Charles Zwolsman

[Nordic]

The man behind Euro racing has fallen off his perch it would seem.

Didnt realise he funded his racing with drug money and in fact died in the slammer.

The Lola 92/10's were the only private 3.5litre cars to really take the fight to Pug and Toyota and in the wet 92 race Fretzen was a bit of a star if I recal.

[Boorish Grobian]

Unfortunately drug money and sportscar racing have a long history together. The old joke in the eighties was that IMSA stood for International Marijuana Smugglers Association.  Anybody remember the Paul's (John Sr & Jr), Randy Lanier, the Whittington Bros? Alot of people used to quietly mumble about how half the starting grid at the Daytona 24Hrs back in those days was funded by various Columbian...agricultural activities.
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[Nordic]

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=284883299524

Paul Snr took it to a new level when his girlfriend vanished! Is it true that the Le Mans winning 935 form the whittington Bros vanished as well to avoid seizure? do seem to recall a photo maybe at the IMS meseum?

I read that the Kremers wanted Ludwig to start the car, however the Whittingtons wanted to start the car, at this stage it was being rented. To ease themselves into the starting seat, they produced a suitcase full of cash and brought the car on the spot.

[Boorish Grobian]

The '79 LM winning Kremer 935-K3 has been in the museum at IMS for many years now (Werner took a photo of it when he was there a couple of month's ago).  But like Werner, I am curious how it ended up there.  It sounds entirely possibe that they put it there to keep it from being confiscated.  The Whittington's also owned Road Atlanta at one time, I think in partnership with Randy Lanier.  Hard to tell what passed through its gates back in those days.  I've always felt a bit sorry for John Paul Jr, he had some real talent and could have had a hell of a career, but he ended up doing a brief stint in jail because of his father's antics, and that effectively got him black-balled him out of the sport.  But when he beat Rick Mears in a straight fight to win the 1983 michigan 500, that was really showing something.
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