Article

Nissan Le Mans – Cunningham racing 300ZX  – 1994

This was my second Le Mans (first was with Porsche in 1982). After the years of Nissan racing Group C cars finished they decided to return in 1994 with the Cunningham Racing 300ZX.

Clayton Cunningham’s Z car with twin-turbo in Millen’s hands was almost unbeatable in US GT racing, and so Nissan decided to bring it to Europe. They had already won Daytona 24 hours and Sebring 12 hours outright that year, so Le Mans was the next target.

Two cars came over, raucous brutal American Japanese race cars as only the Yanks know how to make them, quite different to the racers in European GT racing! Steve Millen shared the No 75 car with Johnny O’Connell and John Morton. The No 76 car was shared by Eric van der Poele, Paul Gentilozzi and Shinji Kasuya.

The night before the race Steve’s motorhome was broken into and his helmets stolen. This was no small loss as the previous year Steve had a massive accident when T-boned by his team mate, Johnny O’Connell’s car. Steve had been involved in a relatively small accident with another car and was stopped right across the track, O’Connell rounded the corner and found only 1/3 of the track clear. He hit Steve’s car in the rear nearly obliterating both cars.

Steve’s skull was fractured in 2 places, his jaw was broken, many other injuries – but these in relation to helmet fitting were crucial. The helmets stolen were helmets he’d raced in for a few races so they were nearly right for his ‘damaged head’. During practice he’d had some discomfort and I’d modified them a bit to increase the comfort for Steve and now they were gone.

Le Mans is hardly a place to find new helmets, get painted to sponsors colours and do a made to measure interior on the morning of the race. These was nowhere selling helmets there at all. I managed to get onto my friends at Arai in Japan and they had their French importer EuroAxe bring a couple of standard Arai race helmets to Le Mans.

I got to work and remade the interior to Steve’s shape, fitted radios and I presume a drink system too (though I can’t remember the exact details). There wasn’t a lot of time left but I managed to get some Fablon in the right colours and replicated his helmet paint design as well as possible, added Nissan logos here and there and off he went racing.

Helmets are a hugely personal part of the driver’s equipment and to steal them on the eve of such a big race is really nasty. Unfortunately it isn’t the first time at Le Mans and it won’t be the last as there is almost zero security at the back of the pits for team equipment and team members personal property.

Steve’s Z took 5th place overall at that race and he also won that season’s IMSA GTS Drivers Champion title and the team the IMSA GTS Manufacturers Championship title.

I met up with Steve in 2013 at Long Beach ALMS / Indycar event and it was good to see him and his wife Jordi again. 20 years since I last saw him and he didn’t look a day older, still smiling and enjoying life.