Thanks to everyone for the amazing comments and support! I am going to try and get you one history video a month among the other garage content which I will try to get out weekly. So happy you are enjoying these geeky dives into automotive history! Don't forget to like, subscribe and tell your friends!
First time seeing one of your videos. I liked it and your story telling is very enthusiastic. I loved watching CAN-AM when I was a kid and was disappointed when it died off.
You, sir, are a captivating story teller. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is what sells the story each time. The production quality is also very very good. Relevant photos and videos are peppered in among shots of you telling the story and it’s a great balance. You say ‘once a month’ or ‘once a week’ and I hope you don’t stick to that schedule. Keep making entertaining and informed videos and your viewers will eat up every bit of them. Frequency be damned. Thanks for sharing your stories, we love them.
John, wouldn't Hurley Haywood be the man to ask about the 917 ???? If I remember correctly, he's the person who named the 917 The Flexible Flyer. TYVM for another excellent video. P.S. Do you know anything about Porsche building a 2000-plus horsepower quad turbo 16 cylinder 917 ?????
I was at Watkins Glenn for the 1973 CanAm race weekend. Donohue raced the 911 in the 6 hours on Saturday, actually met him in the pits on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was 15 years old, he actually had time and spoke to me. Best memory was Sunday, beautiful sunny day. Donohue kept on stretching out his lead on the RC cola Porsche till it was the length of the entire straight. Accelerating towards our vantage point all you could hear was the turbos sucking in huge amounts of air then a big bang as he shifted gears just past us. I remember it like it was yesterday. Great video, Thank you
42 minutes never went by so fast. your passion and enthusiasm is infectious. I hope you chose to do more of these even if the views don't roll in as they should. even if its just for you to keep record of the history for yourself that you then share with the world. Thanks so much for this history lesson.
You are a great story teller. You bring excitement and life to these great machines and the people who gave them personality. . As a flight of fancy, what would a modern Can-Am look like? And how would a 917 compare if it was allowed back on the track? A story about the 917 k/81 would be worth watching.
I worked T&S at Can Am races one year. When those beasts were on the other side of the track and accelerated it made your stomach rumble. And they were beyond loud
Hi John. I am from Brasil, and I became interested in race cars when I was kid, in the late 60's. We didn't have much info here back then, other than an occasional newspaper or magazine article and/or photo. In 1972 I went to Interlagos race track to see Copa Brasil (Brazil'sd Coup), open to all kinds of sports cars. There was a 917/10 scheduled to race the day I went there, but it had engine problems and didn't show up... I had to settle for a dispute between a McLaren M6D and a 917K... :-) Anyway, your videos bring me back terrific memories, and fill the gaps on information on the cars and their history. Thanks a lot for that.
My favorite story regarding the 917 happened at Mosport in 1973. The McLarens decided to abandon the series, leaving it fairly open for the Porsches. Mark Donohue was in the factory 917-30, and there were a few 917-10s, most notably Jody Scheckter. Donohue started on pole with Scheckter beside him. At the start, the two of them simply disappeared into the distance to the point where they caught some backmarkers towards the end of the 4th lap (on a 2.5 mile circuit). Donohue and Scheckter collided with something, and Donohue got the worst of it.
I attended many Can-Am races at Road America in the 60's. Wonderful memories. Looking back, I can't believe I was able to watch such amazing drivers back in the day.
I was at Mid-Ohio in 1972 and seen the 917/30 run. It was blindingly fast, but it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. In an age of 512 Ferraris and Tipo 33 Alfa Romeos, I hated it. I'm impressed you have a shot of it after it was wrecked. Esports? Bring the noise.
I absolutely love listening to every single one of your stories. If you could ever come out with an audiobook or a podcast type thing that literally has every nerd out any bitty thing that you know about cars because the way you talk about them is amazing I would literally buy everything that you put out. Your stories and storytelling abilities are beyond and I thoroughly enjoy every bit then I'm able to find.
You and Ed are the best storytellers bar none, that is a gift. I really enjoy your stories as you have a deep knowledge of car racing history, I can only imagine the great time you had working for Canepa. Don't stop bringing these stories to us as we enjoy them as much as you do. Keep up the good work. By the way, I saw your video with the Jaguar and the 911s, great also.
Mario Andretti said about the 917-30: "drivers always want more HP but the first time I drove the car, when I realized you could leave black marks all the way from one curve until the next, I knew it had enough HP".
I was at Watkins Glen in both '72 & '73 and it was AMAZING to see those cars run. The excitement was CRAZY! I love the passion in all your stories, keep it up.
John your passion is infectious and I find myself scrambling to watch your videos as soon as I see a new one drop! Sitting here with this big, stupid grin on my face as I listen to the sage speed testimony you bestow upon us. LOL
I think Jack Brabham is worthy of consideration when it comes to greatest racer/engineers. World Champion in a car he (and Ron Turanac) designed, built, developed and raced.
More, more, more please. I'm not sure if I actually blinked during this show because it was so rivetingly interesting. Thank you so much John or as I now think of you Professor Ficarra. Can't wait for more telling from someone who instinctively knows and understands that Geek doesn't make you a bad person. Quite the reverse in fact.
Just found your page after seeing you on VinWikee. John my father was the Porsche/Audi dealer in Macon, GA from 1969-1987, so of course from the age of 6 in 1969 until my late teens I pretty much attended every race at Road Atlanta and Daytona 24hr and Sebring. I was there when Donohue wrecked at Road Atlanta, although Donohue was not terribly hurt there was a track guy that was killed from the debris in that wreck.My dad would not let us sit at the end of the back straight after that or on the dirt spot just after the bridge where many a car would become airborne. I liked Donohue but my guy was Perfect Peter aka Peter Gregg and then dad moved to Nissan, and I became not just a Brumos fan , but Fitzy and Paul Newman fan my dad’s best friend worked for Jim Fitzgerald’s pit crew during those years. Road Atlanta in those days was the Wild West, fans would throw frisbee’s on the track in between races. They had bathtub races, barstool races. It was insane. It’s good to see someone talk about some of the old days of Porsche. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. Thanks for persevering this for the future.
John Ficarra's most epic stories: 1970 Daytona Porsche win, 1965 Ferrari win at Le Mans, the Whittington Brother's 1979 Le Mans win (all at VINWiki) and now this one about CanAm. Every single one of them MUST WATCH for gearheads. And John, what about some stories about the Chaparral cars?
I must be a geek, lol. Great video! I spent five years as a station guide at the Revs Institute in Naples, FL, so appreciate the Porsche history lesson! Miss being able to stand right next to the 917s, and the 908. Always pointed out the lack of foot room to guests, and they would be suitably shocked, and amazed. More educational videos would be awesome, John!
I watch mostly car oriented UA-cam, and you’re probably THE most engaging storyteller, but 25 minutes is about my upper limit. There are many reasons why that is, but it is
What a great look-back ! My first race event was in 1962. Walking through Elkhart Lake on Sat night before the race I stumbled across a cowboy standing outside a local Texaco gas station at the back of his pickup trying to light up his cigarette. I picked out my Zippo and he said thanks. I asked him what they were doing and he said "we blew up our engine today, so we're pulling out my friend's motor from his truck and installing it in my Chaparral for tomorrow's race." That was at 10:30 and they hadn't starting installing the second motor yet ! Amazingly, Jim went on to come in first on Sunday. His first win of the CanAm Road America Five Hundred ! I was there with Carl Hass & his Lola team...what a surprise to see a guy operating like that blow away all those professional teams...but that's what made Can Am so great !
Every time you said "That's a whole nother video", that's the stuff we want to know about. I remember reading about some of this in the 80's in car magazines. I'd really like to know more about the Shadow team. This is a great era of Porsche. Great content as usual. Thank you.
Great stuff! I was a guest at a BMW car club holiday dinner a few years ago where the dinner speaker was a Big 3 engineer who, as a kid, saw a 917 race and was hooked. He knew he'd never be able to afford one, so he built his own! Had help from the factory with advice, plans, specs, etc., down to the last exacting Porsche detail. Keep the stories coming.
John, you're one of the best storytellers by far. I know I can walk into any one of your videos without absolutely no clue as to what the nitty gritty details of the subject matter is, and you perfectly guide me through the topic and make it enjoyable, entertaining, informative, easy to follow, and so on. It's a talent I can tell you have worked hard to master. So far, there has been nothing I dislike about your content. I like that nothing feels/is scripted or that there aren't a bunch of silly skits making things cringy. I am just happy to see you putting out content. Of my few suggestions is just to keep putting put content. I know it's very time-consuming, but even videos of you guys working in the shop and speeding up the work parts and then stopping a bit for content or explanations would be very enjoyable. Also, don't be afraid to retell some of your Vinwiki videos and provide more detail or walk around some of the cars featured in those stories. Do you still have the black Ferrari 308 that God loves so much? Don't be afraid to dive into your past car stories or to show us a current lineup of what's in your garage and/or more of Wing Nut Manor. Do you still have the Lambo you traded up for? I love the history lessons and being the history buff that you are I think a fun challenge would be to pick a past driver and a recent driver and to compare them a bit. For example: Ken Block died this year. We all know who he was and what genere of racing he helped influence and helped to change certain aspects/ interests into what they are today/ left his mark on the sport during his career. I do not know if rally is very important to you but what driver from the past that you consider important helped change a racing sport into something that we still know today/ or left such a significant mark on the sport?
Wow! I am blown away! I was at Elkhart Lake yesterday with kids for the historic races with these cars! They are incredible at speed running the course. Ironically I also work for SC Johnson Wax who sponsored the series and I didn’t even know it…. Please more content like this. There is nothing like the drama of real sports!
Great video, very accurate analysis. I loved the Mid Ohio footage (My father was in the first drivers school at Mid Ohio when it opened in 1962. I went to every race there when I was a kid). We lived about 3 miles from the track in 1974, the only race that the 917-30 ran that year. I rode my bike to the track on Friday, which was a non-spectator practice day. Hurley Haywood came with his 917-10 (without turbos) with one German Porsche mechanic as crew. Hurley gave me and my friend Johnny Posey crew passes so we could help by polishing the car, carrying spares etc. Peter Gregg showed up at the weekend to help. In the race, George Follmer got mad at his Shadow teammate Jackie Oliver, pulled into the pits at high speed, jumped out of the car and peeled out of the paddock in his road car, Hurley placed third (it was a two-heat race) behind the 917-30 (I think Brian Redman was driving, but I'm not sure) and Jackie Oliver in the Shadow. I got to taste some of the champagne he brought from the podium ceremony.
Wow what a fantastic parade of engineering and I’m sure staggering experience for those participating and spectating! Love the historical content, gonna go find some Can-Am content to watch.
I loved every minute .... brilliantly researched. As an English enthusiast of The can-Am series I used to have to rely on Motorsport magazine for news and views. It seems to me that the real reason Can-Am folded was the cost and availability of competitive machinery. Mclaren made production cars through Trojan and Lola would sell to anyone. The availability of Aluminium Big Block Chevvy engines was good after 1970 so it was a series you could enter competitively without spending a massive fortune. Porsche was different. It had "Friends of the factory" like Vasek Polak and Brumos. Also the 917s were much more expensive and needed very expert maintenance if they were to stay reliable. Can-Am became a private Porsche party and if you weren't invited you couldn't compete. That's what I thought but the McLaren M20 wasn't far behind and on slower tracks was probably a tad faster but reliability had suffered with ever larger bores and strokes. The Chevvy HATED turbocharging. I thought the second iteration Can-Am, based on F5000 was a great and competitive series with plenty of different production chassis to choose from and a plethora of great drivers.
@@adammercer6004 That and the loss of interest in seeing non US engined cars winning everything causing lack od sponsorship .... yes. US enthusiasts like to see US engines and technology winning races. In 1988 Audi won the TransAM. The following year all cars had to have US engines.
@@johnmarsh2078 It's our yard, just like Europeans (FIA) can't stand American drivers. But it was till a whole lot of fun. And BTW pilots fly airplanes, not cars. Cheers!
@@Doc_-_Savage_1 Looking through the post I didn't use the word "pilot", that would be French for racing driver, but let me enlighten you .... pilots fly AEROPLANES. Airplane iis a lazy incorrect spelling of an established English word. After all racING cars do not have airodynamic downforce ..... perhaps they do across the pond?
The #1 thing I like about you, Mr. Ficarra is that you know how to tell a story, if you watch your buddy Ed's channel all too many of the story tellers on that channel have no idea how to tell a story or how to tell a GOOD story. I love hearing the stories about cheating, external situations that affect the racing, as well as just fun engineering modifications that are a product of necessity (ie the suspension mods made to the 917 due to the wheel width) Don't be afraid to make long videos or chop up videos into multiple parts if needed, as most of us are willing to watch a video from someone who knows how to tell a story.
I don't know a lot about racing. I live close to Road America so I've been going there for about 30 years and with my sons for about 20 years. I know enough to enjoy the weekend. I really like your channel. It's techie enough to easily follow along and your story telling is fantastic. Vintage is next weekend and I'll be looking for the poster on the wall behind you, My new favorite car channel. More of the same type of contest please. Keep up the good work.
I remember this era well as a worker with SCCA at Road America. These Can Am cars were awesome, never to be equaled again.. but close..was the C Class cars at Lemans in the 80's.
Great video, really enjoyed all the details! It was a fascinating story with some great visuals! Retro racing video from Mid-Ohio was great, wish it had racing sounds if available. The funky music was period correct, I would say.
I am geeking out like totally. John these vids are just fantastic. My wife walks past my office and vaguely looks at you and the cars and she doesn't register anything while I am memorised. Steve Brisbane Australia
Thanks for putting it all together! I saw the /10 at the last Rennsport with Fulmer driving. He entered the paddock with a hot car and parked it in the middle of the pedestrian way and got out. I had a chance to speak with him. - Admittedly, I was aware of, but missed, Can-Am as I was engrossed in Formula A/F-5000 as a young kid. This is precisely why all this history is very important as it brings to light a radical, and fast advancing, period in motorsports history. Thank you again for a very enlightening and informative presentation. Priceless!
This was a great historical program about the fantastic Porsche 917, etc. I raced a smaller Porsche at that time on the same tracks, in California, so I had a chance to see how fast these cars could go, especially with Mark driving. The only thing that could have made this video better would have been letting us hear the cars at the end, instead of the duck-sounding quack quack music. But, I still enjoyed this video immensely.
One of my favorite parts of a historic race weekend is the Cam am cars. McClaren, Shadow. Porche , Chappell. Amazing cars. Big block roar , massive tires. A gear head paradise.
Thank you for an amazing video on my all-time favorite race car. I have fond memories of Mid-Ohio in the 70s and, you are an excellent historian and storyteller.
Dear John, thank you very much for this entertaining lekture. Cant wait to see the next one! Road-Racing-Therapy Session right there! Cheers from Germany Marc
Here it goes almost one hour that passes as 5 minutes. Truly an absorbing video of a great topic, told by one of the most passionate and informed car storytellers. Mr Ficarra is a living encyclopedia.
Just came across this video on UA-cam. How it brought back so many memories. I recall falling in love with this racing watching on tv broadcasts of a previous week USRRC event and being enamored with Jim Hall and and his Chaparral 2C's. I followed it as it turned into the Can-Am series and finally had my first opportunity to go to a race, the 1972 Road Atlanta race. I was so looking forward to seeing Mark Donahue and his Porsche 917 only to read a few day before the4 weekend how he had crested a hill and the car had gone airborne, flipping end over end. There was no knowledge of what would happen that weekend but many of us were overjoyed to see this unbelievable car out on the track. Word got around that George Folmer was brought in to drive the car that weekend. I do remember many of us questioning his ability with some of his missed shifts and popping turbo sounds, but the season definitely proved him to be the right choice. John Ficarra, you did a fantastic job with the details and bring out many forgotten truths about the times. Yes, Porsche brought out a revolutionary car that was unbeatable for a while, but wizards like Mark Donohue, prove there is always an opportunity to do something better. Thanks so much for the report. I'll be looking for others
Awesome video. As a child of the 70's I always wondered what ever happened to the CanAm series Now I know. I remember the cars from the AFX slot car tracks, a kid could race those exotic sports cars
Excellent video as usual, what surprised me that they ran with 'welded' diffs! Must've been hell of a beating on the drivetrain and suspension with 19 inch wide slicks skipping around at low speed.
One of the best automotive channels on UA-cam. Well done! Anyway, speaking of George Follmer, he owned a Porsche-Audi-Subaru dealership in Pomona, California in the 70s and 80s. Long story short, Dad bought a new Subaru wagon in 1979 and as part of the deal, George took my 11 year old butt for a ride around the block in a white 930 that I was drooling over. HOLY SHIT! That was real speed. Loved my old man. He did that stuff all the time.
Yeah as a 10 yr old in 1970 I had huge curiosity about everything thing you're so enthusiastically communicating. Thanx for fleshing out these enigmatic spaceships and the back stories. The reality is actually more fantastic than my childhood fantasies .
Excellent presentation sir. My sweetie and I were nearly run over by Bruce Canepa driving the monstrous 917-30 in the pits at Lime Rock during Rennsport #1, a noble way to meet our demise! Also saw some guy named Penske doing a few easy laps in it, I do not blame him. Liked and subbed. Thank you sir!
Another brilliant episode. Thanks 🙏 I first read about the 917 when I bought an old copy of "The Racing Porsche's" in the 1980's. I had the pleasure of meeting David Piper and getting up close to his 917. As you said, The Unfair Advantage " is an excellent read.
39:12, Driven notably by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell. That was the shell I had for a PB9 International, 1/8 on-road RC pan/flat chassis car back in 1979. It was state of the art back then with an OPS 3.5cc engine. Nothing like now.
John, I counted at least three times you teased us with a promise to do another video on topics you mentioned. Gonna have to hold you to your word. Can’t wait for more content.
Dear Mr Ficarra, you have the best edutainment channel on youtube! When you release a video its a happy day Thank you for sharing your amazing storys! 🍻
Fantastic Video!!! I was at the Mid-Ohio Can-Am event in 1972, and watched most of the race from the interior side of the track at the entry to the keyhole. Watching Follmer in the 917-10 blast up the hill, stand on the brakes at the top and then hear it blast down the opposite side was just an incredible experience. Revson in the M-20 was visibly slower everywhere to the Porsche, and those two cars were waaaay ahead of the rest of the field. It was a huge contrast from 1970 where the M-8F was dominant over the rest of the field with Hulme and Gethin. They actually upshifted, braked and downshifted thru the uphill side of the keyhole. Amazing driving, and we could walk right up to the fence in those days. Again, Fantastic Video and Storytelling.
I'm a car guy but not really a race fan. The way you tell the stories, your enthusiasm, all the details, the time lines, the how and the why make me wish I was a race fan. You make it so interesting, I will definitely be looking forward to more stories. ❤
Didn’t even notice the video was 40+ minutes long until I noticed my lunch was cold since I was paying attention and not eating. thanks Ficarra for the cold lunch 😂 Great work man!
Thank you for the video!!! I was 6 years old when the CanAm series started. I had all of the CanAm 1/64th scale slot cars. I finally got to see them in person at Long Beach in 2019! CanAm the best racing series ever!!
I love the Mid-Ohio home movies...that was my home track! I started sitting in the esses in 1976 watching the ISMA successors and ended with ALMS in the late 2000's when I moved away. Your video brought back some great memories of my own.
Very nice and informative vid, thank you very much! I remember seeing posters and occasionally toys of these things growing up, but I wasn't into track stuff at all then, I'm a Finn, for us it was just all about Rally back then. Only later did F1 start to enter my world, but the other stuff wasn't on the radar really until I started getting a bit interested around my early 30s or so.
AMAZING video could watch this 100 times and it wouldn't get old. Thank you so much for doing this. My 12 year old son who was a go kart racing champion on asphalt and dirt and I in 2016 were blessed to be a part of Jim Bartel's Can-Am Shadow Team at Road Americas 50th Year Can-Am reunion also in 2020 Road America for the Shadow 50th year reunion. He flew us up from Florida. We were given the honor and privilege to pick up George Follmer and his beautiful girlfriend Bobbi at Milwaukee airport and take them back to our beautiful resort hotel and also take them to and from the track all week. My son was 19 then and also shared the driving duties. I promised myself I wouldn't hound George with my couple of million questions and after spending some time with him forgot I was with a great racing champion but just a very cool couple that was so fun to hang around with and have several dinners and lunches. Unfortunately the attendance was pretty low because of the Covid 19 but was a little racing and the most incredible thing was when Jim Bartel asked George if he'd mind running some parade laps in the Shadow DN4 1-A chassis which ironically wasn't the one he ran in 1974 but was the same chassis Jackie Oliver won the 1974 Championship in. Jackie was planned on being there but due to Covid couldn't leave his country. So many other cars were being stalled and restarted because the drivers were having difficulties but George think was around 84 years old maybe a few years older I forget but he climbed right in that Shadow and fired it up and ran right out like he did in 1974 we were all amazed at how well he drove that car without one stall. He got out after the parade lap and said he hadn't been in one of them I think he said 25 years. He took my son aside and talked to him about racing and gave him so much advice on what to do to pursue his career. Just an amazing man all around not just a great driver. We all drove to the airport after a week of such fun and got to hang out another hour and it was like saying good bye to family members, we actually cried saying good-bye to them. Thank you again for the video, I will of course subscribe and like and hope my comment wasn't too terribly long I could have gone on for hours with the things we did and the laughter we had . Wanted to also say and I'm sure you probably already know, Mr Penske took the Cam 2 917-30 to Daytona to run it but severe over heating think blew an engine or hurt it badly and that's what prompted them to install the inter coolers for the Talladega try. Danny and Jude Stephen
This is genuinely one of the greatest UA-cam videos I’ve ever watched. Your knowledge is absolutely incredible and we as Porsche fans are so grateful that you are sharing these stories with us!!! Hope to see you at Rennsport!
I remember catch bits of this racing a child on Wide World of Sports and it drove my love of fast cars on canyon roads. Thanks for the history, keep them coming
Thank you so much. A real trip down memory lane. My dad took me to all the races in Edmonton from 1968-1973. They we awesome and everyone was so approachable back then. I still have autographs from Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme, Peter Reason and a couple of others. I remember standing right outside the Penske garage as they were swapping spark plugs and one of the mechanics just gave me a handful of them. Certainly not like F1 where everyone is so standoffish... it would be easier to get into Area 51. I remember Stewart and McLaren were such gentlemen, especially compared to todays F1 drivers. Fantastic.
Thanks to everyone for the amazing comments and support! I am going to try and get you one history video a month among the other garage content which I will try to get out weekly. So happy you are enjoying these geeky dives into automotive history! Don't forget to like, subscribe and tell your friends!
First time seeing one of your videos. I liked it and your story telling is very enthusiastic. I loved watching CAN-AM when I was a kid and was disappointed when it died off.
You, sir, are a captivating story teller. Your enthusiasm and knowledge is what sells the story each time. The production quality is also very very good. Relevant photos and videos are peppered in among shots of you telling the story and it’s a great balance.
You say ‘once a month’ or ‘once a week’ and I hope you don’t stick to that schedule. Keep making entertaining and informed videos and your viewers will eat up every bit of them. Frequency be damned.
Thanks for sharing your stories, we love them.
I love you
Great video! Keep them coming!
John, wouldn't Hurley Haywood be the man to ask about the 917 ????
If I remember correctly, he's the person who named the 917 The Flexible Flyer.
TYVM for another excellent video.
P.S. Do you know anything about Porsche building a 2000-plus horsepower quad turbo 16 cylinder
917 ?????
I was at Watkins Glenn for the 1973 CanAm race weekend. Donohue raced the 911 in the 6 hours on Saturday, actually met him in the pits on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I was 15 years old, he actually had time and spoke to me. Best memory was Sunday, beautiful sunny day. Donohue kept on stretching out his lead on the RC cola Porsche till it was the length of the entire straight. Accelerating towards our vantage point all you could hear was the turbos sucking in huge amounts of air then a big bang as he shifted gears just past us. I remember it like it was yesterday. Great video, Thank you
42 minutes never went by so fast. your passion and enthusiasm is infectious.
I hope you chose to do more of these even if the views don't roll in as they should. even if its just for you to keep record of the history for yourself that you then share with the world.
Thanks so much for this history lesson.
Another fantastic video! The best automotive storyteller on UA-cam!
True , an awesome storyteller. I saw tons of videos on those exact same car ,great video,but still as far as storytelling goes no one beats him
Agreed!!
You are a great story teller. You bring excitement and life to these great machines and the people who gave them personality. .
As a flight of fancy, what would a modern Can-Am look like? And how would a 917 compare if it was allowed back on the track?
A story about the 917 k/81 would be worth watching.
Alongside Ed and Tamarian
Temerian
I was at Mid-Ohio the years of the 917-10 & 917-30. Standing halfway down the long straight, about where the kink is, the noise was exquisite!
I worked T&S at Can Am races one year. When those beasts were on the other side of the track and accelerated it made your stomach rumble. And they were beyond loud
Hi John. I am from Brasil, and I became interested in race cars when I was kid, in the late 60's. We didn't have much info here back then, other than an occasional newspaper or magazine article and/or photo. In 1972 I went to Interlagos race track to see Copa Brasil (Brazil'sd Coup), open to all kinds of sports cars. There was a 917/10 scheduled to race the day I went there, but it had engine problems and didn't show up... I had to settle for a dispute between a McLaren M6D and a 917K... :-) Anyway, your videos bring me back terrific memories, and fill the gaps on information on the cars and their history. Thanks a lot for that.
Não sabia que esses carros competiram aqui no Brasil! Que bacana!
My favorite story regarding the 917 happened at Mosport in 1973.
The McLarens decided to abandon the series, leaving it fairly open for the Porsches. Mark Donohue was in the factory 917-30, and there were a few 917-10s, most notably Jody Scheckter. Donohue started on pole with Scheckter beside him. At the start, the two of them simply disappeared into the distance to the point where they caught some backmarkers towards the end of the 4th lap (on a 2.5 mile circuit). Donohue and Scheckter collided with something, and Donohue got the worst of it.
I attended many Can-Am races at Road America in the 60's. Wonderful memories. Looking back, I can't believe I was able to watch such amazing drivers back in the day.
I'm lucky to be a Porsche fan that works for a transport company responsible of transporting the Porsche museum cars. And what a joy that is... 😊😊
Always great content from John! You should do a podcast!
I was at Mid-Ohio in 1972 and seen the 917/30 run. It was blindingly fast, but it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. In an age of 512 Ferraris and Tipo 33 Alfa Romeos, I hated it. I'm impressed you have a shot of it after it was wrecked. Esports? Bring the noise.
The only bad thing about the Can-Am Championship was that it ended. And I was there at Mid-Ohio for the last REAL Can-Am race in 1974.
the old footage of the pits is beyond amazing
I could listen to you speak for hours, John - just wonderful 👍
I absolutely love listening to every single one of your stories. If you could ever come out with an audiobook or a podcast type thing that literally has every nerd out any bitty thing that you know about cars because the way you talk about them is amazing I would literally buy everything that you put out. Your stories and storytelling abilities are beyond and I thoroughly enjoy every bit then I'm able to find.
You and Ed are the best storytellers bar none, that is a gift. I really enjoy your stories as you have a deep knowledge of car racing history, I can only imagine the great time you had working for Canepa. Don't stop bringing these stories to us as we enjoy them as much as you do. Keep up the good work. By the way, I saw your video with the Jaguar and the 911s, great also.
Nah. Ed is a clown and a grifter.
The best automotive storyteller on YT. For instance, the Whittington video and the 917K vids are all time classics.
Mario Andretti said about the 917-30: "drivers always want more HP but the first time I drove the car, when I realized you could leave black marks all the way from one curve until the next, I knew it had enough HP".
I was at Watkins Glen in both '72 & '73 and it was AMAZING to see those cars run. The excitement was CRAZY! I love the passion in all your stories, keep it up.
This is simply a historical gift to racing R&D fanatics. No other way of putting it. A million thanks, John!! I share your enthusiasm
John your passion is infectious and I find myself scrambling to watch your videos as soon as I see a new one drop! Sitting here with this big, stupid grin on my face as I listen to the sage speed testimony you bestow upon us. LOL
I think Jack Brabham is worthy of consideration when it comes to greatest racer/engineers. World Champion in a car he (and Ron Turanac) designed, built, developed and raced.
More, more, more please. I'm not sure if I actually blinked during this show because it was so rivetingly interesting. Thank you so much John or as I now think of you Professor Ficarra. Can't wait for more telling from someone who instinctively knows and understands that Geek doesn't make you a bad person. Quite the reverse in fact.
Just found your page after seeing you on VinWikee. John my father was the Porsche/Audi dealer in Macon, GA from 1969-1987, so of course from the age of 6 in 1969 until my late teens I pretty much attended every race at Road Atlanta and Daytona 24hr and Sebring. I was there when Donohue wrecked at Road Atlanta, although Donohue was not terribly hurt there was a track guy that was killed from the debris in that wreck.My dad would not let us sit at the end of the back straight after that or on the dirt spot just after the bridge where many a car would become airborne. I liked Donohue but my guy was Perfect Peter aka Peter Gregg and then dad moved to Nissan, and I became not just a Brumos fan , but Fitzy and Paul Newman fan my dad’s best friend worked for Jim Fitzgerald’s pit crew during those years. Road Atlanta in those days was the Wild West, fans would throw frisbee’s on the track in between races. They had bathtub races, barstool races. It was insane. It’s good to see someone talk about some of the old days of Porsche. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. Thanks for persevering this for the future.
John,
You have introduced me to vintage racing history and I'm hooked. Love these stories!!
John Ficarra's most epic stories: 1970 Daytona Porsche win, 1965 Ferrari win at Le Mans, the Whittington Brother's 1979 Le Mans win (all at VINWiki) and now this one about CanAm. Every single one of them MUST WATCH for gearheads.
And John, what about some stories about the Chaparral cars?
Chaparral is on the list!
@@FicarraClassic YESSSSS!!!!!!
@@FicarraClassic I have one of Milt Minters driving suits from that era. Its well used but nonetheless its pretty cool.
Great story yet again. The time flew by and wanting more.
I must be a geek, lol. Great video! I spent five years as a station guide at the Revs Institute in Naples, FL, so appreciate the Porsche history lesson! Miss being able to stand right next to the 917s, and the 908. Always pointed out the lack of foot room to guests, and they would be suitably shocked, and amazed. More educational videos would be awesome, John!
I watch mostly car oriented UA-cam, and you’re probably THE most engaging storyteller, but 25 minutes is about my upper limit. There are many reasons why that is, but it is
Love love love listening to you speak about automotive history!
I love the passionate, and knowledgeable, storytelling.
What a great look-back ! My first race event was in 1962. Walking through Elkhart Lake on Sat night before the race I stumbled across a cowboy standing outside a local Texaco gas station at the back of his pickup trying to light up his cigarette. I picked out my Zippo and he said thanks. I asked him what they were doing and he said "we blew up our engine today, so we're pulling out my friend's motor from his truck and installing it in my Chaparral for tomorrow's race." That was at 10:30 and they hadn't starting installing the second motor yet ! Amazingly, Jim went on to come in first on Sunday. His first win of the CanAm Road America Five Hundred ! I was there with Carl Hass & his Lola team...what a surprise to see a guy operating like that blow away all those professional teams...but that's what made Can Am so great !
I loved the Can-Am series. Mark Donohue was a childhood hero of mine. Great video and I look forward to more. Thank you.
Every time you said "That's a whole nother video", that's the stuff we want to know about. I remember reading about some of this in the 80's in car magazines. I'd really like to know more about the Shadow team. This is a great era of Porsche. Great content as usual. Thank you.
Great stuff! I was a guest at a BMW car club holiday dinner a few years ago where the dinner speaker was a Big 3 engineer who, as a kid, saw a 917 race and was hooked. He knew he'd never be able to afford one, so he built his own! Had help from the factory with advice, plans, specs, etc., down to the last exacting Porsche detail. Keep the stories coming.
John, you're one of the best storytellers by far. I know I can walk into any one of your videos without absolutely no clue as to what the nitty gritty details of the subject matter is, and you perfectly guide me through the topic and make it enjoyable, entertaining, informative, easy to follow, and so on. It's a talent I can tell you have worked hard to master. So far, there has been nothing I dislike about your content. I like that nothing feels/is scripted or that there aren't a bunch of silly skits making things cringy. I am just happy to see you putting out content. Of my few suggestions is just to keep putting put content. I know it's very time-consuming, but even videos of you guys working in the shop and speeding up the work parts and then stopping a bit for content or explanations would be very enjoyable. Also, don't be afraid to retell some of your Vinwiki videos and provide more detail or walk around some of the cars featured in those stories. Do you still have the black Ferrari 308 that God loves so much? Don't be afraid to dive into your past car stories or to show us a current lineup of what's in your garage and/or more of Wing Nut Manor. Do you still have the Lambo you traded up for? I love the history lessons and being the history buff that you are I think a fun challenge would be to pick a past driver and a recent driver and to compare them a bit. For example: Ken Block died this year. We all know who he was and what genere of racing he helped influence and helped to change certain aspects/ interests into what they are today/ left his mark on the sport during his career. I do not know if rally is very important to you but what driver from the past that you consider important helped change a racing sport into something that we still know today/ or left such a significant mark on the sport?
Wow! I am blown away! I was at Elkhart
Lake yesterday with kids for the historic races with these cars! They are incredible at speed running the course. Ironically I also work for SC Johnson Wax who sponsored the series and I didn’t even know it….
Please more content like this. There is nothing like the drama of real sports!
Great video, very accurate analysis. I loved the Mid Ohio footage (My father was in the first drivers school at Mid Ohio when it opened in 1962. I went to every race there when I was a kid). We lived about 3 miles from the track in 1974, the only race that the 917-30 ran that year. I rode my bike to the track on Friday, which was a non-spectator practice day. Hurley Haywood came with his 917-10 (without turbos) with one German Porsche mechanic as crew. Hurley gave me and my friend Johnny Posey crew passes so we could help by polishing the car, carrying spares etc. Peter Gregg showed up at the weekend to help. In the race, George Follmer got mad at his Shadow teammate Jackie Oliver, pulled into the pits at high speed, jumped out of the car and peeled out of the paddock in his road car, Hurley placed third (it was a two-heat race) behind the 917-30 (I think Brian Redman was driving, but I'm not sure) and Jackie Oliver in the Shadow. I got to taste some of the champagne he brought from the podium ceremony.
Wow what a fantastic parade of engineering and I’m sure staggering experience for those participating and spectating! Love the historical content, gonna go find some Can-Am content to watch.
John, you're the best! Always enjoy your stories!
Amazing video John! Loved every minute of it. Those were the days......
Gotta say....Ficarra.. you are a history hero of mine!
Dope. I really like these longer videos about historic racing. More please.
Oh I got my geek on, I've been waiting for this one! The 917 in all of its variants is my favorite racing vehicle ever made!
I loved every minute .... brilliantly researched. As an English enthusiast of The can-Am series I used to have to rely on Motorsport magazine for news and views. It seems to me that the real reason Can-Am folded was the cost and availability of competitive machinery. Mclaren made production cars through Trojan and Lola would sell to anyone. The availability of Aluminium Big Block Chevvy engines was good after 1970 so it was a series you could enter competitively without spending a massive fortune. Porsche was different. It had "Friends of the factory" like Vasek Polak and Brumos. Also the 917s were much more expensive and needed very expert maintenance if they were to stay reliable. Can-Am became a private Porsche party and if you weren't invited you couldn't compete. That's what I thought but the McLaren M20 wasn't far behind and on slower tracks was probably a tad faster but reliability had suffered with ever larger bores and strokes. The Chevvy HATED turbocharging. I thought the second iteration Can-Am, based on F5000 was a great and competitive series with plenty of different production chassis to choose from and a plethora of great drivers.
So Porsche did kill it the og format of Can-Am then by pricing everyone out!!! XD
@@adammercer6004 That and the loss of interest in seeing non US engined cars winning everything causing lack od sponsorship .... yes. US enthusiasts like to see US engines and technology winning races. In 1988 Audi won the TransAM. The following year all cars had to have US engines.
@@johnmarsh2078 It's our yard, just like Europeans (FIA) can't stand American drivers. But it was till a whole lot of fun. And BTW pilots fly airplanes, not cars. Cheers!
@@Doc_-_Savage_1 Looking through the post I didn't use the word "pilot", that would be French for racing driver, but let me enlighten you .... pilots fly AEROPLANES. Airplane iis a lazy incorrect spelling of an established English word. After all racING cars do not have airodynamic downforce ..... perhaps they do across the pond?
Outstanding video, John. Keep it up and don't change a thing.
The #1 thing I like about you, Mr. Ficarra is that you know how to tell a story, if you watch your buddy Ed's channel all too many of the story tellers on that channel have no idea how to tell a story or how to tell a GOOD story.
I love hearing the stories about cheating, external situations that affect the racing, as well as just fun engineering modifications that are a product of necessity (ie the suspension mods made to the 917 due to the wheel width)
Don't be afraid to make long videos or chop up videos into multiple parts if needed, as most of us are willing to watch a video from someone who knows how to tell a story.
Awesome video. Don’t change a thing. Nobody is really telling these classic racing stories.
I don't know a lot about racing. I live close to Road America so I've been going there for about 30 years and with my sons for about 20 years. I know enough to enjoy the weekend. I really like your channel. It's techie enough to easily follow along and your story telling is fantastic. Vintage is next weekend and I'll be looking for the poster on the wall behind you, My new favorite car channel. More of the same type of contest please. Keep up the good work.
Absolutely brilliant Motorsport storytelling! Thanks so much 👍 Would be awesome to hear about the 80s-90s GTP racing some time. Cheers 🍻
A very well done passionate video with lots at actual facts, no BS, also start selling that T-Shirt.
Great content. Please keep them coming!
I remember this era well as a worker with SCCA at Road America. These Can Am cars were awesome, never to be equaled again.. but close..was the C Class cars at Lemans in the 80's.
Great video as always. Would love to see a video about the 73 RSR.
God bless you brother, as I could listen to talk for hours. Please keep sharing all of these great stories.
Love your videos - keep them going!
Great video, really enjoyed all the details! It was a fascinating story with some great visuals! Retro racing video from Mid-Ohio was great, wish it had racing sounds if available. The funky music was period correct, I would say.
Love the historic content. 10/10
I love Porsche history with my bud John Ficarra! Great stuff, John!
I am geeking out like totally.
John these vids are just fantastic.
My wife walks past my office and vaguely looks at you and the cars and she doesn't register anything while I am memorised.
Steve Brisbane Australia
Thanks for putting it all together! I saw the /10 at the last Rennsport with Fulmer driving. He entered the paddock with a hot car and parked it in the middle of the pedestrian way and got out. I had a chance to speak with him. - Admittedly, I was aware of, but missed, Can-Am as I was engrossed in Formula A/F-5000 as a young kid. This is precisely why all this history is very important as it brings to light a radical, and fast advancing, period in motorsports history. Thank you again for a very enlightening and informative presentation. Priceless!
This was a great historical program about the fantastic Porsche 917, etc. I raced a smaller Porsche at that time on the same tracks, in California, so I had a chance to see how fast these cars could go, especially with Mark driving. The only thing that could have made this video better would have been letting us hear the cars at the end, instead of the duck-sounding quack quack music. But, I still enjoyed this video immensely.
One of my favorite parts of a historic race weekend is the
Cam am cars. McClaren, Shadow.
Porche , Chappell.
Amazing cars.
Big block roar , massive tires. A
gear head paradise.
Thank you for an amazing video on my all-time favorite race car. I have fond memories of Mid-Ohio in the 70s and, you are an excellent historian and storyteller.
Dear John, thank you very much for this entertaining lekture. Cant wait to see the next one! Road-Racing-Therapy Session right there! Cheers from Germany
Marc
Here it goes almost one hour that passes as 5 minutes. Truly an absorbing video of a great topic, told by one of the most passionate and informed car storytellers. Mr Ficarra is a living encyclopedia.
Just came across this video on UA-cam. How it brought back so many memories. I recall falling in love with this racing watching on tv broadcasts of a previous week USRRC event and being enamored with Jim Hall and and his Chaparral 2C's. I followed it as it turned into the Can-Am series and finally had my first opportunity to go to a race, the 1972 Road Atlanta race. I was so looking forward to seeing Mark Donahue and his Porsche 917 only to read a few day before the4 weekend how he had crested a hill and the car had gone airborne, flipping end over end. There was no knowledge of what would happen that weekend but many of us were overjoyed to see this unbelievable car out on the track. Word got around that George Folmer was brought in to drive the car that weekend. I do remember many of us questioning his ability with some of his missed shifts and popping turbo sounds, but the season definitely proved him to be the right choice. John Ficarra, you did a fantastic job with the details and bring out many forgotten truths about the times. Yes, Porsche brought out a revolutionary car that was unbeatable for a while, but wizards like Mark Donohue, prove there is always an opportunity to do something better. Thanks so much for the report. I'll be looking for others
Well done as usual. Cool to hear the history of the cars/people that I admired when I was a kid.
Awesome video. As a child of the 70's I always wondered what ever happened to the CanAm series Now I know. I remember the cars from the AFX slot car tracks, a kid could race those exotic sports cars
Excellent video as usual, what surprised me that they ran with 'welded' diffs! Must've been hell of a beating on the drivetrain and suspension with 19 inch wide slicks skipping around at low speed.
One of the best automotive channels on UA-cam. Well done! Anyway, speaking of George Follmer, he owned a Porsche-Audi-Subaru dealership in Pomona, California in the 70s and 80s. Long story short, Dad bought a new Subaru wagon in 1979 and as part of the deal, George took my 11 year old butt for a ride around the block in a white 930 that I was drooling over. HOLY SHIT! That was real speed. Loved my old man. He did that stuff all the time.
Yeah as a 10 yr old in 1970 I had huge curiosity about everything thing you're so enthusiastically communicating. Thanx for fleshing out these enigmatic spaceships and the back stories. The reality is actually more fantastic than my childhood fantasies .
@22:24 ....wow, they didn't know about intercoolers at the time.....yet Leon Duray had put one on his Miller 91 in the late '20's??? That's crazy! :)
Excellent presentation sir. My sweetie and I were nearly run over by Bruce Canepa driving the monstrous 917-30 in the pits at Lime Rock during Rennsport #1, a noble way to meet our demise! Also saw some guy named Penske doing a few easy laps in it, I do not blame him. Liked and subbed. Thank you sir!
Thanks for keeping the memory of the CanAm alive. Well done.
Jusy want to thank you for this wonderful video! ❤What a ride! You are a fantastic storyteller and I’ve never had 40 minutes fly by so fast😂
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another brilliant episode. Thanks 🙏 I first read about the 917 when I bought an old copy of "The Racing Porsche's" in the 1980's. I had the pleasure of meeting David Piper and getting up close to his 917. As you said, The Unfair Advantage " is an excellent read.
39:12, Driven notably by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell. That was the shell I had for a PB9 International, 1/8 on-road RC pan/flat chassis car back in 1979. It was state of the art back then with an OPS 3.5cc engine. Nothing like now.
John,
I counted at least three times you teased us with a promise to do another video on topics you mentioned. Gonna have to hold you to your word. Can’t wait for more content.
I turned 16 in 1973 and went to the Can Am race at Mid Ohio. Thanks for this John. Love the content.
JF, you are a great story teller. You should write screen plays around racers/races!
Fantastic story teller John, just wanted to say, I'll watch whatever you put out, especially the 928 stuff, Rj in Oz
It’s interesting. I’ve seen a lot of interviews of German engineers that worked on the 917 and no one mentioned Donahue. That’s a shame.
This was just a FABULOUS rendition of a wonderful slice of racing history, thanks so much for putting this together!!!
Dear Mr Ficarra, you have the best edutainment channel on youtube!
When you release a video its a happy day
Thank you for sharing your amazing storys! 🍻
Fantastic Video!!! I was at the Mid-Ohio Can-Am event in 1972, and watched most of the race from the interior side of the track at the entry to the keyhole. Watching Follmer in the 917-10 blast up the hill, stand on the brakes at the top and then hear it blast down the opposite side was just an incredible experience. Revson in the M-20 was visibly slower everywhere to the Porsche, and those two cars were waaaay ahead of the rest of the field. It was a huge contrast from 1970 where the M-8F was dominant over the rest of the field with Hulme and Gethin. They actually upshifted, braked and downshifted thru the uphill side of the keyhole. Amazing driving, and we could walk right up to the fence in those days. Again, Fantastic Video and Storytelling.
I was at that race in Mosport. I was six! It created my undying love for racing. I still have the Corgi toy. Thanks for this
I'm a car guy but not really a race fan. The way you tell the stories, your enthusiasm, all the details, the time lines, the how and the why make me wish I was a race fan. You make it so interesting, I will definitely be looking forward to more stories. ❤
Just keep doing you John and we will keep watching
Didn’t even notice the video was 40+ minutes long until I noticed my lunch was cold since I was paying attention and not eating. thanks Ficarra for the cold lunch 😂 Great work man!
Thank you for the video!!! I was 6 years old when the CanAm series started. I had all of the CanAm 1/64th scale slot cars. I finally got to see them in person at Long Beach in 2019! CanAm the best racing series ever!!
Love the video John. I really enjoy stories like this; I'm 40 and I know so little about motor sports from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
I love the Mid-Ohio home movies...that was my home track! I started sitting in the esses in 1976 watching the ISMA successors and ended with ALMS in the late 2000's when I moved away. Your video brought back some great memories of my own.
Very nice and informative vid, thank you very much! I remember seeing posters and occasionally toys of these things growing up, but I wasn't into track stuff at all then, I'm a Finn, for us it was just all about Rally back then. Only later did F1 start to enter my world, but the other stuff wasn't on the radar really until I started getting a bit interested around my early 30s or so.
Great video! The vintage footage at the end got me reliving my childhood of building and racing 1/24 scale CamAm slot cars. Thank you
These cars are awe inspiring standing still and to hear these wonderful/crazy stories on top of it is awesome. Awesome video!
Whoosh !
AMAZING video could watch this 100 times and it wouldn't get old. Thank you so much for doing this. My 12 year old son who was a go kart racing champion on asphalt and dirt and I in 2016 were blessed to be a part of Jim Bartel's Can-Am Shadow Team at Road Americas 50th Year Can-Am reunion also in 2020 Road America for the Shadow 50th year reunion. He flew us up from Florida. We were given the honor and privilege to pick up George Follmer and his beautiful girlfriend Bobbi at Milwaukee airport and take them back to our beautiful resort hotel and also take them to and from the track all week. My son was 19 then and also shared the driving duties. I promised myself I wouldn't hound George with my couple of million questions and after spending some time with him forgot I was with a great racing champion but just a very cool couple that was so fun to hang around with and have several dinners and lunches. Unfortunately the attendance was pretty low because of the Covid 19 but was a little racing and the most incredible thing was when Jim Bartel asked George if he'd mind running some parade laps in the Shadow DN4 1-A chassis which ironically wasn't the one he ran in 1974 but was the same chassis Jackie Oliver won the 1974 Championship in. Jackie was planned on being there but due to Covid couldn't leave his country. So many other cars were being stalled and restarted because the drivers were having difficulties but George think was around 84 years old maybe a few years older I forget but he climbed right in that Shadow and fired it up and ran right out like he did in 1974 we were all amazed at how well he drove that car without one stall. He got out after the parade lap and said he hadn't been in one of them I think he said 25 years. He took my son aside and talked to him about racing and gave him so much advice on what to do to pursue his career. Just an amazing man all around not just a great driver. We all drove to the airport after a week of such fun and got to hang out another hour and it was like saying good bye to family members, we actually cried saying good-bye to them. Thank you again for the video, I will of course subscribe and like and hope my comment wasn't too terribly long I could have gone on for hours with the things we did and the laughter we had . Wanted to also say and I'm sure you probably already know, Mr Penske took the Cam 2 917-30 to Daytona to run it but severe over heating think blew an engine or hurt it badly and that's what prompted them to install the inter coolers for the Talladega try. Danny and Jude Stephen
This is genuinely one of the greatest UA-cam videos I’ve ever watched. Your knowledge is absolutely incredible and we as Porsche fans are so grateful that you are sharing these stories with us!!! Hope to see you at Rennsport!
I remember catch bits of this racing a child on Wide World of Sports and it drove my love of fast cars on canyon roads. Thanks for the history, keep them coming
Thank you so much. A real trip down memory lane. My dad took me to all the races in Edmonton from 1968-1973. They we awesome and everyone was so approachable back then. I still have autographs from Jackie Stewart, Dennis Hulme, Peter Reason and a couple of others. I remember standing right outside the Penske garage as they were swapping spark plugs and one of the mechanics just gave me a handful of them. Certainly not like F1 where everyone is so standoffish... it would be easier to get into Area 51. I remember Stewart and McLaren were such gentlemen, especially compared to todays F1 drivers. Fantastic.