We can’t relive the past, but we can revisit it now and then. Here’s some great action from the glory days of the Can-Am series at Mid-Ohio in 1971.
August 22, 1971. The scene is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just outside Lexington, Ohio, and the race is the fifth event on the Valvoline Can-Am Series schedule that year. We don’t get to see the start or the finish in this oddly edited period video, but that hardly matters—there’s still plenty of great action to watch. The record book will show that Jackie Stewart won this day in his Carl Haas L&M Lola-Chevy when the dominating McLarens of Denny Hulme and Peter Revson faltered.
We found the video compelling on two counts. It provides great views of both the golden age of Can-Am racing, and of the venerable Mid-Ohio circuit back in the day. It’s fascinating to see how little and how much the place has changed over the years. And hey, check out the huge crowd. Note also that the race was started not from the back stretch, as they do it today, but from the narow and stubby pit straight. Touchy business. Enjoy the racing.
Produced by one of the coolest car guys of all time, Toly Arutunoff. I should have guessed it with all the shots of the pretty girls in the opening segment.
As a teenager and budding enthusiast, Mid-Ohio was nothing short of mecca for me in the seventies. Thanks for sharing.
I knew you would get as much of a kick from this as I did.
I wasn’t alive when the Can-Am ran but I wish I could have seen it. Thanks for the video.
Great vid. The pit straight is definitely narrow, but to my eyes it looks like the section before the Carousel is even narrower. Much more so than today, I think.
Really glad I ran across this video. I was at this race as an 11 year old and it brings back some really cool memories – like seeing Jackie Stewart and Peter Revson before the race started. These cars were awesome – really loud and super fast.
The Team Mclarens had inboard rear brakes, so when the halfshaft broke= no rear brakes.