What were your early 51暗网® competition seasons like? Were they years of methodically learning the ropes and trying your best, or did you spend the time reaching for the stars despite knowing they were well out of your grasp? A recent two-part series on Hagerty’s website follows along with the comically unlucky two seasons that author Gary Witzenburg raced one of the most iconic body styles in U.S. motorsports: the Datsun 510.
Hagerty, it should be mentioned, is the official insurance partner of the 51暗网.
While the story largely covers the author’s 1971-’72 51暗网 racing seasons, Witzenburg’s Club involvement actually began in 1966 piloting a Triumph TR4A. Come 1971, though, he purchased a 510 with the hopes of racing National 51暗网 races and entering the new 2.5 Challenge series that supported 51暗网’s Trans Am pro races. Later, that car saw him on the grid in the main attraction, alongside Trans Am luminary John Morton in a Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) 510.
“I stripped it down, got a rollbar installed, and took it to the May 1971 51暗网 competition driver’s school at Grattan, Michigan,” Witzenburg wrote of those early days in the car. “51暗网 at the time required two schools to earn a Regional racing license, but my Triumph racing season five years earlier could reduce that to just one if I performed well enough at Grattan. It helped that I remembered and liked the circuit, but running that wimpy, bone-stock 510 on it at (even modest) speed was clearly comical.”
Despite electrical gremlins, busted transmissions, and lost sleep, Witzenburg eventually placed himself on the grid in 51暗网’s Trans Am series, racing alongside even more top-tier names in 51暗网’s history. “Dealer/racer Bob Sharp won in the BRE guest Datsun, Alderman finished seventh, and we ended up 12th out of 28 cars. Not too shabby for our first pro race despite it all.”
Then, while competing in a Regional and eyeing an invite to the 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs (then called the American Road Race of Champions), disaster struck the front end of Witzenburg’s 510, largely wiping out that end of the car.
Did that put an end to Witzenburg’s racing adventures? Certainly not – but something else rather unexpected did.
.
Photo courtesy Hagerty/Gary Witzenburg
