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Drivers: Rolf Stommelen, Toine Hezemans, and Peter Gregg. George Loos prepared - Brumos Porsche.
The best way to be noticed among the 68 starters in the first race of the year was to drive something other than a Porsche, anything other than a Porsche. Nearly half of the field was of Stuttgart origin, and the balance included the usual collection of oddities such as a very standard Oldsmobile Cutlass, an MGB, small Mazdas, and American Motor sedans disguised as GTs. The Brumos Team's situation looked ever rosier in the sunset as their two cars held a lap edge over the rest of the field. Their strongest challenge had come from Hurley Haywood in Bob Hagestad's Porsche. But then the owner spun wildly and did damage to the bodywork. The two team cars kept up the same pace throughout the night, with the difference in speed between them resulting in the Stommelen/Hezemans car increasing its lead by about one lap per hour over Gregg/Ballot-Lena/Frisselle. Lead driver Peter Gregg also drove a brief night time sting in the first place car. Morning light revealed a huge 20 lap distance between first and second - and the two cars were teammates. From first place to twentieth it was a sea of Porsches, broken only be a Camaro and a Datsun some 100 laps behind the winners. There was the other car that upset Porsche's utter domination-the Carradine Ferrari had made it to a steady, if unspectacular eighth place. In the end, the Brumos 935 Porsche car #99 won by a margin of 30 laps, well over one hundred miles.
1978 PORSCHE 935/78 #930.890.0018
Certainly a candidate for the greatest Grand Touring race car of them all, the 935 followed Porsche's historical use of racing to both advertise and develop its products. With the introduction of the 911 in 1964, the factory began a program of developing the car through competition. By the mid-1970s, the RSR was an effective racing tool and the new 930 Turbo had just been released to the public.
At the same time, due to lack of interest from the manufacturers the FIA was revising its regulations to do away with the 3-litre prototype cars. The sport's ruling body felt that a new Group 5, or 'silhouette' class, which would be based on dramatically altered production-based vehicles, would attract new manufacturer involvement and thus enhance sports car racing.
By combining the already developed RSR with the new turbocharged engine, while taking full advantage of the new FIA Group 5 rules as far as bodywork was concerned, Porsche was able to produce the 935 in 1976.
After a year of successful racing in Europe, the 935 finally appeared in the United States in 1977 when both IMSA and the SCCA bowed to sponsorship pressure and allowed the cars to contest their series. This started a great era of GT racing in America. During this time, Peter Gregg, one of the principals in Brumos Motor Cars, a Jacksonville, Fl Porsche dealership was to become on of America's premier drivers of these cars.
0018 is one of 15 factory built cars for the 1978 season. Purchased by Gregg in November 1977, it became one of the winningest 935s. In 1978, Gregg was the IMSA champion in this car with 10 wins in 14 races. Gregg used 0018 sparingly in 1979 while capturing his second championship in a row before selling it in 1980 to Bruce Leven's Bayside Racing, where Hurley Haywood used it to contest the 1980 IMSA series.
The best way to be noticed among the 68 starters in the first race of the year was to drive something other than a Porsche, anything other than a Porsche. Nearly half of the field was of Stuttgart origin, and the balance included the usual collection of oddities such as a very standard Oldsmobile Cutlass, an MGB, small Mazdas, and American Motor sedans disguised as GTs. The Brumos Team's situation looked ever rosier in the sunset as their two cars held a lap edge over the rest of the field. Their strongest challenge had come from Hurley Haywood in Bob Hagestad's Porsche. But then the owner spun wildly and did damage to the bodywork. The two team cars kept up the same pace throughout the night, with the difference in speed between them resulting in the Stommelen/Hezemans car increasing its lead by about one lap per hour over Gregg/Ballot-Lena/Frisselle. Lead driver Peter Gregg also drove a brief night time sting in the first place car. Morning light revealed a huge 20 lap distance between first and second - and the two cars were teammates. From first place to twentieth it was a sea of Porsches, broken only be a Camaro and a Datsun some 100 laps behind the winners. There was the other car that upset Porsche's utter domination-the Carradine Ferrari had made it to a steady, if unspectacular eighth place. In the end, the Brumos 935 Porsche car #99 won by a margin of 30 laps, well over one hundred miles.
1978 PORSCHE 935/78 #930.890.0018
Certainly a candidate for the greatest Grand Touring race car of them all, the 935 followed Porsche's historical use of racing to both advertise and develop its products. With the introduction of the 911 in 1964, the factory began a program of developing the car through competition. By the mid-1970s, the RSR was an effective racing tool and the new 930 Turbo had just been released to the public.
At the same time, due to lack of interest from the manufacturers the FIA was revising its regulations to do away with the 3-litre prototype cars. The sport's ruling body felt that a new Group 5, or 'silhouette' class, which would be based on dramatically altered production-based vehicles, would attract new manufacturer involvement and thus enhance sports car racing.
By combining the already developed RSR with the new turbocharged engine, while taking full advantage of the new FIA Group 5 rules as far as bodywork was concerned, Porsche was able to produce the 935 in 1976.
After a year of successful racing in Europe, the 935 finally appeared in the United States in 1977 when both IMSA and the SCCA bowed to sponsorship pressure and allowed the cars to contest their series. This started a great era of GT racing in America. During this time, Peter Gregg, one of the principals in Brumos Motor Cars, a Jacksonville, Fl Porsche dealership was to become on of America's premier drivers of these cars.
0018 is one of 15 factory built cars for the 1978 season. Purchased by Gregg in November 1977, it became one of the winningest 935s. In 1978, Gregg was the IMSA champion in this car with 10 wins in 14 races. Gregg used 0018 sparingly in 1979 while capturing his second championship in a row before selling it in 1980 to Bruce Leven's Bayside Racing, where Hurley Haywood used it to contest the 1980 IMSA series.
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1978 Porsche 935 RSR
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