Mike Rounds

SCCA Trans-Am 1982

A retired teacher from Richfield, MN, Mike Rounds raced a few Trans-Am races in 1982. His Globe College sponsored Monza finished 12th at the CRC Chemicals SCCA Trans-Am Championship at Road Atlanta, earning 4 championship points and $900.00 for completing 39 laps, one down from the winner.

The actual DeKon chassis number needs to be confirmed. It is not clear whether it is c/n 1007 or 1010. Along with his name, the car is listed as "Monza(DeKon #1010)" on the Monza GT Registry website at: http://www.oocities.org/monzaman_gt/tases.html. Also, race results and entry lists from Racing Sports Cars, Ultimate Racing History, and SCCA Trans-Am do not specify the chassis, making identification difficult.

Mike’s ownership of the DeKon became a point of contention with someone who laid claim to the racecar after the '82 season. The car ended up in the hands of that party who lived in Canada, where the Monza was towed. Mike had no other information about the car, but said it was a DeKon without hesitation. He wasn't sure who the previous owner actually was, given the parties involved, but mentioned Jerry Hansen’s name.
 

In April 2011, I spoke candidly with Mike at the SCCA Land O' Lakes Region's annual tech inspection. He is a very nice and spirited fellow. We talked briefly about the Monza he drove 30 years earlier, which for him was like yesterday. He said, "That car was "f***ing fast! There wasn't another car like it... easy to drive." He had plans to race the DeKon Monza another year, but unfortunately the ownership issue took hold. As of December 2012, the actual DeKon chassis number has not been confirmed. It is most likely to be c/n 1007 or 1010.

Fun fact; Mike was usually punctual about registering early for a race and fond of number 33 for his car. It was also a number coveted by driver/actor Paul Newman for his Bob Sharpe Racing, Datsun 280-ZX. Numbers were not guaranteed and mostly issued on a first-come basis. It so happened, the Newman/Sharpe racing team eventually approached Mike to ask if he would reconsider using the number 33, but he politely declined. That's how Newman ended up with car 38 for the round-8 SCCA Trans-Am at Brainerd in 1982.

Results - Mike Rounds