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Winning the World Endurance Championship 1981

#9 Porsche 935 (chassis #009 00030) win the race by 13 laps

#9 Porsche 935 (chassis #009 0030)
Daytona 24 Hours, 31 January/1 February 1981: Bob Garretson, Bobby Rahal and Brian Redman driving the #9 Porsche 935 (chassis #009 00030) would go on to win the race by 13 laps, having started from 16th on the grid

The Flying Tigers strike again! Being the best on the planet in something, even for just a short while, has got to be a great feeling. The sense of accomplishment is high. But whatever it is, it’s not going to be easy. There are a lot of other people you are going to have to beat to get it done, especially if it is the World Endurance Championship.

Garretson Enterprises truck
This was the Garretson Enterprises truck at the beginning of the 1981 season, showing Bob’s main crew members that year. The only major name missing is Gary Cummings, who joined the team in April of that year, at Atlanta

In sports car racing in 1981, there were two FIA championships for Sports Cars, one for Makes and one for Drivers. The Drivers’ Championship was contested over a group of fifteen races, while the Makes’ Championship consisted of six specific races within those fifteen races. The factories, such as Porsche, BMW and Lancia concentrated only on the Makes races. The Drivers’ Championship then would most likely be won by a privateer, as the factories would not contest all fifteen of the races.

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