1973 Can-Am season


The 1973 Canadian-American Challenge Cup was the eighth season of the Can-Am auto racing series. It consisted of FIA Group 7 racing cars running two-hour sprint events. It began June 10, 1973, and ended October 28, 1973, after eight rounds. The season came amid the Oil Crisis, which ended interest in performance cars after an already-declining market over a several-year period. The golden age of the Trans Am Series ended after the 1972 season, leaving Can Am and Formula 5000 as the frontrunners of the SCCA. The season was also the penultimate season of the series, which would fold after 1974 before being revived in an entirely reworked series based on F5000 a few years later.

Schedule

For 1973, the schedule was altered as the season continued on. The first race ran in a standard, single race format. Rounds two through four ran as two heats, with the results being determined by combined results. Rounds five through eight ran a Sprint qualifying heat first to determine the starting order for the Cup event. The results of the Sprint and Cup were not combined.
RndRaceCircuitDate
1Labatt's Blue TrophyMosport ParkJune 10
2Carling Can-AmRoad AtlantaJuly 8
3Watkins Glen Can-AmWatkins Glen InternationalJuly 22
4Buckeye CupMid-Ohio Sports Car CourseAugust 12
5Road America Can-AmRoad AmericaAugust 26
6Molson CupEdmonton Speedway ParkSeptember 16
7Monterey Castrol Grand PrixLaguna Seca RacewayOctober 14
8Los Angeles Times Grand PrixRiverside International RacewayOctober 28

Season results

RndCircuitWinning TeamResults
RndCircuitWinning DriverResults
1Mosport #23 Rinzler Motoracing Royal CrownResults
1Mosport Charlie KempResults
2Road Atlanta #16 Rinzler Motoracing Royal CrownResults
2Road Atlanta George FollmerResults
3Watkins Glen #6 Roger Penske EnterprisesResults
3Watkins Glen Mark DonohueResults
4Mid-Ohio #6 Roger Penske EnterprisesResults
4Mid-Ohio Mark DonohueResults
5Road America #6 Roger Penske EnterprisesResults
5Road America Mark DonohueResults
6Edmonton #6 Sunoco Porsche+AudiResults
6Edmonton Mark DonohueResults
7Laguna Seca #6 Roger Penske EnterprisesResults
7Laguna Seca Mark DonohueResults
8Riverside #6 Roger Penske EnterprisesResults
8Riverside Mark DonohueResults

Drivers Championship

Points are awarded to the top ten finishers in the order of 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1.
PosDriverTeamCarEngineRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5Rd 6Rd 7Rd 8Total
1 Mark Donohue Roger Penske EnterprisesPorsche 917/30Porsche415202020202020139
2 George Follmer Rinzler Motorracing Royal CrownPorsche 917/10Porsche2015121562
3 Hurley Haywood Brumos RacingPorsche 917/10Porsche812121547
4 Charlie Kemp Rinzler Motorracing Royal CrownPorsche 917/10Porsche201031245
5 Bob Nagel Nagel RacingLola T260Chevrolet1266461044
6 Jody Scheckter Vasek Polak RacingPorsche 917/10Porsche12121539
7 David Hobbs Roy Woods RacingMcLaren M20Chevrolet101510237
8 Scooter Patrick U.S. RacingMcLaren M8FChevrolet1011063131
9 Jackie Oliver Don NicholsShadow DN2Chevrolet3121530
10 Steve Durst Vasek Polak Racing
Motschenbacher Racing
Porsche 917/10
McLaren M8F
Porsche
Chevrolet
8
4
4
1

8

1

3
29
11 Bobby Brown Commander Motor HomesMcLaren M8FChevrolet881026
12 Milt Minter Commander Motor Homes
Otto Zipper Alfa Racing
McLaren M8F
Alfa Romeo T33/3
Chevrolet
Alfa Romeo

8

8
16
13 Hans Wiedmer Hans WiedmerPorsche 917/10Porsche1515
14 Tom Dutton Burmester RacingMcLaren M8CChevrolet641415
15 John Cannon Motschenbacher Racing
Commander Motor Homes
McLaren M8F
McLaren M20
Chevrolet6
8
14
16 Derek Bell Motschenbacher RacingMcLaren M8FChevrolet1010
17 Bob Peckham Bob PeckhamMcLaren M8CChevrolet4610
18 Danny Hopkins Commander Motor HomesMcLaren M8FChevrolet628
19 Tom Heyser Tom HeyserLola T260Chevrolet3317
20 Gary Wilson Gary WilsonMcLaren M8EChevrolet246
21 Ed Felter Blue Magic CorporationMcLaren M8EChevrolet314
22 John Cordts William Overhauser RacingMcLaren M8DChevrolet224
23 Warren Agor Warren Agor RacingMcLaren M8FPChevrolet33
24 Pete Sherman Dave CauseyMcLaren M8FChevrolet123
25= Peter Gregg Brumos RacingPorsche Carrera RSRPorsche22
25= Hans Müller-Perschl Hans Müller-PerschlKWM SP20Porsche22