Sam Posey will be a honored guest in Watkins Glen NY on may 10th

"Racing Archivist" (jashby) 04/28/2014 at 19:10 • Filed to: IMRRC, SamPosey, F5000

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“No one outside the racing world seemed to know F5000 existed,” Sam Posey reminisced in Road & Track magazine a few years ago.

On May 10, Posey, who would drive to second place in the Formula 5000 series in 1971 and 1972, will be the honored guest as the International Motor Racing Research Center hosts a talk about the series that was lauded by some and overlooked by many.

The free talk will be at 1 p.m. All are welcome.

The 1968 Le Grand Mk7 that Posey drove in Formula 5000 in 1968 will be the centerpiece of the talk. The car has been on display at the Racing Research Center since December.

“Although it was one of Posey’s least favorite race cars, the Le Grand was an early and important step in the development of Formula 5000 race cars,” Center President J.C. Argetsinger said. “The reunion between Sam and the Le Grand is certain to be a memorable experience for all.”

Car co-owner Bob Mayer and Jacques Dresang, son of co-owner Rick Dresang, will speak about the car’s place in history and the story of the car’s restoration. The three men collect, restore and race vintage cars.

James Stengel, who is researching the Formula 5000 series, also will speak. Stengel drives a Formula 5000 car in vintage races and is on the board of the Formula 5000 Drivers’ Association, which runs the current Formula 5000 Revival Series.

In his March 2010 Road & Track piece, Posey wrote about the series: “Although I never won the championship, some of the achievements I'm most proud of as a driver came in F5000. The cars were fast, challenging and evenly matched because so many teams could afford the components you needed to win. The racing was terrific, and the opposition included some of the top drivers of the period. But the series did little to burnish my reputation. No one outside the racing world seemed to know F5000 existed.”

The Center’s May events are part of the ongoing Center Conversations series. Upcoming speakers are vintage car event organizer Murray Smith on June 21; Cary Agajanian, son of legendary racing team owner and race organizer J.C. Agajanian in July; Steve Zautke on the Milwaukee Mile in October; and in November Michael Martin on the United States Road Racing Championship race series of the 1960s.

Details will be announced as they are finalized.

The Racing Research Center is an archival library dedicated to the preservation of the history of motorsports, of all series and all venues, through its collections of books, periodicals, films, photographs, fine art and other materials.

For more information about the Center’s work and its programs, visit !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or call (607) 535-9044.