Motor Racing : Robby, Youngest Member of the Racing Unsers, on a Hot Streak

Who is the hottest driver in Indy cars today?

Emerson Fittipaldi is the obvious answer. The Brazilian former world champion has three wins in a row and four in his last five races, including the Indianapolis 500.

But how about Robby Unser, youngest son of three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser? He won seven Indy car races in a row and finished second in another.

Robby, 21, did it driving a 1985 Lola-Chevrolet in the Machinists Union American Indy Car Series (AIS) for non-turbocharged cars using production-based stock block engines.

Robby, who aspires to an Indy car career in the footsteps of his father, his uncle Al and his cousin Al Jr., added an extra prize to his personal trophy chest last Sunday when he won the 67th Pikes Peak hill climb in a Peugeot.

It was the third year in a row that Robby has won a race on the hill, and the 30th time for the Unser family.

“The way the kid is going lately, he’s ready to whip the world,” said his exuberant father.

All the Unsers agree that the AIS is far removed from the PPG World Series of Indy Cars--the series Fittipaldi is dominating--but they do claim it is the best training ground for getting to Indianapolis.

“It’s the only series where you run the same equipment as CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams), except for the normally aspirated engines,” the elder Unser said. “Other than the engines, they run CART rules so every race Robby runs, he gains real experience that will come in handy later. And with two races in a weekend, he gets plenty of it.”

There are nine stops on the AIS schedule, seven on ovals and two on road courses, but at each stop there are two points races. The series will conclude with races Oct. 28-29 at Willow Springs Raceway.

Unser won the first seven before finishing second to Buddy Lazier of Vail, Colo., another second generation driver, in the second race on July 4 at Colorado National Speedway in Denver.

Most of the AIS cars are hand-me-downs from drivers such as Bobby Rahal, Johnny Rutherford, Michael Andretti and Teo Fabi. The one Unser drives was pieced together from parts of two 1985 Lolas owned by the Indy car team of Ron Hemelgarn and raced by Pancho Carter.

“Our goal is to win the AIS series and go from there,” Robby said by telephone from his home in Albuquerque, N.M. “If I’m lucky, I’ll go to CART next year but at the moment I don’t know how, with who or when.

“‘I think after 18 races in the Lola that I’ll be ready for something, but it’s not easy to find the right opportunity with the right people. If not next year, there’s always 1991. I don’t really have a time frame.”

Unser’s win at Pikes Peak, where his father has won a record 13 times, may have been more impressive than all his Indy car wins. He defeated Ari Vatanen, a former world rally champion from Finland, as well as the Pikes Peak record holder and a Peugeot teammate. Vatanen set the record of 10 minutes 47.22 seconds last year for the 12.42-mile, 156-turn run up the 14,100-foot mountain.

Unser won this year in 10:48.34, followed by Vatanen in 11:12.54, who lost time when he spun into a rock and damaged his suspension three kilometers from the top. They were driving identically-prepared factory-backed Peugeots.

“It was a classic racing situation,” Bobby Unser said. “Robby had set such a fast pace that he forced Ari into making a mistake. Vatanen’s No. 1 in the world but he felt the pressure from Robby, no doubt about it.”

Said Robby: “The Peugeot people were excited for me but they were disappointed that Ari didn’t break his own record. There’s no doubt he would have knocked it for a loop if he hadn’t gone off the road.”

The youngest racing Unser won the open wheel division last year in a Chevy-powered vehicle built by his dad. In 1987 he won the Group A rally class in a Mazda 323 driving for Rod Millen and later went to West Germany to drive an Audi to victory in another Group A hill climb. The two wins gave him the world F.I.A. hill climb championship.

“Dad’s influence and backing has helped me a ton,” Robby said. “I couldn’t be doing this without him. It’s an advantage to have the Unser name, but you’ve got to live up to it. Sometimes I think the expectations we set for ourselves are even higher than ones set for us by others.”

Robby is often confused with his older brother, Bobby Jr., who won the open wheel division at Pikes Peak in 1983, but has since retired from racing. Bobby Jr., 32, is doing stunt driving for TV commercials.

MIDGETS--Ron Shuman, six time winner of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park, will join the challenge to Sleepy Tripp, perennial United States Auto Club Western States champion, and Robby Flock, the points leader, in a 30-lap main event Sunday night on Ascot’s quarter-mile oval. Tripp won two races over the July 4 weekend at Ascot and Cajon Speedway to close within 50 points of Flock.

Three-quarter midgets will also have a 20-lap main event Sunday night. The same USAC program is scheduled for Saturday night at Rocky Hill Speedway in Porterville.

SPRINT CARS--Former two-time California Racing Assn. champion Brad Noffsinger will continue his pursuit of points leader Jerry Meyer in the Parnelli Jones Firestone series Saturday night at Ascot Park. Noffsinger, with six wins in his last eight starts, is third with 2,417 points, behind Meyer’s 2,564 and defending champion Shuman’s 2,421.

MOTORCYCLES--Three nights of racing will be offered this week at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Tonight, 250cc and open class Quads, Odyssey/Superlites will be featured in a series of heat races.

Coors Western Night on Friday will spotlight speedway bikes in an all-scratch program with the top riders in the country competing in what amounts to a tuneup for the United States Nationals Oct. 7 at the same track. Speedway sidecars, 1000cc bikes with no brakes, will take over Saturday night with a card headlined by Rob Jennings, former New Zealand champion.

Speedway racing will also take place tonight at Ascot Park’s South Bay Stadium, Saturday night at Speedway USA in Victorville and Wednesday night at Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino. . . . Gary Hicks of Riverside, one of the Southland’s top riders, has left to ride in the British Speedway League, replacing the injured Kelly Moran on the Belle Vue team.

MOTOCROSS--Two rounds of the Continental Motosport Club’s Dodge Truck summer series will be held this weekend, Friday night at Ascot Park and Sunday at Perris Raceway in Perris. . . . The California Racing Club will hold its monthly program Sunday at Glen Helen Park.

The Tankslappers MC will run its annual Carlsbad Grand Prix on a six-mile course Sunday at Carlsbad Raceway.

VINTAGE RACING--For motorcycles, the BSA Owner’s Club will host the second annual Big Bear British Bike Bash on Sunday, a 113-mile loop ride starting from 40th and Waterman Avenue in San Bernardino that goes over Onyx summit into Big Bear Valley through Running Springs and returns by the Rim of the World Highway. The pack will leave at 10 a.m. with all British bike owners or aficionados invited.

For cars, the Vintage Auto Racing Assn. will hold a Grand Prix at Willow Springs Raceway on Saturday and Sunday.

DRAG RACING--Round seven of the eight-race Firestone Center Line bracket point series will be held Saturday night at L.A. County Raceway in Palmdale. . . . Top alcohol funny cars will race Saturday at Bakersfield Raceway.

STOCK CARS--Main events for street and hobby stocks, Figure 8s and jalopies are scheduled for Saturday night at Saugus Speedway plus a train race. . . . NASCAR Winston Series sportsman will race Saturday night at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon. . . . Street stocks will be featured Friday night at Ventura Raceway and Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.