Gran Premio di Roma

Vallelunga, 8 Oct 1967

All cars are 1.6-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT23C [1] (Frank Gardner): The prototype BT23C was used at the end of the 1967 season by Jack Brabham and Frank Gardner and then sold to Frank Williams for Picko Troberg to drive, but not start, at Hockenheim in April 1968. It was then used briefly in F3 by Harry Stiller but wasn't seen again until October 1968 when Piers Courage took it over for the Albi F2 race, his regular BT23C/7 having been "sold to Tasmania" (Autosport 25 Oct 1968 p14). Then to Laurence Brownlie (Kelso, South Island, New Zealand), possibly leased by Williams, and raced in the 1969 Tasman series before returning to Europe for Graham McRae to drive in the 1969 F2 series, entered by Williams again. Last raced in July 1969, then advertised by Alan Grant (Winkfield Row, Berkshire) in August and reappeared in April 1970 when advertised by Bobby Howlings. Sold to Rodney Seow in Singapore but never raced. Traded together with Seow's Brabham BT9 to Mike Truter by 1980 and sold on to Brian Wilson (Australia) about 1983. Wilson imported the cars to Australia, had the BT23C restored and raced it in historic racing for more than 20 years. Sold to Chad Parrish (Sydney, NSW, Australia) early 2014.
2. Lola T100 [SL100/4] (Brian Redman): Believed to be the works Lola T100 entered by Lola Racing for John Surtees to drive in Formula 2 at the start of 1967. Fitted with a Cosworth FVA engine and raced by Surtees at Snetterton and Silverstone in March 1967, then by Chris Irwin at the Nürburgring in April. Sold in May to David Bridges for Brian Redman to drive in F2 for the rest of that season. Retained by Bridges for F2 in 1968, when it was driven by Redman, Chris Williams, Mike Beckwith, David Hobbs and Robin Widdows. Sold to Robin Darlington (Ruaben, Wales) late 1969, and used in libre racing in 1970. He advertised it in January 1971 when it had a twin cam and was prepared for the new 1971 Formula Atlantic category. Robin cannot recall where it went, but it was next seen in Sprints in late 1973, when it was driven by Richard Lester (Yoxall, Staffordshire). The car was run by Lester in the 1600cc class in Sprints and occasional hillclimbs from 1974 to 1977. Lester then acquired a March 73B, and advertised the T100 in January 1978 as "ex-Redman" with an all-steel twin cam and Hewland FT200 gearbox. This is likely to be the red/white 1600cc Lola T100 that Kenneth Brill (Redditch, Worcestershire) raced in libre at Croft in 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
3. Brabham BT23 [4] (Alan Rees): Roy Winkelmann Racing for Alan Rees in F2 1967. To Walter Habegger (Oberönz, Switzerland) 1968 for Swiss championship events. To Gérard Pillon (Geneva, Switzerland) 1969 and used in Swiss national events and French hillclimbs. (Although one source gives this as the car of Enzo Corti at Rheims and Albi in 1969, that identification looks highly doubtful.) Crashed at Côte de la Faucille on 7 September and not seen again. In 2009, Walter Habegger recalled that Pillon had an accident in the car and that it was badly damaged.
4. Lotus 48 [R2?] (Graham Hill): Graham Hill's regular Team Lotus entry in Formula 2 in 1967, raced by him in 16 of that season's races. Retained for 1968, when it was entered by Gold Leaf Team Lotus for Hill in a further eight F2 races. Sold to Gerry Kinnane's Team Ireland for 1969, and raced by John Pollock in the Thruxton F2 race in April and then in Irish 1600cc racing. Sold to Kevin Murphy in 1970 for Frank Keane to drive in Irish libre racing, primarily at Mondello Park, and in hillclimbs. Traded to Bobby Howlings for a Brabham BT30 in September 1970, and advertised by him the following month. Then evidently to Beric Ewin (Finchley, London) and fitted with a Ford twin cam engine for the new Formula Atlantic category in 1971 and 1972. Then unknown until acquired by a private collector in the late 1970s.
5. Lola T100 [SL100/1?] (Jo Siffert): Believed to be the Lola T100 entered by BMW Motorsport for Hubert Hahne at the opening race of the 1967 F2 season. This car was taken over by Jo Siffert at the second race, at Silverstone a few days later, and kept by him for the race at Nürburgring in April. It is then assumed to be the car used by Kurt Ahrens in the team's next race at Hockenheim in June. If Hahne stayed with the newer chassis SL100/3, then this original car would be the one raced by Siffert at Reims in June, at Albi in September, and at Vallelunga in October. It is assumed here to be the car used by Siffert to win the St Ursanne-Les Rangiers hillclimb in August using the 2-litre BMW Apfelbeck engine, but that could just as easily be the same car Hahne had used in the German GP two weeks earlier, as that used the same larger engine. Detailed photographs or access to BMW records may resolve that. The two BMW Motorsport Lola T100s were then rebuilt to take Cosworth FVAs and given new chassis numbers SL100/7 and SL100/8.
6. Brabham BT21/23 [BT21-30] (Chris Lambert): This BT21 was built to F2 specification with a Cosworth FVA engine and BT23 suspension for Alan McKechnie Racing and raced in 1967 by Chris Lambert. It was later damaged in a trailer accident but evidently repaired and is believed to be the car that Don O'Sullivan (Western Australia) bought for 1968, fitted with one of his 2.5-litre Climax engines, and used in libre events at Caversham. If so, the car was sold back to the UK at the end of that year and would then be the "ex-Lambert" car that was used as the basis of a "new" BT21B for Dr Joseph Ehrlich's team which was being built up for F3 in April 1969. Presumably then the car raced for the team by Roger Keele in September 1969. Raced again in 1971 in Formula Atlantic by Johnny Dimsdale (London) with an RES twin cam and advertised by him at the end of that season as a BT21C. Presumably the same car that Bob King of Bob King Motorcycles (Bedford) entered as a BT21C in Formula Atlantic races in 1972 and which he later advertised with a RES Ford twin cam in October 1972, mentioning that it was red. This would then be the red BT21C with RES engine entered by Nick Overall (East Horsley, Surrey) in a Jaybrand libre race at Silverstone in March 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Brabham BT23 [6] (Robin Widdows): 1967 Whitley Racing Services for Robin Widdows. Sold at the end of the 1967 season to Mitsubishi Motors and shipped to Japan. May have been used by Kouichi Satou in 1973 and Masaru Tanaka in 1975
8. Brabham BT21A [8] (Robs Lamplough): Sold to Robert Lamplough (London) 1967, with Lotus Ford t/c and used by him and Mike Walker in Formula 2. First appeared at the Brands Hatch F2 in August 1967 but Walker did not quaify. Raced by Lamplough at Vallellunga, and then ballasted to F1 weight for the non-championship Spanish GP in NOvember. After efforts to sell it to the US as a Formula B car were unsuccessful, it went to Bill Dryden and was entered for him by Ecurie Ecosse in libre and hillclimbs in 1968. Unknown in 1969 but throught to be the BT21A with Lucas twin cam advertised by Paul Hawkins Racing (Slough) and then by Jackie Epstein (Dorking) during 1969. It reappeared in 1970 with Phil Guerola (Bickley, Kent) for libre racing and then used by him in the new Formula Atlantic in 1971. The car was wrecked in a libre and GT race at Castle Combe in August 1971 when Guerola crashed into a Healey 3000 "which had spun to a halt in the middle of the track on the exit of Camp". Guerola was helped from the car just before a Formula Ford Dulon spun into the Brabham. Guerola acquired a Brabham BT21B for 1972, so it would appear that the BT21A was not repairable.
9. McLaren M4A [200-11E?] (Alan Rollinson): Frank Lythgoe Racing bought a McLaren M4A for Alan Rollinson to drive in Formula 2 in 1967, starting at Brands Hatch in late August. The number associated with this car is '200-11F' but the basis of this attribution remains unclear. Sold to Robs Lamplough (London) for 1968 and raced all season in Formula 2, latterly under the Frank Manning Racing banner. Subsequent history unknown but quite possibly sold to the US.
10. McLaren M4A [M4A/2] (Piers Courage): Entered by John Coombes for Piers Courage in F2 in 1967. Crashed at Brands Hatch in August 1967 and believed to have been rebuilt on a new tub before its next race at Albi four weeks later, but Autosport makes no mention of a rebuild nor of it being a new car. Raced by Piers Courage in the 1968 Tasman series. Sold to Niel Allen and raced in Australian events in 1968 until Allen crashed heavily at Lakeside in July, reportedly requiring another new tub to be fabricated. Raced again by Allen in 1969, then to Pat Burke for drivers Len Goodwin 1970-71 and Warwick Brown 1971. Sold by Burke and Peter Malloy to Erol Richardson but bought back by Pat Burke around 1982. Restored by Molloy for Burke and retained until sold to John Hugenholtz. To David Coplowe (England) by 1994. Raced in the HSCC Historic Formula Racing Car Championship in 1995. Raced by Coplowe until 2010, and sold to Gareth Williams (Oxfordshire) in 2012.
11. Brabham BT23 [8] (Nanni Galli): Bought by 'Nanni' Galli and fitted with a fuel-injected Alfa Romeo GTA engine given to Galli by Autodelta. It was entered by Scuderia Ala d'Oro for Galli to drive in the Vallelunga F2 race in October 1967. The engine was then said to generate 165 bhp, and it was taller than the Cosworth FVA, but Galli expected further work to be performed on it by Autodelta before the 1968 season. Raced again by Galli at Jarama April 1968 and then by Alfa Romeo test driver Giorgio Pianta at Monza in June 1968. The Brabham was then converted to F3 specification with a normal 1-litre Ford engine and entered by Jolly Club France Racing Team for Etienne Vigoureux to drive in mainly French F3 races through 1969. Subsequent history unknown but some of the Italian references mentioned under BT23-9 may refer to this car.
12. Bertocco (Francesco Vento): Luigi Bertocco, a former Ferrari test driver, built a Formula 2 car for 1967, following on from a pair of Condor Aguzzoli coupes he had built for Alfa Romeo dealers Giovanni and Sergio Aguzzoli (Parma, Italy). The F2 car used the 1570cc engine from the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ. It was raced just once, by Francesco Vento at Vallelunga's Gran Premio di Roma in October 1967. John Comber, reporting for Autosport (14 Oct 1967 pp622-623), said that "Bertocco had installed an Alfa Romeo Giulia engine in a vintage Cooper chassis" and listed it on the grid as a "Bertocco-Cooper". "ARM" (Andrew Marriott) in Motoring News (12 Oct 1967 p6) said "it was quite the largest car ever seen at a 1967 F2 race having a massive space frame which could easily have taken a V8 Ford engine and a driver the size of Bertie Bradnack". Auto Italiana (No 42 19 Ottobre 1967 pp18-21) was no kinder, saying that it was handcrafted and based on outdated schemes. Its practice time was painfully slow, and both Autosport and Motoring News listed Bertocco as the driver with Vento unmentioned. Only Auto Italiana revealed that it was driven by Vento. Motoring News said "Bertocco appeared in his ill-conceived machine and toured round very slowly indeed and managed to get in everyone's way in the process". Autosport made no mention of its race performance but Sport Auto (Nov 1967 p79) said it was retired after eight laps and Motoring News said "fortunately he was black-flagged". Auto Italiana said that the race director stopped him for being too slow and dangerous for the others. All four publications referred to the car as a Bertocco. Subsequent history unknown.
13. Lola T100 [SL100/3?] (Hubert Hahne): Believed to be the new Lola T100 entered by BMW Motorsport and raced by Hubert Hahne at the Nürburgring in April 1967. It is presumably then the car he raced at Hockenheim in June, and that he used at Reims two weeks later, where he failed to qualify. It is then assumed to be the car he raced in the German GP in nominal Formula 1 specification with a 2-litre version of the BMW Apfelbeck engine. His remaining races that season were in the Brands Hatch Guards Trophy in August, at Albi in September, and the Gran Premio di Roma at Vallelunga in October. The two BMW Motorsport Lola T100s were then rebuilt to take Cosworth FVAs and given new chassis numbers SL100/7 and SL100/8.
14. Lotus 48 [R3?] (Jackie Oliver): Entered by Lotus Components Ltd for Jackie Oliver at the opening race of the 1967 season, and then taken over by Jim Clark for Pau, Montjuich Park and Nürburgring, qualifying on pole position each time and winning at Montjuich. Clark generally preferred chassis R1 thereafter, and R3 was raced by Pedro Rodriguez at Reims, Moises Solana at Jarama, and then by Oliver again at the Nürburgring in August, at Brands Hatch and at Vallelunga in October. The car was damaged at Vallelunga but not badly, and why it was not seen again is unclear. It has been suggested that the car was rebuilt on a longer monocoque over the winter to become chassis R4.
15. Brabham BT18 [F2-5-66] (Andrew Fletcher): David Preston ran a Brabham with a 1.6-litre Ford twin-cam engine in libre racing throughout 1966. The car was generally described as a BT14 but that may just be because comentators were used to the twincam Brabham being a BT14. His season was punctuated by a serious accident at Silverstone on 25 Jun and he was not seen again for eight weeks. Andrew Fletcher then raced a Brabham BT18 in F2 and in libre in 1967, the car being identified by Motoring News as one that had been raced in libre during 1966. Then, in January 1969, when Fletcher traded up to a Chevron B8, his BT18 was described as being ex-Preston. The subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.

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.