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Bob LaZebnik
Owner/driver |
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John Morton
Principle driver |
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Bob LaZebnik #50 (c/n Fournier)
driver John Morton
IMSA Camel GT -
Daytona Finale 250 mi
Daytona Beach, FL -
November 30, 1975
Wheels are Sterling 15x12 front / 15x17 rear
(Background rendering by Stacy Scharch) |
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Robert
H.
LaZebnik was the owner of Airmaster Fan Co. in Jackson, Mich.
and had Mitch Marchi of Kar-Kraft to
design this AAGT Monza. Ron
Fournier, of Race
Craft, built the car. Bob drove the car, but hired John Morton as
a principle driver. |
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Bob
LaZebnik #28 (c/n Fournier) driver John Morton
IMSA Camel GT - Road Atlanta 500 km
Braselton, GA - Sep 19, 1976
(Courtesy of Andy Thomas) |
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Marchi-Fournier IMSA AAGT Monza
Race Craft, Inc. - Royal Oak,
MI
Engine is mounted behind
front axle for weight distribution, and slightly to right to
balance driver's weight. |
Marchi-Fournier IMSA AAGT Monza
Race Craft, Inc. - Royal Oak,
MI
IMSA rules say it only has to
look like street counterpart. |
Marchi-Fournier IMSA AAGT Monza
Race Craft, Inc. - Royal Oak, MI
Monza body fits over
chromoly steel tube frame. Rear suspension is fully-floating
axle, 4-bar parallel link, Koni coil-overs and Watts link. |
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Results Bob
LaZebnik/John Morton |
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Date |
Race |
No |
Car |
Drivers |
Entrant |
Grid
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Result |
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Nov 30, 1975 |
IMSA 250 mile Daytona Finale |
50 |
Fournier-Monza |
John Morton |
Airmaster Fan Co. |
?
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DNS |
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Apr 11, 1976 |
IMSA 100 mile Road Atlanta |
28 |
Fournier-Monza |
John Morton |
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8th
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5th |
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May 02, 1976 |
IMSA 100 mile Laguna Seca |
28 |
Fournier-Monza |
Bob LaZebnik |
Bob LaZebnik |
-
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DNA |
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May 09, 1976 |
Trans-Am Pocono |
28 |
Fournier-Monza |
John Morton |
Airmaster |
21st
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DNS |
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Sep 19, 1976 |
IMSA 500 km Road Atlanta |
28 |
Fournier-Monza |
Morton / LaZebnik |
John Morton |
-
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DNA |
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Chassis Designer and
Constructor |
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Design
Engineer |
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Mitch
Marchi - Brighton, MI |
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Constructor |
............. |
Ron Fournier
- Royal Oak, MI |
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Rebuilt by |
.......... |
Mike
Lindorfer - Minneapolis, MN |
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"HOW TO BUILD AN IMSA MONZA"
The Marchi-Fournier built Monza
Read article in CARS May 1976
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Design Engineer
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Mitch
Marchi is a
retired Ford design engineer who worked a t
Kar-Kraft Inc., a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co. in Brighton,
MI. He moonlighted in evenings on drawings for the Monza
project, from which Ron Fournier used to construct to race car.
Kar-Kraft had a small workforce consisting
of (6) engineers, some buyers and 30-40 skilled
tradesmen, e.g. sheet metal, welders and mechanics, where
Fournier also worked previously. Kar-Kraft was FMC's skunkworks,
for the car maker's "unofficial" race development program.
Other notables that worked there were Ron Fournier, Lee Dykstra,
Allan Moffat to name a few.
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Constructor |
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Ron Fournier is a highly notable metal fabricator and buil der
of racecars with over 40 years experience in the custom
automotive industry. In 1964, he started with Holman
and Moody, a manufacturer of factory Ford racecars. Since that
time racing greats such as Roger Penske, A.J. Foyt, Kar-Kraft
and Bob Sharp Racing have all contracted with Ron for his metal
fabricating services for their championship winning race cars,
along with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler car companies. Ron
was with Race Craft in Royal Oak, MI when he was commissioned to
build
LaZebnik's
IMSA GT Monza. |
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The Fournier
Monza |
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By Stacy Scharch |
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Bob
LaZebnik is better known for building and
driving his own 2-litre BMW sedans, which he
competed with in SCCA Trans-Am's Under-2-liter class
in 1970-73. He was also owner of Airmaster Fan
Company in Jackson, Michigan. One of the few
Trans-Am drivers faster than Bob was John Morton,
who piloted a factory-backed BRE Datsun 510 to
series championships in the under-2.5 liter class.
Morton has several SCCA amateur championships to his
credit. He is also well respected for his race car
test and development skills, That is why LaZebnik
asked Morton to drive his Monza when it was rolled
out. Horst Kwech, driver of the famed #3 red Alfa
Romeo, constantly battled Morton's Datsun. All three
later men later competed with IMSA prepared
Chevrolet Monza AAGT cars.
In 1975, Bob
sought-after Mitch Marchi and Ron Fournier to design
and build his Chevrolet Monza for the new AAGT
category of tube-frame cars in the IMSA Camel GT
Challenge series. Marchi and Fournier set out to
design and build an IMSA AAGT Monza, that was as
good or better than DeKon Engineering's, and for
less cost.
A Ford automotive design
engineer, Mitch Marchi was working at Kar-Kraft,
Inc. in 1975. He had previously worked on Ford's
GT40 project with Ron Fournier, and they worked on
the B302 Trans-Am Mustang program with project
engineer Lee Dykstra. In 1974, Dykstra and Horst
Kwech formed DeKon Engineering, LTD. Backed by
General Motors, the two designed and built a
tube-frame Chevrolet Monza for road racing in the
IMSA's new AAGT category.
One of the
automotive industry's finest metal fabricators,
Ronald J. Fournier is a wizard at transforming metal
into various components for championship-winning
race cars. He started out at Holman and Moody in
1964, Ford's large NASCAR operation in Charlotte,
North Carolina. In 1966, he returned to Michigan and
began working at Kar-Kraft, Inc., Ford's own
skunkworks, which was responsible for the highly
successful Ford GT Mk II and Mk IV Le Mans program.
Fournier also worked with Roger Penske to personally
construct a SCCA Trans-Am series-winning Camaro and
Javelin cars for the late Mark Donohue. Ron also
prepared and developed unlimited Can-Am machinery,
Indy cars and long distance road-race cars for
Penske Racing. Ron Fournier also built a pair of
Indy racers for A. J. Foyt that finished third and
sixth in 1971. Ron opened his own shop, Race Craft,
Inc., which he incorporated on November 30, 1971.
Located at 4315 Delemere Court in Royal Oak,
Michigan, the shop was about 25-minutes from the
Ford Motor Company's Dearborn works.
The
Marchi-Fournier Monza project started in July 1975
and LaZebnik's car began to take shape. Mitch
moonlighted on the project while working at
Kar-Kraft. He designed the car after hours at night
and Ron built it during the day. "We were held up a
little on the drawings," says Fournier, "because
Mitch could only work on them in the evenings. This
problem did slow us down just a bit, but everything
turned out OK." The Marchi-Fournier project went
from the design board to the track in four months.
It was the only AAGT Monza race car on which the two
men collaborated.
The car's debut race was
at the Daytona 250 Finale, IMSA Camel GT on November
29-30, 1975. It was one of seven Chevy Monza AAGT
cars entered that weekend. Initially, there were
problems with the limited-slip differential not
functioning properly during Saturday's practice.
Also, the Weber-carbureted 350 engine was no match
for the fuel-injected 350's of the Unser and Moffat
DeKon-Monza cars. LaZebnik's crew made chassis
adjustments and temporary repairs to the troublesome
rear axle. But, disaster struck during qualifying
when a puff of blue smoke indicated a blown engine
on Daytona's back straight. There was no spare
engine for the car and it was all over for LaZebnik,
Morton and the crew. Ironically, even the 2:01
clocked on the warm-up lap was good enough to place
the car 17th on the 70-car grid, when it streaked
past the start/finish line at 180 mph.
Success for LaZebnik-Morton was limited to only a
5th place finish at Road Atlanta I in April 1976,
followed by a no start (DNS) at the Pocono Trans-Am
in 1976, and a DNA at Road Atlanta II in the same
year. One can imagine how the disappointing results,
and escalating costs of road racing in the 1970s,
led to LaZebnik's sale the Monza by the end of 1976.
However, the yellow Marchi-Fournier Monza found a
second home with Tuck Thomas. The car was given an
extreme makeover of its mechanicals and bodywork,
and it achieved much greater success.
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"The
Special Vehicles Activity was established to organize and
supervise the race programs for the Company and to design,
engineer and build vehicles and necessary equipment for
successful competition." Kar-Kraft was given the ability
to engineer, build, test, develop and manufacture a complete
vehicle, or any system or component there of." The Ford memo
goes onto say, "In addition to office at Engineering Building
III and Ford Division General Office, Special Vehicles Activity
utilizes Kar-Kraft, Inc. - contracted solely to Ford Motor
Company and directly responsible to Special Vehicles. The
Kar-Kraft facilities are proximate to the Ford Dearborn area." |
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From Ford Motor Co. documentation |
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Kar-Kraft, Inc.
was a domestic profit organization,
who's resident agent was Nicholas J. Hartman and was
located at 12997 Merriman Rd. in Livonia, Michigan
48150. Kar-Kraft was incorporated on October 5,
1964, it had 50,000 shares and was dissolved on May
15, 1976.
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State of Michigan Dept. of Licensing
and Regulatory Affairs. (2014).
Kar-Kraft Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.michigan.gov/ |
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Race Craft, Inc. was incorporated by Ronald J. Fournier on
November 30, 1971, was located at 4315 Delemere Court in Royal
Oak, Michigan 48073 and closed May 15, 1982. It was also located
in the Detroit area just 20-miles north from Kar-Kraft, Inc. |
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First known photo of
Tuck Thomas #86 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT -
Mid-Ohio 100 mile
Lexington, OH - June
5, 1977 |
Tuck Thomas #86 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT -
Mid-Ohio 100 mile
Lexington, OH - June
5, 1977 |
Tuck Thomas #86 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT -
Mid-Ohio 100 mile
Lexington, OH - June
5, 1977 |
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(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
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(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
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Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier) original build
IMSA Camel GT - Brainerd Int'l Raceway
Brainerd, Minnesota - Jun 19, 1977 |
Tuck Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
original build
IMSA Camel GT - Brainerd Int'l Raceway
Brainerd, Minnesota - Jun 19, 1977 |
Tuck Thomas #88 (Fournier)
w/ Lindorfer changes
IMSA Camel GT - Laguna Seca II
Monterey, CA - October 9, 1977 |
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(Image rendering by Stacy Scharch) |
(Photo by Jerry Winker) |
(Lancer Stores ad, Brainerd Int'l Raceway
event program)
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Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT - Laguna Seca II
Monterey, CA - October 9, 1977 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT - Laguna Seca II
Monterey, CA - October 9, 1977 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT - Laguna Seca II
Monterey, CA - October 9, 1977 |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 4, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 4, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 4, 1978 |
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(Photo by Brent Martin) |
(Photo by Brent Martin) |
(Photo by Brent Martin) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 4, 1978 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mont-Tremblant
St. Jovite, QC - June 25, 1978 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mont-Tremblant
St. Jovite, QC - June 25, 1978 |
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(Photo by Brent Martin) |
(Photo by www.autocourse.ca) |
(Photo by www.autocourse.ca) |
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Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Brainerd Int'l Raceway
Brainerd, MN - Aug 13, 1978 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1978 |
Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1978 |
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(Photo by Jerry Winker) |
(Photo by RacingSportsCars c/o
BUGEYE) |
(Photo by Terry Capps) |
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Tuck
Thomas #88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI - September 4, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI - September 4, 1978 |
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(Photo by Terry Capps) |
(Photo by Len Carlson) |
(Photo by Glenn Snyder/RJS Image) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA - October 8, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Ricardo Rodriguez Autodrome
Mexico City, Mexico - November 5, 1978 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Ricardo Rodriguez Autodrome
Mexico City, Mexico - November 5, 1978 |
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(Photo by Bill Oursler) |
(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Ricardo Rodriguez Autodrome
Mexico City, Mexico - May 6, 1979
New rear panels with wider flares |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 3, 1979
New front clip similar to Hansen's DeKon 1010 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Westwood Motorsports Park
Coquitlam, BC, Canada - June 3, 1979
New front clip similar to Hansen's DeKon 1010 |
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(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
(Photo by Brent Martin) |
(Photo by Brent Martin) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit
Watkins Glen, NY - August 5, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit
Watkins Glen, NY - August 5, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit
Watkins Glen, NY - August 5, 1979 |
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(Photo by R. Allen Olmstead) |
(Photo by Mike Keyser c/o www.autosportsltd.com) |
(Photo by Clark W Nicolls) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit
Watkins Glen, NY - August 5, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1979 |
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(Photo by Clark W Nicolls) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Mosport Park
Bowmanville, ON - August 19, 1979 |
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(Photo by Mark Windecker) |
(Photo by Mark Windecker) |
(Photo by Mark Windecker) |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Trois-Rivières street
circuit
Trois-Rivières, QC - September 01, 1979 |
Circuit Trois-Rivières (street circuit)
Terrain de l'Exposition (fairgrounds)
Trois-Rivieres, Quebec,
Canada |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Trois-Rivières street
circuit
Trois-Rivières, QC - September 01, 1979 |
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Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA - October 14, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA - October 14, 1979 |
Tuck Thomas
#88 (c/n Fournier)
SCCA Trans-Am - Laguna Seca
Monterey, CA - October 14, 1979 |
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(Photo by Terry Capps) |
(Photo by Terry Capps) |
(Photo by Terry Capps) |
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The Second Owner:
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Tuck Thomas bought the car in 1977 and
immediately began racing to develop the car the same
year. Thomas
said, "It was obvious we needed to change things so we did that
over the winter and improved results greatly."
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Tuck Thomas |
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The Rebuilder:
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Mike Lindorfer remade the entire
car over the winter of 1977-78, but kept the original Fournier
tube-frame intact. Upgrades included new body, suspension,
water-cooled brakes and an awesome Chevrolet 5.7L V-8 with
slide-port fuel injection.
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Mike
Lindorfer |
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The Comeback Monza
Second life for Marchi-Fournier chassis |
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By Stacy Scharch |
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Success for LaZebnik and Morton was limited with just
one 5th place finish, two no starts (DNS) and two no
shows (DNA) in 1975 and 76. One can easily imagine how
the disappointing results and escalating costs of IMSA
GT road racing may have led to LaZebnik's sale of the
Monza at the end of 1976. However, the bright yellow
Marchi-Fournier Monza found a second home, received a
head-to-toe overhaul and achieved greater success with
its next owner.
 Enter
Tuck Thomas, a highly talented SCCA pro driver from
Minneapolis.
David Earl "Tuck" Thomas, III was born in 1945 in Edina,
Minnesota. He graduated from Edina High School then
attended the University of Minnesota. Mr. Thomas went
into business with his father, David E. Thomas, II who
started up Lancer Stores, Inc. in 1953. Tuck became
vice-president of the fashion clothing chain in the
'70s, which included some 38 stores in the Twin Cities
metropolitan area.
Thomas started his racing career in 1970, driving
autocross. He first drove on Brainerd International
Raceway's 3.1-mile Donnybrooke road course in 1971,
raced SCCA Formula Ford's and Formula B's. In 1972, he
won the Canadian-American Ice Racing series title,
driving a Mini Cooper S on the frozen lakes of Canada,
Minnesota and Wisconsin – winning all but one of the
Canadian-American Ice Racing Series, 100-mile races.
He also jumped into a SCCA sedan racing the same year
and captured the Central Division A-Sedan championship
with his Lancer Stores Camaro, setting four lap records
in the process of winning nine out of ten SCCA national
club races in 1972. In November, Thomas qualified his
Camaro in second spot on the grid at the national
runoffs in Atlanta for the SCCA American Road Race of
Champions, but failed to finish.
Thomas switched back to driving formula cars in 1973,
specifically the 5.0-liter Chevy powered Lola T300 and
T332 in the SCCA Formula A/5000 road racing series. He
captured the SCCA Central Division's Formula A
championship for '73. The 1976 season was his last as a
Formula car driver before returning to SCCA Trans-Am
road racing, as well as a few IMSA GT events as a
professional driver.
He proved to be a talented driver and enjoyed a meteoric
rise through the ranks of road racing from the amateur
level to professional. Tuck has raced in Formula Ford's,
Formula B's, A-Sedan Chevrolet Camaro, Formula A/5000
Lola cars, Trans-Am Chevrolet Monza, Corvette and
Firebird to name a few. He was also a co-driver for
12-hour and 24-hour endurance races and said, "You felt
just beat…to the point you didn’t know your name at the
end of the race." Typically, his driving shifts were two
hours on, six hours off, and couldn’t sleep at all.
Tuck Thomas purchased the used Fournier Monza in 1977
from Bob LaZebnik, owner of Airmaster Fan Co. in
Jackson, Michigan. The two-year-old IMSA-runner had not
seen much action or enjoyed as much success as other
road racing Monzas in 1975 and 76.
When I talked with Tuck in 2010, the first thing he said
about his Monza was, "It was one-hundred percent not a
DeKon." Apparently, that was a common misconception by
others wanting to know who built the racecar. Then said,
"It was built from the ground up. I bought it from a guy
in the Detroit area. It was cheaper than a DeKon – but
not well designed." He was unable to recall the previous
owner's name, but did say John Morton drove it. Thomas,
who was then age 65, said he wasn't very knowledgeable
about car technology, but said his memory was good -
just a little short. He said casually, that he was an
"excellent driver" and driven "hundreds of races."
I asked him, "What made you a such a good driver,
different from the others?" His reply was, "Stupidity. I
had no fear and knew limits. Managing fear and my
surroundings was key. I had respect for the car and the
track. A two-mile-per-hour difference in turns could put
you in the weeds."
Tuck Thomas wasted no time racing his new Monza "as is"
when he bought it in '77, spending the first year
developing the car. He said, "Originally, the car was
not very good it’s first year. We prepared it for three
or four Trans Am races, but ran way down on times. Then,
we made changes over the winter that greatly improved
results."
Those were some changes all right. His mechanic Mike
Lindorfer redesigned and rebuilt the car over the winter
of 1977, but left the original Marchi/Fournier tube
chassis relatively intact. The body was given the latest
updates in allowable aerodynamic devices and included
the addition of a rear wing, a much larger front air dam
and NACA ducts. Ground effects were further incorporated
following a second round of revisions to the road racing
Monza.
The body was changed twice, but maintained the original
Marchi-Fournier tube chassis frame. The first update
incorporated a cowcatcher-like front air dam, which was
also used on a few other Monzas like Brad Frisselle's
DeKon 1003 and Tom Frank's DeKon 1004 Monzas. The second
update, saw a third nose and utilized a flat, sloped
front air dam with aluminum splitter panels below. The
car was ahead of its time, the new ground effects
increased its down-force and adhesion to the track when
cornering. Mike Lindorfer designed and fabricated all
the air channeling for the Lancer mobile.
Thomas dispelled a rumor that he had ever owned more
than one Monza, simply saying, "It was that it was the
same chassis with a different body." Understandably,
such a myth would arise after Lancer Racing team's
rollout in 1978, unveiling Lindorfer's radical changes
to the GT car.
The Monza received an impressive power plant, a more
powerful Chevy 350 CID small-block push rod V8, but with
a new finely tuned "slide-port" fuel injection system.
The suspension featured an adjustable rear end that
could be raised and lowered. Tuck's privateer team
didn't shy away from new technology; the Lancer Racing
Monza featured water mist cooled brake calipers. Thomas
pointed out, "It was one-hundred percent legal."
Mike Lindorfer was a "brilliant" mechanic" and owned a
little shop on Grand Avenue when they first met. Mike
then moved to a big shop in Roseville in the north metro
area of the Twin Cities. Thomas also said, "Mike did
some work for Jerry Hansen, but didn’t pay him very
well."
Tuck said, "It was a great car, as good or better than
the others." That says a lot, considering Thomas'
previous racecars were a Lola T300 and T332 open
wheeler. Tuck competed in the amateur SCCA
Formula-A/5000 series, and a select few professional
races in the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 series.
 The Lancer Stores logo was boldly displayed on Tuck's
racecars in his familiar livery of yellow with orange
and red accents, along with car number 88 in digital
font. The sponsor or entrant names he used were Tuck
Thomas Racing, Lancer Stores, or Lancer Racing.
Tuck reminisced about the good ole days of Trans-Am
racing, when amateur drivers with small budgets could
afford to race and progress through the ranks on their
talent, and were able to compete alongside the big name
professionals, like Andretti, Unser, Redman or Hobbs.
Tuck said, "Those guys were very serious, all business
and kept to themselves. Trans-Am had group one
production and the second was tube frame… then they
killed it." He also divulged that he was "paid to show
up," by track owners to race against Jerry Hansen. They
were quite a draw and fans loved watching the two titans
compete so closely and swap leads. Thomas also said
track announcers took to calling them, "the Tuck and
Jerry show."
He was very personable with many drivers and often took
in the company of actor/driver Paul L. Newman on
weekends at Brainerd International Raceway. Newman often
sought refuge at the track from his many fans by hanging
out inside Tuck's motor home. Thomas said, "We were
friends for about ten years and we wrote short notes to
each other, but Newman never signed them." Thomas also
invited the celebrity to his Minnesota lake home and
boated, saying, "He was an extremely nice man."
In 1980, Tuck Thomas sold the Marchi/Fournier Monza to Don
Cummings and said, "He drove up from Florida and paid me
in cash with $20 bills." Thomas didn't recall
any details of the sale or the amount, but did say Cummings raced the
Monza a couple of years, wrecked it quite badly and then
sold it to Bill Stone around 1984-85. It remained in
Stone's hands for about 22-years, until early 2007, when
the car was purchased again by Lance Smith of Racerods
in San Diego, California.
Thomas' career spanned some 15-years and said he
competed in about 200 race events. Thomas retired from
pro and amateur road racing in the 1980s, citing his
commitment to be with his family and run his business as
a clothier. He became president/CEO of Lancer Stores,
which enjoyed a good 44-year run until the business
closed its doors in 1997. Known well as an avid
entrepreneur, Thomas pursued a new direction and went
into home building and started up TimberRidge Homes in
Excelsior, MN the same year and was owner/CEO.
On September 10, 2013, Tuck Thomas passed away
unexpectedly at the age of 68. Undoubtedly, he had a
wondeful life from beginning to end as a devoted family
man, businessman, highly respected race driver and
friend to many. |
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Results Tuck
Thomas |
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Date |
Race |
No |
Car |
Drivers |
Entrant |
Result |
Prize/Status |
|
Jun 05, 1977 |
IMSA 100 mile Mid-Ohio |
86 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
- |
39th |
|
|
Jun 19, 1977 |
IMSA 100 mile Brainerd |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
- |
16th |
|
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Aug 14, 1977 |
Trans-Am Brainerd |
86 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
8th |
$460 broken
wheel |
|
Sep 03, 1977 |
Trans-Am Road America I |
86 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
3rd |
$800 |
|
Sep 04, 1977 |
Trans-Am Road America II |
86 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
2nd |
$1,000 |
|
Oct 09, 1977 |
IMSA 100 mile Laguna Seca II |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
- |
5th |
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May 21, 1978 |
Trans-Am Sears Point |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Thomas Racing |
4th |
$1,320 |
|
Jun 04, 1978 |
Trans-Am Westwood |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
22nd |
$800
overheating |
|
Jun 11, 1978 |
Trans-Am Portland |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
1st |
$3,760
Winner |
|
Jun 25, 1978 |
Trans-Am St. Jovite |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
3rd |
$1,660 |
|
Aug 13, 1978 |
Trans-Am Brainerd |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
2nd |
$1,400 |
|
Aug 19, 1978 |
Trans-Am Mosport |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
3rd |
$1,460 |
|
Sep 04, 1978 |
Trans-Am Road America |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
2nd |
$2,500 |
|
Oct 08, 1978 |
Trans-Am Laguna Seca |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
5th |
$1,115 |
|
Nov 05, 1978 |
Trans-Am Mexico Autodrome |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
3rd |
$1,982 |
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May 06, 1979 |
Trans-Am Mexico Autodrome |
na |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
2nd |
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Jun 03, 1979 |
Trans-Am Westwood |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
3rd |
$1,600 |
|
Jun 10, 1979 |
Trans-Am Portland |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
7th |
engine |
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Jun 17, 1979 |
IMSA 100 mile Brainerd |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
17th |
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Jul 21, 1979 |
Trans-Am Road America |
86 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
7th |
rear end |
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Aug 05, 1979 |
Trans-Am Watkins Glen |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
5th |
$1,200 |
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Aug 19, 1979 |
Trans-Am Mosport |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
6th |
overheating |
|
Sep 01, 1979 |
Trans-Am Trois-Rivières |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
2nd |
$3,000 |
|
Oct 14, 1979 |
Trans-Am Laguna Seca |
88 |
Monza-Fournier |
Tuck Thomas |
Lancer Stores |
9th |
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Tuck Thomas
(1945-2013)
|
On September 10, 2013, David Earl "Tuck" Thomas,
III of Excelsior, MN passed away suddenly at age 68. He is
survived by wife of 36 years, Sherrie (Grundsted); daughters, Ashlie
and Lindsay, and son David. Tuck graduated from Edina High
School in Minneapolis and attended the University of Minnesota. He was a
business owner and avid entrepreneur. Tuck was president of
Lancer Stores, a retail clothing company, and then owned TimberRidge Homes, a home building/remodeling business. In his
younger days, he was an accomplished professional race car
driver and private pilot. He enjoyed tennis, boating, snow
skiing, and RVing. A compassionate and loving husband, father,
and grandfather, Tuck's love and support for his family was
endless. He was also a generous friend and advisor to many;
loved for his free spirit and sense of humor.
|
More about Tuck Thomas and the Lancer Racing
Team
by Kurt
Engelmann at
My Formula 5000 |
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Donald G.
Cummings |
| Third owner of Fournier
Monza |
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Don Cummings, of Ormond Beach, FL, owned the car in the
early 1980's. The Monza's slide-port injection
system did remain with the car when Thomas sold it to Cummings. Don's team, The
Cummings Marque, changed the fuel delivery system to a
carbureted one. The two photos of the Cummings Monza (below)
are absent the large front air dam and rear wing as used by
Thomas. |
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Don Cummings co-drivers |
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1. |
Cummings, Tom Juckette, Emory Donaldson |
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2. |
Cummings, Juckette |
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3. |
Cummings, Ed Justis |
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4. |
Cummings, Irwin Ayes |
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5. |
Cummings, Craig Rubright,
Charles Gano
(Juckette
never drove) |
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6. |
Cummings, Greg Walker |
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Third
owner Don Cummings #97 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT - 24 hr Daytona
Daytona, FL - Jan 31, 1982
(Photo by Norbert Vogel) |
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Don
Cummings/Craig Rubright #12 (c/n Fournier)
IMSA Camel GT (GTO) - Sebring 12 hour
Sebring, FL - March 19, 1983
(Photo by
Rob
Weber) |
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Results Don
Cummings |
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Date |
Race |
No |
Car |
Drivers |
Entrant |
Result |
|
Jul 04, 1980 |
IMSA 250 Daytona Paul
Revere |
98 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings |
The Cummings Marque |
19th |
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Feb 01, 1981 |
IMSA 24 h Daytona |
95 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 1 |
The Cummings Marque |
DNA |
|
Mar 21, 1981 |
IMSA 12 h Sebring |
97 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 2 |
The Cummings Marque |
53rd |
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Jul 05, 1981 |
IMSA 250 Daytona Paul
Revere |
97 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings |
The Cummings Marque |
37th |
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Jan 31, 1982 |
IMSA 24 h Daytona |
97 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 3 |
The Cummings Marque |
DNS |
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Mar 20, 1982 |
IMSA 12 h Sebring |
97 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 4 |
The Cummings Marque |
31st |
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Mar 19, 1983 |
IMSA 12 h Sebring |
12 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 5 |
The Cummings Marque |
74th |
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Jul 04, 1983 |
IMSA 250 Daytona Paul
Revere |
2 |
Monza-Fournier |
Don Cummings, 6 |
The Cummings Marque |
33rd |
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Lance Smith
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Fifth owner of Fournier Monza
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Lance Smith
(c/n Fournier) in Cummings 1983 livery
Purchased the AAGT Monza in 2007 - Racerods shop
Racerods shop San Diego, CA - April 14, 2008
(Photo by Lance Smith) |
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Lance Smith
(c/n Fournier) in Cummings 1983 livery
Still
in
Don Cummings #2 livery from 1983
San
Diego, CA - May 4, 2010
(Photo by Lance Smith) |
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Lance Smith
(c/n Fournier) in Cummings 1983 livery
Right
rear view of chassis - Racerods shop
San
Diego, CA - April 14, 2008
(Photo by Lance Smith) |
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Lance Smith
(c/n Fournier) in Cummings 1983 livery
Engine
bay showing Marchi/Fournier tube frame
San
Diego, CA - April 14, 2008
(Photo by Lance Smith) |
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Lance Smith - owner of Racerods in San Diego, CA,
purchased the GT Monza February 1, 2007 from Bill Stone. It
donned the livery of previous owner Don Cummings and his team
The Cummings Marque. The Monza also came with the car number
used at one of Cummings' last IMSA GT races at Daytona, the Paul
Revere 250.
Lance is storing the
disassembled car inside his Racerods shop and didn't hesitate to
call it a "basket case," being many of parts are sitting in
boxes. The Lindorfer-modified GT Monza still has most of the parts
as owned by Thomas, including the original Marchi-designed,
Fournier-built tube-frame chassis. When he bought car, it only
had a carburetor setup and thinks Tuck Thomas kept the fuel
injection. Cummings apparently took the car apart, but the
original chassis is complete. The Monza has a set of body
panels, albeit missing inner panels; it has a suspension,
brakes, as well as 16 in. and 19 in. BBS wheels.
Smith says the market value for a complete race-ready IMSA GT
Monza is about $250.000. His goal is to sell the car and
complete all restoration work for the owner himself, rather than
sell as is. However, he would listen to any serious offer.
Who knows what the fate of the Fournier Monza will be, if
someone resurrects it, or heaven forbid the unmentionable. The
car does have a significant history and record, especially when
raced so successfully in the 1977-79 seasons by Tuck Thomas. The
Monza may have its greatest value fully-restored, not to its
original condition, but perhaps that in full Lancer Racing
regalia of number 88 yellow.
These cars are worth more as functioning artifacts taking hot
laps at historic races, not solely as a static display. It would
be a welcome addition to a growing entry list and field of IMSA
GT Monzas.
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Owners of the Fournier Monza |
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Owner |
Year |
Notes |
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1. |
Bob LaZebnik |
1975-77 |
Michigan |
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2. |
Tuck Thomas |
1977-80 |
Minnesota |
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3. |
Don Cummings |
1980-83 |
Florida |
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4. |
Bill Stone |
1983-07 |
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5. |
Lance
Smith |
2007- |
California |
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