1970 Trans-American Sedan Championship Explained

The 1970 Trans-American Championship was a motor racing series organised by the Sports Car Club of America for SCCA Sedans. It was the fifth Trans-Am Championship. Ford (Thanks to Parnelli Jones and George Follmer) and still potent Alfa Romeo won the Over 2 Litre and Under 2 Litre titles respectively.

With Porsche's 911 moving to a 2.2L engine, the year marked the resurgence of Alfa Romeo as dominant in the Under 2 Liter class. The year also marked the first win for American Motors, with Mark Donohue driving a Penske Racing-prepared AMC Javelin, winning three races. Also winning for the first time was BMW, in the Under 2 Liter races at Bryar and Bridgehampton.

Schedule

The championship was contested over eleven rounds with separate races at each round for Under 2 Liter and Over 2 Liter cars.

RndDateCircuitDistanceOver 2.0 Winning CarUnder 2.0 Winning Car
Over 2.0 Winning Driver(s)Under 2.0 Winning Driver(s)
1April 18
April 19
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California85.5miles (U2L)
171miles (O2L)
Ford MustangAlfa Romeo GTA
Parnelli Jones Lee Midgley
2May 9Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut1 Hour / 84.15miles (U2L)
2 Hours, 30 Minutes / 223.38miles (O2L)
Ford MustangAlfa Romeo GTA
Parnelli Jones Gaston Andrey
3May 31Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire1 Hour / 72miles (U2L)
2 Hours, 30 Minutes / 223.38miles (O2L)
Ford MustangBMW 2002
George Follmer Peter Schuster
4June 7Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio72miles (U2L)
180miles (O2L)
Ford MustangAlfa Romeo GTA
Parnelli Jones Bert Everett
5June 20
June 21
Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Sag Harbor, New York99.25miles (U2L)
199.5miles (O2L)
AMC JavelinBMW 2002
Mark Donohue Hans Ziereis
6July 5Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota99miles (U2L)
210miles (O2L)
Chevrolet CamaroAlfa Romeo GTA
Milt Minter Horst Kwech
7July 19Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin100miles (U2L)
200miles (O2L)
AMC JavelinAlfa Romeo GTA
Mark Donohue Horst Kwech
8August 2Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite, Quebec79.5miles (U2L)
185.5miles (O2L)
AMC JavelinAlfa Romeo GTA
Mark Donohue Lee Midgley
9August 16Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York96.6miles (U2L)
209.3miles (O2L)
Chevrolet CamaroAlfa Romeo GTA
Vic Elford Horst Kwech
10September 20Seattle International Raceway, Kent, Washington90miles (U2L)
202.5miles (O2L)
Ford MustangAlfa Romeo GTA
Parnelli Jones Bert Everett
11October 4Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California89.25miles (U2L)
201.45miles (O2L)
Ford MustangAlfa Romeo GTA
Parnelli Jones Bert Everett
[1]

Championships

Points were awarded according to finishing position. Only the highest-placed car scored points for the manufacturer. Only the best 9 finishes counted towards the championship. Drivers' championships were not awarded in Trans-Am until 1972.

Over 2.0L manufacturers

1970 was the first and only year that every Detroit "pony car" manufacturer has a factory-backed team in TransAm.

PosManufacturerLAGLRPBRYMDOBRIDONELKMTBWGLSEARIVPts
1Ford1111225231172 (78)
2American Motors213231191122359
3Chevrolet5244414615640 (42)
4Dodge632352020342932418
5Plymouth4101421215228618415

Under 2.0L manufacturers

PosManufacturerLAGLRPBRYMDOBRIDONELKMTBWGLSEARIVPts
1Alfa Romeo1121211111181 (93)
2BMW2316132432352 (56)
3=Fiat Abarth685143
3=British Motor Corp.58967914113

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1970 Trans-Am Box Scores. . 29 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307044011/http://trans-amseries.com/results/1970.pdf . 7 March 2016.