James X. Mullen

Jim was a serious offshore sailboat racer who came to motorsports in 1975 by way of his passion for racecars of the 1950s and 1960’s. After five years in Barber Formula Fords and vintage racing in a Cooper Formula II, VSCCA competitor, Bob Akin, suggested IMSA. Mullen began by sharing drives in Mazda GTU cars before purchasing Brad Friselle’s superb RX-7 on the day Mazda hired Dave Kent to put together two entries for Daytona. Since Dave could only prepare one car, Mullen and his Mazda were elevated to the factory team. In 1982, he took his first IMSA win at Riverside with Jim Cook… In 1983, he joined Wayne Baker in a GTO Porsche 934 for five class wins and the 12 Hours of Sebring overall…the only time in IMSA history a GTO car prevailed over the top GTX and GTP classes. He finished the season one point behind GTO champion Baker…. In 1984, Jim drove a Rondeau Cosworth Group C car to thirteenth at Le Mans, then teamed with Chet Vincentz in his Porsche 934 taking another four class wins out of seven events entered…..  In 1985, Jim joined Bob Akin and Hans Stuck in the Coca-Cola Porsche 962 and, later, other GTP competitors.

Stints in other GTP cars followed, with the best and last drive a 1986 partnership with John Kalagian in a March Buick, sadly ended by John’s Riverside accident…..Jim returned to Historic Racing in 1996 in a Chevron B19 before stepping up to a Spice Cosworth GTP/Group C car for 1998 and 1999. His final racecar was a 1992 Spice Chevrolet GTP that he campaigned in America and Europe for the next eight years, retiring at the end of the 2007 season.