Wikipedia

Lothar Motschenbacher

Lothar Motschenbacher (born 19 November 1938) is a retired racing driver, best known for his appearances in the Can-Am Challenge Cup series.

Lothar Motschenbacher
Born(1938-11-19)19 November 1938
Cologne, Germany[1]
Motschenbacher's McLaren M6

Career

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Motschenbacher had been an apprentice at Mercedes-Benz until 1958, when, aged 19, he emigrated to the United States of America. His racing career began on the West Coast in the 1960s, in Formula Junior cars (Dolphin and Lotus 22), at one point winning 15 consecutive races, and overall winning 34 times in 54 races.[2][3] In 1965, by which time he was based at Van Nuys, California,[4] he traded up to a Ford-Cobra in the United States Road Racing Championship, and in 1966 took his first win in the series, at Mid-Ohio, driving a McLaren-Elva for Dan Blocker.[5]

Can-Am

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Motschenbacher joined the Can-Am series on its start in 1966, and was a consistent entrant until 1974, always accompanied by his wife Marilyn, and running in more Can-Am races than anyone else; indeed, the first race he missed was at Elkhart Lake in 1972, due to an injury sustained in a Formula 5000 race.[6] Apart from a season in a Lola T70 in 1967, he always ran his own McLarens, for which he had become an agent;[7] in 1968 he switched his operation base to Beverley Hills.[8] He never won a race, his best result being a 2nd at Ste Jovite in 1970, eleven seconds behind Dan Gurney in a works car. However his consistent finishes earned him the runner-up spot in the 1970 Can-Am championship.

Single-seaters

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In 1967 and 1968 he had four races in the USAC Championship Car series, scoring points twice, thanks to a 9th at Phoenix International Raceway in Kenny Brenn's Gerhardt-Offenhauser in the former year, and 6th at St Jovite in a Watson-Offenhauser in the latter.[9] He was entered by Ken Brenn for the 1967 Indianapolis 500, but on 4 May the United States Automobile Club banned him and Peter Revson for 60 days, for taking part in a USRRC race at Las Vegas instead of a USAC race at Trenton, New Jersey.[10]

In 1969, he bought the first Eagle with support from the Leader Card Racers team,[11] with a view to taking part in the 1969 Indianapolis 500, but USAC banned him again from taking part, because he had taken part in two races in the 1969 SCCA Continental Championship (for Formula A cars)[12] he sold the car to Jerry Hansen.[13] Motschenbacher's Formula A season (in a McLaren M10A) had started with a second place at Riverside, but he only scored one more point all season, and sold it on before the season's end.[14]

In 1971, he returned to Formula 5000, finishing 9th the SCCA championship driving a McLaren M18; the following season he improved to 7th in the same car.[15] His run in the formula ended with an accident at the end of the Road Atlanta race in 1972, when he (and a number of other drivers) were caught out by a shower at the first turn; although he was classified 6th, the M18's tub was too damaged to repair.[16]

Other formulae

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Lothar Motschenbacher
NASCAR Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finishineligible for points
First race1970 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside Raceway)
Last race1970 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside Raceway)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

Motschenbacher continued in the USRRC in 1967, winning at Laguna Seca, and occasionally took part in World Sportscar Championship races. With Ed Leslie he finished 2nd in the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona, driving a Lola T70 for James Garner's AIR team; Garner bemoaned that an issue clearing a clogged radiator cost the team too much time in the pits to challenge for victory.[17] He also came 4th in the 1971 6 Hours of Watkins Glen (3rd in class) with Alain de Cadenet in Ecurie Francorchamps' Ferrari 512M (de Cadenet using it in the Can-Am race the following day).[18]

Motschenbacher was the first German to take part in the NASCAR Grand National series, entering the 1970 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside in a Chevrolet Biscayne,[19] the track's licensing allowing those with international licences to take part without needing NASCAR approval.[20] The attempt was not successful, the Biscayne giving out after 7 laps.[21]

End of career

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On 23 November 1972, Motschenbacher was working on a custom car in his Newport Beach garage, when an explosion - put down to the car backfiring as he fired it up, and setting light to inflammable material[22] - gave him first and second degree burns, and destroyed the garage.[23] The fire destroyed his Can-Am cars, and, lacking insurance to cover their cost, was unable to replace them; unable to rebuild his garage, he instead opened up a Mercedes-Benz garage in Santa Ana in early 1973.[24] He was eventually able to obtain an old McLaren M8F take part in a handful of Can-Am races in 1973 and 1974 to end his career.

Lawsuit

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Motschenbacher's Can-Am cars were distinctive; always in red, with white pinstriping, and the number 11 in ovals at the front and on the sides.[25] In 1970 the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company produced a television advertisement for Winston cigarettes, which used a stock image of Motschenbacher's car, but the number altered to 71. Motschenbacher sued, on the basis that this was a barely-disguised misappropriation of his identity under California law, and he finally succeeded before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[26][27]

Results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest race lap)

USAC Championship Car

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Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Pos Points
1967 Ken Brenn Gerhardt PHX
9		 TRE
DNQ		 INDY
DNP		 MIL
 LAN
 PIP MOS
 MOS
 IRP LAN
 MTR
 MTR
 SPR
 MIL
 DUQ
 ISF
 TRE
 SAC
 HAN
 PHX
 49th 60
1967 Harrison Eisert RIV
28
1968 Zecol-Lubaid Watson HAN LVG PHX TRE INDY MIL MOS MOS LAN PIP CDR NAZ IRP IRP LAN LAN MTR
17		 MTR
6		 SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC MCH HAN PHX RIV 44th 80
1969 Leader Cards Racers Eagle PHX1 HAN INDY
DNP		 MIL1 LAN PIP CDR NAZ TRE1 IRP1 IRP2 MIL2 SPR DIS DQSF ISF BRN1 BRN1 TRE2 SAC KEN1 KEN2 PHX2 RIV - 0

Formula A/5000 SCCA Continental Championship results

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Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rank Points
1969 Motschenbacher McLaren M10A RIV
2		 LS
15		 CDR
6		 SON
DNS		 SEA
14		 ROA LRP1 BIR
28		 MOS LRP
DNA		 TRE
11		 THO SEB 11th 7
1971 Motschenbacher McLaren M18 RIV LS SEA MOH ROA
DNS		 EDM
6		 BIR
6		 LRP
8		 9th 26
1972 Motschenbacher McLaren M18 LS
4		 SEA
20		 WGI
2		 ROA
10		 BRA
DNA		 ATL
6		 LRP
DNA		 RIV 7th 32

External sites

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References

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  1. ↑ "Lothar Motschenbacher". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Lothar Motschenbacher". Road Racing Drivers Club. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Georgano, G. N. (1970). Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport. London: Michael Joseph. p. 266.
  4. ↑ "Five prominent drivers enter Riverside Road Race event". Anaheim Bulletin: C3. 23 April 1965.
  5. ↑ "USRRC Mid-Ohio". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Lyons, Pete (1995). Can-Am. Osceola WI: Motorbooks International. pp. 16, 197.
  7. ↑ Georgano, G. N. (1970). Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport. London: Michael Joseph. p. 266.
  8. ↑ Meadows, Bruce (4 May 1968). "Lots of noise at Monterey". Peninsula Ties: 29.
  9. ↑ "Lothar Motschenbacher". Champcarstats. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "USAC stumbling on in old world tradition". Pasadena Journal: 27. 4 May 1967.
  11. ↑ "Familiar faces tune up at Indy". Wisconsin State Journal: 32. 2 May 1969.
  12. ↑ Arnold, Dave (10 May 1969). "Little weeding". News Journal: 10.
  13. ↑ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 30 May 1969". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "McLaren M10A car-by-car histories". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "SCCA L&M Formula 5000 Championship 1972 standings". Driver Database. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Brown, Allen. "Road Atlanta, 20 Aug 1972". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Warters, Jim (8 May 1975). "Indy Car pace in Rockford's file". Orlando Sentinel: 93.
  18. ↑ "1970 Ferrari 512 M". RM Sothebys. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Glick, Shav (8 January 1970). "Garner's film: an intimate look at racing". Los Angeles Times: 55.
  20. ↑ "NASCAR 1970 revisited". Daily Times-News: 21. 7 December 1970.
  21. ↑ Powell, Duane C (1 July 2004). "This is NASCAR". Simpson County News: 12.
  22. ↑ "Race car driver badly burned, cars lost in garage fire". Cumberland News: 13. 25 November 1972.
  23. ↑ "Race driver hurt as shop burns". Anaheim Bulletin: 1. 24 November 1972.
  24. ↑ Carr, Al (28 December 1972). "Fire forces change in Motsenbacher life". Los Angeles Times: 53.
  25. ↑ Occasionally Motschenbacher entered a second car, with the same scheme and the number 12.
  26. ↑ Lee-Richardson, Brittany. "Judgment for Federalism: A Case for why the Right of Publicity should be a Federal Right". College of William & Mary Law School. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Grimmelman, James. "Right of publicity" (PDF). James Grimmelman. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
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