1970 Trans-American Sedan Championship
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.
| 1970 Trans-Am Series | |||
| Previous: | 1969 | Next: | 1971 |
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.
| Rnd | Date | Circuit | Distance | Over 2.0 Winning Car | Under 2.0 Winning Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 2.0 Winning Driver(s) | Under 2.0 Winning Driver(s) | ||||
| 1 | April 18 April 19 |
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California | 85.5 mi (137.6 km) (U2L) 171 mi (275 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | Alfa Romeo GTA |
 Parnelli Jones |
Lee Midgley | ||||
| 2 | May 9 | Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut | 1 Hour / 84.15 mi (135.43 km) (U2L) 2 Hours, 30 Minutes / 223.38 mi (359.50 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Parnelli Jones |
 Gaston Andrey | ||||
| 3 | May 31 | Bryar Motorsports Park, Loudon, New Hampshire | 1 Hour / 72 mi (116 km) (U2L) 2 Hours, 30 Minutes / 223.38 mi (359.50 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | BMW 2002 |
| George Follmer |
Peter Schuster | ||||
| 4 | June 7 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio | 72 mi (116 km) (U2L) 180 mi (290 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Parnelli Jones |
Bert Everett | ||||
| 5 | June 20 June 21 |
Bridgehampton Race Circuit, Sag Harbor, New York | 99.25 mi (159.73 km) (U2L) 199.5 mi (321.1 km) (O2L) |
AMC Javelin | BMW 2002 |
| Mark Donohue |
Hans Ziereis | ||||
| 6 | July 5 | Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota | 99 mi (159 km) (U2L) 210 mi (340 km) (O2L) |
Chevrolet Camaro | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Milt Minter |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Horst Kwech | ||||
| 7 | July 19 | Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | 100 mi (160 km) (U2L) 200 mi (320 km) (O2L) |
AMC Javelin | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Mark Donohue |
Horst Kwech | ||||
| 8 | August 2 | Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Saint-Jovite, Quebec | 79.5 mi (127.9 km) (U2L) 185.5 mi (298.5 km) (O2L) |
AMC Javelin | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Mark Donohue |
Lee Midgley | ||||
| 9 | August 16 | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York | 96.6 mi (155.5 km) (U2L) 209.3 mi (336.8 km) (O2L) |
Chevrolet Camaro | Alfa Romeo GTA |
 Vic Elford |
Horst Kwech | ||||
| 10 | September 20 | Seattle International Raceway, Kent, Washington | 90 mi (140 km) (U2L) 202.5 mi (325.9 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | Alfa Romeo GTA |
| Parnelli Jones |
Bert Everett | ||||
| 11 | October 4 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California | 89.25 mi (143.63 km) (U2L) 201.45 mi (324.20 km) (O2L) |
Ford Mustang | Alfa 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.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Over 2.0L manufacturers
1970 was the first and only year that every Detroit "pony car" manufacturer has a factory-backed team in TransAm.
| Pos | Manufacturer | LAG | LRP | BRY | MDO | BRI | DON | ELK | MTB | WGL | SEA | RIV | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 72 (78) |
| 2 | American Motors | 2 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 59 |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 40 (42) |
| 4 | Dodge | 6 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 24 | 18 |
| 5 | Plymouth | 4 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 15 |
| [1] | |||||||||||||
References
- "1970 Trans-Am Box Scores" (PDF). Sports Car Club of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2011.