AS FOLLOWS:

1 - MARK DONOHUE	2 - PETER REVSON
3 - BOBBY UNSER	4 - DAVID PEARSON
5 - GEORGE FOLLMER	6 - A.J. FOYT
7 - EMERSON FITIPALDI	8 - DENNY HULME
9 - BOBBY ALLISON	10 - RICHARD PETTY
11 - GORDON JOHNCOCK	12 - ROGER McCLUSKEY

Click on the links below to see photos by driver


Bobby Allison	Mark Donohue	Emerson Fitipaldi


Denny Hulme	David Pearson	Richard Petty


Peter Revson		Practice Cars

IROC II 1974 - 1975

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE MADE FOR THE IROC II SERIES. FIRST, THE PORSCHES WERE REPLACED WITH Z-28 CAMAROS. I GUESS THE NASCAR BOYS DON'T PLAY WELL TOGETHER AND THE PORSCHES WERE A LITTLE PRICEY! SECOND, ONE OF THE RIVERSIDE RACES WAS REPLACED BY AN OPENER AT MICHIGAN, MAKING TWO ROAD COURSE AND TWO OVAL EVENTS.

THE OPENER AT MICHIGAN HAD RONNIE PETERSON ON THE POLE. THE RACE WAS MARRED BY TWO WRECKS, ONE TAKING OUT JODY SCHECKTER, AND THE SECOND SIDELINING A.J. FOYT AND RICHARD PETTY WITH TWELVE TO GO. THE RACE WAS WON BY BOBBY UNSER WITH YARBOROUGH SECOND, PEARSON THIRD, ALLISON FOURTH AND FOLLMER FIFTH.

THE FIRST RACE AT RIVERSIDE HAD JODY SCHECKTER ON THE POLE. ALLISON AND BOBBY UNSER GOT CAUGHT UP IN A WRECK IN TURN 1 THAT SENT ALLISON TO THE HOSPITAL WITH A FRACTURED VERTEBRAE IN HIS BACK. UNSER RESTARTED IN A BACKUP CAR. FITIPALDI WON THE RACE WITH FOLLMER SECOND, FOYT THIRD, PEARSON FOURTH AND PETTY FIFTH.

THE NEXT DAY WAS RACE THREE WITH ALLISON STARTING THE RACE ON THE POLE WITH A BROKEN BACK. THESE NASCAR GUYS ARE TOUGH!! BOBBY WENT THE DISTANCE, WHAT DETERMINATION, WITH BOBBY UNSER SECOND, FITIPALDI MAKING A CHARGE FROM TWELFTH TO GET THIRD, FOYT GOT FOURTH AND FOLLMER TOOK FIFTH.

THE FINALE AT DAYTONA WAS TRIMMED DOWN TO NINE DRIVERS WHO QUALIFIED FOR THE RACE BASED ON POINTS EARNED. RICHARD PETTY, GRAHAM HILL AND JODY SCHECKTER DIDN'T MAKE THE SHOW. EMERSON FITIPALDI STARTED ON THE POLE. THE RACE WAS HOTLY CONTESTED WITH ALL BUT ONE DRIVER LEADING A LAP. BOBBY UNSER SQUEAKED BY A.J. FOYT FOR THE WIN BY TWO FEET AND ALSO WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP. FOYT TOOK SECOND, YARBOROUGH THIRD, ALLISON FOURTH AND PEARSON FIFTH.

THE FINAL STANDING FOR IROC II WERE:

1 - BOBBY UNSER	2 - A.J. FOYT
3 - CALE YARBOROUGH	4 - BOBBY ALLISON
5 - EMERSON FITIPALDI	6 - DAVID PEARSON
7 - GEORGE FOLLMER	8 - RONNIE PETERSON
9 - JOHNNY RUTHERFORD	10 - RICHARD PETTY
11 - GRAHAM HILL	12 - JODY SCHECKTER

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A.J. Foyt	Graham Hill	David Pearson


Johnny Rutherford & Emerson Fitipaldi	Bobby Unser	Cale Yarborough

IROC III 1975 - 1976

IROC III SAW THE RETURN OF THE Z-28 CAMAROS AND FIRST TIME APPEARANCES BY MARIO ANDRETTI FROM SCCA, BENNY PARSONS FROM NASCAR, AL UNSER FROM USAC, BRIAN REDMAN FROM SCCA AND JAMES HUNT FROM FORMULA I. THE SERIES WOULD AGAIN RUN AT THE SAME TRACKS AS THE IROC II SERIES, TWO OVALS AND TWO ROAD COURSE EVENTS.

AT THE OPENER AT MICHIGAN, MARIO ANDRETTI STARTED ON THE POLE. LAST YEAR'S CHAMPION, BOBBY UNSER, DID NOT START THE RACE BECAUSE OF A BROKEN KNEE CAP. PEARSON AND ALLISON WENT HEAD TO HEAD MOST OF THE RACE, BUT PEARSON MADE A PASS ON THE LAST LAP TO GET THE WIN. SECOND WENT TO ALLISON, THIRD TO FOYT, BENNY PARSONS GOT FOURTH AND EMERSON FITIPALDI GOT FIFTH.

AT THE FIRST RACE AT RIVERSIDE, BOBBY UNSER STARTED ON THE POLE AND WENT THE DISTANCE FOR THE WIN. FOYT TOOK SECOND, ANDRETTI GOT THIRD, FITIPALDI FOURTH AND BENNY PARSONS TOOK FIFTH. BOBBY ALLISON SUFFERED A BLOWN ENGINE AND FINISHED ELEVENTH AND JAMES HUNT FINISHED LAST WITH GEARBOX TROUBLES.

RACE THREE WAS HELD THE NEXT DAY WITH JAMES HUNT ON THE POLE. BOBBY ALLISON STARTED SECOND, WAS THE DRIVER TO BEAT AND WON THE RACE BY A HALF SECOND. AL UNSER CAME HOME SECOND, WITH FOYT THIRD, ANDRETTI FOURTH AND BOBBY UNSER FIFTH. RICHARD PETTY AND EMERSON FITIPALDI WENT OUT AFTER WRECKS.

AT THE FINALE IN DAYTONA, ONLY NINE DRIVERS QUALIFIED BASED ON POINTS FROM THE PREVIOUS RACES. RICHARD PETTY, JODY SCHECKTER AND BRIAN REDMAN DID NOT MAKE THE SHOW. EMERSON FITIPALDI STARTED ON THE POLE. THE RACE WAS HEAVILY CONTESTED, WITH TWENTY FOUR OFFICIAL LEAD CHANGES AND AT LEAST THIRTY ADDITIONAL UNOFFICIAL LEAD CHANGES AROUND THE TRACK. EIGHT OF THE NINE DRIVERS HELD THE LEAD AT ONE TIME DURING THE RACE. BENNY PARSONS GOT THE WIN WITH FOYT FINISHING SECOND, ANDRETTI IN THIRD, PEARSON IN FOURTH AND AL UNSER ROUNDING OUT THE TOP FIVE. BOBBY UNSER WENT OUT WITH ENGINE PROBLEMS AND BRIAN REDMAN PARKED AT IT WITH TRANSMISSION WOES.

THE IROC III CHAMPIONSHIP WAS WON BY A.J. FOYT. IT IS IRONIC THAT A.J. WAS VERY VOCAL IN IROC I THAT THE THREE RACES AT THE ROAD COURSES HEAVILY FAVORED THE ROAD RACE SPECIALISTS.

THE FINALS STANDING IN IROC III WERE AS FOLLOWS:

1 - A.J FOYT	2 - MARIO ANDRETTI
3 - BENNY PARSONS	4 - BOBBY ALLISON
5 - DAVID PEARSON	6 - AL UNSER
7 - BOBBY UNSER	8 - EMERSON FITIPALDI
9 - BRIAN REDMAN	10 - RICHARD PETTY
11 - JAMES HUNT	12 - JODY SCHECKTER

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Mario Andretti	Emerson Fitipaldi	A.J. Foyt


James Hunt	Benny Parsons	Richard Petty

Jody Scheckter