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Anyone old enough to have witnessed (or heard of) the 60s-70's SCCA and IMSA battles where Nissan (DATSUN dammit. 😆 initially made their name in American (and international) motorsports? I am. Worked for Datsun in the late 70s, early 80s. And if you were a Datsun fan, you knew his name.
Bob Sharp.
Connecticut Datsun dealer and tour de force in sports car racing. He was the main guy putting the Datsun stamp on all the class records in American road racing. From the 200SX to the SRL roadsters, 1200s, 5-6-710s, and of course, the Z car.
You may know some of his drivers' names, himself, Sam Posey, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Bruce MacInnes, Jim Fitzgerald, Walter Payton (yes,THAT Walter Payton), Tom Cruise, and of course P.L. Newman aka Paul Newman). Datsun heavyweights.
I vividly remember one race at Sears Point where I was stationed in the pit with our truck (not a Datsun🤣 full of spare parts, working support for Datsun racers - of which there were many back then - and a guy in a Datsun/Bob Sharp Racing shirt ran up not quite but near enough to frantic and said, "we need a 4.36 ring gear (or thereabouts) you wouldn't happen to have one would you?" "No, but I do have a complete Comp R200 with a 4.10 posi (maybe 4.11). "That's even better! Can we take it and ship you a fresh unit?" "You bet! If you introduce me to your drivers.
TLDR: met Posey, Newman and Mr. Sharp in one day. 😃 They were very grateful. Somewhere I have the note (or likely got tossed by my ex) that came with the replacement diff. "Thanks, Michael, you saved the day for us! Best, Bob"
Mr. Sharp left us recently and I for one, lost a true hero. But he lived a long, full life full of doing stuff kids dreamt about,
So sad to hear this news. Nissan enthusiasts have lost another legendary figure. I had the honor of interviewing Bob Sharp for one of our final issues, of Nissan Sport Magazine and enjoyed hearing his recollections of motorsports from the 60's through the 80's. What great stories he had and such keen insight into what was going on during this amazing period! RIP Bob and may the great racetracks in the sky open their great vistas for you.
SCCA put out the following tribute to Bob Sharp:Multi-time SCCA Runoffs® National Champion, SCCA Hall of Fame member, and racing icon Bob Sharp has passed away, leaving behind a motorsports legacy that began in the 1960s and is still felt to this day. The New England Region member was 85 at the time of his passing on Feb. 28, 2025.
In 1960, after serving in the Army and while attending college, Sharp began racing an Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite despite it being the same vehicle he used to go back and forth to school. He competed across the northeast in SCCA competition, switching to a Lotus Seven for a few seasons before driving a Datsun. The Datsun partnership lasted 35 years with a livery that became synonymous with Sharp’s endeavors.
Sharp was a salesman at P. Bruck & Son in Greenwich, CT, selling Ramblers and Datsuns, and he approached his boss, Paul Bruck, about racing a Datsun Fairlady 1500 Roadster to help promote the dealership. The car was a rarity in SCCA competition at that time, but Sharp’s success changed that, as he was an expert at tuning the 85hp, 1,500cc engine and suspension.
At only 24 years old, Sharp started his own car dealership and repair station in Wilton, CT, with a three-bay garage/Gulf gas station and a used car dealership, and operated a race shop in one of the garage bays. To help fund his racing, he convinced the head of Nissan USA-East Coast in 1965 to sponsor his team, which became the first factory-backed racing sponsorship.
Between 1967 and ’75, Sharp won the Runoffs six times racing for Datsun. His success led to greater factory support for his team and paved the way for Nissan to support other Datsun racers around the country.
Even after his driving career ended, Bob Sharp Racing would be the springboard from which several top drivers of the era would leap to the pinnacle of success, including Sam Posey, Brad Frisselle, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, and Paul Newman.
“Bob Sharp is among the greatest success stories in the SCCA, and an inspiration to all Club members,” said SCCA President and CEO Mike Cobb. “His determination, drive, and success of living out his motorsports dream is what the Club is all about, and the SCCA is proud to have had him as a member.”
Bob Sharp, Gone, never forgotten.
initially made their name in American (and international) motorsports? I am. Worked for Datsun in the late 70s, early 80s. And if you were a Datsun fan, you knew his name.
