IMSA GTU Division Featured Close Competition

For this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re running a “challenge photo” submitted by RACER reporter Marshall Pruett.

The image depicts IMSA Camel GTU action in May 1987 in a 300-kilometer race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Owner-driver George Alderman leads in his No. 32 Nissan 300ZX-T, followed by three more owner-drivers, Karl Durkheimer in the No. 56 Porsche 911 Carrera, Monte Shelton in the No. 58 Porsche 911 and Dick Murray in the No. 15 Pontiac Fiero.

Out of the group, Durkheimer finishing the highest, placing fifth in a competitive 18-car class. Alderman finished eighth, with Shelton 17th and Murray 15th.

“Racing back then were some of the happiest – and most exciting – times of my life,” recalled Durkheimer, who competed in 31 select IMSA races from 1981-88. “We had a lot of fun racing back then, running with Tommy Kendall and all the guys. I wish it could have continued longer.”

During his IMSA career, Durkheimer scored two podium finishes, racing all but two times in a Porsche 911. His best finish was at Sebring in 1987, placing second in GTU with Gary Auberlen and his son, Bill, in the SP Racing Porsche 911. Durkheimer now owns and operates the Northwest Armory store in Milwaukie, Oregon, with his wife and children. He remains active collecting Porsches, and ran in three events in 2014 in a Porsche Cup car.

“I still follow it,” Durkheimer said. “I ran with Bill Auberlen in his first two pro races.”

Going back to that 1987 race in Monterey, 20-year-old Kendall was the GTU winner of in Clayton Cunningham’s No. 75 Mazda RX-7, followed by Terry Visger in the No. 55 Huffaker Racing Pontiac Fiero and Al Bacon in his No. 17 Mazda RX-7.

In the overall and GTO battle, a pair of Toyota Celica Turbos fielded by Dan Gurney’s All American Racers sandwiched a pair of Protofab Racing Chevrolet Camaros. Chris Cord won by 1.334 seconds over Wally Dallenbach Jr., followed by the Camaro of Tommy Riggins and the Toyota of Willy T. Ribbs. Pole winner Jack Baldwin was fifth in the Peerless/Hendrick Camaro, followed by Tom Gloy in a Roush Racing Ford Mustang, Mike Downs in a Pontiac Firebird, and Lyn St. James in a Roush Mustang.

The 98-lap race took one hour, 55 minutes, 20.495 seconds to complete. All but five of the teams opted to use only one driver. Among the two-car tandems was the Porsche 911 of the Auberlen father-son team.

The Monterey weekend also included a 300-kilometer IMSA Camel GTP feature race, won by Klaus Ludwig in the Leven/Bayside Disposal Porsche 962, followed by the Hendrick Motorsport Lola Corvette of Sarel van der Merwe and Chip Robinson in the Holbert Racing Porsche 962. Don Bell was the Camel Lights class winner in a Pontiac Spice. 

Completing the Triple Crown in that weekend’s event was an IMSA International Sedan race won by Comptech Acura driver Parker Johnstone over the Team Highball Mazdas of Dennis Shaw and Dave Jolly.

The IMSA GTU class had a solid 24-year run. It debuted in 1971 as part of the inaugural GT series, which evolved the following year into the Camel GT. For 1995, the class was renamed GTS-2.