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View Full Version : Hey...where are they now?



zracer22
08-21-2003, 07:18 PM
Back in the mid to late eighties, there was a compact truck roadrace series. Nissan, Ford Ranger, Mazda, Chevy S-10, and Jeep Comanche were in it. The Archer brothers field a couple of Jeeps. Some of these trucks must still be around somewhere. I can't even find anything about them on the internet.

Knestis
08-21-2003, 07:30 PM
The "SporTruck" series was going to ride the wave of compact pickup sales to a huge success. They got good venues (typically w/TransAm) but the races were often crashfests. They were NOT cheap to run - since you had to have a different third member for each desired camber setting, and a few people discovered that having structure that close to their head resulted in nasty noggin bashing in an accident.

Charlie Hexom (Portland area guy) ran a hand-control version for Mitsubishi and even at Pikes Peak (they were allowed as a class one year) and got to keep the truck as a parting gift. It ran regionals for a while after that.

There is an ITT (IT Truck) class in the SE but I'm not sure if they run to the same rules as the pro series did.

Other teams included General Tire Ford Rangers (Saleen?), at least a couple of Nissans, the aforementioned Archer Jeeps, and...Toyotas? I don't remember them clearly. Seems to me the Chevy was notably absent.

It all lasted just a couple of years and - poof - they were gone.

K

BMW RACER
08-21-2003, 10:10 PM
Now we're talking!! Real racecars, oops I mean racetrucks. I ran the series for Dave Wolins Team Mitsubishi. They were great fun, from the drivers seat they felt very IT like. Just a lot more body contact!! We ran Pikes Peak, the full oval at Pocono a bunch of street courses. The trucks may have dissapeared but some of the drivers are still around. Charlie Downs, The Archers, Chuck Hemmingson, Peter Schwartzot and yours truly. Ah, those were the days. How does the saying go? The older I get the faster I was..
John Norris

joeg
08-22-2003, 07:48 AM
If I recall, the series was sponsored by a bedliner company and you had to run with the tail gate up. No Toneaus.

Tail gate down is the hot ticket for getting more speed out of a PU.

tderonne
08-22-2003, 07:55 AM
Originally posted by joeg:
Tail gate down is the hot ticket for getting more speed out of a PU.

Not always.

Some Bonneville trucks run with it up. Of course, they have a fuel cell cover just ahead of that, that ISN'T a tonneau, but looks a lot like a rear wing...

bobpink
08-22-2003, 09:56 AM
A few of the Nissan trucks did make their way into the ITT class here in the Atlanta Region and I believe they are running under rules that closely match the "SporTruck" series. The class really hasn't caught on though. I think maybe one or two other trucks have been built to run and that's it.

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Bob Pinkowski
Atlanta Region SCCA
OPM Motorsports
ITS Honda Prelude

racer_tim
08-22-2003, 11:27 AM
We have 1 truck (Chevy) that runs in SP out here in San Francisco. It looks more like a NASCAR Truck than the old SCCA ones.



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Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 GP Wabbit (Bent)
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html

Greg Gauper
08-22-2003, 08:44 PM
Okay, anybody can make a mini pickup truck go fast....but how about a real truck.

Just got back from ALMS at Road America where one of the featured groups is the 'Tonka' series for full size i.e. Semi's diesel trucks.

These things weigh about 10000lbs, have water cooled brakes, 1000HP diesels, and just barely clear the Snap-On bridge at Road America.

They are a riot!

bobpink
08-22-2003, 09:43 PM
You know, the ARRC isn't really too far away and I wonder if I could talk the committee into running the Tonka Trucks in SP http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/smile.gif

And since the event is run at Road Atlanta, Dr. Don might have some available. Hmmm.....

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Bob Pinkowski
Atlanta Region SCCA
OPM Motorsports
ITS Honda Prelude

bhudson
08-25-2003, 01:47 PM
Hey Bob Pinkowski - how willing are you to stand behind a barrier at Road Atlanta when those Tonka trucks are on course?

I'd make sure I have lots of room to run.....

Bob Hudson
Atlanta F&C

RSTPerformance
08-25-2003, 05:56 PM
Their are a couple trucks from the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series running in the northeast... they look like they might be fun vehicles to drive, unfortunatly I can't tell as I havn't seen anyone that can actually drive get behind the wheel!!!

Raymond

Joe Harlan
10-03-2003, 10:57 AM
<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\"> Dave Wolins Team Mitsubishi. </font>

One of these trucks is here in portland owned by a friend of mine...I think it is being rebuilt with a larger turbo package and is going to be running ITE....

Joe Harlan

ITTdriver
10-05-2003, 01:36 PM
There are 5 ITT trucks running regularly at Rd. Atlanta. Another shows up occasionally and a new Nissan is being built. They are great fun to race. It's a hoot to terrorize SMs through the esses!
I have one of the original Nissans. It seems that the truck ran at every major track in the 80s. I should be so lucky.
We'll be at ARRC. Come see us.

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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games.
Hemingway.

lateapex911
10-05-2003, 02:35 PM
Originally posted by ITTdriver:
Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games.
Hemingway.



I guess Hemingway didn't care for water (frozen or otherwise) sports, as I don't see ski jumping and big wave surfing on that list.




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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

Anubis
10-05-2003, 03:38 PM
Those big trucks don't need to be run at Road Atlanta, there is no real safe place for any worker. It will also be interesting to see how badly the pavement gets torn up and how it will affect the rest of the series.

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Lance Snyder
Atlanta Region F&C

I watched the Indy 500, and I was thinking that if they left
earlier they wouldn't have to go so fast.

FCYTravis
10-12-2003, 04:51 AM
Originally posted by Anubis:
Those big trucks don't need to be run at Road Atlanta, there is no real safe place for any worker.

No kidding. They had one pulling demo laps at the Sears Point IMSA round and we all stood as far back as we possibly could... and even that wasn't far enough.

A British marshal told me that when they race the trucks in Europe, they have a second set of flag stations for them... a good 20 yards further back from the track!

Travis
SF Region SCCA F&C

CaptainWho
10-12-2003, 11:33 AM
The Tonka series trucks will be running Road Atlanta as part of the Petit le Mans event, according to the schedule that came with my tickets.

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CaptainWho
http://www.NutDriver.org

JDEllis
10-20-2003, 09:43 PM
I thought the STRANA trucks were a hoot to watch last weekend. Definitely cornered quicker than I expected.

Pics: http://jdellis.smugmug.com/

-jde

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J.D. Ellis
OVR #71 ITS Olds Calais
[email protected]

rage_racing
10-21-2003, 11:33 PM
about 20 minutes SE of me they are doing the s10 series oval track trucks started this past year ... I seen a few of them they are real works of art(to bad ya cant see the sarchasm in my typing) but it seems to be taking off pretty hard around here in NW Ohio

ITTdriver
10-22-2003, 11:10 PM
The ITT entrants at Rd Atlanta are certainly more credible as road racers than the Tonka boys or any oval trackers. We run times that are competitive with many a SM or Spec 7. Plus we're the best looking drivers as a class!

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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games.
Hemingway.

JDEllis
10-23-2003, 05:37 PM
Originally posted by ITTdriver:
The ITT entrants at Rd Atlanta are certainly more credible as road racers than the Tonka boys...



Yeah, thank goodness you don't have any hacks like Boris Said, Jan Lammers, and Duncan Dayton filling your ranks! http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/biggrin.gif http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/wink.gif http://Forums.ImprovedTouring.com/it/smile.gif

(the drivers in the STRANA trucks on Fri during PLM weekend)

-jde


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J.D. Ellis
OVR #71 ITS Olds Calais
[email protected]

ITTdriver
10-25-2003, 02:49 PM
Surely they weren't the "hacks" who kept spinning at 10! I was actually referring to the package of vehicle and driver.


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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games.
Hemingway.

Lawrence Mansier
10-29-2003, 03:31 PM
Where any of the SUV's ever run in these truck series? Pathfinders, Jeep Cherokees, 4 Runners and the like? Is there general interest to run or watch these types of cars run with ITT? I got 177,000 miles out of my first Pathfinder transmission, and the engine is still as strong as the day it was purchased. I wonder how it would last under road race conditions. I know there is plenty of off-road durability in these cars. What do you think?

ITTdriver
10-29-2003, 03:36 PM
SUVs aren't eligible in the class. The current rules closly mirror the original series rules which only included pick-ups.
Transmissions take a beating in any class of road racing. Many shifts per lap, not all done cleanly results in metal in the oil and just plain old wear and tear.


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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games.
Hemingway.

dansoiney
11-20-2003, 03:18 PM
About 8-10 years ago, my brother worked in a body shop in Waterford, WI. In the back of the shop were 2 of the Archer jeep trucks. They were run at Lake Geneva speedway. I do not know what happened to them after that...

Dan Soiney