Tony Adamowicz
Encyclopedia
Tony Adamowicz is a former American
racing driver from Port Henry, New York
. He won the 1968 Trans-Am Under 2-Liter championship in a Porsche
, then raced in the Can-Am Series and Formula 5000
, winning the 1969 Formula 5000 championship. He had an opportunity to race in the 1970 Indianapolis 500
, but during the first lap of his qualifying attempt in his Eagle-Offy the yellow light was shown and Adamowicz slowed. However, the yellow was an error and Adamowicz was ordered to continue with the other 3 laps. The first lap, 6 mi/h slower than his others, dragged down his average to a point where he was bumped from the field. He got in another car but crashed in practice before having a chance to requalify. He returned to sports cars achieving second place in the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona in a Ferrari 512
M, shared with Ronnie Bucknum
, and third place in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans
with the same car. After the decline of the Can Am and F5000 formulas, he moved to IMSA
series and won the 1981 GTU championship in a Electramotive Nissan 280ZX
and 1982 and 1983 GTO championships in an Electramotive 280ZX-T. He returned to prototypes in 1984 but had little success at that level and retired after the 1989 24 Hours of Daytona
. He currently competes in select vintage races in the same 1969-model Eagle racing car in which he won the Formula 5000 championship in 1969. The car is now owned by Doug Magnon, the founder of the Riverside International Automotive Museum, and prepared by mechanic Bill Losee. It bears the identical livery it carried back in 1969. As the Eagle had been parked immediately after the 1969 season, and was not run again until following its restoration in 2008, Adamowicz remains the only driver to actually have driven this car.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
racing driver from Port Henry, New York
Port Henry, New York
Port Henry is a village in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,152 at the 2000 census.The Village of Port Henry lies on the east side of the Town of Moriah and is approximately one hour's drive south of Plattsburgh...
. He won the 1968 Trans-Am Under 2-Liter championship in a Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, then raced in the Can-Am Series and Formula 5000
Formula 5000
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula...
, winning the 1969 Formula 5000 championship. He had an opportunity to race in the 1970 Indianapolis 500
1970 Indianapolis 500
The 1970 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1970.Following in the footsteps of his brother, Bobby, Al Unser dominates the 500, leading 190 laps, matching Jim Clark's total in 1965, and the most since 1953, when Bill Vukovich led all but five laps in the race...
, but during the first lap of his qualifying attempt in his Eagle-Offy the yellow light was shown and Adamowicz slowed. However, the yellow was an error and Adamowicz was ordered to continue with the other 3 laps. The first lap, 6 mi/h slower than his others, dragged down his average to a point where he was bumped from the field. He got in another car but crashed in practice before having a chance to requalify. He returned to sports cars achieving second place in the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona in a Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512
Ferrari 512 S was the designation of 25 five litre sports cars built until January 1970, related to the Ferrari P sports prototypes. The V12-powered cars were entered in the 1970 International Championship for Makes by the factory Scuderia Ferrari and private teams...
M, shared with Ronnie Bucknum
Ronnie Bucknum
Ronnie Bucknum was an American racecar driver, born in Alhambra, California.Bucknum participated in 11 Formula One World Championship grands prix, debuting on August 2, 1964. He scored a total of 2 championship points...
, and third place in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans
1971 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 39th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1971. It was the ninth round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Pre-race:...
with the same car. After the decline of the Can Am and F5000 formulas, he moved to IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
series and won the 1981 GTU championship in a Electramotive Nissan 280ZX
Nissan 280ZX
The Nissan 280ZX was a sports coupe produced from 1978 to 1983. It was the second generation Z-car, replacing the Datsun 280Z in late 1978. The 280ZX was the first time where the "By Nissan" subscript was badged alongside the Datsun logo, along with the Nissan trucks. The 280ZX was Motor Trends...
and 1982 and 1983 GTO championships in an Electramotive 280ZX-T. He returned to prototypes in 1984 but had little success at that level and retired after the 1989 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
. He currently competes in select vintage races in the same 1969-model Eagle racing car in which he won the Formula 5000 championship in 1969. The car is now owned by Doug Magnon, the founder of the Riverside International Automotive Museum, and prepared by mechanic Bill Losee. It bears the identical livery it carried back in 1969. As the Eagle had been parked immediately after the 1969 season, and was not run again until following its restoration in 2008, Adamowicz remains the only driver to actually have driven this car.