Gran Premio del Mediterraneo

Enna-Pergusa, 25 Aug 1968

All cars are 1.6-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT23C [5-2] (Jochen Rindt): New to Winkelmann Racing for Jochen Rindt to race in F2 in 1968, winning four of his first seven races. Driven by Vic Elford at at Monza in June and crashed. The car was rebuilt on a new chassis and Rindt won two more races later that year. To Ecurie Ecosse and raced by Graham Birrell in F2 in 1969. Ecurie Ecosse and Birrell had a BT30 for 1970 but the BT23C was raced in a libre at Ingliston in May when it was crashed. Sold in July to Stanley Robinson who fitted the engine, gearbox and suspension to the Unipower GT Group 6 car he raced with John Blanckley. The BT23C chassis was repaired some time around 1972 and sold to Joe Applegarth (Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham) who built it up using parts from BT23C/16 and fitted a pushrod Ford engine for Monoposto racing. Raced by Applegarth from 1973 until the end of 1977, competing in around 130 events, and then retained after Applegarth retired. Sold by him to Joe Willenpart (Scheibbs, Austria) in 2010.
2. Brabham BT23C [7] (Piers Courage): New to Frank Williams Racing Cars for Piers Courage to race in F2 in 1968. Also raced by Jonathan Williams to win at Monza in June. To Roly Levis (New Zealand) and raced in the 1969 Tasman series and at Singapore, Batu Tiga and Fuji in the following months. Raced in the opening rounds of the 1969/70 New Zealand season and then sold to Baron Robertson who raced it Pukekohe in early December. Levis then tested the car for Robertson in practice for the Bay Park International at the end of December but crashed heavily at Rothmans corner, effectively writing off the car. Robertson acquired a replacement frame from Racing Frames in England and built a car which used a different chassis number. The original BT23C/7 frame was rebuilt as a Formula Ford and raced by Peter Haskett in the 1973/74 NZ season. This car found its way to Martin Smith in the UK in the late 1980s after which it was restored to BT23C specification. Then unknown until acquired by Bobby Rahal in the US and extensively rebuilt by Phil Simkin some time before 2004. With Justin Segel (West Bloomfield, MI) in 2003. For sale in 2006 when said to have been owned by Tom Claridge (Fremont, CA). To Ted Wentz (Villanova, PA) 2008.
3. Tecno 68/F2 [T00 284?] (Clay Regazzoni): When the Tecno team took three cars to the Argentine Temporada at the end of 1968, Motoring News noted that Clay Regazzoni's car, 'T00 284', was "his regular car". Presumed to have been his car from Pau (April 1968) onwards. To Roland Binder (Esslingen, Germany) in mid-1969, to replace the Tecno he had wrecked at Hockenheim in June. Binder continued to race this car in F2 in 1970 and 1971. Subsequent history unknown.
4. Brabham BT23C [9] (Brian Hart): New to Church Farm Racing Team (Pagham, Sussex) for Derek Bell to race in F2 in 1968. Bell moved to the Ferrari F2 team in June 1968 and the car was raced by Jonathan Williams at Hockenheim, by Peter Westbury and Monza and then by Brian Hart for the rest of the season. Advertised in December 1968 and March 1969. Subsequent history unknown.
5. Tecno 68/F2 [T00 288] (Pedro Rodriguez): One of a pair of Tecnos run by Ron Harris Racing from June 1968 onwards, replacing the team's unsuccessful Protos-FVAs. Used by team drivers Pedro Rodriguez, Richard Attwood, Eric Offenstadt and Jonathan Williams. Taken to the Argentine Temporada at the end that year where it was allocated to Carlos Reutemann. When Reutemann moved to race a Brabham BT23C at the last round, the Tecno was taken over by Oscar Franco. The "ex-Reutemann" Temporada car was later used by John Rae in libre with an Atlantic spec BRM Ford twin-cam. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Brabham BT23C [11] (Alan Rees): New to Winkelmann Racing for Alan Rees to race in F2 in 1968 but also raced by Gerhard Mitter at Hockenheim in October. To Bill Ivey for 1969 and entered for him in F2 races by Paul Watson Racing Organisation (PWRO). To Brian Cullen (Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland) in August 1969 and he raced it in a F5000 race and in libre in 1969, in European F2 events in 1970, and at Bogotá in early 1971. Entered by Irish Racing Team for Lingard Goulding at Mondello Park in July 1971 and then maybe the BT23C raced by Ted Shanahan (Dublin) over the next two months and also possibly the BT23C raced by Roy Courtney (Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) in local clubmans/club specials racing in 1972. To Harold McGarrity (Belfast) for 1973 and raced in Formula Ireland with a 1.6-litre Holbay engine. To Paddy Heron for 1974 and raced in clubmans and in Formula Atlantic. For sale from Glengormley in 1975 and entered by Belfast car dealer Noel Crymble for Chris Stanfield to race at Kirkistown a couple of times until the Holbay pushrod engine blew up. Next seen when bought from Ireland by Mark Raymont who still had it in the late 1980s with a Holbay engine and Hewland Mk 8 gearbox. Sold to Steve Worrad (Whitchurch, Shropshire) of Maverick Motorsport around 2002 and restored by him. For sale by Maverick in 2004 and sold the following year via the Bonhams auction at RAF Hendon to Joe Willenpart (Scheibbs, Austria).
7. Tecno 68/F2 [T00 286] (Silvio Moser): New to Silvio Moser (Lugano, Switzerland) and raced in European F2 and Swiss Championship events in 1968, entered by Charles Vögele. Also taken to the Argentine Temporada at the end that year. Sold to Roland Binder (Esslingen, Germany) for F2 in 1969, but crashed badly at Hockenheim in June. Binder then acquired the sister car T00 284 from Tecno and raced that in F2 in late 1969, and then in 1970 and 1971. According to later owner Oliver Heschl-Gillespie, the ex-Moser Tecno went to Bernd Burger (Rüsselsheim, Germany) and was converted to a Group 7 sports car using a KMW body as the "Burger P3", still with its 1600cc Cosworth FVA. Burger ran a "Burger-Eigenbau" in 1970 and 1971, but that may have been based on a Lotus. He raced the "P3" in German national racing 1973 and 1974 after which the rolling chassis was sold to Karl Langjahr (Darmstadt, Germany) who fitted a Porsche engine and raced it in Interserie and national events as a Tecno-Porsche until 1980. Then to Bernd Becker (Idar-Oberstein, Germany) who only wanted the engine. The car continued via Kurt Henn (Idar-Oberstein, Germany) to Christina Berthold (Nürnberg, Germany) who raced it briefly with a new Porsche engine at which point it was sold to the Rosso Bianco Collection (Aschaffenburg, Germany). Sold by the museum in 1999, it passed via an Viennese Porsche dealer to Olivier Heschl-Gillespie (Vienna, Austria) who had it restored by Karl Langjahr to its 1974 specification.
8. Brabham BT23C [12] (Corrado Manfredini): New to Frank Williams' customer Corrado Manfredini and raced as a Scuderia Picchio Rosso entry in F2 from June onwards. Returned to Williams and entered by Frank Williams Racing Cars for Malcolm Guthrie in F2 in early 1969 but sold to Bob Gerard (Leicester) in May and entered for his drivers Robin Widdows and Brian Hart, each of who won a race that summer in the car. Advertised by Gerard Racing as a rolling chassis in August 1970. Sold to drag racer Gerry Tyack (Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire) in 1970 and used to set four national speed records at Elvington, and also to win the Brighton Speed Trials. Advertised by Tyack in November 1971. Its history thereafter is unclear but it reappeared in 1986 being raced by Adrian Thomas in HSCC events, then with Kelvin Lambeth (London) in 1988-89 and with Monte Shalett (Metairie, LA) in 1990. Advertised by Mark Leonard of Grand Prix Classics (La Jolla, CA) in 1998 and sold by him to Peter Ball who did not use it much, preferring his FJ. From Bull to Harindra de Silva (Palos Verdes Estates, CA) February 2008 and raced in 2008 and 2009. Then stored until run in the F1 Support Race at COTA in November 2013.
9. Brabham BT23C [2] (Peter Gethin): Early history unknown and possibly built for intended works team. Sold to Frank Lythgoe Racing in June 1968 for Peter Gethin to race in F2, replacing a Chevron B10. Reported to have gone to George Pitt in November 1968 but quickly found its way to John Whitmore and entered by Alan Mann Racing for Don Godden to drive in F2 in 1969, but his season was soon abandoned. Presumably the car advertised by Alan Mann Racing in 1970. Then unknown until raced by Maurice Ogier in sprints in 1972 when it had a Vegantune twin cam engine. Sold to Low Cost Racing at the end of 1972 and advertised by them in March 1973. Next seen when run by Vic Durman in Monosposto racing in 1974 and advertised from a London number at the end of that year. Advertised by Bobby Howlings' Cheshire Sports Cars in July 1976. To Dave Bishop (Suckley, Worcestershire) and raced in sprints later in 1976, and later in Monoposto in 1979 when it was loaned to Tim Cameron. Next seen when owned by Ian Webb of Northdown Racing (Ripley, Surrey) in 1982, and loaned to Mike Hartley for the Gates-Varley Monoposto Series. Then via Keith Norman (Slough, Berkshire) 1985, Hugo Studer (Berne, Switzerland) 1987, Sepp Mayer (Germany) 1997 and John Counsell (Coleby, Lincolnshire) 2005 to Andrew Fellowes (Benowa, Queensland, Australia) 2009. Sold by Fellowes to Garry Hancock April 2011 and raced by his son Damon from 2011 onwards.
10. McLaren M4A [200-15F] (Robin Widdows): This number is given for a Formula 2 car built up by Chequered Flag in June 1968 for Robin Widdows after he crashed his regular car at Crystal Palace. As this chassis number is lower than that of his regular car, it suggests that the car may have been sitting around in kit form, opening up the possibility that several other McLarens with similar numbers may have been completed out of order. Likely to have been one of the four M4As advertised by Chequered Flag at the end of 1968. Sold to Charles Kirkbride (Chatham Hills, NJ) and fitted with a 2.5-litre Climax engine for Formula A in NEDiv events from 1969 to 1972. Then unknown until purchased by a New Jersey owner in 1984 and retained by him until advertised on race-cars.com. To Richard Griot (Seattle, WA) in late 1990s or early 2000s.
11. McLaren M4A [200-22F] (Mike Walker): This number is given for a Formula 2 car entered by Chequered Flag for Graeme Lawrence early in the 1968 season, then Frank Gardner and then Mike Walker. Likely to have been one of the four M4As advertised by Chequered Flag at the end of 1968.
12. Tecno 68/F2 [T00 290] (Jonathan Williams): After the failure of the Protos F2 project, Ron Harris Racing bought a pair of Tecnos with the first of these debuting at Crystal Palace 3 Jun 1968 where it was raced by Pedro Rodriguez. Used later in the season by team drivers Richard Attwood, Eric Offenstadt and Jonathan Williams. Taken to the Argentine Temporada at the end that year where it was allocated to Carlos Marincovich. Subsequent history unknown but if it is correct that T00 288 went to Britain for libre racing and that T00 296 went to Daniel Rouveyran for French hillclimbs, then T00 290 must be the "ex-Harris" car that went to Patrick Champin for 1969 and then to Max Bonnin for 1970.
13. Chevron B10 [F2.1] (Samuel Brown): Frank Lythgoe ran Chevron's first F2 car, the B10 chassis F2.1, at five early season races but the car was then dropped, re-emerging briefly when Frank Williams entered it for American Samuel Brown at Enna-Pergusa on 25 August (Speed World International 7 Sep 1968 p27). Brown crashed in practice and broke an upright, a spare part that Williams hadn't packed. The car was not seen again but is likely to have headed to the US where it is believed to be the car used by Horst Kwech (Gurnee, IL) in Formula A with a 2.7-litre Alfa V8. Subsequent history unknown. Patrick Jamin was reported to have this car in France in the late 1980s. From 1992 to 1997, this car was advertised by BB One Exports (Los Angeles, CA) but said to be located in France. In 2001, it was for sale by Giannandrea Calderazzo (Paris) and then said to be located in Italy. In 2005, the car was still in Italy and advertised by Autospeak.

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.