MOTOR RACING / SHAV GLICK : Thompson Races With Big Boys’ Wallets
For five years, Danny Thompson has showcased a Chevrolet S-10 truck in stadium off-road racing, using mostly his own money and resources to campaign it against the factory-backed trucks from Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Dodge.
He watched with envy as Chevrolet poured money and space-age technology into other racing events that led to championship performances and lucrative commercial exposure last year for Al Unser Jr. in Indy cars, Dale Earnhardt in stock cars and Tom Kendall in Trans-Am sports cars.
With a crew of two and one truck built by himself, Thompson last season won at Phoenix, dominated in the Rose Bowl before his fuel pump failed, won more heats than any other driver and was fast qualifier three times.
“I was always the underdog, every time I started a race, but I think we showed everyone that we were competitive,” Thompson said. “I don’t think we’ll be underdogs anymore.”
He has good reason to feel that way.
Chevrolet has announced that it will back Thompson with full factory support for the 1991 Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship Gran Prix Series, which will open a 10-race season Saturday night at Anaheim Stadium.
What does that mean to the 41-year-old driver from Irvine, whose late father, Mickey, founded stadium off-road racing?
“It means that instead of two mechanics, I’ll have a crew of 14 working at my shop in Wilmington; instead of one truck, I’ll have two at Anaheim and later in the year will have three; I’ll have a co-driver, Larry Ragland, to help score points for the Manufacturer’s Cup; I’ll be able to test on my own track in Corona, and I’ll have factory engineers from Detroit to monitor Chevy’s newest racing technology,” Thompson said.
He will also be appearing in Chevy commercials as part of a long-term marketing program for the trucks.
The factory technology may be the most important item. Thompson’s trucks have been outfitted with the GEN III engine management system, identical to what is used in Indy cars where Chevrolet-powered machines have won 43 of the last 46 races.
“It is amazing what the system can do,” Thompson said enthusiastically. “There are eight different adjustments I can make while driving--things like changing the fuel flow at a certain point on the track where I need more power--and the system monitors both the chassis and the engine performances so that we know what changes we need to make between heats.”
Dan Engle, a project engineer from Chevrolet Motor Division, will be with the team during tests and races to interpret the information from the GEN III system.
Thompson recently purchased and refurbished the racing shop in Wilmington, where his father built his racing vehicles for many years.
The shop is like a museum of Mickey’s old cars. There are 16--Indy cars, land-speed record vehicles, desert buggies, dragsters and other experimental machinery. The Challenger I, in which the elder Thompson became the first driver to exceed 400 m.p.h., sits on the floor as the centerpiece of the garage.
“We signed a three-year contract with Chevrolet with the aim of unseating Toyota for the Manufacturer’s Cup,” Danny said. “Last year I said we were operating on about 1/17th of Toyota’s budget. Now I’d say we’re up to about one-half, which is a whale of an improvement. Larry and I might not get them this year, but that’s our goal.”
Toyota, led by stadium series champion Ivan (Ironman) Stewart of Alpine, Calif., has won eight consecutive championships.
“Until this year, we had to share a test track at Glen Helen with other teams, but this year we have our own,” Thompson said. “It cost about $18,000 to build, with the same jumps, turns and bumps they have at Anaheim.
“It also costs $2,500 each time we use it because we have to have the tractors and earth-moving equipment and water trucks there to make sure we simulate exact racing conditions. It’s worth it, though, because truck racing has become so competitive that it doesn’t pay to let anyone else in on your secrets.”
Ragland, 48, a veteran desert racer from Phoenix, was selected as the second driver because of his success in long-distance races in Chevrolet trucks. He finished second, 13 seconds behind Roger Mears’ Nissan, after 20 hours of racing in the 1986 Baja 1000 from Ensenada to La Paz, and the next year he won his class title in the SCORE off-road championships at Riverside.
“Larry drove the stadium truck for the first time last Sunday and was fast right out of the box,” Thompson said. “He’d only driven in one stadium race before, but the way he drove, I’m sure he’ll be competitive Saturday night.”
Ragland will drive last year’s truck, and Danny will be in the new $150,000 purple and white 1991 model.
The lineup for Grand National trucks, the feature attraction of the Mickey Thompson series, includes Stewart and Rod Millen in Toyotas, Mears and his son, Roger Jr., in Nissans, Walker Evans and Glenn Harris in Dodge Dakotas and Rob MacCachren, Dan Esslinger and Willie Valdez in Fords.
“I know Ivan dominated the series last year, but I expect Roger Mears to be our toughest opposition this year,” Thompson said. “When his truck is working right, Mears is the fastest driver out there.”
Racing Notes
PARIS TO DAKAR--Danny LaPorte, former world motocross champion from Redondo Beach, is recuperating in a Paris hospital from an accident Jan. 10 during the Paris-to-Dakar rally between Agadez and Tillia in Niger.
LaPorte, the only American in the event, was riding for the Yamaha-Sonauto team when he crashed, suffering facial and abdominal injuries. He was unconscious when taken by helicopter to Agadez where he regained consciousness and then was flown to Paris.
According to reports from L’Equipe, the French sports daily and a major sponsor of the race, LaPorte’s condition is “absolutely no cause for concern.”
HONORS--Al Unser Jr. added the Jerry Titus Memorial Award to his collection during the banquet of the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Assn. at the Burbank Hilton. The award is given to the driver who receives the most votes in the AARWBA All-American team balloting. Unser, the CART Indy car champion, earlier was named American driver of the year. Unser’s 7-year-old son, Mini Al, accepted the trophy for his dad. . . . Keith Code, founder and operator of the California Superbike School at Willow Springs, was named 1990 motorcyclist of the year by Motorcyclist magazine.
Former Indy 500 winners Ralph DePalma, Wilbur Shaw and Bill Vukovich head a group of 10 drivers inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala. Others selected were stock car drivers Tim Flock, Ned Jarrett and Fred Lorenzen, road racers Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren and Carroll Shelby and Indy car driver Tony Bettenhausen.
