The 1972 Trans-American Championship was the seventh running of the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series. The first seven rounds used split classes, while the last four rounds had the Under 2500cc class only. Milt Minter brought Pontiac its first win, at Mid-Ohio. George Follmer and American Motors won the over 2.5L division, while John Morton led Datsun to the championship title of the "Two-Five Challenge".
1972 is considered to be the end of the series' "golden era". From 1973 onward, Trans Am would evolve into a lesser clone of the rival IMSA GT Championship, with similarly modified cars, but with a more conventional focus with vehicles such as the Chevrolet Beretta being used. IMSA GT's focus on exotic cars such as Ferraris and Porsches provided a more adaptable format, in comparison to Trans Am's reliance on domestic performance sedans.
Schedule
Rnd
|
Date
|
Circuit
|
Distance
|
Over 2.5 Winning Car
|
Under 2.5 Winning Car
|
Over 2.5 Winning Driver(s)
|
Under 2.5 Winning Driver(s)
|
1
|
May 6
|
Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut
|
130.05 mi (209.30 km) (U2L) 200.43 mi (322.56 km) (O2L)
|
AMC Javelin
|
Datsun 510
|
United States George Follmer
|
United States Bob Sharp
|
2
|
May 29
|
Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire
|
112 mi (180 km) (U2L) 152 mi (245 km) (O2L)
|
AMC Javelin
|
Datsun 510
|
United States George Follmer
|
United States John Morton
|
3
|
June 4
|
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
|
120 mi (190 km) (U2L) 180 mi (290 km) (O2L)
|
Pontiac Firebird
|
Datsun 510
|
United States Milt Minter
|
United States Peter Gregg
|
4
|
June 17
|
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York
|
114.818 mi (184.782 km) (U2L) 192.489 mi (309.781 km) (O2L)
|
AMC Javelin
|
Datsun 510
|
United States George Follmer
|
United States Peter Gregg
|
5
|
July 2 July 4
|
Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota
|
150 mi (240 km) (U2L) 210 mi (340 km) (O2L)
|
AMC Javelin
|
Alfa Romeo GTV
|
United States George Follmer
|
Australia Horst Kwech
|
6
|
July 16
|
Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
|
108 mi (174 km) (U2L) 200 mi (320 km) (O2L)
|
Ford Mustang
|
Datsun 510
|
United States Warren Tope
|
United States John Morton
|
7
|
July 30
|
Sanair Super Speedway, Saint-Pie, Quebec
|
104 mi (167 km) (U2L) 169 mi (272 km) (O2L)
|
Ford Mustang
|
Alfa Romeo GTA
|
United States Warren Tope
|
United States Bert Everett
|
8
|
August 19
|
Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia
|
126 mi (203 km)
|
not contested
|
Datsun 510
|
United States John Morton
|
9
|
September 17
|
Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon
|
105.325 mi (169.504 km)
|
not contested
|
Datsun 510
|
United States John Morton
|
10
|
October 15
|
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California
|
102.5 mi (165.0 km)
|
not contested
|
Datsun 510
|
United States John Morton
|
11
|
October 28
|
Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
|
127.5 mi (205.2 km)
|
not contested
|
Datsun 510
|
United States John Morton
|
[1]
|
Championships
Drivers' championships
The points system was as follows:
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th
|
20
|
15
|
12
|
10
|
8
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Over 2.5L
|
Color
|
Result
|
Gold
|
Winner
|
Silver
|
2nd place
|
Bronze
|
3rd place
|
Green
|
4th & 5th place
|
Light Blue
|
6th–10th place
|
Dark Blue
|
Finished (Outside Top 10)
|
Purple
|
Did not finish
|
Black
|
Disqualified (DSQ)
|
White
|
Did not start (DNS)
|
Blank
|
Did not participate (DNP)
|
Not competing
|
|
Under 2.5L
|
Color
|
Result
|
Gold
|
Winner
|
Silver
|
2nd place
|
Bronze
|
3rd place
|
Green
|
4th & 5th place
|
Light Blue
|
6th–10th place
|
Dark Blue
|
Finished (Outside Top 10)
|
Purple
|
Did not finish
|
Black
|
Disqualified (DSQ)
|
White
|
Did not start (DNS)
|
Blank
|
Did not participate (DNP)
|
Not competing
|
|
Manufacturers' championships
Only the highest-finishing car scored points for the manufacturer. The points system was as follows:
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th
|
9
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Over 2.5L
Best 6 results count toward the championship.
Under 2.5L
Best 9 results count towards the championship.
See also
References