Jack McDonald, the 1977 SCCA B Prepared National Champion, died
March 25, 2004.
Based on a little guess work, we think he was 82, having graduated from
Vallejo (CA) High School in 1940.
Mr. McDonald competed in five National meets, usually driving a
Corvette. He finished second in B Stock at the first one in 1973. Then he
acquired "Peas and Carrots," his favorite, and won B Prepared in 1977, was
ninth the following year, and second in BP in 1979. For 1983 he acquired a
Lotus 77, a V8-powered rear-engined Formula car that originally ran in SCCA
Pro races. Unfortunately it developed a head gasket leak which caused the
engine to "hydraulic" and he ended up 18th in A Mod with his crippled car.
Later, driving the Lotus 77 at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds, the
extremely low car bottomed on a bumpy stretch, causing the flywheel to hit
the ground and rip it from the engne and then cutting the chassis in half.
Mr. McDonald had a wild ride and he never drove it again.
Mr. McDonald was instrumental in creating the Vallejo Grand Prix, a
street autocross that ran in front of City Hall in downtown Vallejo. The
event was run annually for five years in the late '70s.
A life-long resident of Vallejo, CA, he enjoyed success in the used
car business and real estate. His used car business was called "Jax." Most
recently he opened a drive-in coffee shop in downtown Vallejo called "Java
Jax."--John Kelly
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