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Some might look at the cover of this month’s issue of Vintage Motorsport, spy a gorgeous IMSA classic – a Lowenbrau-liveried Porsche 962 – and think we’re working with damaged dendrites to call this “The Low-Key Legends Issue.”
We are well aware of the juxtaposition – but we simply loved the color, shape and angle of this image depicting possibly the greatest prototype sports car in history, and wanted to highlight the fact that this issue contains our coverage of Porsche’s Rennsport Reunion 7 at Laguna Seca. It was, as you might imagine, a glorious affair in which iconic cars and drivers from Porsche’s 75-year history were celebrated in great style.
The Porsche we have chosen to profile in this issue, however, is one of Porsche’s greatest low-key legends. You would think that the 936, which carried Jacky Ickx to the greatest of his six 24 Hours of Le Mans wins, and which conquered the greatest sports car race three times in seven years, might have a higher profile. But its predecessor was the immortal 917 and its successor was the dominant 956/962 dynasty, each of which casts extremely long shadows.
Nonetheless, the 936 has earned its right to a spotlight, and we thank Charles Nearburg for allowing us to photograph his superb example, which Ickx and Reinhold Joest drove to second place at Le Mans in 1980, and giving us his thoughts on driving the car at historic events.
As well as Rennsport, we have coverage of the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona, Velocity International at Sonoma Raceway, Masters Historic Racing supporting the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas and the epic machinery that gathered at Irwindale Speedway to celebrate Southern California’s drag racing history.
On that topic, it was a delight to land an exclusive interview with one of the greats over a quarter-mile, Don Prudhomme. “The Snake” nailed four consecutive NHRA Funny Car titles, 1975-’78, and we felt it appropriate to celebrate the 45th anniversary of arguably his greatest season. We can’t argue that his profile is low-key – he and arch-rival Tom McEwen, “the Mongoose,” went to great lengths to ensure they garnered all the publicity they could. But Prudhomme had the quieter way about him, and even now can modestly blend into the crowd without seeking recognition, let alone adulation.
If you’ve had the good fortune to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK over the past 20 years, chances are you’ve seen Renault’s turbo Formula 1 cars in action, perhaps piloted by one of the marque’s cornerstones from the period. In the early 1980s, three grand prix drivers regularly produced qualifying laps that simply compelled onlookers to watch and savor: Gilles Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg, and the subject of our F1 feature this month, René Arnoux.
In a five-year span, Arnoux collected 18 pole positions in fire-spitting Renaults and Ferraris. That he himself flamed out so rapidly and scored only seven wins is why he’s often overlooked when listing F1 aces from the era, and why he belongs in our “Low-key Legends” issue, despite having the raw talent of a world champion.
In a similar manner, Rodger Ward doesn’t always appear on lists of Indy car greats, which is quite clearly nonsensical. He clocked 26 wins in an era when there were barely a dozen races per year. And among his tally of glories were two Indy 500 triumphs and two National Championship titles. No less impressive was the fact that he commanded the absolute respect of A.J. Foyt and Parnelli Jones.
Seven of Ward’s victories came at the Milwaukee Mile, which surely all U.S. open-wheel fans are delighted to see has been restored to the NTT IndyCar Series schedule for 2024. We spoke to some of the magic Mile’s greatest exponents to learn what were – and remain – the keys to conquering America’s oldest track.
The December 2023/January 2024 issue of Vintage Motorsport is now mailing to subscribers and already available to read in digital format. We hope you enjoy it. And if you’re not a subscriber, you can go to VintageMotorsport.com/Subscribe or call (877) 425-4103. Single copies can be purchased at our online store HERE. And Vintage Motorsport magazine is also available at Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide.
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