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1965
L.A. TIMES GRAND PRIX
At Riverside
In the pre-Can Am era, the LA Times Grand Prix for unlimited sports cars at Riverside International Raceway attracted an incredible field of international Grand Prix stars to challenge the top American road racers of the day! The entry list is a veritable "Who's who" of sports car racing history, with Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Ken Miles and David Hobbs leading the International contingent, and Dan Gurney, Augie Pabst, Peter and Doug Revson, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp, Parnelli Jones, Jerry Grant, Skip Hudson, Chuck Parsons, Bob Bondurant, Ronnie Bucknum, George Follmer, Walt Hansgen, Richie Ginther, Ed Leslie, Jerry Hansen, Jerry Titus, Charlie Hayes and Skip Scott competing for the U.S.
1965 was the year of the Chaparral 2. Jim Hall and Hap Sharp dominated the US road racing scene, winning 15 of the 22 races they entered, including the 12 Hours of Sebring. In Saturday's practice, the rear suspension on Jim Hall's new Chaparral 2C broke, leaving only teammate Hap Sharp in his older Chaparral 2 to start the race Sunday.
This new 31-minute beautiful COLOR
DVD shows all the highlights of the race, narrated by Charlie Brockman
with 1961 World Champion Phil Hill doing the color commentary. Chris
Economaki handles pit reporting and the victory lane interview.
In fact, between the race sequences, this tape is filled with outstanding
live interviews. During the race you'll hear Economaki interview
Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones,
Walt Hansgen and Bob Bondurant. In victory lane, a smiling Hap Sharp
is very coy about the advantage the adjustable spoiler on his Chaparral
gave him during the race.
The DVD begins with action from the
'last chance' qualifying race, then joins the 200-mile feature race
just underway, with Walt Hansgen and Jerry Grant dueling for the
lead. Attrition is high, with both Hansgen and Grant dropping out
early. Bob Bondurant takes the lead in his Lola T-70 Chevrolet until
hitting the wall on lap 38. Hap Sharp, in Jim Hall's white Chaparral,
takes over the lead. Pole-sitter Bruce McLaren gives up the lead
when he comes in for an unexpected pit stop to change a tire. Crewman
Tyler Alexander is shown changing the wheel the old fashioned way
(no air guns in '65), dropping McLaren a lap down to the leaders.
But the Kiwi mounts a charge the rest of the day, setting fast lap
(1:26.8, 108 MPH) in the process and nearly catching Clark at the
finish. Despite having little or no brakes on his Lotus 40, World
Champion Jim Clark finishes second behind Hap Sharp, with a charging
McLaren in his red #4 running out of laps on his way to third place.
You can get your own color copy of
this historic race now available on high-quality DVD from Rare Sportsfilms!
Send only $29.95 + $4.00 shipping (Illinois residents add $2.00
tax).
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N",
1126 Tennyson Lane,
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 527-8890
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