Throwback Thursday: Jim Downing’s Kudzu-Mazda DLY-10

Back in high school, Jim Downing bought an MG TD for what he considered a whopping $900. Not only did he get to learn to drive the classic sports car, he also learned the fine art of auto repair keeping the car in running condition.

As soon he was old enough to race – which was 21 back then – the Atlanta native bought a crashed Elva Courier for $200, rebuilt it, and began racing at Daytona Beach in 1963.

After racing formula cars and sports cars for a decade, Downing joined IMSA in 1974 at the invitation of co-founder John Bishop. Racing a variety of Mazdas beginning with an RX-2, he worked his way up the sanctioning body’s ladder all the way to the premier GT Prototype class. With his rotary-powered Mazdas outclassed and outspent by the factory-backed teams, Downing convinced the organization to add a class for smaller-engine prototypes, which he named the Camel Lights Class, and won the championship for three straight years beginning in 1985, eventually building and selling his own cars – named the Kudzu in honor of the invasive vine.

Downing was the last Camel Lights winner in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1993. He built a Kudzu for the new World Sports Car class in 1994, finishing second with a lineup including Wayne Taylor. In 2001, Downing won the premier WSC class in the Rolex 24, finishing 11th overall in Mazda Kudzu DLY-10.

Of his many racecars, the 2001 Daytona-winning Kudzu was his favorite. In fact, he recently bought that car back.

“It was a four-rotor, 650 horsepower car, and it was a thrill to drive,” Downing said. “It was a full-fledged World Sports Car, Kudzu No. 10 – and also the last one. Our overall finish wasn’t very good, but we were still running at the end. We first raced that car in 2000, and ran it through 2002.”

Downing ran his 24th Rolex 24 in 2011, running a Mazda RX-8 with Team Spencer Motorsports.

While that was his last professional race, he continues to compete at the club level, with his goal the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, which will be held at Daytona International Speedway from Sept. 17-27.

“I was at Daytona last Friday, running my little C Sports Racer at the test day,” said Downing, who has been racing rebuilt Formula Atlanta Ralt RT-40 chassis powered by a Mazda rotary engine for six years.

“Of the 700-plus competitors at the 50th Runoffs at Road America in 2013, I was the only competitor who also ran in the first Runoffs [at Riverside International Raceway in 1963], and a bunch in between,” Downing said.

For all of his on-track accomplishments, Downing may be best remembered for building and wearing the first head and neck restraint in 1986. Downing worked with his brother-in-law, Dr. Robert Hubbard, to develop the HANS Device. His first customer was Paul Newman. The idea caught on, and use of a restraint system was mandated by many sanctioning bodies in the early 2000s. Downing sold HANS to Simpson Safety Products two years ago, keeping a small dealership to Atlanta to service local racers.

Source: IMSA