LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX : GROFF BELIEVES IN A LUCKY 13TH : Northridge Super Vee Driver Races for Respect and a $20,000 Purse

One might expect Mike Groff’s name to fit in somewhere between A.J. Foyt’s and Al Unser’s. Like those champions, he’s a veteran race car driver. Thirteen years behind a steering wheel qualifies him.

But, his name isn’t familiar. Not yet.

Groff is only 23 years old. Since he was 10, he’s been racing toward the big-time.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s kind of hard to shake it,” Groff said.

The Northridge race driver will be one of 52 competing for a $20,000 purse in the Formula Super Vee portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix this afternoon. The race kicks off the 12-event Sports Car Club of America’s Super Vee circuit. Groff, who raced in just two Super Vee events a year ago, expects to enter all of them in 1985, as long as his sponsorship holds up.

As a 10-year-old, Groff raced quarter-midgets at a small, now-defunct Northridge track. But he moved on to the high-powered go-carts when he was 16. Two years later, Groff quit racing, but a taste for greater power lured him back.

“I decided to run something with higher horsepower,” he said.

With that in mind, he became a fixture at Ascot Raceway in Gardena, with full midgets fulfilling his high-speed inclinations.

Racing at Ascot proved to be not only thrilling but valuable for Groff. He was able to race against Johnny Parsons and Ascot-great Sleepy Tripp on the dirt oval track.

“Every time I ran against guys like that it was a good lesson,” Groff said.

And the lessons paid off. Groff was named 1981 rookie of the year at Ascot

But Groff has had to pay his share of dues. Last year he broke his back in three places when his chassis failed while driving at Ascot.

Groff has learned not to let those kinds of things get to him. “Any fear at all,” he explains, “is going to cause problems.”

After several years of Ascot schooling, Groff decided to take the next step en route to reaching his ultimate goal--driving Formula Super Vee.

For drivers hoping for futures in Indy and/or Formula One racing, Super Vee racing can be an important proving ground.

The Super Vee originated in 1969 as the higher-powered replacement for the Formula Vee. The Super Vee is similar in appearance to Indy cars, but the price tag is modest in comparison. A Super Vee driver can race competitively for $30,000, while just the chassis of an Indy car may cost in the neighborhood of $100,000.

The cars are powered by 190-horsepower, fuel-injected Volkswagen Scirocco engines, and many of the cars’ other major components also are Volkswagen. Depending on the gearing, Super Vees can travel in excess of 160 mph.

The chassis of the Super Vees have front and rear wings--like Indy cars--but are manufactured by different companies. Ralt, made in England, will be the dominant design at Long Beach.

Groff raced in rented Ralts in two professional races last year. In the first outing, April 15 at Phoenix International Raceway, he finished 20th out of a field of 27. In the second, November 11 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, he finished with an impressive seventh out of 33.

This year, Groff hopes to compete in all 12 Super Vee events in his own car, a 1985 Ralt RT-5, which bears the number 14 and is sponsored by Northridge Equipment Rentals, a family company.

He also hopes to impress some notable U.S. drivers, the key to sponsorship and an Indy ride, Groff explained.

Drivers of the Formula Three, the European equivalent of the Super Vee, have been stepping into Formula One machines for several years.

“The guys in Indy cars over here are just starting to understand that Super Vee drivers have the credentials to go on,” Groff said. “You’ve got to step your way into it. Super Vees are the best way to get to something better.”

Indeed, signs of changing attitudes toward Super Vee drivers are starting to appear in this country.

Netherlands native Arie Luyendyk, last year’s SCCA Super Vee champion and top-money winner, will be driving a March 85C Indy car this year at Long Beach. Michael Andretti, Mario’s son, was the 1982 Super Vee champ, and 1985 marks his second full year in Indy car competition. Those are the treadmarks Groff hopes to follow.

And it looks like Groff’s on the right track. He’s put together a crew consisting of longtime friend Skip Lee (of Speedway Engineering) and Carrol Jahan (former crew chief of the French BMW team) as his head wrench.

“His experience is definitely going to help,” Groff said of Jahan. “He knows what to try. We kind of speak the same language when it comes to racing.”

Groff is hoping for a good finish this afternoon. And why not? He knows the Long Beach track (he finished seventh in lastyear’s Mazda Pro Series held there) well, and he likes it.

“The track is really neat,” Groff said as his crew put finishing touches on the Ralt’s suspension. “It’s deceiving. It looks narrow if you’re a spectator, because of the walls, but there’s a lot of room.”