Eppie Wietzes Photo 1973 & profile 1976 Residence Thornhill, Ontario Born April 28, 1938
Canadian Eppie Wietzes has never placed below sixth in the final standings in the past six years of SCCA’s professional F/5000 series, but despite his strong efforts, has yet to get higher than fourth in the standings. In 1975. Eppie placed fifth in his Formula Racing Lola T400M. Third-place finishes at Road America and Long Beach his best outings of the season. Other points earning efforts in 1975 were a fourth at Pocono. And a pair of fifths at Mosport and Watkins Glen. His other finishes were a 12th at Riverside and 13th at Road Atlanta where engine problems caused him to drop from the top 10 plus DNF’s at Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca. In 1974, Wietzes placed fourth in the final standings. Starting six events, he recorded a second, two thirds and a fourth for his four finishes. The year previous, he drove a Lola T330 in all nine events with his seven finishes between third and ninth for a sixth-place in the standings. In 1972, he drove a McLaren M18 to his first, long-awaited L&M Championship victory at Minnesota’s Brainerd circuit. This, coupled with four other high finishes, put him in fifth place at year’s end. In 1971 and 1970, the vice president of Wietzes Motors Ltd. raced a McLaren to fourth place in the season-end championship standings. Born in Holland, Wietzes moved to Canada when he was 11 and began racing a Morris Minor in 1958. Since then, he has competed in a Sunbeam Alpine, Shelby Cobra, Mustang and a Ford GT40. Wietzes had his first ride in an open-wheeled car when he was offered a team Formula 1 Lotus for the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix. Competing in only a few events in 1968, he joined the Formula Racing team in 1969, winning the Canadian Road Racing Championship that year and in 1970.