SVRA celebrates Trans Am legends

Following their appearance on the Saturday night “Legends Panel” (left to right) – Bob Tullius, Amy Ruman, Willy T. Ribbs, Jack Baldwin and Tom Yeager.

One of highlights of the SportsCar Vintage Racing Association homage to the 50th anniversary of the Trans Am series March 3-6 at Sebring was a banquet featuring a panel of driving legends Saturday night. The event was for SVRA members and special guests including John Claggett, president of today's Trans Am series.

The legends speaking after the dinner were weekend grand marshal Bob Tullius, Tom Yeager, George Follmer, Lyn St. James, Willy T. Ribbs, Jack Baldwin and 2015 series champion Amy Ruman. Tullius, Yeager and Follmer competed in the early era of Trans Am during the 1960s and '70's. St. James and Ribbs raced in the 1980s while Jack Baldwin rose to prominence in the 1990s. Combined, the group represented four championships and 57 race wins.

Author and motorsports historian Rich Taylor moderated the discussions. Tullius (RIGHT, autographing a picture of his Group 44 1966 Dodge Dart) was introduced first and as grand marshal was the only driver interviewed individually. As with all the drivers, Tullius dropped numerous gems of insight aficionados of auto racing savored more than the chicken dinner they had just consumed.

On two issues Tullius strived to set the record straight, and both involved legendary names – A.J. Foyt and Jochen Rindt. During the first Trans Am race A.J. Foyt jumped into the lead in a Ford Mustang. The car developed mechanical problems and did not finish.

"Somehow people have gotten the idea that I inherited that lead," Tullius asserted. "I'm here to tell you I passed Foyt on the track before he faded. I want you folks to understand that."

The comment got a rise out of the crowd and some cheers as if the audience had just witnessed the pass that took place 50 years prior. Everyone that night was a Bob Tullius fan.

Another point bench racers still discuss is that it was Jochen Rindt in an Alfa who was first across the finish line at Sebring in 1966, not Tullius in his Group 44 Dodge Dart. Rindt was in the smaller under 2-liter class while Tullius drove a bigger bore V8.

"I wasn't racing against him, he was in another class, so I just let him go," Tullius asserted. "If I knew it would create this much conversation I would have pressed a little harder and got by him."

Again, the audience applauded. They were amused further when Tullius explained that Group 44 only had three employees at the time, so they relied on another Chrysler-supported group – Scott Harvey's Team Starfish – to provide pit service. The agreement was that Tullius would not pass Harvey's Barracuda during the race. Tullius, though, decided that Harvey was going too slowly and he could challenge Foyt if he passed his "teammate," so he did. When he came in for pit service Harvey's team stood around nonchalantly. They finally put some fuel in the car, but no tires. It took five minutes.

After Tullius the other drivers assembled on a panel at the front of the room. All of them provided insights to Trans Am history.

George Follmer discussed an aspect of the sport no longer seen in a major series: tire wars. He was a teammate with Parnelli Jones in the Bud Moore-prepared Boss 302 Mustangs in 1969. Follmer was convinced they had the best car, but not the best tires. They were on Firestones. The tires went off after just a handful of laps and the Goodyear-shod machines moved forward, especially that year's champion, Mark Donohue, in the Roger Penske Camaro.

Lyn St. James, a driver of another era, urged the Historic Trans Am car owners in the audience to include in their mix the cars of the 1980s. That group preserves the racers of the 1966 through 1972 seasons.

"The cars of the 1980s are cool too," she asserted. "I learned a lot from that time. I had success in endurance racing but in Trans Am you had to get up to speed immediately. The entire weekend was compressed and if you did not sort it out quickly, you were lost. I still have my 'fast five' jacket from qualifying. I'm proud of that."

The ever-quotable Willy T. Ribbs got the biggest laughs of the evening. Pulling no punches he made it clear that he and former teammate David Hobbs were never on the best of terms – especially after rookie Ribbs won five races to Hobbs' four in 1983.

"Let's just say we didn't eat fish and chips together," Ribbs quipped.

Ribbs also told an amusing story about a tactic he used to intimidate competitors as everyone struggled with tire wear management. He talked about how he wore an open-face helmet and then drove up close to another driver while deliberately smiling as widely as he could.

"I figured with my black face they'd see those white teeth," he chuckled. "I wanted them to know how happy I was with how my car was handling and that I was coming to get 'em!"

Ribbs effectively introduced the next driver, 1992 champion Jack Baldwin, by talking about how they "teamed up" on fellow competitor Scott Pruett. While he left out the details, he simply said, "For me and Jack the slogan was, 'Do it to Pruett!'"

Baldwin, whose career will forever be associated with the Mattel Hot Wheels Camaro, discussed how the sponsorship came about. It was a lightning bolt in the middle of the night.

"I just woke up one night and it came to me," Baldwin explained. "I could visualize racing a Hot Wheels car. I didn't know anybody at Mattel, but I pulled together a presentation and didn't quit until I found the right person."

The sponsorship was one of tremendous mutual benefit. Baldwin enjoyed a world-class sponsor and Mattel suddenly found that they were churning out one of the hottest selling products in company history.

"Kids loved it," Baldwin said. "And you know what, I never left an autograph session until I had met with every single one of them."

Fittingly, the closer of the evening was current Trans Am champ Amy Ruman. She grew up in a racing family oriented around Trans Am with father Bob a steady competitor through most the 1990s. Ruman's heart is in Trans Am and she always thought of the series as her career destiny.

"For me, it has always been about Trans Am," Ruman (near left, with St. James) shared. "I watched my dad and the other great drivers of the 1990s and it was really all I thought about. I am so grateful to have a racing family. My mom drove autocross and my sister has raced. Our success has truly been the result of having the support of a great family and team."

With 13 race wins she has equaled the career total of Follmer and was second only to Ribbs with 19 among those on the panel that evening. With one of the top teams in the series it seems inevitable she will add to her victory total this year.

While Ruman was busy on the track the other drivers speaking that evening were visible throughout the weekend with additional panel discussions, autograph sessions, book signings and interviews. Complementing this story is the video at the top of this page summarizing the careers of the drivers that was used to introduce the panel discussion at the Saturday night banquet.