Kenper Miller

Kenper Miller's and Dave Cowart's March 83G at the 1983 IMSA GTP race at Sears Point

Kenper Miller (born July 23, 1946 in Washington, DC ) is a former American automobile racing driver , the brother of Paul Miller and the uncle of Bryce Miller .

Career in motorsport

Kenper Miller was active as a sports car driver for 25 years beginning in the early 1970s. For several years he also had his own racing team. His preferred field of activity was the races of the US IMSA GT and GTP series . In the 1980s he was able to place three times in the top ten in the overall ranking. In 1982 he finished the series in tenth, 1983 in seventh and 1984 in ninth overall.

In the 1980s he competed four times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans , three times he retired prematurely; In 1986 he was third overall. His last race was in 1997 at the 6-hour race of Watkins Gen , which he finished 30th in the overall standings.

Red Lobster Racing

In 1980 Miller and Dave Cowart merged their racing activities in a common racing team. They bought a Pro-Car - BMW M1 and had it converted so that the car complied with the IMSA GTO regulations. The sea food chain Red Lobster , founded in 1968, was won as a sponsor . Red Lobster's entry was unusual, as sponsorship in US motorsport traditionally came from the automotive industry, its suppliers, breweries and the tobacco industry. Although the team could not achieve an overall victory in the three years of partnership, the sponsorship activity was considered a success by the Red Lobster Board of Directors.

In 1981, however, the team dominated the GTO class with the BMW and was victorious twelve times in 16 races. At the end of the year, the two drivers and their car were invited to Munich by the then Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG , Eberhard von Kuenheim , and honored at an event. It was the first success of a BMW in North American motorsport. On the M1, the two followed in the years to March - IMSA Prototoypen 82G and 83G .

statistics

Le Mans results

year	team	vehicle	Teammate	Teammate	placement	Failure reason
1981	Joest Racing	Porsche 935J	Günter Steckkönig	Mauricio de Narváez	failure	Fire
1982	Bob Akin Motor Racing	Porsche 935L	Bob Akin	Dave Cowart	failure	no petrol
1985	New-Man Joest Racing	Porsche 956	Paul Belmondo	Mauricio de Narváez	failure	accident
1986	Joest Racing	Porsche 956	John Morton	George Follmer	Rank 3

Sebring results

year	team	vehicle	Teammate	Teammate	Teammate	placement	Failure reason
1978	KWM Racing	BMW 3.5 CSL	Walt Drilling			failure	accident
1979	Morrison's	Porsche Carrera	Dave Cowart	David McClain		Rank 14
1980	Red Lobster Racing	BMW M1	Dave Cowart	Derek Bell		Rank 25
1981	Red Lobster Racing	BMW M1	Dave Cowart			Rank 23
1982	Red Lobster Racing	March 82G	Dave Cowart			failure	Engine failure
1983	Red Lobster Racing	March 82G	Dave Cowart	Mauricio de Narváez		failure	accident
1984	Red Lobster Racing	March 82G	Dave Cowart			failure	suspension
1985	de Narváez Enterprises	Porsche 935J	Dave Cowart	Mauricio de Narváez		failure	Engine failure
1986	MSB Racing	Argo JM19	Dave Cowart	Jim Fowells		failure	Engine failure
1987	Brooks Racing	Chevrolet Camaro	Robert Lappalainen			failure	differential
1990	Whitehall Motorsports	Spice SE87L	Ken Knott	Marty Hinze		failure	Engine failure
1993	John Annis	Chevrolet Camaro	John Annis	Louis Beall		Rank 31st
1995	Arthur Pilla	Porsche 911 ME Turbo	Arthur Pilla	Charles Mendez	Dave White	Rank 21

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

• Kenper Miller at Racing Sports Cars

Individual evidence

1. ↑ IMSA-GTP series 1982
2. ↑ IMSA-GTP series 1983
3. ↑ IMSA-GTP series 1984
4. ↑ Watkins Glen 6 Hours 1997