modracer

I'm looking for anyone that was involved with the Morrison Cook SCCA Escort series Camaros in 1988 and 1989. This would be car numbers 97, 98 and 99. I'm aware of the one that was renumbered to 98 and sold on BAT in 2020 however I own the actual first #98 car that was used to win the championship in 88 and will be starting on a cosmetic/mechanical restoration later this year.

I've also spoke with John Heinricy and Doc Bundy and have sent messages to a couple other drivers but still putting information together and chasing leads. I have the GM dealer invoice on my car and it shows it was a sold order for " Morrison Cook Motor Sports " billed in Feb of 88 and shipped to Bill Heard. My car still has the original keys and fob with it that has "Escort 98" on it. We've sanded through the black paint on it in places and located the original red and blue stripes as well as the gray lower. This car has mostly been in storage for years but there are still blank periods we havent accounted for from 1990 until 2005. In 2005 it was titled to GMMG [ Matt Murphy] and then retitled in 2010.

Looking for any history on these cars involving number changes as John has verified numbers moved between cars and mine was the primary car through 88 but in 89 it was raced as #97 at the Mosport race. Also looking for the color codes on the red, blue and gray or any other inside information that may help ingetting this car back to correct.

StevenB L98/LS1

Theres a group on Facebook the GM players motorsports series, they may know someone or have contacts with one of the drivers may have information. I know Peter Lockhart and John Heinricy drove the 97 and Robin buck and Bobby Carridine I believe thats his name in the 98 car the 24hr Mosport race.

modracer

I'm in one of the Firehawk and Escort groups but after 30 plus years a lot has been forgotten. They have been some help and I have a couple of the 88/89 SCCA magazines tat the pictures have helped as there are differences in the cages in the first 2 cars compared to the 3rd. I've also sent messages to Stu Hayner and Don Knowles with questions but unsure if they ever got them.

We know so far that Morrison ordered and took delivery of the first 2 cars in Feb of 88. I have the vin off mine and think I have the vin for the other. At the first race of 88 the #97 car was being driven by John Heinricy and the car I have went on to win that race. I do not know though if the rolled #97 was repaired or used for parts afterwards.

The 3rd car purchased was bought from dealer inventory just after the rollover at Sears Point and replaced the rolled #97 car for the 88 season, raced in the 89 season at least once as #98 and finished as #99.

GM gave Morrison 2 more "production line damaged" cars however not sure how long after the 3rd car these came and my speculation is that they were late 88 or early 89 models. I believe one of those to have been a t-top car used for parts which I may also have a possible vin for and the other was turned into the car that would finish the 89 season as the championship #97 car if my speculation is correct.

Somewhere in 1989 Tommy Morrison ordered 2 more cars for the 90 season however the SCCA made a rule change and they went back to the Corvettes. These cars were never converted to race cars. I know where 1 of them currently is.

At the end of the 89 season Morrison Cook was campaigning 3 cars being the #97, #98 and the #99. After the season Tommy kept at least one of the race Camaros which would later be sold around 2013 to a guy in Florida and is the car from BAT. It is unclear who had that car renumbered at this point. John Heinricy had the car he finished the 89 season in as #97 and then sold that car roughly 10-15 years ago. I know where that car is as well.

Recap, we know there were either 4 cars that became race cars and 1 parts car but possibly only 3 survived that are accounted for or.... there were 5 cars that became race cars and only 3 accounted for with the fate of the 4th one that rolled unknown and no clue on #5.

modracer

I pulled the gas tank out of it last weekend and it has written in marker on top " Sears Point Car 98 ". This car won that race which was the first race for it so we are assuming that was done in post race tech.

modracer

Interesting fuel pick up "strainer" once I got the tank apart. Keep in mind John Heinricys involvement with this car and team and the fact the tank is as raced in 88/89. The strainer section looks to have been glued in some manor to the pick up attachment with 2 pieces going in different directions and then the strainer body which is open on both ends .

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

So....this would provide less restriction on the intake side of the fuel pump, helping output a modest amount? And undetectable when inspected?

modracer

I would think so based on the mesh size difference between this and most strainers I've seen or maybe just for pump life.. The rules said stock capacity tank so this would be one of those free or gray areas. Based on the writing on the tank along with more that I found the tank was pulled at the first race of the season after winning that race and went through tech.

modracer

Still looking for any info on these cars and/or any pictures not commonly found online already. I've been picking up some pieces here and there and have the 9 bolt back under it now with the PBR's. I have a 74 in my shop torn apart at the moment eating my lunch so this car is patiently waiting its turn.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

How the heck did I miss this thread?!?

Following.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Just a quick aside, in the summer of '89 I was driving home from my girlfriend's house, (now my wife), going north on I90 late at night in my brand new '89 IROC. Ahead of me I could see what looked like an IROC in racing livery on a trailer. I sped up to get a better look at it and there were two of them on a Morrison Cook trailer. Car 98 and I believe 99. I followed along for a while just to get a good look at the cars. I can't tell you how excited I was! I wish we had cell phone cameras back then! I went on one side and on the other. After about 10 or 15 minutes I pulled away. It was just us on the expressway and I didn't want to creep them out.

modracer

Pretty cool. In 89 when we raced Firehawk either Gene or Jack took me over to the Morrison Cook tractor trailer to discuss our car set up and it was like a parts supermarket inside. Multiples of parts on shelves everywhere. Super nice guys and they loaned us a set of rear springs and a sway bar to run at that particular race.

modracer

Still looking for any information and/or pictures of the Morrison Cook Camaros. I've uncovered some but not a lot out there. I have some speculations based off pictures but need more to confirm them.

Also in 90 there was a Morrison Cook Firestone Firehawk series car that they prepped for Gray Racing, I have 1 pic of that car but looking for more.

modracer

Still uncovering small bits and pieces but the latest suggests that the #97 car that Hawks has actually was first raced as #98 the very end of 1988 with its first race being Mid Ohio based off new pics and video found.

modracer

So far this is the only picture to surface of the cars numbered with 99. This was sent to me by a person involved with MC back in the day and this was taken early in 1990 during pre season testing at Road Atlanta iirc.

The history on that body is that its first race was the second race of 1988 and was raced as 97. It was the replacement for the first #97 that was rolled. So far it appears that car ran as the 97 the remainder of the 88 season and in 1989 at least at one race under #98 finishing the last 2 races as #99. This is the car that was renumbered to 98 after this pic and sold a couple years ago on bat.

This is the only car that Tommy Morrison kept after the 89 season and also the only car that he was a driver in. I'll update as I find more .

modracer

This is the car that Hawks has. I've been unsuccessful in getting much information regarding details but John Heinricy ended up with this car after the 89 season and kept it 10 years or so before selling it to Bruce.

As mentioned earlier recent pictures and video suggest this car was first numbered as #98 and its first race was Mid Ohio towards the end of the 1988 season and then switched from 98 to 97 on and off during the 89 season. Still speculation on my part awaiting other pictures some have said they have from those days. This is probably the best preserved of the 3 surviving cars. This body started as a "production line damaged" car that was 1 of 2 that John sent Tommy after the 2 initial cars and 1 replacement car was purchased. The pictures are from an interview of Hawks in the GM EF/i magazine.

modracer

I emailed John back and forth over the last couple of days and he gave me one of the crew chiefs name from 89 so trying to track that down now. I have put more history together and sent it to him to look at but still quite a few questions I'm looking into.

I did notice however that the car Tommy kept that was last raced as #99 has a red Saginaw picture on the front fender and in the 1994 picture for the Corvette magazine that was taken with him next to the car it still has that Saginaw decal on it and while you cant see the number I'd say its safe to assume at that point it was still numbered as #99. After Tommy passed away and it showed up on BAT that Saginaw decal was gone and has a Mid America decal like was used in 1988 . I'm editing as new evidence suggests the car was renumbered around 2013 when it was sold the first time.

have some open questions that I hope to maybe have more answers on in the next couple of weeks and just found another pic tonight from 1988 Mid Ohio where it looks like my split bar in the car so am going to request that one from the photographer so I can blow it up larger to see. If thats the case then my thinking the 4th cars first race was that race could be incorrect so until I can get that resolved I'll hold up posting the time line on the 5 cars that we have uncovered bits of history on.

This is a link to the magazine showing the decals before they got changed on the #99 car. That picture also is the only 1 so far that I have found with the headlight covers in place and the SCCA decal in that location.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/1710...-hall-of-fame/

modracer

After talking with John last week and going back over my emails from him I am starting to believe that at the end of the 89 season there were 4 cars instead of the 3 I've accounted for. John has said he sent Tommy 2 more cars and originally based on shop pictures it looked like one was a t-top car used for parts but inspection of the actual publication that picture was in suggests it was a white Iroc hardtop also with a gold stripe when shipped. Tommy kept the #99 car, he gave John the car that won the 1989 championship and then the 1988 championship car that I have plus 1 more car that rotated through #97 and #98. If my speculation is correct my car and the 4th car went to an IMSA team to run in Firehawk. I've got to shake the trees on this but I found a possible video of those 2 cars.

881SA

Not sure how many of you insure your cars through Hagerty but they just sent out this month's issue with a great article in tribute to all the Camaro generations. What I did love was John's statement regarding the late 80's third gen's: "You could really embarrass the Corvettes in Autocross if you wanted to". Thanks, John, for all your insight and commitment, I do love how fun these cars are to drive to this day. I'm curious Mod the next time you're talking with him, did he really speak with everyone who ordered a 1LE?

modracer

Isent him a message last week but didnt hear back which is kind of unusual as usually he responds same or following day so not sure if I've worn out my welcome or he is just busy. I know he had recently been the subject of a SCCA podcast where he talks a little about the Camaros but mostly the Corvette and he also has Nationals so we'll see.

I did find a trove of pictures from 88 and 89 of 4 or 5 races and it cemented some of my findings on decal differences but also possibilities in identifying or ruling out which car was being used in 89. The replacement #97 car had white Hella decals in 88 and in the 1990 picture of it testing as #99 as well as in the article where Tommy was inducted into the hall of fame is still had the white Hella decals however the 2 late 88 or early 89 model cars had black Hella decals. The #97 cars originally got red Morrison Cook decals on the lower spoiler and the #98 cars got blue. As numbers changed back and forth in 1989 on these cars the spoiler letter colors remained as they originally were. I was also able to verify based off the cage that my car was still being used at Mid Ohio in 88 where I had thought prior it may have been one of the new cars so that very well could push the new cars up to be 89 models.

Being 35 years later there just is not much info out there to be found.

John did give me a name of one of the crew chiefs to try to locate but have not had any luck yet. He said it was Thomas Hart who had last been at Hummer. He also gave me the name for the brake engineer who worked out the larger brake package but I've seen that name in some of the 1LE articles before and that guy may have possibly passed away earlier this year if I have the right one.

The #97 car that Bruce could fill in some of the blanks I think but have not succeeded in getting any answers to questions on it. Maybe one of these days they will get it back out and somebody could get some good pictures of it.

881SA

He's probably digging into other ways to shave weight on his new toy for next year. If I heard it correctly his car this year taken fourth was by far the heaviest, "Beast of a machine" you'll hear more than once if you've seen the race or not.
If you're out there John, congratulations on another successful season, happy holidays, and hope your lady is healing up well for next year!