Shadow Man - and a signature worth having

By Michael Hipperson

Each year my wife and I host a Lotus themed fund raising weekend for our local children’s hospice. Our big earner over the two days is an auction and one of my tasks is to assemble a variety of interesting and desirable lots for our celebrity auctioneers.

This has turned out to be a most pleasurable occupation. Everyone contacted among the motorsport 'glitterati’ have been more than willing to help out.

As an extra incentive, I get to meet some of my heroes from yesteryear and at the same time appease my conscience by raising money for a good cause.

Last year Brian Lister of Lister Cars fame donated a wonderful print of his driver Archie Scott Brown. The original painting was by American artist Robert Gillespie. I contacted ‘Bob’ as he liked to be known and we have since become cyberspace mates. This year he has kindly donated a print of his painting Shadows in the Glen for the auction. What a painting. And what a story.

Don Nichols in his only photoshoot

The team became more competitive the following year, and branched out into Formula One from 1973 with Oliver and Follmer at the wheel. It was in the awesome CanAm series, however, that Nichols’ team found its greatest successes.

The painting depicts the 1974 battle royal between works drivers Jackie Oliver (Oliver was CanAm Champion in1974) and George Follmer in identical and stunning CanAm Shadow DN-4s. Follmer had already signed the print so I set about finding the team owner, the mysterious Don Nichols. Maybe he would sign for us?

Other than what I mention above, here was a man with no past, whom I could find little or nothing about....

What I did find out from one of the forums was that it has become widely presumed he was the Colonel Don Nichols found in the recently opened secret files of the CIA. A master in the art of covert operations in the Far East. A man working in the Shadows. Makes sense don’t you think ??

But more impiortantly, how to find him… I trawled the Nostalgia Forum on AtlasF1 and noticed a historian who seemed very knowedgeable about American motorsport..a chap called Jerry Entin.

I inquired as to the Shadow Man’s wherabouts. He knew nothing but knew a man that did. Dennis Losher owns one of the original CanAm Shadows. He said he could put me in touch but under no circumstances should I reveal his address. Mr Losher did say Don was 83 and probably would not respond. Wrong. He replied immediately to say he would be happy to sign. Great news.

Follmer - grudge match

One to go…famous Ford GT40 racer and Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver. That was easy. I found him in Bedfordshire and now have the full set on the picture, which must make it a pretty valuable thing. As a footnote to the picture and the race it depicts, George Follmer was so wound up about Oliver, that the famous Grudge Race was set up.

Now, as teamates Oliver and Follmer hated each other. Nichols had branched into Formula 1 in 1973. Oliver was already a star and Follmer reckoned he was quicker but had to defer. Follmer was determined to show he was quicker!

This is a recollection of the race from www.glenphotos.com

“The Can-Am series of the 1970s was very competitive. This series included some of the fastest race cars ever built. The drivers were no slouches either! Names like Revson, Hulme, Donohue, Holbert, Oliver and Follmer bring back many memories. This story will focus on two of these drivers: Jackie Oliver and George Follmer.

"If my memory is right it was October 1974. That year Jackie Oliver won the Can-Am championship in a UOP Shadow. His team mate in a second UOP Shadow was George Follmer. Follmer had won the championship in 1972(in a Porsche 917-10). These were two good drivers! During '74 Follmer had finished second to Oliver in more than one race. In the later part of that season Follmer was really getting upset as the Shadow team boss ordered him race after race not to win and let Oliver take the victory for points toward the series title.

"I forget what race it was but Follmer took a win against the team owner's wishes! This didn't go over very good with Follmer's boss. Oliver wasn't happy with Follmer either. The press got a hold of this and the rivalry became interesting public knowledge. For the rest of the season this was like a dark cloud over the Shadow team. Well to cut a long story short, Oliver took the series title that year. After the season Follmer told many sources that had he wanted to, he could of beat Oliver in just about any race they ran that year if it hadn't been for team orders. In fact, Follmer challenged Oliver to a race in which any type of car be used as long as they (the cars) were equal. Well the owner of the Shadow team seeing this as a great PR opportunity agreed to the use of three of his Shadow Can-Am cars in a grudge race between Oliver and Follmer.

"The third car would be driven by a neutral person not connected to the Shadow team. Just some extra competition for these two rival drivers. It was decided this match would be run at Watkins Glen during the October Grand Prix weekend. The third driver was UOP team driver Jean Pierre Jarier. Anyways, this was a 15 lap race and once it got underway, Follmer was a man possessed. He drove his heart out. Shortly into this race tJarier decided enough was enough and dropped out. He wanted out of the way of these two guys and no part of this action! It didn't take Follmer long before he was out of sight of Oliver. It wasn't even a contest! By the time the chequered flag fell Follmer had left Oliver WAY behind. He may have been close to lapping Oliver if I remember right. I do know one thing for sure; Follmer beat the champ real bad, HANDS DOWN! It was great. The crowd loved it. An underdog winning! It was the loudest applause I've ever heard for a race at the Glen. George Follmer showed the world that day HE was the best driver on that Shadow team. I never remember seeing Follmer in a Shadow after that weekend. Can't say I blame him.

"Can you imagine a race such as this today? No way. It wouldn't be allowed these days! Too bad. I can think of some real interesting matches...F1 vs Cart, NASCAR vs Trans-Am.

"This duel happened when racing was racing and most of the time the better man won. Money was a factor back then but not nearly as much as it is today. Talent still counts but that green stuff is even more important now. And that's the big difference between then and now.

"I don't care who was on that track with George Follmer during that race, be it today’s or yesteryear’s drivers, I'm thoroughly convinced NOBODY could have beat him that October 1974 weekend!”

Footnote....

Just because PetrolHeads is primarily for New Zealanders, it doesn’t mean you can’t put a bid in for this unique bit of motorsport history. All you have to do is think of a decent offer and email it through to author Michael Hipperson. And if you want Michael’s email, just drop me a private message. Richard.

Motor sports history - bid NOW!!!!!