Dr. Dave Helmick is a former American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 sports car

Sports car racing

Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....

 racer and owner.

Helmick, John Graves

John Graves (racing driver)

John Graves is an American former racing driver from Miami, Florida.He won the 1977 24 Hours of Daytona teaming with owner-driver Dave Helmick and Porsche factory driver Hurley Haywood in a two year old Porsche Carrera RSR entered as "Ecurie Escargot"...

, and noted professional Porsche factory driver Hurley Haywood

Hurley Haywood

Hurley Haywood is an American race-car driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 , 1983 and 1994 and is the most successful driver at the 24 Hours of Daytona with 5 wins . He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1973 and 1981...

 won the 1977 24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...

 in a two-year-old Porsche Carrera RSR

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...

 entered as "Ecurie Escargot." Haywood would have normally driven for a factory-supported team but was wary of the reliability the new turbocharged

Turbocharger

A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...

 Porsche 934

Porsche 934

The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules.-History:...

 and Porsche 935

Porsche 935

The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory racing version of the Porsche 911 turbo prepared for FIA-Group 5 rules. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 turbo prototype which had scored 2nd overall in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans....

 entries they were fielding. He elected to drive with the underfunded Escargot team with their naturally aspirated Carrera. Helmick drove in other notable sports car races of the day such as the 12 Hours of Sebring

12 Hours of Sebring

The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...

 in the World Championship of Makes

World Sportscar Championship

The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...

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Helmick was a radiologist by trade and has since retired from both his practice and racing and lives in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

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