Can-Am Racing 1966-1969 (Brooklands Road Test Books)

56 race previews & reports on the Can-Am series. Articles from St. Jovite, Mosport, Bridgehampton, Laguna Seca, Riverside, Las Vegas, Edmonton, Texas, Watkins Glen, Mid Ohio, Michigan, Elkhart Lake, plus full results from 1966 to 1969. 

The period covered in this first volume of Brooklands Books' Can-Am series opens with John Surtees' 1996 win at St. Jovite, Quebec, in a Lola-Chevrolet and finishes with Bruce McLaren wrapping up the '69 championship in Texas. In between, the Can-Am travelling circus criss-crossed the USA and Canada visiting Riverside in California, Watkins Glen in New York and venturing as far north as Edmonton in Alberta. While Surtees took the first Can-Am title, it was McLaren who dominated the following years with Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren finishing in the top two positions on all three occasions. 1966 also saw the arrival of the Chaparral with its movable, high-mounted wing that proved to be successful enough to take pole position at the first attempt - although problems with the mechanism during the race meant victory went to Dan Gurney. Apart from Hall's aerodynamic experiments with the Chaparral, most constructors looked to generate more horsepower to win races and engine sizes began to grow as a result. Although Gurney used a 5.0-litre Ford V8 to great effect, it soon became common to see 7.0-litre big-block V8s from both Chevrolet and Ford in some cars while others were equipped with superchargers or fuel injection. With record crowds and prize money that eclipsed any other motor racing championship in the world, Can-Am arrived with a bang in '66. By '69 it had become a million-dollar sports car series and a McLaren benefit with the team winning all eleven rounds that year. The full story of every race is included in this book, together with previews and results from each year.