Macau Grand Prix

Macau, 14 Nov 1976

All cars are 1.6-litre F/Atl unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT1/75 [9] (Vern Schuppan): New to Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing Team and fitted with a Hart 420R for Vern Schuppan to race at the JAF Grand Prix in November 1975. Then converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the Macau Grand Prix but vital parts did not arrive in time for Schuppan to use it. It was next raced at the Macau GP a year later, when Schuppan won the race. Yip himself drove it at the Malaysia Grand Prix meeting in April 1977, but did not start the race. It was then driven by Alan Jones at Macau in November 1977 but he retired. After that, it sat idle for nearly two years until it was taken to Ireland for the Phoenix Park Formula Atlantic race in September 1979, where it won in the hands of David Kennedy. It then returned to Macau for the 1979 race, when Geoff Lees took over the drive and won. Lees took the Ralt to its third Macau GP victory in 1980, in only its sixth known race start. It was then sold to Richard Hawkins, who drove it in the British Formula Atlantic championship in 1981. He sold it to dealer Roger Cowman who ran it for Vivian Candy at Phoenix Park in August and at Mondello Park in September. It stayed in Ireland and in late 1983 was sold by Jim Flynn to Tony Skinner.
2. March 76B [17] (Graeme Lawrence): New to Sonny Rajah with a fuel-injected Hart engine, and run for Graeme Lawrence in South East Asia.
3. Chevron B34 [34-76-37] (Albert Poon): New to Albert Poon (Hong Kong), who referred to it as a 1977-series B35. It started out with a Cosworth BDM engine for Southeast Asian racing, and was then fitted with a Cosworth BDA for the Macau GP, which was held to Formula Atlantic rules, and the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1977, before returning to the fuel-injected BDM for racing in Malaysia later in 1977. To Chong Kim Fah and Team Rothmans for 1978, but it is unclear whether Chong actually raced it that season. It is then presumably the "B39" that Chong raced in Formula Pacific in 1979. According to later owners, it then moved to Western Australia and was owned by Peter Nicol in 1979, Peter Morris in 1980, Jim Runciman in 1983. Then to Richard Fearon (Victoria) in 1994, Noel Robson (Victoria) at the end of 1998, and Peter Mohr (Queensland) in 2005. Sold by Mohr to Tony Simmons in November 2008, and raced by him through 2009 and in 2010. Next seen with Martin Bullock (WA) and raced by him at Sydney Motor Sport Park in November 2014, and at Barbagallo in 2016. Then taken to the UK by Bullock and raced at Brands Hatch in May 2019.
4. March 722/732 [722-40] (Alan Jones): New to Australian Vern Schuppan to drive in the British Formula Atlantic championship. Fitted with a BRM Ford twin cam engine, and first seen in practice at Mallory Park in late March, but Schuppan left before the race to catch a flight to the Singapore GP. Schuppan finished second in Singapore, and third in the Malaysian GP a week later. Then returned to the British series, now with a BDA, and won four rounds. The car was then fitted with Falconer bodywork and an Amon-Woods engine rebuilt by Geoff Richardson, and raced in the Rothmans 50,000 and in two late-season F2 races. After a single F2 race in 1973 fitted with a Richardon BDG, the car went to Southeast Asia, winning the Singapore GP with a Ford twin cam fitted, then competed in the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji with the BDG, and back to the 'twink' for Macau. He raced the car in British Formula Atlantic briefly in early 1974, then sent it back to Asia where he won the Macau GP in November, by which time it had been fitted with 732 bodywork and a Lola T360 rear wing. It then became a fixture at Macau up to 1977, being driven by Alan Jones and Derek Daly. Patrick Tambay also raced for Theodore Racing in the Malaysian and Penang Grands Prix in 1977, where it was still in 732 form but was billed as a 752. It reappeared at Macau for Schuppan in 1979, now in 76B bodywork. After one more race in the hands of Roberto Moreno, the car was retained by Yip and placed in the Macau Grand Prix Museum.
5. March 732 [15 as '9'] (Ken Shirvington): A new car for Andy Sutcliffe at Karlskoga run by Brian Lewis Racing and replacing 732-9, crashed by Mike Beuttler earlier in the year. To save paperwork, the team put the "732/9" chassis plate onto the car and it still wears it today. Sold to Ken Smith in New Zealand after Sutcliffe's money did not appear and raced by him in the 1974 Tasman series. Then rebuilt as a ANF2 car with a Ford twin cam for the 1974 Australian Formula 2 series and sold to Ken Shirvington mid-season. The car remains in Australia in 2012.
6. Lola T460 [HU8] (Grant Swartz): New to American Grant Swartz for racing in Southeast Asia. Retained for 1977. Unknown after the 1977 Macau GP.
7. Chevron B35 [35-76-06] (Rupert Keegan): New to Fred Opert Racing for Formula 2 in 1976, and used by José Dolhem for the opening seven races of the season. Then raced by Riccardo Patrese, Howdy Holmes, Keke Rosberg and Rupert Keegan later in the season. Taken to Macau for Keegan to race in the Grand Prix on 14 November, then sold to Steve Millen who raced it in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1977, and then in Southeast Asian races later that year. Subsequent history unknown but some reports say that it was badly damaged in a testing accident by its next owner and remains in Southeast Asia.
8. Porsche 906 [007] (Keith Dinnerville): One of two or three Porsche 906s to bear the number 007, this car may have originated with Alan Hamilton in Australia before going to Richard Wong in Singapore and then Teddy Yip in Macau. Yip drove the car in the libre Macau GP in 1972.
9. Brabham BT40 (Diana Poon): New to Albert Poon (Hong Kong) and fitted with a Hart twin cam engine for the Southeast Asian 2-valve 1600cc formula. Raced by Poon in 1973 and 1974 and then, after Poon acquired a newer Chevron B29, the Brabham was raced by Graeme Lawrence in the Malaysian GP in March 1975 and by Kevin Bartlett in the Macau Grand Prix in November 1975. Then raced by Poon's wife, Diana Poon, from 1976 to 1979. At some point, the Brabham was badly damaged, and its tub has been rebuilt by new owner Neville McKay. Reported to be still owned by McKay but in pieces in 2004.
10. Ralt RT1/75 [5] (John Macdonald): New to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) and raced in Southeast Asian 1600cc 2-valve category racing in 1975, when he won the Penang and Selangor Grands Prix, then as a Formula Atlantic to win the Macau GP in November. Retained for 1976 when he ran it in the 1600cc 4-valve category and won the Selangor and Indonesia Grands Prix. He ran it again in 1977, and it was also raced by Vern Schuppan at Macau that year. Macdonald then sold the Ralt to Peter Marshall, who raced it in Formula Pacific in 1978 and 1979. It was still in Marshall's ownership when raced by Sonny Rajah in 1980 and 1981. The car was then stored at Rajah's father's house in Kuala Lumpur until 1990, when Marshall retrieved the car and had it shipped to Sydney, Australia. The following year it was taken to Ralt importer Graham Watson to be rebuilt to original specification. It was sold in early 1999 to Peter Mohr (Sydney, Australia) who took it with him to the US when he moved there, and raced it in US historic racing in 2000 and 2001. It was then sold to Dennis D'Angelo and remained with him until 2006. It was then bought by Don Sandy and Art Hebert and raced on the west coast in 2006. In 2012, it was acquired by Harindra de Silva and raced by Timothy de Silva (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) in west coast historic events. Sold in 2021 to Éric Verdin (Mill Valley, CA), who has continued to race it in historic events.
11. Chevron B23 [B21 72-26] (John Calvert): Bought relatively late in the 1972 season by Martin Raymond (London) to replace his Daren Mk. 3, B21-72-26 was used for the last three races of the European series and then, in upgraded B23 form, for the whole 1973 season. It was unused in 1974 and was advertised by Raymond in November that year. Bought by John Blanckley (London) for 1975 and raced by him and John Calvert that season, after which it was sold to Rolf Götz (Waldenbuch, Germany) and raced from 1976 to 1978, latterly described as a B26. For 1979, Götz bought Blanckley's newer B31 and the fate of the B21 is unknown. Between 1980 and 1982, a car with this identity was advertised by Bob Speak's Barrowford Garage (Nelson, Lancashire) but how it had got from southwestern Germany to Lancashire is unclear.
12. Brabham BT30 [14] (Del Schloemmer): Sold new to Ecurie Ecosse and run for Graham Birrell in F2 in 1970. Also raced once by Peter Gethin and by Richard Attwood later in the season. To Peter Westbury early 1971 and raced in several F2 races (also raced once by Dieter Quester) until the team's BT36 was delivered. Sold to Dunnett's Garage, converted to F/Atlantic specification and entered for Ronnie Mackay in libre and F/Atlantic in 1971 and 1972, run by MRE. To Chong Boon Seng for south east Asian racing in 1973 and used by him until 1976. Then to Del Schloemer and raced by him and by Cherie Schloemer in 1977 and 1978. To Wybe Valkema around 1980 and retained to 1982. Then to Australia and with Brian Wilson by 1988. Wilson sold it to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) and from Valdez it returned to Australia when he sold it to Bob Ilich (Perth, WA) in 2010.
13. Chevron B29 [29-75-05] (Kevin Bartlett): New to Albert Poon (Hong Kong), and raced in Southeast Asian events in 1975. Raced in Southeast Asian 1600cc 4-valve formula events in 1976, and driven by Kevin Bartlett at the Macau Grand Prix in November 1976. Sold less engine to Chong Boon Seng (Singapore) in December 1976 and raced by him in 1977, 1978 and 1979, It was then retained by him until it was sold to Leif Norberg, a Swede then living in Malaysia, in 1985. Then to Tony Armstrong (Australia) in 1989. To Geoff Weiland (Australia) in 1998, then to Peter Addison (Sydney, NSW), then to John Gale (Sydney, NSW) in 2005. In March 2020, the car was bought from Gale by Peter Brennan (Melbourne, Victoria).
14. Chevron B20 [72-9] (Ian Grey): New to John S Green in Formula B specification but there is no evidence of this car being delivered before the end of 1972. Green ran it in the Gap Hill Climb in January 1973, but only circuit raced it once, in the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1973. Green died in early 1974, and the Chevron was sold to David Schollum for Steve Millen in South-East Asian races that year. Then shipped to New Zealand and fitted with a 1980cc Cosworth FVC engine for the 1975 Tasman series. Used by Millen in 1600cc form at Batu Tiga and Macau later in 1975. Sold to Ian Grey in 1976 and raced with a Cosworth BDM at Macau in 1976 and 1977. Later sold to Dick Ward (Perth, Australia) and George Stacey about the end of 1979, and then to Harry Hickling (ACT, Australia). Sold to David Innes late 2014.
15. March 732 (Sonny Rajah): Sonny Rajah (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) raced a March in Southeast Asian 4-valve formula racing in 1976, then in Formula Pacific from 1977 to 1981, but it is not yet clear whether this was his updated March 712M or his March 73B.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.

Individual sources for this event

Autosport 18 Nov 1976 p6. Poon's third place was filled in by the www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo website.