jimgessner

Another Corvette Racing icon passed May 4, 2014. I met Tony in 2008 and in a 2-25-09 interview he told me his story of racing cars and Corvettes.


I started with MG's in 1947 after WW2. I loved road racing with my friends Phil Hill, Art Evans, Bill Pollack and others at Cal Club events around Southern California.

One of most exciting events was racing the new 1955 300SL Gullwing at Pebble Beach in April 1956 against Dr. Dick Thompson. The Corvette was not officially entered in the race, so records show I won. But trust me Dr. Dick won that race and put Corvette on the map.


I owned a Mercedes dealership in Ontario, CA and bought my first Corvette, a 1957 silver fuel injection car from MK Smith Chevrolet, Ontario, CA for general driving pleasure. MK wanted me to repair the fuel injection systems that the dealership employees were having problems with. The car was one of the first 4 speed cars in Southern California, and the first fuel injection 283/283hp car M.K. received. (I should have never sold it) I raced it at Santa Barbara in October1957 (#227 race number) then the first Riverside race on Labor Day Sept 1-3, 1957.

In 1958, I was sponsored by JACK YOUNG and raced his, 1958 SILVER #38 with great success. CHIEFTEN BODY SHOP was Jack Young’s business and BILL THOMAS built a wonderful engine. Backdoor support from Chevrolet’s VINCE PICKENS, to Bob Bondurant and me was a great help. I raced that car in 58 thru 60 and then went to Europe.

In England, I got hooked up with a 22 year old millionaire Hugh Powell from Connecticut and a special racer called the WRE, (World Racing Enterprise). The open wheel car was 80% complete when Powell hired me to go to England and find out if all his money was truly in the car. I flew over and found a beautiful racer without a driveline, so I asked friend Briggs Cunningham where we might purchase an engine for this beautiful car. He suggested Maserati and ‘LUCKY’ Casner who formed the CAMORADI RACE TEAM. I followed his advice, and we created a beautiful race car with a front-engine powered Maserati 2L open wheel special. We tested at Modena and then went to Naples Grand Prix and I won in the rain. My racing career became big news in Europe with this win. The car was a dream to drive, but the new Maserati Birdcage was being pushed to the front of the pack and we received no additional help from the Maserati, so we sold the car in late 1961

Hugh Powell still wanted to race, so I suggested buying a Corvette from my old friend M.K. Smith in Southern California. I ordered a 1962 white / red no radio fuel injection hardtop only car with 4 speed, positraction and heavy duty RPO 687 brake and suspension. By now we had become Scuderia Scirocco of USA/GB from Modena Italy Race Team.


The car was shipped to us and we prepared the car for racing and added a 37 gallon gas tank that Maserati built for us from drawings supplied by Zora and Vince Piggens. We also added a SUN Electronic tack, running number lights, fog lamps and mud flaps. We tested at a hill climb race test in Verona, which we won easily.


Jack Turner and I entered the 1962 LeMans race on June 23, 1962. The car ran without a hitch for well over 11 hours, when Jack downshifted after the Mulsanne Straight and inadvertently, pulled up the reverse lock out, and the transmission lost two gears. I took over the controls, but after 14.5 hours and 150 laps the engine went away after a piston blew due to lean fuel from a fuel injection drive cable slipping. Officially we finished 30th overall and 12th in GT, as a DNF. Turns out it was the only solid axel Corvette to race LeMans other than the three 1960 Cunningham entries.


The car was shipped back to Southern California and I never saw it again.

In 1980, long time Corvette sleuth Mike Pillsbury (now deceased) found Roland Gorman in Ohio who owned the car and needed a hardtop and decklid, as the originals were stolen off the car. Roland sold it to good friend Dale Pearman from Atwood, Tennessee. In 1983 when all the vin numbers were discovered in FIA LeMans files, Dale realized he had a car worth restoring. He and nephew Ken Hansen from Media, TN finished the restoration. Dale passed of kidney disease in the spring of 2005. The car received the NCRS Heritage Award at 2006 NCRS National Convention Park City, Utah.


LARRY BOWMAN purchased the car at the Gooding Auction in Palm Beach, FL in spring of 2007. Sold again in 2011 to Steve Leistein in Long Island, NY who still has it today.

Meanwhile, Tony Settember came back to California and drove the old #614 1963 Stingray Washburn Chevrolet Corvette in 1963 and again in 1964. Then drove for Webster Racing a Lotus 23, then a Lola T-70 in the 1965-66 time period. In 67 and 68 I raced the 67 Z-28 Camaro Trans Am car for Washburn Chevrolet of Santa Barbara, California.

Tony at the RIVERSIDE RACEWAY MUSEUM LEGENDS event March 2009.

The ROUNDTABLE discussions with fellow great racers JOHN MORTON, DICK GULDSTRAND, TONY SETTEMBER and BOB BONDURANT. March 2013

Black 03 Z06

Rest in Peace Tony. Condolences to family and friends.

Thanks for posting up the historical information and photograph. Great stuff.

ChattanoogaJSB

A great thread, thank you for remembering him with such a write up- very nice!

Dr L-88

Thanks for sharing Jim, and, as always, an excellent tribute to the racers as only you can do. Thanks for all the racing memories Tony.

Condolences to Tony's family.

ejboyd5

Excellent piece. Thank you. I've taken the liberty of pasting a reference on the Gull Wing Group website a I'm sure many of its members will be interested in the early California years.

63Corvette

Great thread and pictures. Thanks Jim

tuxnharley

Great posting - thanks for sharing! I remember watching him race at Laguna Seca back in the early/mid 60's!