1966 with Group 44
While at Sebring in March of 1965, Bob Tullius and Dick Gilmartin decided to form the Group 44 racing partnership. Each week before a race, Tullius and Gilmartin would contact a Triumph dealer in the area to sponsor the three team cars – a Spitfire, TR4, and TR3.
Simultaneously, Plymouth’s Team Starfish organization was preparing Plymouth Barracudas for competition, and Dodge asked Team Starfish leader and driver Scott Harvey to find someone to lead the Dodge Dart project. He picked Tullius and his Group 44 organization.
It happened all at once. I was hired on as a driver, mechanic, and driver of the big transporter as well. I was to drive the Lotus Cortina in B sedan, where I was already noted with the Volvo PV 544’s regional championship. I was also to drive the Spitfire in G production. Bob Tullius indicated I had to retire the Volvo for conflict of interest and not race it any longer. I drove it to Connecticut to work for Milestone Racing for the 1968 season and eventually sold it to a local enthusiast in Wilton, Connecticut.
My deal with Bob Tullius was to learn his ways, be a protégé so to speak, and not race the Volvo any longer. It was a good learning time for me as well, although the all-nighters were a real stretch.
We competed in various Trans-Am events and didn’t win a championship, however we were second in SCCA National runoffs in B sedan.
The Lotus Cortina had a huge following in those days. I was excited to follow in the footsteps of such greats as Clark and Stewart who drove similar cars.
I also enjoyed driving the Group 44 G production Triumph Spitfire in Regional and National SCCA races.
Tony’s 1966 SCCA membership card
The Group 44 transporter
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
Group 44 transporter with Spitfire, TR4A, and Dart
The “backwards” 44:
“My wife and I went up to Lime Rock and we had just enough contact for four numbers. Well, the first one, she put the pattern on upside down. So I looked, said, “Make another one, we’ll put them on the back…and ever since, I’ve always had backward 4s on every car I’ve ever driven...” – Bob Tullius
March 25, 1966
Sebring International Raceway
Four Hour Governor’s Cup Trans Am Race for Sedans
Sebring, Florida
Dodge Dart
Bob and Tony drove the factory-sponsored Dodge Dart to an Over 2-liter class victory and a second overall place. Bob set the fastest lap time of the race before having to make a second pit stop that likely cost the team an overall win.
My first professional race in a Trans Am car was driving a Dodge Dart with Bob Tullius at the Sebring race in March 1966. I had never been involved in a V-8 powered vehicle under racing conditions. Bob did most of the driving. The Dart was impressive, but it needed work to be really competitive.
Bob Tullius in the Dodge Dart at Sebring
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection – Barcboys photo
Dart in the Sebring pits
Ahead of the AJ Foyt Mustang
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
June 12, 1966
Mid-America Raceway 300 Trans Am race
Wentzville, Missouri
Dodge Dart
Result: 15th
At one time we were running second overall when a gasoline fuel filter clogged. Took some time to trace the trouble – those V8s make a lot of noise!
Adamowicz collection
June 19, 1966
Bridgehampton Race Circuit SCCA National Meet
Bridgehampton, New York
Lotus Cortina
result: 1st in B sedan
“This was the best weekend Group 44 had this year. What a way to way to debut a new Lotus Cortina! Would our luck last? I was a newcomer to big racing and the Bridgehampton racecourse.”
From The Washington Daily News:
“Bob Tullius’ Group 44 team broke its season-long stretch of hard luck taking four first places. Bob won overall in C and D Production with his TR4A and captured the sedan race with his Dodge Dart.
Dick Gilmartin drove the Spitfire to victory in G-P and Tony Adamowicz won the B-Sedan test with brand new Ford Cortina.”
Adamowicz collection – Bill Dobbins photo
Adamowicz collection – Pete Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection
A YouTube video drivers including Jim Clark racing Lotus Cortinas in the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship can be viewed here.
June 25, 1966
Marlboro Speedway Regional June Sprints
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Lotus Cortina
Result: DNF
“This was the first DNF for the Cortina. The battery mount tray came loose cutting off power.”
Adamowicz collection
July 4, 1966
Lime Rock Park SCCA Nationals
Lime Rock, Connecticut
Lotus Cortina
Result: 4th in class
The Cortina took over the lead by 20 seconds when the battery came loose. The Cortina placed 4th in class.
Adamowicz collection
July 10, 1966
Bryar 250
Bryar Motorsports Park
Loudon, New Hampshire
Dodge Dart
Result: 4th in class
Leading Class A sedan when the clutch failed with 4 laps to go! At finish line finished 4th.
Adamowicz collection
Scrapbook photos of Tony and Bob in the Dart from the 1966 Bryar 250 race.
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
Bob and Tony talk with Tony’s mother.
July 31, 1966
Virginia International Raceway Trans Am VIR “400”
Danville, Virginia
Dodge Dart
Result: DNF (33rd)
Curtis Turner and Richard Petty (kneeling) at driver’s meeting
Due to tremendous rains, we were unable to get the tractor trailer pit area – thus unable to qualify the Dart.
We were 34th on the grid at the start. Inside of 10 laps the Dart and I were running 7th overall and gaining on the leaders. On the 14th lap the clutch failed. We were unable to bring the car back in under its own power. We never officially withdrew so we still received finishing money. We still managed to finish ahead of Richard Petty driving a Barracuda.
At the beginning of the Trans-Am Series, several top NASCAR drivers gave it a whirl. It didn’t take NASCAR long to put an end to it, but it was fun racing them while it lasted.
Gordon Warren article
Adamowicz collection – Watts Hill, Jr. photo
Tony reads a spark plug from the Group 44 Dart, and Bob Tullius awaits the verdict in the VIR pit
The Group 44 Dodge Dart leads an Alfa under the bridge at Virginia International Raceway
Adamowicz collection – Mike Rembold photo
Adamowicz collection – Roger Blanchard photo
Tony leads Curtis Turner’s Mustang
Adamowicz collection – Stuart Craig photo
Adamowicz collection – Joe Hankins photo
Richard Petty in the Team Starfish Barracuda
Curtis Turner (Watts Hill, Jr. photo)
David Pearson looking his Yates Dodge Dart
August 7, 1966
Bryar Motorsport Park SCCA National Championship race
Loudon, New Hampshire
Lotus Cortina
Result: DNF
An early race incident between Frank Bernstein’s #91 Sprite and Richard Peritz’s #63 Alfa GTA resulted in collateral damage to Tony’s #14 Lotus Cortina after going into a ditch and a DNF for this race.
Tony working on the Cortina at Bud Weikart’s body shop
“After” photo taken at Bud Weikart’s body shop
August 14, 1966
Marlboro Speedway 12 Hour Endurance Trans Am race
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Dodge Dart
Result: 1st
From the September 3, 1966 issue of Competition Press & Autoweek:
“Chrysler Corp’s stake in the Trans American championships took a giant step forward today as the 1966 Dodge Dart of Bob Tullius and Tony Adamowicz won the Sixth Annual Marlboro 12-Hr. for compact sedans.
Second and third overall were the two Team Starfish Plymouth Barracudas of Charlie Rainville/Scott Harvey/Bert Everett and Bruce Jennings/Les Netherton.
Adding to the feast was the fourth place finish of the Brock Yates entered Dart driven by Hal Keck and Chuck Krueger.
Tullius and Adamowicz turned in a flawless job of driving their handsome white Group 44 car.
During the 12-hr. they logged 405 laps around the 1.7-mi. course, thereby demolishing the prior record of 381 laps established in 1963 by Jack Sears and Bob Olthoff in a Cortina GT.
In addition to taking home $500 for their overall win and $750 for an over-two-liter victory, they also received the coveted index award and eight other trophies. Important to the Dodge Division was the nine points earned by virtue of the overall win. And Chrysler’s Plymouth earned six more points for the Team Starfish effort.”
– Dave Roethel
Adamowicz collection – Bill Dobbins photo
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
Start of the 1966 race
The Group 44 Dart coming out of Marlboro’s “Bowl”
Adamowicz collection – Bill Dobbins photo
Adamowicz collection – Bill Dobbins photo
Left to right: Tony getting ready to drive, Don Breslauer, Goodyear representative, Neil Sullivan, Bob with helmet in hand, and crew chief Roy Wade.
Pit stop; Bob in car and Tony standing holding helmet.
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection – Peter Luongo photo
September 10, 1966
Green Valley Raceway Pan American Endurance Race
Smithfield, Texas
Dodge Dart
Result: 6th
Southwest Racing News, 10/01/1966:
“Horst and Gaston were 4th at the end of the first two hours, dropped to 5th at the end of three, as the Lars Giertz and Lynn Kysar Cortina Lotus took over 4th spot, fell to 6th at the fourth, as the Tullius-Adamowicz Dart, edged into fifth place, maintained their sixth position at five, and charged on in their Amalie Pro Racing Oil GTA for their victory celebration. The Johnson-Rainville Plymouth Cuda won 3rd overall laurels, and ,rounding out the top ten were: Ron Grable-Miles Gupton, Dodge Dart, 4th, Giertz-Kysar, 5th, Tullius-Adamowicz. Dart, 6th, Ray Parsons-John Leighton, Ford Cortina Lotus, 7th, Chuck Williams-D. W. Foerster, Austin Cooper-S, 8th, Allan Moffat-Harry Firth, Ford Cortina Lotus, 9th, and the Pike-Timanus, Ford Mustang, 10th.
The Tullius Dart was in a challenging position as late as the fifth hour, occupying the third spot behind Johnson and McComb, but fell back sixth at the finish.”
“It was a real wet Trans-Am race in Texas – more bad luck and lots of gloomy weather. We received no Trans-Am points. The purse was a mere $175 for our trouble.”
Adamowicz collection – Jerry Melton photo
Dart at Green Valley Raceway
Tony and Bob in front of the Group 44 transporter.
September 18, 1966
Riverside International Raceway
SCCA Trans Am Sedan Championship Race
Riverside, California
Dodge Dart
Result: 2nd
Adamowicz collection – Pete Luongo photo
Tony’s Dart leads the field up through the esses and eventually finishes 2nd.
Dart leads Bob Johnson’s Barracuda at start
Adamowicz collection – Megowan/Ulrich photo
Adamowicz collection – Dave Friedman photo
Scott Harvey’s Barracuda and Tullius in turn 7 at Riverside
Riverside was an experience on a super-fast course that I’ll never forget. Looking forward to the November American Road Race of Champions on this same course.
September 25, 1966
Marlboro Raceway Marlboro Cup National Races
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Lotus Cortina
Result: Ist in class
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection
Adamowicz collection – Pete Luongo photo
Adamowicz collection
October 16, 1966
Watkins Glen SCCA Regional Races
Watkins Glen, New York
Lotus Cortina
Result: DNF
Washington Daily News, 10/19/66:
“Bob Tullius’ Group 44 Racing Team has qualified three cars for the American Road Race of Champions at Riverside, Calif., Nov. 27. Bob and Tony Adamowicz will take the TR4A, Dodge Dart and Ford Cortina to California Nov. 7th in the Quaker State Group 44 tractor trailer.“
“Started at the back of the grid due to not qualifying on practice. Lasted 1 1/2 laps – transmission and clutch failure!”
Adamowicz collection
November 27, 1966
American Road Race of Champions
Riverside, California
Lotus Cortina
Result: 4th in class
Sports Car Graphic (2/67):
Race Ten: A & B Sedans: “At the flag it was Kweck, Moffat, Winkler, Adamowicz, and Brizzard.”
Adamowicz collection – John Wilson photo
Weight Notification Form for Tony’s Cortina from Riverside race
In 1966:
- Tony & Bob Tullius finished 1st in class, and 2nd overall at Sebring in the first SCCA Trans-Am race.
- 15th @ Mid America
- 33rd @ VIR
- 1st @ Marlboro
- 6th @ Green Valley
- 2nd @ Riverside Raceway
Tony finished 5th in the 1966 Trans-Am points standing, winning a total of $1,330.