Howmet TX - Racing History

Racing History

Following completion of the two Howmet TXs, the cars were brought to the 24 Hours of Daytona, the opening round of the 1968 International Championship for Makes. Before even entering competition the TX earned attention, and was featured prominently on the cover of the race program. Although both cars were in attendance, only the newer (#GTP2) of the two was entered in the race; the other car (#GTP1) was kept as a spare. The driving team of Heppenstall, Dick Thompson, and Ed Lowther qualified with a lap time seventh fastest overall. Several competitors made early refueling stops allowing the Howmet to improve to third place but on lap 34 the turbine wastegate failed to reopen, giving the driver too much power for the corner he was in. The car spun and hit a barrier, forcing the team to retire.

By the 12 Hours of Sebring a few months later, the TX was able to improve its pace, this time qualifying third, only a second behind a Porsche 907 and a Ford GT40. The turbine ran reliably at first but, as the race continued, debris damaged the turbine and caused it to shake loose from its mounts. The TX was eventually retired after six hours. Following Sebring, the International Championship returned to Europe, and the Howmet team followed. They entered the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch. Wastegate problems once again caused the car to wreck, this time after only seven laps. Staying in Britain, the Howmet team entered a national sprint race at Oulton Park for British driver Hugh Dibley. The failure of a starter motor during a pit stop, however, once again denied the TX the possibility of finishing the hour-long event.

The TX returned to the United States to contest the SCCA National Championship rather than stay in Europe for the remainder of the International Championship. Closer to home, the problems with the experimental TX were able to be overcome as the car finished its first race, the Vandergraft Trophy in New Cumberland, West Virginia. Heppenstall drove the car to a second place finish, setting a new lap record for the circuit. Following a retirement in Michigan, the TX next arrived at the Heart of Dixie event in Huntsville, Alabama. A short sprint race was held on the day prior to the main race in order to determine the starting order of the field. The Howmet TX was able to earn victory in the sprint, allowing it to start on pole position for the main event. From there the TX dominated the event and earned another win. These two victories marked the first-ever wins by a turbine-powered car in a racing event.

With the first victory earned by the Howmet TX, Heppenstall was once again joined by Dick Thompson for the Marlboro 300. Once again the car won the short qualifying race to earn pole position and went on to lead every lap of the main event, winning by an eleven-lap margin. Feeling that the TX was now capable of taking on European entries, both TXs were entered in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, another round of the International Championship. Hugh Dibley and newcomer Bob Tullius were entered in the first car, while Heppenstall and Thompson shared the second. The cars qualified eighth and ninth fastest. Following early accidents by the factory Porsches the TX cars were running third and fourth overall. The Dibley and Tullius car suffered a transmission problem in the closing hour requiring the car to crawl around the circuit until the end of the race. The other entry remained on pace until the end, finishing on the podium overall and was the highest finisher in its class. The podium earned Howmet four points towards the International Championship.

After the Watkins Glen success, the two cars were prepared for an attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which had been postponed until September. French aluminium company Pechiney sponsored the team's bid at the 24 hours. The same drivers were assigned to the cars, but their qualifying performance at the Circuit de la Sarthe was hampered by the long straights. Twentieth fastest was the best performance from the two cars.

For the race itself, mechanical problems appeared early as Thompson's car suffered after only three laps. The fuel system was not providing enough Jet A to the turbine to allow it to produce its full power output, meaning the car had to limp down the circuit's long straights. While that car continued at a slowed pace, the other suffered a wheel bearing failure two hours later, requiring a lengthy three-hour repair. By the sixth hour of the event the car was disqualified by race officials, having covered an insufficient distance of only 60 laps. The remaining fuel-starved TX did not last much longer as Thompson crashed in the Indianapolis corner.

With the 1968 season over, Heppenstall planned for the following year, including the development of a new multi-gear transmission to replace the single speed unit. However, Howmet felt that the program was not providing adequate promotion for the company and decided to discontinue it.