Why were Chaparall racing cars not allowed to race in the CANAM racing circuits?
. This should clarify….from the net. Pretty comprehensive and interesting too. Texan Jim Hall began racing sportscars in SCCA events in the early ’50s. He became pretty good at it. In 1957 he moved from Dallas to Midland to be closer to his family’s oil business. There he joined a syndicate that built and ran a sportscar track called Rattlesmake Raceway. It was never very good as a racing facility, so when Hall formed Chaparral in the early ’60s, he acquired the track as a private test facility and built his factory there. Early Chaparrals competed in various sportscar races across the country including the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. From 1963-1965, Chaparrals driven by Hall and Hap Sharp, dominated SCCA racing. Chaparral was well known for aerodynamic innovations. Hall was one of the first to put “air-dams” under a car’s chin to keep the front of the car on the ground. He was also one of the first to put a “spoiler” on the rear deck edge to keep the back end on
