![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/FEA200807-p1.jpg\")
<\/a>The SCCA reps frowned upon Alan\u2019s first attempt to enter his new purchase in a local race. The 250S was considered too powerful for a driver without any competition background. Polite suggestions were made that he first gain some experience with smaller-engined production cars. Nevertheless, the organizers were eager to have the red Maserati on the grid with a more seasoned driver. The 6-ft-1 Connell stood his ground, claiming it was all or nothing. It was the weekend of July 5\u20136, 1958, and in the end, the organizers of the Premiere Sports Car Races at Plains, southwest of Lubbock, relented and allowed him to run. Connell won the novice race on Saturday, although the next three finishers\u2014a Mercedes 300SL, Corvette, and Ferrari 250GT\u2014were hardly in the league of the 250S. During Sunday\u2019s opener, Alan handled himself well enough to finish 4th overall, first in DM [2- to 3-liter class], behind Davis\u2019s all-conquering Mangham Special, Paul Hill\u2019s Chevarri [a Ferrari\/Chevy], and Don Berlin\u2019s Porsche RS. He followed this with 3rd overall in the main event, behind Davis and Berlin.<\/p>\nLittle is known about Connell\u2019s second-race performance, at Mansfield, Louisiana, on August 30\u201331. Neither the SCCA nor the national race media covered the event, an unfortunate bias against races in the Southwest. Judging from photos, Alan qualified the 250S on the 3rd row among the big iron. The race went to Ray Jones in Logan\u2019s Ferrari 410S, followed by Ebb Rose\u2019s Maserati 300S and Dick McGuire\u2019s Ferrari Monza, while Connell\u2019s result went unreported.<\/p>\n
The Texan\u2019s next appearance came at the Galveston Golden Days Races on September 20\u201321, although the event did not live up to its name. It rained 6 inches in 2 days and plagued by carburetor problems, Connell pulled out early. Aquaplaning across the finish line, Rose\u2019s Maserati 300S went on to beat Bobby Aylward\u2019s 250S version by inches.<\/p>\n
The October 12 Texas Fall Roundup Races, at Eagle Mountain, followed. Alan qualified his 250S, now painted black, at the back of a field of big modified cars. The rookie\u2019s performance on raceday, whatever it was, went unreported by the media. Even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper did not mention Connell\u2019s name in its Monday-morning write-up, which focused instead on how Ebb Rose\u2019s Maserati 450S beat Jim Hall\u2019s Lister\/Chevy.<\/p>\n
On November 1\u20132, Connell entered his 250S in the Oklahoma Petite Prix, a Regional in Oklahoma City, where he faced two similar Maserati entries: Jack Hinkle\u2019s 200SI and Bobby Aylward\u2019s 250S. Davis\u2019s Mangham Special dominated both modified races. In Race 4, Connell had to let Jones\u2019s 500TR\/Monza and Aylward\u2019s 250S go ahead as well, finishing 4th. In the feature\u2014Race 6\u2014he took the checkered for 6th overall, trailing 2nd-place Hinkle, Bobby Burns\u2019s Porsche RS, Jones and Aylward. Clearly, Alan was still very much in a learning phase. To his credit, he was never tempted by the red mist and kept his car in one piece.<\/p>\n
During the Nassau Speed Week in December, Connell showed remarkable improvement in the face of strong competition. Finishing 6th in the over-2-liter sprint race and 7th in the Governor\u2019s Trophy, he had high hopes for a good result in the feature event, the Nassau Trophy. After dicing with Ricardo Rodriguez\u2019s Porsche RS, the Maserati broke its ring-and-pinion and Alan was out. Nevertheless, the entire U.S. contingent at Nassau had reason to celebrate at the end of the day; Lance Reventlow and Chuck Daigh captured the feature in Lance\u2019s Scarab\/Chevy, beating all Italian cars.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n With his 250S laid up, waiting for parts and no new Maserati available from the factory\u2014which was still in Chapter 11\u2014Connell was forced to look elsewhere in preparation for the 1959 season. Via Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti in New York, he bought a $15,000, pontoon-fendered, 3-liter Ferrari 250TR built in 1957 and originally owned by Piero Drogo of Venezuela. Connell planned a full schedule of 15 SCCA Nationals for 1959. Since most of these were held on the East Coast, it meant that his car had to be reliable; homebase Fort Worth would be far away if any major repairs were needed. The newly acquired Testa Rossa, chassis 0714, turned out to be an excellent choice. During the season, it ran like a train and finished generally in the top five. Although Connell never took it to any overall victories in Nationals, he scored many class wins in DM. Like the 250S, the 250TR was repainted black.<\/p>\n First time out with the 250TR came at Eagle Mountain, for the Frostbite Races on February 14\u201315, 1959. Connell finished 3rd overall, but ironically it was his repaired 250S Maserati\u2014loaned out to his friend and fellow oilman Gary Laughlin only minutes before the start\u2014that won the race. Another trial run was the March 1 Carrera del Norte, held at El Paso\u2019s Ascarate Park. With stiff competition from the Ferraris entered by Johnny von Neumann and Dick Morgensen, and the Stan Sugarman\u2013owned Devin\/Chevy driven by Jim Connor, Alan finished a distant 3rd behind Morgensen and Connor.<\/p>\n Connell scored his first overall win on March 8, in a Regional at Mansfield, Louisiana. In a spirited duel with three Chevy-engined cars, Mason O\u2019Keiff\u2019s C-type Jaguar, Jimmy Younger\u2019s Lister, and Bob Schroeder\u2019s Ferrari Monza, the black Testa Rossa showed the way at DeSoto Parish Airport.<\/p>\n Connell spent the next few months in dogged pursuit of National points in DM, with appearances at Pensacola, Marlboro, VIR, Cumberland, Bridgehampton, and the Road America June Sprints. In most cases, Alan and his 250TR captured the maximum available 10 points. In between, as if his race schedule were not hectic enough, Connell showed up south of the border on April 26 with his Maserati 250S. At Avandaro, a track 80 miles north of Mexico City, the Texan was part of a U.S. contingent that included three von Neumann Ferraris and Ken Miles\u2019 Porsche RS. The Rodriguez brothers were present to defend Mexico\u2019s honor. Hauling his own fuel from Texas\u2014he feared the low-grade local brands\u2014Alan arrived too late for practice and started last. Von Neumann, Richie Ginther, and Pedro Rodriguez ran into trouble with their Ferraris, and Miles won the event. Ricardo Rodriguez\u2019s Porsche finished 2nd, followed by Connell\u2019s Maserati.<\/p>\n By the end of June, the National Championship was not half over, yet Connell found time to appear in a Regional in his home state. On June 27\u201328, Galveston hosted the Spring Championship Races at Scholes Field. In addition to Connell\u2019s Testa Rossa, top contenders were Jim Hall and Jimmy Younger, each in a Lister\/Chevy, Bill Fuller in a Chevy-powered D Jag, and Hap Sharp aboard a Maserati 200SI. Race 3 went to Hall, chased by Connell, Fuller, and Sharp. The feature\u2014Race 6\u2014saw a great battle between Hall and Connell, with the Testa Rossa passing the Lister in the corners, only to lose out on the straights. By lap 18 [of 20], Connell had finally established a permanent lead when his gearbox jammed. Chassis 0714 suffered its first retirement and Hall went on to win, followed by Sharp and Gary Laughlin in a Porsche RS.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Waiting for Ferrari gearbox parts, Connell shipped his Maserati out East for the Lime Rock National on July 3\u20134. He qualified well, in the middle of the front row between Constantine\u2019s Aston Martin and Briggs Cunningham\u2019s Lister\/Jag. On the opening lap, Alan was 3rd, chasing Constantine and Hansgen [Costin Lister\/Jag] while hanging out the 250S\u2019s tail. In his effort to stay with the more powerful cars, Connell \u201cgot carried away,\u201d as he later admitted. When the Maserati drifted out of the last corner, its tail hit a dirt bank. The car somersaulted end-over-end through the air, with Gus Andrey and Roger Penske actually passing underneath while it was airborne. They never expected its driver to survive. Fortunately, the 250S landed right side up and a dazed Connell escaped with only minor kidney bruises. It was the only accident he suffered as a driver. The race went to Constantine\u2019s DBR2.<\/p>\n Not discouraged one bit and with his Testa Rossa gearbox now repaired, the Fort Worth Flyer joined the July 11\u201312 National at Buckley Field near Aurora, Colorado. In DM class, the competition consisted of Danny Collins in a newer 250TR and Aylward\u2019s 250S. For overall position, Hap Sharp\u2019s 200SI Maserati might be a threat, but after two days of competition, Jim Jeffords was the uncrowned king. Driving his purple Nickey Scarab\/Chevy and Corvette in five races, Jeffords won each time, including the feature for the Governor\u2019s Trophy. Collins came in 2nd and won DM, followed by Jay Chamberlain [2-liter Lotus 15] and Connell, who beat Aylward and Sharp to the finish.<\/p>\n The championship next turned West, to Riverside, California, where the weekend of July 18\u201319 featured two events. On Saturday, the SCCA held its National, followed the next day by the USAC-sanctioned Kiwanis Grand Prix for professionals. Demonstrating that stamina was not a problem for him, Connell ran his 250TR on both days. Later in his career he commented that Riverside Raceway, along with Bridgehampton and Continental Divide, was his favorite track, but that day, he was still learning its features. The National went to Sammy Weiss aboard a Porsche RSK, followed by Dick Morgensen\u2019s Testa Rossa and Bob Holbert\u2019s RSK. However, the battle of the day was for 4th place, between Connell and Jack Flaherty in Kjell Qvale\u2019s Lister\/Jag. The lead changed hands numerous times until Flaherty overdid it 6 laps from the finish, parking the Lister on top of the guardrail.<\/p>\n With 4th overall in his pocket, Alan looked forward to facing the professionals on Sunday, but this time the competition was much stiffer. The race was also more than twice as long as the SCCA National and temperatures reached a blistering 100 degrees. Starting far back on the grid with a qualifying time of 2:22.47\u201422nd fastest out of 34 starters\u2014Connell moved up gradually, with dogged perseverance. He was helped by the fact that half the field retired that day.\u00a0 Richie Ginther [Ferrari 412MI] won, followed by four RSK Porsches: Weiss, Miles, Holbert, and Ricardo Rodriguez. Connell felt frustrated by his car\u2019s lack of top speed on the long Riverside straight and finished a distant 8th overall.<\/p>\n In search of more horsepower, Connell consulted Luigi Chinetti in New York. Chinetti had just what the Texan needed: a new 4.1-liter Ferrari 335S, chassis 0764, which had been featured in the New York Car Show earlier that year. Soon, Alan owned his third and fastest competition car so far, plus the services of Ferrari mechanic Emile Erbacher, to maintain the beast. The aging Testa Rossa was sold to Charlie Hayes.<\/p>\n While waiting for the 335S to be delivered, Alan ran his 2.5-liter Maserati, repainted light blue after its Lime Rock crash. In the August 8\u20139 Montgomery National in New York, he faced stiff East Coast competition. At the finish, it was Constantine [Aston Martin], Hansgen [Lister] by 6 seconds, the Porsches of Holbert, Sesslar, and Denise McCluggage, and Connell, first in DM for 10 points. Witnesses recall how Alan drove the wheels off his 250S, but on a wet track, he had to let the Porsches go ahead.<\/p>\n In the September 6\u20137 National at Thompson, Connecticut, Connell\u2019s Maserati added another 10 points by finishing 5th behind Constantine, Holbert, Forno [Porsche RS], and Hansgen. Now, he had accumulated 72 points, an insurmountable lead over the nearest DM drivers Pabst, Collins, Johnston, and Morgensen. With the DM Championship in the bag, Alan decided to run the final four Nationals in CM [3- to 5-liter], aboard his new gunmetal-colored 335S. CM class was still hotly contested between Hansgen and Constantine. Even if Alan scored perfect 10s in the remaining races, third place was the best he could hope for.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 4.1-liter Ferrari saw its first action the following Sunday, in the September 12\u201313 Road America 500 miles, where Skip Hudson was Connell\u2019s co-driver. Constantine shared his Aston Martin with Paul O\u2019Shea, Dick Thompson the Sting Ray with Anatole Lapine, Fred Windridge the Kelso Lister with Holbert and E. D. Martin his 315S with Bill Kimberly. However, it was Eddie Crawford who dominated the early goings in one of Cunningham\u2019s Knobbly Lister\/Jags. After his teammate Hansgen retired the Costin Lister around midrace, Walt took over the leading car. The Connell\/Hudson 335S followed in 2nd place and the car was described as \u201csounding like a ripping bedsheet at full song.\u201d In the final stages, the 3rd-place DBR2 made a challenge for the lead, but O\u2019Shea lost his brakes. Although crippled on its final lap, the Crawford\/Hansgen Lister\/Jag won the race, with Connell and Hudson excellent 2nds. Alan\u2019s 335S proved it had both speed and stamina. It could have won if its fuel stop had been shorter: 6 minutes, 6 seconds, versus 4 minutes, 20 seconds for the Lister.<\/p>\n Going into the September 25\u201326 Watkins Glen National, Constantine led Hansgen in CM with 52 versus 50 points. Connell showed only 8 points after his Road America finish. The Glen added just 6 points to his score, for 3rd in CM and 5th overall. On the unfamiliar course, the Texan crossed the finish line trailing Hansgen and Constantine, as well as the Porsches of Belgian-American Harry Blanchard and Sesslar. Based on Hansgen\u2019s comments on Alan\u2019s 335S, it wasn\u2019t lacking for speed: \u201cThe acceleration of this car was breathtaking, certainly the most powerful car in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n Competition resumed two weeks later, at a Regional in Midland, Texas, on October 11. The Midland Airpark Races provided Connell with the second overall win of his career. In Race 6, he took the 335S to 1st, beating Hap Sharp\u2019s Maserati 200SI, now propelled by a Ferrari Monza engine. Next came Gary Laughlin\u2019s 250TR and Delmo Johnson\u2019s Chevy-powered Jaguar XK-SS. The feature\u2014Race 9\u2014saw a repeat performance by Alan.<\/p>\n Part of an exhaustive schedule, two SCCA Nationals still remained. Both Constantine and the Cunningham team skipped the Carrera del Norte, held in El Paso on October 30\u2013November 1. Few big iron modifieds showed up for this National and even Connell fell back on his aging 250S Maserati. Forced to run in CM because of insufficient entries in EM or DM, his class competition consisted of Pat Pigott in a 2-liter Lotus 15 and Bill Dennison\u2019s hybrid. The latter was ahead of Carroll Shelby by three years in putting an American V-8 into an AC, although Dennison\u2019s combination happened to be an AC\/Chevy. Connell retired with steering problems after hitting a haybale deposited in the middle of the road, courtesy of an errant Porsche, while Pigott won the feature.<\/p>\n The Grand Finale in the SCCA Championship came on November 15, at Daytona International Speedway. With Hansgen and Constantine still tied for points, the Cunningham team arrived with three Lister\/Jags. Walt was in his usual Costin model, the 1958 versions assigned to Crawford and Windridge. Based on the results of the qualifier, they occupied the front row. Constantine\u2019s DBR2 and Martin, who had replaced his 315S Ferrari with a new Birdcage Maserati, were in row 2, followed by Sesslar\u2019s RSK, Connell\u2019s 335S, and Ed Rahal\u2019s D-type Jaguar.<\/p>\n The early laps were marred by the crash of Martin\u2019s Birdcage, which took Sesslar\u2019s Porsche out as well. The race was blackflagged and it took 45 minutes to clean up the debris. The field then lined up in single file based on previous positions: Constantine, Hansgen, Crawford, Connell, Windridge, and Dave Lane\u2019s 250TR. Soon after the restart, Connell passed Hansgen and began to pursue Constantine while setting the fastest lap. Because of the earlier delay, and with darkness approaching, the organizers decided to cut the feature from 40 to 35 laps. This proved too lengthy for the Aston Martin. Pressed by the 335S, the DBR2 threw a tread and spun, allowing Connell to take the lead. Now it was Hansgen who turned up the heat. Soon the Lister and the Ferrari ran nose-to-tail on the road-course section, although Connell had the better acceleration on the banking. On the final lap, Hansgen tried to pass in the infield, but the Texan held his ground, taking the checkered flag some 200 yards ahead. Afterward, Connell explained it had been a hard contest and showed his blistered hands to prove it. He lost his clutch early in the race and had to shift gears by ear and feel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With his Daytona finish, Hansgen captured the 1959 CM title with 68 points over Constantine\u2019s total of 64. Connell was 3rd in the final count, with 24 points. Sports Car magazine raved about his performance: \u201cAlan Connell, in winning the final National race of the 1959 season, has shown himself to be the man to watch in 1960.\u201d<\/p>\n Constantine may have lost the CM title, but he got his sweet $11,000 revenge in the final event of the year, the Nassau Trophy on December 6. It could have been anybody\u2019s win. In addition to two DBR2 Aston Martins, there were three 450S Maseratis, three new Birdcage Maseratis, Ginther\u2019s Kiwanis GP winning 412M Ferrari, Phil Hill\u2019s Times GP winning 250TR, Bill Mitchell\u2019s Sting Ray, the Meister Brauser Scarab, two Listers, Jack Brabham\u2019s Cooper Monaco, and half-a-dozen additional Ferraris, including Connell\u2019s 335S. Only the Cunningham team stayed home.<\/p>\n In Sunday\u2019s feature, Connell made a good Le Mans start, running a strong 9th after 20 laps. A pit stop for fuel in midrace dropped him in the standings, while Constantine went nonstop, gambling that his Aston\u2019s fuel tank would last the distance. It did, thanks to the fact that the race was shortened by 6 laps because of darkness. Connell finished 10th, one lap behind the winner and the second Ferrari to finish, after Phil Hill\u2019s runner-up position.<\/p>\n What a year it had been. Racing close to 30 weekends, Alan finally came of age at Daytona, beating the top drivers of the SCCA. Sports Illustrated magazine honored him with the \u201cMost Improved Driver of 1959\u201d award.<\/p>\n The following year provided a more relaxed schedule. George Reed invited Connell to share his alloy-bodied Ferrari California in the Sebring 12 Hours on March 26, 1960. Unfortunately, the car was forced to run as a sports racer because it did not have the homologated steel body. Overall victory and 2nd place went to two RS-60 Porsches, but thanks to attrition among the competition, the open GT car did very well. It entered the top 10 after 4 hours and began a rapid climb. At 10 hours, it featured as high as 3rd overall, leading a pack of three SWB 250GTs. In the final two hours, the Augie Pabst\/Ed Hugus 250GT, as well as the Jack Nethercutt\/Pete Lovely Testa Rossa, managed to get past, but 5th overall was still a remarkable finish for the California and its drivers. Luigi Chinetti took notice and invited Connell to drive one of his Ferraris at Le Mans in June.<\/p>\n One week later, Alan entered his 335S in the USAC-sanctioned Examiner GP for professionals at Riverside. It was the perfect track for a 4.1-liter Ferrari, but the race was a disappointment. The 335S overheated in the torrid conditions, running some 10 seconds off the pace. The Texan qualified in 2:16.42, 6 seconds faster than he had been with the 250TR in the 1959 Kiwanis GP at Riverside. However, progress was such that this proved good enough only for the same 22nd start position. On raceday, the poorly running 335S never featured in the top 10. An exhausted Connell finished 11th overall and had to be lifted from his car by the crew. Carroll Shelby won the race aboard a Birdcage Maserati.<\/p>\n On May 1, 1960, in a one-off entry in the SCCA National circuit that spring, Alan and the 335S appeared at VIR. They ran 3rd in the opening laps, behind the Porsches of Bob Holbert and Roger Penske. On lap 3, Connell lost a position when Dick Thompson\u2019s Sting Ray, which had stalled on the grid, came charging through. A few laps later, the Ferrari headed for the pits to retire with a broken oil line. Holbert won over Thompson, who lost the lead after running out of brakes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was the last race for the aging 335S. Soon, chassis 0764 was sold to Gordon Tatum. After his long-distance success at Sebring, Connell accepted Chinetti\u2019s invitation to go to Le Mans. For the 24-hour grind, he shared a SWB Ferrari 250GT with George Arents, one of the founders of the North American Racing Team. This time, the entry ran in GT class. Arents started and drove a conservative race for 2 hours. When Connell took over they were 19th, but the next few hours witnessed a steady climb. At 1 a.m., the Texan got word to speed up. After losing a position to them at Sebring, Alan took revenge by hauling in the Pabst\/Hugus 250GT in the next 2 hours. He entered the top 10 by midrace. During his final stint, with one hour to go, Connell passed the Pierre Noblet\/Leon Dernier 250GT, for another excellent 5th overall and 2nd in GT. Only two Testa Rossas, an Aston Martin DBR1, and a French 250GT had covered more distance.<\/p>\n After Le Mans, the Fort Worth Flyer did not return to the tracks for a month for lack of a competitive car. He tried Formula Junior, racing a Cooper\/DKW at Meadowdale [July 24] and Road America [September 10], but did not like the underpowered cars. The sports racer to beat in 1960 was the Birdcage Maserati Tipo 61, but its entire production line was already taken for the rest of the year. In late August, Connell became aware that two of the long-tail Birdcages that CAMORADI ran at Le Mans were available. Deciding that a second-hand Birdcage was better than none, he bought both of them: chassis 2461 [the 1960 N\u00fcrburgring winner] and 2464. Both started life with short Kamm tails, but were converted to long tails for Le Mans. Before shipment to Texas, they underwent rebuilds at the factory. Chassis 2461 was shipped in September, whereas chassis 2464 took longer to deliver, having been converted back to Kamm configuration at Connell\u2019s request. He planned to race the bobtail version on short, medium-speed tracks, keeping the streamlined long-tail for the faster courses.<\/p>\n Still without his own car for the Road America 500 on September 11, Alan shared George Reed\u2019s Ferrari 290MM, but it retired early. His first appearance with the new purchase came at the October 16 Times GP at Riverside where he entered the refurbished long-tail Birdcage, still in CAMORADI colors. Connell\u2019s favorite track brought him no luck; in practice, the Maserati did not run as well as expected. The Texan recorded a qualifying time of 2:10.49, 6 seconds faster than the 335S earlier in 1960, but now, good for only 23rd spot on the grid. Connell had to make the field via one of the consolation races. He made it by winning the second qualifier, during which he brought down his time to 2:08. Raceday was discouraging. Starting from the back of the field, the Texan battled for 10th place in tight formation with Bob Bondurant\u2019s Arciero Ferrari\/Maserati and Jo Bonnier\u2019s Porsche RSK. Then, an engine seal broke, spraying oil on the headers. On lap 21 the badly smoking Tipo 61 was blackflagged, while Bill Krause took another Birdcage to a popular win.<\/p>\n One week later, at Laguna Seca\u2019s Pacific GP, things were no better. Qualifying chassis 2461 at the back of the grid with 1:22, Alan moved up to 8th place in the first heat, chasing Moss [Lotus 19], Krause [Birdcage], Hall [Birdcage], Holbert [RSK], Constantine [Kelso Lister\/Chevy], Shelby [Birdcage], and Miles [RSK], when he pitted with a slipping clutch. He finished the heat in 15th, 5 laps down, and retired after 19 laps in the second heat. Moss\u2019s victory, the first for a Lotus 19 in the United States, was about to start the rear-engined trend in sports car racing\u2019s top echelons.<\/p>\n If Connell had any hopes of successfully defending his 1959 Daytona victory, the November 12\u201313 National there brought only more woes. During Saturday\u2019s qualifier, the long-tail Birdcage lost a rear wheel after its de Dion tube broke, just as Alan was coming off the banking. His reduced speed prevented further damage, but no spare tube was available. In a great gesture of sportsmanship, Dave Causey, whose Tipo 61 lost its gearbox on Saturday, loaned Connell his complete rear axle. Both crews worked many hours on the transplant and the long-tail made it to the start. Suspension was compromised, however, and the Maserati was a handful in the corners. Lacking top speed as well, the car never became a threat. It finished 5th overall behind Pabst and Harry Heuer in Meister Brauser Scarabs, and the Porsches of Penske and Chuck Cassel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The season-ending Nassau Trophy went to Dan Gurney\u2019s Arciero Lotus 19. Connell retired the long-tail after 27 laps [of 54] when its exhaust system shook apart. So far his Birdcage had proven unreliable and not particularly fast either. Soon a new mechanic, John Miller, was hired to sort out both Tipo 61s.<\/p>\n Chinetti again invited Alan to join the NART effort at Sebring on March 25, 1961. With Ed Hugus as his co-driver, the Texan got the assignment of a Dino 246S, a Testa Rossa look-alike with a 2.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine. Hugus took the start and for the first 5 hours the combination ran well, settling into 6th overall. According to Alan, they were saving the car by keeping the revs at 7,000, but it was all in vain. After 6 hours, the Dino broke one of its u-joints and retired. Chinetti can\u2019t have been too dismayed: Testa Rossas filled out the top-4 positions at the finish.<\/p>\n Two weeks later, the Carrera del Alamo was held at Hondo, Texas. This April 9 Divisional saw the first appearance of Connell\u2019s metallic-blue bobtailed Birdcage, chassis 2464. The car retired from the feature after 5 laps when its exhaust fell off. Jim Hall\u2019s Birdcage slugged it out with Hap Sharp [2.3-liter Maserati-powered Cooper Monaco] and prevailed, with Bob Schroeder [Birdcage] finishing 3rd.<\/p>\n On May 6\u20137, the Mansfield Divisionals in Louisiana attracted the same players, except Hall. Connell won the sprint race on Saturday with the bobtail Tipo 61, but dropped out of the feature with brake failure. Leader Schroeder retired next, leaving victory to Sharp\u2019s Cooper\/Maserati, followed by the Chevy-powered Jags of Delmo Johnson and Bill Fuller.<\/p>\n Curiously, at the fast Bridgehampton track for the May 28 National, Connell also relied on his bobtail version. Although less streamlined, the Birdcage performed well. However, Hansgen\u2019s Tipo 61 was also present. Having won every big-bore feature since its opening, Walt was nicknamed \u201cKing of the Bridge.\u201d At the start, Connell pulled ahead, leading the first 3 laps. Then Hansgen made his move, and Connell had to settle for 2nd overall.<\/p>\n The reason Alan did not use his more-streamlined, long-tail Tipo 61 became apparent on July 2 at Continental Divide Raceways. To amazed spectators, the Maserati presented itself with a large hood bulge, displaying 6 downdraft Webers underneath. They fed a 3-liter V-12 Testa Rossa engine, number 0764, acquired via Chinetti. Connell expected the V-12 to provide more horsepower and less vibration. Before mechanic John Miller completed the conversion, however, Connell made sure he received Chinetti\u2019s approval. It seemed only prudent, since future replacement parts had to come from Luigi\u2019s shop in New York.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 2-heat CDR event was the second round for the professional USAC Championship. Only weeks earlier the SCCA prohibited its amateur members from participating, and the entry list suffered as a result. Yet Connell, the 1959 SCCA DM-Champion, ignored the ban. He was his own man and CDR was another one of his favorite tracks. Unfortunately, the Maserati\/Ferrari\u2014now painted duo-tone blue\u2014came largely unsorted and overheated profusely. Alan was unable to qualify, starting at the back of the field. On the opening lap, he moved up to 7th and ran 4th by lap 6, gaining on the leaders. The car was fast, but recurring overheating, plus an exploding battery, led to its retirement on lap 14. The race became a Porsche sweep for Ken Miles, Bob Donner, and Scooter Patrick.<\/p>\n Next on the schedule was the Wisconsin GP, an SCCA National staged at Meadowdale on July 22\u201323. Its rough, high-banked Monza Wall section was a certified chassis breaker, but the entries were top notch. Connell, one of the drivers ousted by the SCCA after CDR, was allowed by the organizers to run as a guest, without the possibility of earning points. Not bothered, he brought the long-tail Birdcage with the V-12 Testa Rossa engine, only to park it with a slipping clutch after 7 laps while in 6th place. Roger Penske\u2019s Birdcage beat Peter Ryan\u2019s Sadler in a terrific battle that lasted the entire race.<\/p>\n Banned from amateur competition, Connell stayed put for the rest of the summer. After a cooling-off period he reappeared on September 3\u20134, at Mansfield, Louisiana. His main competitor in this Divisional was Jim Hall\u2019s new Chaparral 1. Alan led all the way and when the Chaparral retired from the chase, the Maserati\/Ferrari went on to take its first victory.<\/p>\n Alan\u2019s next appearance came on October 1\u20132, at the Green Valley Divisional on the northern outskirts of Fort Worth. Aboard the short-tail Tipo 61, he won the Fall Roundup qualifier on Saturday, over Harry Washburn\u2019s Porsche RSK and Dick Macon\u2019s Cooper Monaco. In spite of deteriorating brakes on the Birdcage, the top two positions remained unchanged in the feature.<\/p>\n Two weeks later Alan entered the USAC-sanctioned Times GP at Riverside on October 15, with the long-tail Maserati\/Ferrari. Qualifying in 2:07.7, he wasn\u2019t much faster than the laps recorded in the consolation race in 1960. At least he had moved up on the grid, 13th fastest now, positioned on the outside of the 5th row. Ahead of him were two Cooper Monacos, three Lotus 19s, the Chaparral, two Scarabs, three Tipo 61 Birdcages, and Ol\u2019 Yeller III. Raceday was a disaster. The Birdcage handled differently every lap, while the V-12 engine gave power on only one bank. Then a caliper broke off one of the rear brakes, forcing Connell to retire within 10 laps. Afterwards he discovered that one of the rear springs had completely reversed itself. Plans to run the Pacific GP at Laguna Seca the following weekend were shelved. With the exception of a win at Mansfield, the hybrid sports racer had been a failure so far, with ongoing DNFs.<\/p>\n Fortunately, things looked up from here. On October 28\u201329, Alan took the Ferrari-engined Birdcage to victory in the Oklahoma GP at Muskogee. Chased by Sharp\u2019s new, Climax-engined, Cooper Monaco and Schroeder\u2019s Birdcage, he led from the start. But the real test for the Maserati\/Ferrari came in December during Nassau Speed Week. Connell used the Governor\u2019s Trophy only for practice, pulling out as soon as he was satisfied with the setup of the car. The Nassau Trophy race, 250 miles of pounding on an abrasive surface, attracted a stellar field, even better than the Times GP. At the Le Mans start, the V-12 was slow firing up, but after just 10 laps Connell was running 9th. Twenty laps later he had moved up to 6th overall, behind Gurney\u2019s Lotus 19, Hall\u2019s Chaparral, Penske\u2019s Cooper Monaco, and the Testa Rossas of Pedro Rodriguez and Graham Hill. Gurney took the checkered flag after 55 laps, followed by Penske and Rodriguez. Connell scored an excellent 4th overall, ahead of the Hill and Constantine Testa Rossas. Reliability at last, with speed to boot!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perhaps in celebration of its newly found staying power, Connell gave the hybrid a different paint job. During 1962, the car ran in what was described as either brilliant lime-green, electric chartreuse, or saturn-yellow, coming across on period color photos as bright yellow. Painted on the side of its body were the words \u201cOl\u2019 Blue.\u201d On January 28, 1962, Ol\u2019 Blue took the start in the first National of the season, at Daytona. Harry Heuer\u2019s new Chaparral 1 and Art Huttinger\u2019s Lister\/Chevy formed the front row, but Connell passed them on lap 2. This started an amazing battle between the Texan and Heuer. Officially\u2014as measured at the start\/finish line\u2014the lead changed on 7 of the 30 laps, but out on the track, 23 passes were recorded. The dog fight ended when Heuer, trying to outbrake the Birdcage, overdid it three laps from the finish. He was forced to take the escape road, while Connell went on to win.<\/p>\n The National marked the beginning of the Daytona Speed Weeks, which lasted almost a month. On February 11, Bill France hosted the inaugural 3-hour Daytona Continental, won by Gurney\u2019s Lotus 19 in the famous \u201cstarter motor\u201d finish. Ol\u2019 Blue took the start as well, but upon entering the first turn on lap 5, Connell nudged Huttinger\u2019s early-braking Lister. Alan went into a spectacular spin, ended up with the car pointing in the right direction and continued. However, stress from the off-course excursion broke an oil line, and two laps later the Maserati\/Ferrari retired.<\/p>\n One week later, Connell came back strong in the February 17\u201318, Fort Worth Polar Prix, a Regional at Green Valley Raceway. In both the preliminary and the feature race, the hybrid Birdcage left Sharp\u2019s older Cooper Monaco\/Maserati behind, but on March 4 at Mansfield\u2019s Spring Sports Car Races, their roles reversed. Although the Maserati\/Ferrari captured the 8-lapper, in the feature Sharp pressed Connell so hard that Ol\u2019 Blue went into a spin. Despite a spirited catch-up race, Alan was unable to make up the deficit.<\/p>\n Before the Sebring 12 Hours on March 24, 1962, Chinetti phoned Alan twice, urging him to attend. On raceday the Texan was teamed with Bob Grossman in a front-engined Dino 246S. Unfortunately, that decision wasn\u2019t made until the night before the race. Alan took the start in a car he had never sat in, needing to get acquainted with the Dino during the opening laps. Two hours into the race, running 4th, Alan handed over to Grossman. Both drivers suffered from raw left hands after their stints, so Constantine was called upon for relief. After 6 hours, the Ferrari ran 3rd overall. Then Chinetti put the Rodriguez brothers behind the wheel and the Dino\u2019s clutch soon expired under the strain.<\/p>\n The USAC Road Racing Championship started on April 1, with the Pipeline 200 at Bossier City\u2019s Hilltop Raceway in Louisiana. It was run as a two-heat Formula Libre event. Sharp owned a suitable 2.5-liter, low-line Cooper\/Climax T53 Intercontinental, chassis F1\/15\/61. However, he preferred to attend a Tucson, Arizona, Regional the same weekend. Connell purchased Sharp\u2019s Cooper and entered his first \u201creal\u201d open-wheel race. The Climax engine smoked badly in practice. Running 3rd behind Gurney [Lotus 18] and Penske [Cooper T53], Alan retired after blowing a gasket. Gurney won both heats, while Sharp\u2019s decision proved a wise one: He won at Tucson with his Cooper\/Maserati, beating Jack Hinkle\u2019s Tipo 61.<\/p>\n The Grand Prairie GP at Stuttgart, Arkansas, provided a classic Connell-Sharp battle again. Intrigued by the location\u2019s name, Porsche reps in Stuttgart, Germany, provided trophies for any winning Porsche drivers in this May 26\u201327 National. Sharp had his Cooper Monaco\/Climax on pole, with Ol\u2019 Blue next and Enus Wilson in the ex-Penske Tipo 61 on the outside. Connell took an early lead but spun out under pressure from Sharp. Running 2nd, the Maserati\/Ferrari dropped out 8 laps from the finish with a lost drain plug. Sharp won, followed by Donner\u2019s RS-61, which collected the factory silverware from Germany.<\/p>\n Sharp must have convinced his friend that the days of the front-engined sports racers were over, because in the next National\u2014at Bridgehampton on June 2\u20133\u2014Connell showed up in a brand-new Cooper Monaco with 2.5-liter Climax unit. The car\u2014chassis CM\/3\/62\u2014was painted metallic blue. Problems developed during practice, forcing it to start from the back of the grid. Connell sliced through the field, but the Climax did not have the horsepower to catch two Monacos entered by Cunningham. Hansgen won in a Buick-engined version, with Dick Thompson next in a Maserati-engined Monaco. Alan finished 3rd overall.<\/p>\n The Lake Garnett GP, a National held 70 miles south of Kansas City on July 7\u20138, seemed to justify Connell\u2019s new purchase. He led the feature from start to finish, chased in vain by the Chaparrals of Heuer [2nd] and Hall [3rd]. Alan was full of confidence for the Wisconsin GP, held at Meadowdale on August 4\u20135. Starting again from the pole, he ran away from his pursuers by 3 seconds a lap. Alas, with 4 laps to go, the Monaco\u2019s gearbox broke, handing victory to Heuer\u2019s Chaparral with Bill Wuesthoff\u2019s RS-60 next. Three weeks later, Connell wasn\u2019t any luckier in the July 29 Hoosier Grand Prix sanctioned by USAC; his Cooper Intercontinental retired after 2 laps with ring-and-pinion failure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
Photo: Bob Tronolone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a>
Photo: Connell collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a>
Photo: Connell collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>