Editor's note: Too often the excitement of motorsport is seen from the outside. What goes on behind the colorful facade remains the property of the participants. Such, however, is not the case with Wayne Baker's championship winning Porsche 934 GTO team.
We contacted Baker at the beginning of 1983 about giving Porsche Year an exclusive insider's view of what it's like to be the top contender in one of this country's most prestigious series. We could not know then that Baker and his crew would experience one of the most tumultuous seasons in the history of IMSA's long running Camel GT.
What follows is Baker's own account of those hectic months during which the team scored the first-ever overall victory by a GTO car at the famed Sebring 12-Hour endurance classic, and the suffered a devastating fire at Sears Point in July that nearly ended Baker's title hopes.
It was a struggle to make the Daytona 24-Hour Pepsi Challange. We had gone to John Bishop, the president of the International Motor Sports Association near the end of 1982 to discuss the GTO rules for the following season. As a result of those discussions, and some subsequent changes in the GTO regulations, we came away convinced that a revamped Porsche 934 Turbo could win the championship, especially since IMSA would permit much of the technology developed for the 935 to be used on the 934.
Our first problem was to acquire a car. By November we had sitting in our shops the shell of Bob Garretson's old number nine 935 K-3 that he, Bobby Rahal, and Brian Redman had driven to victory at the 935 body panels, suspension or drivetrain, the stripped body looked far more like a refugee from a junkyard, than the foundation for a front-runner race car. The task of "converting" the 935 into our 834, which we affectionately nicknamed "Big Orange" was a three-month task. In fact, it took a "Cannonball" type 43-hour cross country banzai trip, in order to get to Daytona on time.
Nevertheless, we had hopes of doing reasonably well since we felt that Big Orange was indeed a potential championship winning entry. As it stood in the Daytona garage area Big Orange had a single plug 3.2-liter engine that was more akin to a 935 than a 934. With a huge air-to-air intercooler mounted in the rear spoiler and connected to a KKK 36 turbo, not only could we call on more than 600 horsepower, but we had eliminated almost all the throttle lag that had plagued the 934's single turbo set up in the past.
Even though we didn't have a chance to do much more than make sure nothing fell off and get the car qualified, we did find out that it really handled well. The 12-inch wide rims at the back meant that we could use Firestones that put a 14-inch wide contact patch on the pavement. And, that really helped.
Jim Mullen and Bob (Garretson) came down to co-drive. Despite some of our own problems, not to mention a torrential downpour Sunday that forced the race to be halted for a while while during the late morning, we finished ninth overall, and fourth in GTO. It may not have been the best outcome, but considering everything it was one we could live with.
Wayne Baker sprays the press with champagne after winning the GTO category at Road Atlanta.
Road Atlanta was just one victory among many Baker scored during 1983 on his way to the Camel GTO crown.
...
About the only problem we had during the 12-Hour were the six flats we suffered because of debris on the course. By nine o'clock in the evening with two hours left, we were fourth overall and second in GTO behind the Daytona winning Mazda of Pete Halsmer and Rick Knoop. That class position changed when their brake rotor exploded, putting us first in GTO. Still, I didn't know about what was happening up front in those last two hours since I was busy coping with Big Orange's steering which was showing distinct signs of weariness. I later found out that the two overall leaders had more than their own share of difficulties. What I also didn't know was that their troubles had put us ahead of them.
Indeed, I couldn't understand why Greg wouldn't let me come in check the steering. He told me over the radio that no matter what happened I was to stay out on course.
When we finally took the checkered flag we were one and a half minutes ahead of Bob Akin's 935. As I crossed the line, though, I thought we were just first in GTO. Greg had to shout to me several times on the radio that we were number one overall before I knew what we had done.
I can't tell you what a feeling it is to make history
.
[Sebring had never been won by a GTO division car since IMSA had
separated the Camel series into three categories]. All I know is we celebrated
a great deal, and that it took awhile the accomplishment to sink in. Our whole
crew deserve praise, especially Greg and our always present engine builder
Jerry Woods, without whom there wouldn't have been a car to race. Bob Garretson
was another helping hand who contributed much to our success.
Baker in the hairpin at Sebring where he, Jim Mullen and Kees Nierop scored an historic overall win with their Porsche 934. It was the first time a GTO division car had beaten the supposedly faster prototypes in the 12-Hour race.
...
Still, if times had seem difficult before, they did not compare with what came next. The late July Spears Point round was right in our backyard. Seeking perfection, we took Big Orange from our San Jose headquarters to the track for open practice on Thursday. Jim was driving when he spun on some oil and got into the tire wall at Turn Five. The heat of the exhaust lit off the grass, and by the time the fire truck got to the scene, the back half of Big Orange was destroyed. Moreover, in trying to help get things under control, one of our crew, Mike Prewitt, was knocked down by an exploding tire. Fortunately he wasn't seriously injured and was back with us two days later.
Without going into all the details, we scrapped our initial decision to skip Sears and rebuild the car for Portland, which was to be held the week later. Instead we plunged into a two-day, all-night attempt to get the car ready for Saturday qualifying at the San Fransisco Bay Area track. It took 40 hours straight, but we did. From what was a wrecked car on Thursday, we had fourth place grid position among our GTO peers.
...
It was hard work, made even harder by the troubles which dogged us the latter part of the season. Still, it was worth it. As for 1984?That's something we'll figure out in the near future. Whatever it is, one thing's certain-we're coming back- bigger and better than before.
Ž
A TRIBUTE
Jeanne Kuchenmeister is the possessor of a very special medal, the one given to Wayne Baker for winning Sebring outright with his Porsche 934.
...her support, as well as the support of her late husband , Fred, were instrumental in moving the whole GTO Baker project along. Baker acknowledged this when he renamed Big Orange "Fred's School Bus"; for the 12-Hour race.
Final Editions
Wayne Baker's number 9 may be the last Porsche 935's ever built.
Baker's is a reconversion of his well-traveled 1983 GTO title-winning
934.
Source: Originally published in Porsche Year 1983-84 by Susann Miller, all photos are original archive
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