''The Racing Scene'' is a 1969 documentary film about actor

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

and his auto racing team, directed by

Andy Sidaris Andrew William Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, producer, screenwriter. After a pioneering career directing televised sports beginning in the 1960s, Sidaris wrote and directed a succes ...

. The picture offers a glimpse of Garner's role and the teams and cars he sponsored during the middle of three years (1968-1970) his American International Racing team campaigned over a variety of racing series.American International Racing - Team History & Info - Motorsport Database
Motorsport Magazine ''The Racing Scene'' was the first film directed by Sidaris, whose background at that time had been in sports telecasting.

Background

In 1969

(born 1928) was a veteran Hollywood leading man of both film and television. At the peak of his popularity, he found his interest drifting from his acting career and into the sport of auto racing - in the day an extremely popular ''international scene'' in which he had played a starring role as a

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

champion in the 1966 big screen hit ''

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

''. Garner wasn't alone in pursuing auto racing as a diversion from movie and TV-making, being joined by such Hollywood figures as

A-list An A-list actor is a major movie star, or one of the most bankable actors in a film industry. The A-list is part of a larger guide called ''The Hot List'', which ranks the bankability of 1,400 movie actors worldwide, and has become an industry ...

star

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

, a four-time

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, HPDE, Time Trial, Road Racing, RoadRally, and Hill Climbs in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs ...

(SCCA} champion and number two finisher in the

1979 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 47th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 9 and 10 June 1979. With no other major works cars this year, the Porsche team were the strong favourites to win. Their competition would be from Cosworth DFV ...

, and big screen action hero

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

, who raced both motorcycles and cars. Garner and comedian

Dick Smothers Richard Remick Smothers (born November 20, 1938) is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician. He was half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom. Early life Smothers was born in New York City ...

(who appears in ''The Racing Scene'') even took the same high-speed driving course together in 1968, run by

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

legend and 55-time champion

Curtis Turner Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and ...

on the

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

in North Carolina."Dick Smothers, James Garner Get Racing Lessons from Curtis Martin"
''Competition Press and Auto Week'', April 14, 1968, p. 13 McQueen went on to fund his own Formula racing movie, 1971's ''

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

'', about a fictional (1970)

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

in which he drove wheel-to-wheel with some of the top professionals of the day on the actual endurance track in France during filming. Driving

Formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

cars in staged racing sequences in ''Grand Prix'' gave Garner experience in high-adrenalin wheel-to-wheel racing. He caught the bug bad enough that following his 1968 race track training he formed his own racing team, and by 1969 was financing a variety of different platforms in racing series in North America, including getting some limited competitive time of his own behind the wheel.

Plot

''The Racing Scene'' is produced in documentary fashion, narrated by Garner, covering a slice of his 1969 racing life as owner of the American International Racing team he had created the year before. He is first seen roaring across the Mexican outback in a heavily modified 650 horsepower

Ford Bronco The Ford Bronco is a model line of SUV, SUVs manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford. The first SUV model developed by the company, five generations of the Bronco were sold from the 1966 to 1996 model years. A sixth generation of ...

in the 1969 ''

Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula, with a course of up to about 850 or more miles. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from ...

'' offroad race, along with trusted co-driver and "hard-charger" Scooter Patrick. One of six similar Bronco teams he's sponsoring, they come in 4th in their class. Following a media and celebrity-filled public debut for his racing team, he flies to England and on to

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

raceway to check on the

shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational ...

of an

open-wheel An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

, 5-litre, V8-powered

Formula A Formula A may refer to: * Formula 5000, a defunct auto racing class in use 1968–1982, also called Formula A * Formula K, a defunct 100 cc karting class, later called Formula A, now known as KF1 KF1 was the top level of karting. It is open to ...

car he was having built for his team by Formula One champion

John Surtees John Norman Surtees (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Surtees was a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycl ...

and top designer

Len Terry Leonard E. Terry (11 February 1924 – 25 August 2014) was an English racing car designer and engineer, known for his work with Lotus, BRM and Eagle. He also designed chassis for many other teams, including ERA and Aston Martin and produced ...

for North American

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, High Performance Driver Education, HPDE, Time trial, Time Trial, Road racing, Road Racing, Regularity rally, R ...

Continental Championship

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an Open-wheel car, open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel ...

series racing. Cut to the 1969 ''

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

'' in

Daytona, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

. Garner is seen as an owner amid the pit crew of a two-car endurance racing team campaigning a matching pair of Traco-built Chevrolet 302 V8-powered

Lola T70 The Lola T70 is a sports prototype developed by British manufacturer Lola Cars in 1965, the successor to its Mk6. Lola built the aluminium monocoque chassis, which were typically powered by large American V8s. The T70 was quite popular in the ...

Mk 3b coupes. The $350,000 cars are of last year's design, which is more reliable than the high-strung 1969 Lola, and outlast all the over-stressed but superior performing

Ford GT40 The Ford GT40 is a high-performance mid-engined racing car originally designed and built for and by the Ford Motor Company to compete in 1960s European endurance racing. Its specific impetus was to beat Scuderia Ferrari, which had won the pr ...

s and

Porsche 908 The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906- Porsche 910- Porsche 907 series of models designed by Helmuth Bott (chassis) and Hans Mezger (engine) under the leadership of racing chief Ferdinand P ...

s, earning 2nd and 7th place finishes. Shortly after the same cars and a different combination of co-drivers are in Sebring, set-up and modified for the flat-tracked ''

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

'' run on a former airfield there. The cars start off well but Patrick drops out early on and the other team ends up placing 7th. Garner departs the team to make a film in Europe; while he is gone two of his drivers keep busy in various Formula A,

Can Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987. The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variet ...

, and

Trans Am Trans Am may refer to: * Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, an automobile model * Trans Am (band), an American post-rock band ** ''Trans Am'' (album), their 1996 debut album, or the title song * "Trans Am" (song), a 2015 song by Thompson Square * Trans- ...

races, Patrick is winning some in his orbit, and John Surtees has his Team Surtees Formula A cars "running like a bandit" according to Garner, and bagging some hardware on their circuit. A re-energized team-owner is en route over the Golden Gate Bridge to meet his top lieutenants at the

Sears Point Raceway Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway, Golden State International Raceway and Infineon Raceway) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains of Sonoma County, California. The road cour ...

in northern California, having taken possession of its prize new Surtees ''Garner TS5'' Formula A car (TS for "Team Surtees" and 5 for the maximum engine capacity in litres allowed in Formula 5000, which North American Formula A racing falls under). Powered by a Traco Engineering (of

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

) built 450 hp 302 cu. in. small-block Chevy V8, it needed a complete going over, being busily ramrodded by Patrick. Excited to get behind the wheel for some high-speed laps, Garner confirms the car needs some major suspension adjustments ahead of its upcoming debut just a week off, a SCCA Continental Championship Trans Am race at the Lime Rock circuit clear across the U.S. in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. After shaking the most obvious bugs out in California Patterson flies east with Garner while the crew tows the car cross-country behind a

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

. Patrick breaks the news mid-flight that the car will be so late in arriving that there will be functionally no time for final adjustments. Compounding things once there, serious unexpected

distributor A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time. Design ...

problems encountered during testing prevent it from even completing its required qualifying run; after some four-figure emergency triage the car starts dead last in a pack of 20 entrants, the penalty for not having qualified. Through skillful and competitive driving by Patrick it moves up to 11th, but driven too hard the engine blows and he is out of the race. Garner returns to California to acquire a replacement, and vents some steam off from his increasingly costly and still only marginally successful racing adventure tearing a sand rail over the

Algodones Dunes The Algodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, or Erg (landform), erg, located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of California, near the border with Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California. The field is approximately long ...

in southeastern California near the Arizona-Mexico border. Just six days after Lime Rock the crew is back on the track for the ''St Jovite F5000'' in Canada, north of Montreal at the

Circuit Mont-Tremblant Circuit Mont-Tremblant is a race circuit located approximately north of Montreal, Quebec, in the city of Mont-Tremblant, Canada. It is the second-oldest existing race track in Canada, and was originally known as Circuit Mont-Tremblant-St-Jovi ...

racetrack at St. Jovite near the

Mont Tremblant Resort Mont Tremblant Ski Resort (commonly referred to as Tremblant) is a year-round resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, located about northwest of Montreal. It is best known as a Ski resort, ski destination, but also features Lake ...

. It is the 9th of 11 races in the 1969 SCCA Continental Championship season, and the crew has put considerable effort into getting the car right for the course. Believing they are competitive enough to vie for the winner's trophy everyone is hopeful when Patrick takes off 16th in a field of 27 racers. However, halfway through the 1st lap an eight-car pileup caused by an out-of-control racer knocks the Garner car out. Saying he's OK with a rough road and its challenges, Garner walks off to take on whatever's next for his racing team, doubling-down with a final affirmation, "This is my road. The one I choose. The one I follow."

Postscript

Garner's American International Racing team continued entering events through 1970, campaigning (at least) a pair of Eagle-Chevrolets (driven by Davey Jordan and Rex Ramsey) in a total of 17 Formula 5000 races. Jordan entered five, placing as high as 2nd at the Riverside F5000, while Ramsey raced in 12, with a high of 3rd place at the Sears Point F5000. Andy Sidaris continued in sports direction after this picture, including coordinating Olympic coverage for ABC and winning several Emmys, before moving on to directing exploitative B-pictures in the 1980s, and some episodic television direction.

References

Sources

External links