The Trans-Am Donnybrook

In most auto races, the competing cars have about as much in common with the family flivver as an Apollo spacecraft has with a Piper Cub. Not in the Trans-American Championship for sports sedans. Commonly known as the Trans-Am, the competition is limited to genuine stock cars; the rules restrict engine size to 305 cu. in. and require that at least 2,500 identical models be in general distribution. The result is what Tracy Bird, executive director of the sponsoring Sports Car Club of America, calls "product identity," a sense of involvement that has drawn more than 650,000 enthusiasts to the Trans-Am since it was started four years ago. "Every guy who owlis a Mustang," explains Bird, "loves to hear that one won. It vindicates his choice. And the Camaro owner can hardly wait until the next race when Mustang gets clobbered."

Detroit's automakers are only too well aware of the sales potential. Before a race, local dealers stage long parades of their latest models. Hospitality tents are set up. And salesmen dressed in the colors of the racing cars are everywhere passing out brochures. Nothing, though, sells like a winner. As one San Francisco Ford dealer puts it: "What a wedge to close a deal! When a salesman gets a performance-oriented buyer--and you'd be surprised how many there are--whammo!"

No Gimmicks. Determined to gain a larger share of the muscle-car market, Chrysler entered its brand-new Dodge Challenger in the Trans-Am for the first time this year, along with a redesigned Plymouth Barracuda. American Motors convinced Mark Donohue and Roger Penske, Trans-Am champions for the past two years in Chevrolet Camaros, to switch to its Javelins in a deal that will earn the pair a reported $3,000,000 over the next three years. General Motors countered by appointing Jim Hall, designer and driver of the innovative Chaparrals to head its Camaro team, while Veteran Driver Jerry Titus is pushing a second G.M. hopeful: a radically modified Pontiac Firebird. For its part, Ford has put Drivers George Follmer and Parnelli Jones behind the wheels of its Boss Mustangs.

The beneficent backing by the manufacturers is (iot the only reason that the Trans-Am attracts the U.S.'s best drivers. "We race at Indianapolis and other road races," explains Penske, "but the Trans-Am is the series we love the best. Everyone has the same type and size V-8 engine. We all weigh the same. No gimmicks, just good hard racing with near-equal cars."

Little Solace. In the first of the 13 races in the 1970 Trans-Am circuit, six different makes of cars were among the top seven finishers. Mustang roared off to an early lead by copping the first four races, then lost out to Donohue's red, white and blue Javelin. That set the stage for race No. 6 last week at the aptly named Donnybrooke Speedway in Brainerd, Minn. In the hardest fought contest so far this season, Follmer's Mustang and Milt Minter's Camaro waged a torrid battle for the lead. Growling into the final turn, Follmer tried to charge past Minter on the outside; the cars bumped, Follmer skidded off the pavement, spun in a complete circle and then finished 15 seconds behind Minter. Afterward, Follmer bulled his way into the winner's circle and took a couple of wild swings at Minter before he was restrained by police.

Race officials disallowed Follmer's protest that Minter had deliberately bumped his car three times in the final laps. They fined the Mustang driver $100 for "unsportsmanlike conduct." Said Minter: "At first I thought George was coming out to shake my hand, but when I saw his eyes--he was hysterical!" The point tally as of last week--Mus-fang, 48, Camaro, 26, Javelin, 25, Challenger, 7, Barracuda, 5--held little solace for Follmer. Last year Mustang won four of the first five races and still lost out to Camaro. With seven encounters still ahead, the real hysteria of the 1970 Trans-Am is yet to come.

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