Seeing the potential of the Chevrolet Monza, Al Holbert commisioned designer Lee Dystra and builder Horst Kwech of DeKon Engineering to adopt the car to the new rules. The DeKon Monza debuted in 1976, winning the first of back-to-back titles for Holbert in the blue No. 14 Monza. 

 

Also racing that year was Michael Keyser, driving a white Monza with red and blue trim, carrying the No. 1 with a patriotic scheme to celebrate America’s Bicentennial.

 

“I had been driving Porsche RSRs before the Monza,” Keyser recalled. “It was a good opportunity to switch to the coming thing. All of a sudden I found myself driving a V8 with lots of torque with a Hurst shifter. It handled great. It was a very good car. From the moment I first drove it, it had no oversteering or understeering, it was very neutral. Good Lockheed brakes. 

 

Holbert and Keyser teamed to win overall that year at Sebring, co-driving the No. 14 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. From there, they went their separate ways. Keyser won at Mid-Ohio and the Daytona Finale, in addition to seconds at Road Atlanta and Lime Rock, and thirds at Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta (with Jim Trueman). 

 

His favorite race with the Monza came at the Daytona Finale.

 

“Al Holbert and I walked away from everyone,” Keyser said. “We ran neck and neck for the whole first half of the race. All of a sudden, Al pulled over going on to the first banking with some kind of electrical problem, and I cruised on. It was very quick through the banking – doing 190-something.”

 

The new class ran its course by the end of 1977, though. Porsche came back with its turbocharged 935, which dominated the series up until the introduction of the GTP Prototypes in the early 1980s.