Sports car and Porsche racing legend Milt Minter passed away at his Sanger, California home on December 23, after a courageous battle with cancer. Minter was 71.
Raised in Central California’s rural San Joaquin Valley, Minter served as a Navy radio operator during the mid-1950s, before returning to his parent’s Fresno-area ranch. After his Navy service, Minter bought a Volkswagen, which he began autocrossing in the late ’50s. Soon, Minter was dabbling in road racing, eventually moving to Los Angeles to take up a mechanic position with famed Porsche dealer Otto Zipper and any racing opportunities that might come his way.
After moving from Zipper’s to Vasek Polak’s Porsche dealership, Minter began to make appearances in Polak’s 904 Porsche. Success in the 904 eventually led, in 1968, to Minter racing a 911 for Polak in the 1968 SCCA C-production Championship. Minter’s speed soon caught the eye of Richie Ginther, who hired Minter to race his 911 for the 1969 season, resulting in Minter claiming the 1969 SCCA C-production Championship.
The following year, Minter was hired by Roy Woods to race his 1969 Camaro in the Trans-Am championship where, despite fierce factory opposition, Minter snatched an upset win at Brainerd, Minnesota. However, for 1971 Minter was back in the Porsche fold, racing a 917 PA for Vasek Polak in the Can-Am series. With a 6th place overall finish in the 1971 Can-Am Championship, Polak brought Minter back the following year to race the potent 917/10. Thanks to a consistent string of top-five finishes and various problems for some of the other front runners, Minter was in the title fight right up to the last race, where he was unfortunately sidelined with gearbox trouble—leaving him tied for 2nd overall in the championship with Denny Hulme.
For the balance of the ’70s, Minter raced a variety of sports cars in Trans-Am, IMSA and endurance events, including numerous Porsches for such owners as Ted Fields, Al Holbert and Michael Keyser. By his “semi-retirement” in the mid-’80s, Minter had claimed numerous IMSA GT class wins, a 2nd at Sebring, three Trans-Am victories and a 2nd in the 1972 Trans-Am Championship, as well as the coveted Pedro Rodriguez Trophy from the Porsche factory, for the most aggressive Porsche driver. However, Minter continued to race—right up to the time of his death—competing in countless historic races and even in last year’s Daytona 24 Hours.
Minter is survived by his wife, Melissa, his son, Miltie and his daughter, Kelsie.
Submitted by Casey Annis
