The Yanque Tanque Story

In the original Trans Am Series, Mark Donahue, Jerry Titus, Bob Tullius, Parnelli Jones and Sam Posey were my heroes. They raced stock cars with near stock bodies and very souped-up engines, something a teenager could identify with and get excited about. These were vehicles you could actually own, if you were lucky. Next to the Can Am Series, it was probably the most exciting series in American Road Racing.

Having been a fan of the Trans America Series and a big fan of the perennial underdog, the Firebird Trans Am, I was bitten by the racing bug after attending the Walter Mitty Challenge in 1990 – the premiere vintage road-racing event in the Southeast. Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing Ltd., the “Mitty” is held annually at Road Atlanta, drawing over 300 cars. The vintage iron there is truly spectacular. You can see road racing cars ranging from an original Gulf Mirage, A.J. Foyt’s last Foyt Coyote, a Mark Donahue Formula One car, Can Am Lolas and McClarens to vintage Trans Am Series cars. Drivers appearing at these events include Brian Redman, Gene Felton, Hurly Haywood, Vic Elford, Bobby Brown and Derek Bell. I had the privilege of being on the track at the same time as Derek Bell during a test session one year. He was driving a Can Am car. Believe me ---the man can drive!

After much convincing, my wife agreed to let me pursue my dream of actually participating in vintage racing by helping me purchase a 1970 Trans Am roller. My idea was to build a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am series replica out of it. There was the Donahue/Penske Camaro, the Holman and Moody Mustangs and even a Yenko Corvair replica but no one seemed to be fielding Pontiacs at the time. Our car would be built around the Firebird raced in the early 1970’s. I had my wife convinced that it would be finished in about six months time. Yeah, right! Two years later we were ready for our first outing, or so I thought.

We headed out for Road Atlanta to the 1993 Walter Mitty Challenge with high expectations and butterflies in my stomach. I went out on the track Friday morning only to run three laps. I exploded the motor by over revving it after a missed shift in turn three. My wife’s expression told it all when the car returned to the paddock on a flat bed wrecker! At least I didn’t bend the body!!

It took a full year to replace the motor. By 1994 we were ready again for the Walter Mitty, this time with a rev limiter. It rained off and on most of the weekend. The track remained slick even when it dried out. We couldn’t get the car to hook up very well and neither could anybody else. We ran a 1:50:42 for an average of about 80 mph.

It was during a rain delay that I wandered up to the covered garages to seek out a particularly beautiful Formula One car that was flying , going around in 1:19:00 flat. After finding the car and striking up a conversation with the driver, he turned out to be Bib Stillwell of Formula One fame. The car he was driving was a KeKe Rossberg backup car from the early eighties. This car was never actually raced, as the first car was so reliable. We talked for about thirty minutes. I listened intently as the famous man told the rookie all about this historically significant car. When he finished he turned to me and asked in a very heavy Australian accent “An what are you drivin’ mate?” When I told him I was driving a vintage Trans Am replica. He replied “Oh drivin’ a Yanque Tanque, are we? My crew had come up right before this point in the conversation. When they overheard this,  the Yanque Tanque moniker was born. British spelling, of course!

At the end of the weekend we went home with everything intact and without breaking anything. This outing provided a great sense of accomplishment for the crew, myself and especially Sherry.

In the ensuing years we finished third in class in 1994 running a 1:50:5 and second in 1995 running 1:50:7 at Road Atlanta. We finished fourth in June of 1995 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, running 1:50:4. The walls there were very intimidating at 145 plus mph. The track was very rough where it transitioned to the infield. Unfortunately that road circuit does not exist any longer. At the 1996 Mitty we ran a personal best of1:46:9 finishing third in class and 22^nd overall out of 44 cars. At the 1997 Mitty we blew a head gasket which then sucked out the rear mail seal. During the fall of 1997 we finished second at Roebling Road in Savannah running a 1:26:8. In 1998 we finished fourth at the Mitty on the “new” configuration running a 1:49:5. At the Atlanta Historic Races in September 1998 we came in first (our first win incidentally) going 1:50:5 and second at the Savannah Historic Races at Roebling Road clocking a 1:27:68. That was the first time we made three races in one year. In 1999 we finished second at the Mitty and in 2000 we ran first in class with a personal best of 1:46:9.

As you can see by our parts compilation, we have tried to remain as close to vintage Pontiac as possible. There are very few 303-ci Pontiac motors available and they are astronomical in price. As a result, the 1970 400-ci Ram Air IV was chosen, as the #614 heads would give us the historical correctness we were trying to achieve. The rollcage, window net, fuel cell, etc have been kept as close to original as possible as have the frame and body, including all original wheel flares and spoilers. Herb Adams’ components aided in lowering the ride height as have custom springs. Sway bars front and rear are also from Herb Adams. They make the car handle slightly toward oversteer, but the Tanque is almost flat through all but the most severe corners.

Our drivetrain selection includes a heavy duty Richmond Super T-10 four-speed connected to a 3.55:1 geared 12 bolt rear end. This gives us a top speed of about 160 mph but still allows us to use the lower gears in slower corners without winding the motor up too high. Improvements are allowed for safety only. In keeping with that, we have added a Halon fire system and NASCAR style driver’s side door bars. The original type door bars were too close to my ribs for comfort. I use a Cobra Kevlar seat, as the original seats offered no real support. Other than these few exceptions, the car is as original as we could build it within our budget constraints.

I feel compelled to thank the following people for helping make my dream come true. My wife Sherry, who has supported me even when it didn’t seem logical to do so. She serves as the team owner, does my timing and scoring, check tire pressures, feeds us, is a mechanics helper and does whatever else comes along. My best friend, Jeff Henninge, who acts as my crew chief, assistant engine builder, and also helped build the car. Ned Gwinner, Steve Simonaitis and Dee Bowers act as our occasional “crew”.

Road Racing has been the most gratifying driving experience I could have imagined. Driving at high speeds as a career Paramedic has been an integral part of my life. Going fast and being safe is one thing, going as fast as one possibly can on a racetrack is quite another! Historic Sportscar Racing Ltd. gives you the opportunity to actually be Mario Andretti or Mark Donahue for a day or two. For people like me, The Walter Mitty Challenge is the Twenty-four Hours of Le Mans and the Twenty-four Hours of Daytona wrapped up all into one!