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Weekend on Wheels III

Sports-car People Compete for Charity

Story and photos by Bruce Jaeger (Published in Midwest Motor Sport, June/July 1976)

2002 Note: I actually had the negatives for this one! Which was lucky, because I don't have that magazine issue, just another deteriorated "chemical-type" photocopy that was all cut up to fit on 8.5 x 11 paper. This wasn't much of an article, but some folks may have fun finding their names in print again! See all photos
For the third year in a row, Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity (at the University of Minnesota) and most of the area's sports car clubs have held a successful weekend of road rallying and autocrossing, with the profits from both events (and the profits from the suds sales afterwards) going to the Christ Child School for Exceptional Children. The weekend began with a road rally Saturday, May 8th (1976), and concluded with an autocross on Sunday. Both events were well attended by local and out-of town competitors.

Kevin Heck, a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and the University of Minnesota Sports Car Club, was the man who put the whole weekend together. The fraternity supplied most of the course workers for the rally and autocross.

Kevin obtained the services of local rallyist Jim Putnam as rallymaster for the Saturday event. Jim laid out about a one hundred mile route in Washington County that was challenging enough to cause the lesser experienced rallyists to come in with some rather high scores.

Sunday's autocross was eventmastered by Tom Griffin, a Corvettes-of-Minnesota member. Held on a large University of Minnesota parking lot on 4th Street, the event

featured a very fast--and, as the sun heated up the asphalt--a very slippery course. Front-wheel-drive cars proved more able to handle the slick surface and dominated the classes they were entered in.

The winners of the Weekend on Wheels III rally, and first in Class A (equipped car,) were Bob Shapiro and Dave Fuss. Using a rally-computer, the pair accumulatcd a mere 35 penalty points over eight checkpoints, and 19 of those came on the last leg when the computer broke down and they had to "seat-of-the-pants" it. (35 penalty points means they finished the day's rallying only 21 seconds off the perfect time!)

RALLY RESULTS

CLASS A (Equipped) Points
1. Shapiro / Fuss 35
2. Westberg / Frogh 134
3. Anderson / Andrews 404
4. Vanden Branden's 500
CLASS B (Unequipped)
1. Peterson/Starr 136
2. Jacobson/Nielsen 149
3. Peterson/Shell 223
4. Zoerb/Winker 291
5. Zur/Bradbury 320
CLASS C (Novice) (Top 5)
1. Kangas/Morrison 849
2. King's 1086
3. Argetsinger/Doebler 1347
4. Barr/Brown 1669
5. Hovinds 1734

 

AUTOCROSS RESULTS

CAR BEST TIME
CLASS B/STOCK
Larry Piepho Corvette 73.04
F. Hillyer Corvette 74.66
CLASS C/STOCK (Top 5)
Tom Griffin Corvette 74.45
Brad Wethe Mustang 75.75
Mike Kurz Mustang 76.40
Steve Feesl Camaro 77.34
Tim Skon Mustang 79.39
CLASS D/STOCK
Dennis Hansen Saab Sonnett 76.23
Tony Jarrett Datsun 78.61
Mark Sanders Porsche 76.87
R.T. Belle Jaguar 77.40
CLASS E/STOCK (Top 5)
David Galey Scirocco 76.19
Bob Budewitz Mini 76.71
Ed Ryan Fiat X1/9 77.28
Dave Butler Porsche 79.79
Herbert Noble Spitfire 80.47
CLASS F/STOCK (Top 5)
Daniel Gatten Honda 75.89
Jan Hansen Honda 77.22
Dennis Rugenstein Honda 77.81
Larry Williamson Vega 79.09
CLASS F/PREPARED (Top 5)
Ed LaCroix Opel 1900 73.97
Paul Steinmueller Honda 74.19
Jay Thompson Opel 76.33
Mark Sanders Honda 76.54
R.C. Hooker Vega 76.66
CLASS G/STOCK
Bob Ablard Pinto 79.16
Don Gettinger Pinto 81.35
CLASS SPORTS-RACING
Carroll Peterson Formula Vee 70.93
(fastest time of day)
Jack Nessett Dehmes 74.02
Dan Olberg Dehmes 75.40

 1996-05-09_wwwiii_jan_hansen.jpg (45377 bytes)
Jan Hansen came away with second place. Hondas dominated F Stock, taking the first three positions.

 

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Ed LaCroix in his F/Prepared winning Opel.

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Kevin Heck at the wheel of Tom Griffin's early Corvette. Tom, driving the same car, bested all others in his class.

 

1976-05-09_wowiii_carroll peterson.jpg (35623 bytes)
Carroll Peterson on his way to taking the Fastest Time of Day in a Vormula Vee

 

1976-05-09_wwwiii_b17_spectator.jpg (29901 bytes)

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