NSSN Correspondent

Auto racing has never seen a more rip-roaring, take-no-prisoners, pure racing series than the Canadian American Challenge Cup. Competed on tracks in America and Canada from 1966 through 1974, the CanAm was exhilaratingly successful because it was essentially rule free.
Sure, there were some fundamental safety regulations, and the cars were mandated to be two-seater, open cockpit and full-bodied. Beyond that, there were no limits. No tire specs, no aerodynamic restrictions, no minimum weight, no maximum engine size and no engine restrictions. Normally aspirated, turbo-charged or supercharged. All were okay.
The thin rulebook produced some of the most powerful race cars, pound for pound, ever seen on the planet. By the early 1970s, 1,200 horsepower pushing, 1,200-pound vehicles weren’t unusual. Fields of 30 cars, pumping out all that testosterone-generating raw power, clawing for position on the twisty confines of road courses like Mosport, Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio, rightly earned the series the moniker Rolling Thunder and lured fans in droves.   
The prize money was some of the best in racing. When McLaren won its first Can Am championship in 1967, the combined take, between first- and second-place teammates Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, was just over $100,000. Repeating that feat in 1969, their winnings topped $300,000.
The astronomical prize packages and wide-open rulebook attracted car builders by the dozens. The world’s best, Lola, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, March, Shadow and Chaparral all competed in the Can Am, along with creations from constructors like Holman-Moody with their Honker, Dan Gurney with his McLeagle, and a slew of one-off customs, like Autocast, Rattenbury, McKee, Genie, Burnett and Stanton.    
Driving that bevy of unique racing machinery were some of the best drivers in the world. They came from Indy cars, Formula One, sports cars and even NASCAR. There were Indianapolis 500 winners, Daytona winners and Formula One champions. Such a huge talent pool created close, combative racing. Dueling throughout the field generated fender-rubbing, tire-smoking, tail-hung-out action, with close finishes the norm. At Road America in 1969, Bruce McLaren beat Denny Hulme to the checker by a mere .01 second, the closest finish in Can Am history.
As great as the series was, however, it was impossible for it to endure. It was only a matter of time before someone with bottomless pockets would make a shambles of the open rules package. That someone was Porsche.
Porsche had made unsuccessful forays into Can Am almost from its inception. But, by 1972, aware that the business builders like McLaren and Lola were generating from their Can Am success, Porsche got serious, building a turbo-charged, flat V-12 that flashed 1,500 horsepower on its dyno. 
Roger Penske was responsible for the race prep of the 917-10K, while Mark Donahue and George Follmer handled the driving. They dominated, winning championships in 1972 and 1973. That effectively killed the series. Few could afford the Porsches, with their cost nearly six times that of the now non-competitive McLarens and Lolas. Cost-reduction rule changes for 1974 helped even the competition. But, those restrictions diminished the wide-open spirit of Can Am and fan interest waned. The luster was gone. 1974 marked the last season of the original Can Am.
Sadly, its likes will never be seen again.

A Promoter's Dream

Dennis Hulme (5) leads Jackie Stewart in front of a large crowd at Road Atlanta in 1971. (Chris Economaki Photo)

Never has there been a racing series that attracted more name drivers, from such diverse disciplines of racing, as did the Can Am.
Notables among them included:
Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren, Phil Hill, Mark Donohue, Jim Hall, Chris Amon, Dan Gurney, Peter Revson, George Follmer, Masten Gregory, John Surtees, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Jack Brabham, Pedro Rodriguez, Vic Elford, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Jackie Oliver, Jody Scheckter, Derek Bell, Bob Bondurant, Jacky Ickx, David Hobbs, Jo Bonnier, Ronnie Buknum, Sam Posey, Swede Savage, Jerry Grant, Roger McCluskey, Joe Leonard, Brian Redman, Skip Barber, Mike Spence and Jackie Stewart.
That prestigious gathering included 20 Indianapolis 500 starters, five Indianapolis 500 winners and six Formula One World Champions.
It was a promoter’s dream.

McLaren

Nearly two dozen different car designs were created for the CanAm series. None, however, came near the astounding success of McLaren. The inception of the Can Am in 1966 proved to be perfect timing for Bruce McLaren, as he had left Brabham at the end of 1965 to start his own racing concern. The Can Am gave him the opportunity to showcase his new creations, and he took great advantage of that.  
From 1967 through 1971, McLarens won five consecutive Can Am championships and 43 of 49 races. Demand for customer cars became so great that they couldn’t be built fast enough.
When Bruce McLaren died in June 1970 testing his latest Can Am car, many thought the business would die with him. His widow, Pat, however, insisted that it carry on. And today McLaren enjoys an iconic spot at the highest level of racing, primarily because of its success in the Can Am series. 

The Technology

With few rules to stifle designers, the Can Am was renowned for cutting edge technology. Turbocharged engines, exotic, lightweight materials, and space-age construction techniques were all debuted there. The most important Can Am contribution to racing, however, was in aerodynamics. Large tail wings, down force-producing body shapes and side-mounted radiators all were perfected in Can Am before making their way to other series.   

The familiar Roger Penske-owned Porsche driven by Mark Donohue leads a Can Am field in front of a large crowd at Road Atlanta in September 1970. (Chris Economaki Photo)

The leader of this aerodynamic revolution was Jim Hall. His refrigerator white Chaparrals were always dramatically original, the Can Am Chaparral 2J of 1970, especially so. Hall hung a two-horsepower, snow blower motor on the back of the car that drove a large fan, generating a vacuum that literally sucked the car to the track.
Though quickly outlawed, the ground effects concept became the future of racing aerodynamics. In 1980, Hall transferred his CanAm ground effects expertise to Indy cars. When Johnny Rutherford dominated the 1980 Indianapolis 500 with Hall’s Chaparral, the technology soon spread world-wide. And, ground effects remain today as the foundation of aerodynamic development for most high-speed race cars. 

The Champions

Year	Driver	Chassis	Wins
1966	John Surtees (GB)	Lola-Chevrolet	3
1967	Bruce McLaren (NZ)	McLaren-Chevrolet	2
1968	Dennis Hulme (NZ)	McLaren-Chevrolet	3
1969	Bruce McLaren (NZ)	McLaren-Chevrolet	6
1970	Dennis Hulme (NZ)	McLaren-Chevrolet	6
1971	Peter Revson (USA)	McLaren-Chevrolet	5
1972	George Follmer (USA)	Porsche	5
1973	Mark Donohue (USA)	Porsche	6
1974	Jackie Oliver (GB)	Shadow-Chevrolet	4