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In this artical, at the part where it talks about the Chaparral 2J, it says "These fans, combined with rubber 'skirts' around the bottom of the car created a vacuum underneath the car, effectively providing the same level of downforce as the huge wings of previous vehicles"
It is well known that these cars had Lexan skirts, and not rubber ones. In fact, there was a big 'lexan' sponsorship sticker on the car!
I also remember the car being know for having Lexan skirts. A buddy of mine is a Chaparral nut and goes on and on about how trick the skirts were.
Scottanon05:12, 29 May 2006 (UTC)reply
SCCA
this article really should discuss the 5 litre(1977-1986) SCCA Can Am series as well. The writer is failing in achieving NPOV in a dismissive attitude towards the 5 litre 2nd CA series, which featured many drivers from CART and Formula 1 and was often very competitive.
Jonathan Versen06:15, 5 July 2006 (UTC)reply
Yes, it should. But I don't know why you're assuming POV. Maybe nobody added anything because nobody who checked this article has enough knowledge on the single-seater Can-Am. If you can, then please do so. --
Pc1308:49, 5 July 2006 (UTC)reply
When I started this article I didn't really know much about the Formula 5000 based cars and was hoping somebody would fill in that info. There is mention of the series in the
Formula 5000 article, but Jonathan Versen is right, it should be here as well. In my defense I wasn't dismissing the later cars, I just didn't feel I had enough to work with to flesh out the text.
Scottanon23:58, 5 July 2006 (UTC)reply
I've added some more detail - the revived series was pretty much killed off by the rise of IMSA and the end of the USAC/CART war. But it did have some top names - look at the list of champions!
Also added a table of champions - anyone got bios of Miaskiewicz and Kroll, who I've only ever heard of in the context of the second decline and fall of Can-Am!
I've tried researching the 5-liter formula myself, and useful secondary sources are scarce at best. Given the vast divergence in rules, time frame and spirit between the two Can-Ams, though, I'd think that the 5-liter formula would make the most sense as part of the F-5000 article, with a link at the top of this one. It was a great series, but it was much more F-5000 than Can-Am, despite the name. But hey, anything written on the subject adds to the availability of info. My $0.02.
Lmj8103:24, 1 June 2007 (UTC)reply
Info about Horst Kroll
From the ’79 Can-Am Media Guide
Horst Kroll
A Volkswagen/Porsche specialist with his own shop in the Toronto area, ex-Porsche factory mechanic Horst Kroll won the Canadian Formula Vee Championship in 1964 and 1965. In 1967 he was Under 2-liter Champion of Canada, and the following year Champion of Canada. In 1969 and ’70, he was runner-up in the Canadian F/5000 Championship. In the Can-Am, he was seventh overall in 1977.
From the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
In a career that spanned more than 25 years, Horst Kroll thrilled fans in Canada and the U.S. He won the Canadian Driving Championship in 1968, driving a Kelly Porsche. That was the same car he beat the factory Porsches in a United States Auto Club race at Watkins Glen. He raced Formula A cars in 1969/70. When the cars morphed into the new Can-Am cars, Horst made the move as well. In 1986, he won the Can-Am Championship. {
Hugewally07:31, 15 December 2006 (UTC)}reply
Materials
Can-Am cars were among the first race cars to sport wings, effective turbo charging, undertrays, and aerospace materials like titanium.
I don't recall Can-Am undertrays as being anything special (in reality, the first time I ever saw Can-Am and undertrays together was here).
As for turbo-charging and use of titanium, Indy cars were using them since the mid-60s. Mickey Thompson had an all titanium chassis at Indy in '63 and an Offy-Turbo first won Indy in '68. The Ti-22 was I believe the first sportscar to have its a full-length monocoque chassis made of titanium (and aluminum too).
Hugewally01:00, 23 February 2007 (UTC)Hugewallyreply
Jim Hall practically invented downforce, but ground effect undertrays didn't come into use until the Lotus 78 of 1977. The skirts were used to seal the underbody on the 2J to create a stronger vacuum, but their use without the fans, with an undertray that produced ground effect simply through its shape, would be accidental and undocumented.
"The Can-Am is mostly remembered as the last series to allow unlimited motor racing before it became definitely over in 1974." This is terribly vague - could someone with the requisite knowledge tidy it up?
Loganberry (
Talk)
13:46, 17 April 2007 (UTC)reply
Interserie...
... really needs its own article, as it lived on long after the Can-Am cars became vintage.
The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.
Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with*'''Support'''or*'''Oppose''', then sign your comment with~~~~. Since
polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account
Wikipedia's naming conventions.
Former Autosport journalist, Pete Lyons who wrote a book about the original series in 1995 even spelt it with a dash between the two words plus numerous websites including this article spelt it with a dash in between.
Willirennen22:50, 29 October 2007 (UTC)reply
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.
South African Shelby Can-Am class?
I don't know enough about the subject to contribute to the article, but someone with more subject knowledge might want to have a look at adding information about the South African Can-Am class
[1] and see if it is a true descendant of the original Can-Am racing series. If they are related and photos are required, drop me a note on my talk page and I'll upload some to commons --
NJR_ZA (
talk)
19:29, 22 February 2009 (UTC)reply
Nothing to do with it. Their website describes the cars as being designed by Carroll Shelby for Can-Am, but also mentions it was an SCCA junior series. The cars were later exported to South Africa. It's a one-make series with single-seater sports-prototypes, started with a road-based Chrysler LH 3.3 engine but now uses the Nissan VQ. --
Pc13 (
talk)
08:44, 23 February 2009 (UTC)reply
MOS:FLAGS says otherwise, state and providence flags should not be used due to lack of recognizability. As the Canadian-American series, the flags merely denote which races were in Canada and which were in the United States.
The359 (
Talk)
06:33, 5 February 2011 (UTC)reply
Today (2021) I still see regional races held under the banner of Can-Am, but the technical details are more like late model stock cars. They might be loosely based on Can-Am but it is hard to say how much relevances they retain. Still, Canadian national anthem is played and those races largely have loose regulations and should they be included?