This Week in Racing History (September 17-23)

This Week in Racing History
Michael Stucker
www.vintageRPM.com

September 17
Arturo Merzario drives a Ferrari 312PB to victory in the 500km race at the Dino Ferrari Autodromo in Imola, Italy (1972).

September 18
Minardi F1 team founder Giancarlo Minardi born (1947).

September 19
Hap Sharp, driving a Chaparral 2, wins the 2-day, 310-mile, "Double 500" at Bridgehampton, New York, USA (1965).

September 20
John Paul Jr. wins the IRL Lone Star 500 at Fort Worth, Texas, USA (1998).

September 21
Mark Donohue, driving a Chevrolet Camaro, beats Parnelli Jones, driving a Ford Mustang, by 2.17 seconds to win the Sears Point 200 Trans-Am race at Sears Point, California, USA. The win clinches Chevy's second straight Trans-Am title. After spraying the crowd in victory circle with champagne, Donohue picks up a garden hose and continues his celebration. Roger Penske, his team owner, locks himself in a street car with the windows rolled up to escape the antics (1969).

September 22
Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren, both driving Ford powered McLaren M7A racers, finish 1-2 in the Canadian Grand Prix at St. Jovite (1968).

September 23
Motorcycle racer Ryuichi Kiyonari born in Saitama, Japan (1982).