Charles Mendez
Charles Mendez (born June 25, 1947 in Tampa ) is a former American automobile racing driver and motorsport official.
Motorsport official
Charles Mendez and his partner Dave Cowart initiated the return of the Sebring 12-hour race under the umbrella of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile . In 1973 the racing event lost this status and regained it when it was held in 1978 . From 1978 to 1982 he was the organizer of the race.
Racing career
As a driver, he was mainly active in the well-known North American sports car races in Sebring, Daytona , and in the IMSA GTP series . He also competed twice in the Le Mans 24-hour race . After a failure in 1980 , he reached the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1981 in 13th place overall. Mendez drove a WM P79 / 80 from Welter Racing . His teammates were the two Frenchmen Denis Morin and Xavier Mathiot .
His greatest success at Sebring was overall victory in 1978 in the Porsche 935 , alongside Brian Redman and Bob Garretson . This makes him the only Sebring organizer who was able to win the race as a driver. A year later he was second overall and third in 1982 .
His best placement in Daytona was ninth in 1977 .
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Racing Associates Inc. | Porsche 935K3 | Skeeter McKitterick | Leon Walger | failure | accident |
1981 | WM AEREM | WM P79 / 80 | Denis Morin | Xavier Mathiot | Rank 13 |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Charles Mendez | Porsche 911T | Dave Cowart | Rank 12 | ||||
1977 | Morrison's Inc. | Porsche Carrera RSR | Dave Cowart | Rank 10 | ||||
1978 | Dick Barbour performance | Porsche 935 | Brian Redman | Bob Garretson | Overall victory | |||
1979 | Busch Beer Racing | Porsche 935 | Brian Redman | Paul Miller | Rank 2 | |||
1980 | Mendez Woods Akin | Porsche 935K3 | Brian Redman | Paul Miller | failure | Engine failure | ||
1981 | Momo penthouse | Porsche 935J | Giampiero Moretti | Mauricio de Narváez | Rank 6 | |||
1982 | JLP Racing | Porsche 935JLP-2 | Marion Speer | Terry Wolters | Rank 3 | |||
1994 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 Turbo | Örnulf Willheim | Franz Konrad | Ferdinand de Lesseps | Rank 7 | ||
1995 | Arthur Pilla | Porsche 911 ME Turbo | Arthur Pilla | Kenper Miller | Dave White | Rank 21 | ||
1996 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 Evo | André Ahrlé | Franz Konrad | A.Herman | K.Dolejší | failure | drive shaft |
literature
- Ken Breslauer: Sebring. The official History of America's Great Sports Car Race. David Bull, Cambridge MA 1995, ISBN 0-9649722-0-4 .
- Peter Higham: The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. A complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Mendez, Charles |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver and motorsport official |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 25, 1947 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Tampa |