OldRacingCars.com

Gran Premio di Roma

Vallelunga, 14 Oct 1973

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Jacques Coulon March 732 [7] - BMW M12/6
Brian Lewis Racing (see note 1)
70 1h 24m 40.0s
98.05 mph
2 Vittorio Brambilla March 732 [5] - BMW M12/6
Beta Racing Team (see note 2)
70 1h 25m 10.6s
3 Jo Vonlanthen GRD 273 [071-F2] - Ford BDG
Jo Vonlanthen Racing Team (see note 3)
67
4 Roland Binder March 732 [17] - BMW M12/6
Roland Binder (see note 4)
63
5 Spartaco Dini Brabham BT40 [19] - Ford BDA Armoroli
Scuderia Nettuno (see note 5)
61
6 Silvio Moser March 732 [8] - BMW M12/6
Brian Lewis Racing (see note 6)
57
7 Ronnie Peterson Lotus 74 [1] - 907 Novamotor
Texaco Team Lotus
38
8 Bill Gubelmann March 732 [11] - BMW M12/6
Bill Gubelmann (see note 7)
37
NC David Morgan Lotus 74 [2] - 907 Novamotor
Texaco Team Lotus
34
NC Claudio Francisci (F3) 1.6-litre Brabham BT35 - Ford twin cam Novamotor
Claudio Francisci
33
NC Rolf Stommelen Brabham BT40 [36] - Ford BDA Hart alloy
FINA Racing Team (see note 8)
13
NC Brett Lunger Chevron B25 [25-73-12] - Ford BDA Richardson
Space Racing (see note 9)
6
NC Jochen Mass Surtees TS15 [12] - Ford BDA Hart alloy
Team Surtees FINA (see note 10)
6 accident
NC Alberto Colombo Surtees TS10 [07] - Ford BDA Novamotor
Team Marlboro-Silvio Moser (see note 11)
4
DNS Fernando Spreafico March 712M [4] - Ford BDA Armoroli
Ettore Ricci (see note 12)
Did not start
("bent engine" on warm-up lap)
DNS Cosimo Turizio March 732 [5] - BMW M12/6
Beta Racing Team (see note 13)
Did not start
(raced by Brambilla)
T/C Vittorio Brambilla March 732 [4-2] - BMW M12/6
Beta Racing Team (see note 14)
(Crashed in practice)
T/S TBA Surtees TS15 [09] - Ford BDA Hart alloy
Team Surtees FINA (see note 15)
(Spare - not used in practice)

All cars are 2-litre F2 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Vittorio Brambilla (F2) 2-litre March 732 [5] - BMW M12/6 1m 11.35s
2 Jacques Coulon (F2) 2-litre March 732 [7] - BMW M12/6 1m 11.39s
3 Brett Lunger (F2) 2-litre Chevron B25 [25-73-12] - Ford BDA Richardson 1m 11.71s
4 Jochen Mass (F2) 2-litre Surtees TS15 [12] - Ford BDA Hart alloy 1m 11.85s
5 Ronnie Peterson (F2) 2-litre Lotus 74 [1] - Lotus 907 Novamotor 1m 12.10s
6 Silvio Moser (F2) 2-litre March 732 [8] - BMW M12/6 1m 13.06s
7 Bill Gubelmann (F2) 2-litre March 732 [11] - BMW M12/6 1m 14.01s
8 Roland Binder (F2) 2-litre March 732 [17] - BMW M12/6 1m 14.43s
9 Jo Vonlanthen (F2) 2-litre GRD 273 [071-F2] - Ford BDG 1m 15.56s
10 Cosimo Turizio * (F2) 2-litre March 732 [5] - BMW M12/6 1m 15.59s
11 David Morgan (F2) 2-litre Lotus 74 [2] - Lotus 907 Novamotor 1m 15.62s
12 Claudio Francisci (F3) 1.6-litre Brabham BT35 - Ford twin cam Novamotor 1m 17.73s
13 Rolf Stommelen (F2) 2-litre Brabham BT40 [36] - Ford BDA Hart alloy 1m 17.88s
14 Spartaco Dini (F2) 2-litre Brabham BT40 [19] - Ford BDA Armoroli 1m 19.55s
15 Fernando Spreafico * (F2) 2-litre March 712M [4] - Ford BDA Armoroli 1m 20.40s
16 Alberto Colombo (F2) 2-litre Surtees TS10 [07] - Ford BDA Novamotor 1m 31.17s
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 732 [7] (Jacques Coulon): Ecurie Filipinetti for Jacques Coulon with Antar sponsorship, completed on the Saturday morning of the opening Mallory race, but did not start. Transferred to Brian Lewis Racing after Georges Filipinetti's death in May. To Gérard Pillon (Geneva, Switzerland) 1974 and used in Swiss national events. In 1977, Pillon loaned it to his fellow Genevois Laurent Ferrier for the European F2 races at Hockenheim and Vallelunga, but Ferrier could not qualify the old car for either race. Pillon then appeared at three F2 events in 1978 in a March-BMW variously described as a 762 or a 782, and it is possible that this was the old 732 again. The 732 was next seen in 1979, driven by Ami Guichard, son of the Automobile Year editor of the same name, in French hillclimbs. After driving Pillon's new 782 in 1978, Guichard returned to the 732 and was still racing the car in Swiss championship events in 1988, when it was described as being largely original. The car remained with Pillon thereafter, and was still in Switzerland in 2015.
  2. March 732 [5] (Vittorio Brambilla): Beta Racing Team for Tino Brambilla 1973 but crashed at Nivelles-Baulers in June. Repaired and then used as a spare car by brother Vittorio. Subsequent history unknown.
  3. GRD 273 [071-F2] (Jo Vonlanthen): Jon Vonlanthen (Frauenfeld, Switzerland) moved up to F2 in 1973 with a new GRD 273. He raced the car in the European series and in the Swiss Championship, using Alan Smith and David Wood BDA engines. For 1974, the car was sold to Jurg Dubler (Oberhasli, Switzerland) but other commitments meant that he did not race it until October. He continued with the car in French hillclimbs in 1975, appearing at Saint-Pierre in April, Turckheim-Trois-Epis in June and Poissons in August. Otto Stuppacher also drove Dubler's GRD at the Bergrennen Bad Mühllacken in 1975 and 1976. Many years later, this car was fully restored with Marc Widmer (Eiken, Switzerland) in 2014.
  4. March 732 [17] (Roland Binder): Bought brand new by Roland Binder (Esslingen, Germany) late in the 1973 season and raced by him through the 1974 and 1975 seasons. Replaced for 1976 by a Lola T450.
  5. Brabham BT40 [19] (Spartaco Dini): New to Vittorio Venturi in Italy, who raced it in European hillclimbs in 1973, and in one F2 race in Italy that season. It ran in Marlboro livery, and was identified as chassis 19 by Motoring News when it appeared at Misano in July. It then reappeared for two more F2 races driven by Spartaco Dini and entered by Scuderia Nettuno, and Autosport noted at the time that it was the car bought for Venturi to do European hillclimbs. This then appears to be the car driven by "Shangri-Là" (Romano Martini) in the F2 at Mugello in July 1974. It is then unknown until BT40/19 appears in the hands of a Sicilian hillclimber who used the pseudonym "King", who also had a March 75S with BMW engine, and used the engine in the BT40. "King" was entered for the Enna-Pergusa F2 race in 1976, but it is unclear whether he arrived for practice. Some years later, the car was used by "King" as security on a loan, and after he died, it therefore changed hands. It was offered for sale in 2017, missing not just engine and gearbox, but other parts which were loaned out and then disappeared. The "BT40/19" plate was still on the car, and appeared to be genuine.
  6. March 732 [8] (Silvio Moser): For Colin Vandervell, run by Brian Lewis Racing. Vandervell became disillusioned with F2 and the car was rented out to other drivers, notably Motoharu Kurosawa. Unknown after 1973 but there are no unexplained 732s in Japan to suggest Kurosawa took it home. This could be the unexplained 732 of Jean Lapierre in French hillclimbs in 1974.
  7. March 732 [11] (Bill Gubelmann): New to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) for F2 in 1973 and retained for 1974 when run by Brian Lewis Racing. Clay Regazzoni was due to drive the car at Vallelunga in October, but did not arrive, so a deal was done for Gabrielle Serblin to drive after he damaged his usual 742 in practice. Not seen in 1975, when the intention had been to sell the car to Stuart Chubb Racing, but Gubelmann returned for the 1976 Shellsport G8 series with the car updated to 752 specification, fitted with a Hart BDG, and run by Bob Gerard. Gubelmann also appeared in a handful of F2 races in 1976, but after failing to qualify for the Rouen race, quickly moved to Mallory Park in time to qualify for the Shellsport race. He was involved in a nasty accident in the race when he clipped the rear of Mike Wilds' F1 Shadow, rode up over its back wheel and hit the bank at the Esses very hard. He was taken to hospital with head injuries. The March is believed to have been destroyed.
  8. Brabham BT40 [36] (Rolf Stommelen): Run by Motor Racing Developments as a second works car in Formula 2 in 1973, driven at first by Andrea de Adamich, and entered by FINA Racing Team. Raced later in the season by Gabriele Serblin and Rolf Stommelen. Sold to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland) for Irish Formula Atlantic in 1974. Retained by O'Leary for 1975, 1976 and 1977, then acquired by Gerry Kinnane in part-exchange for a Chevron B29 sold to O'Leary, and entered for John Ledlie, Ivor Greenwood and Derek Shortall in 1978. Next seen with Chris Charlett in Trinidad in 1981 and 1982. Returned to the UK by 2001, when it was restored by Cooper Motorsports and raced by Steve Parrott in the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy. Sold to Tim Kuchel (Australia) in 2006 and raced in Australian historic racing. Kuchel died in December 2019, and the car was sold by his family to Wayne Groeger (Fairhaven, Victoria, Australia) in December 2020.
  9. Chevron B25 [25-73-12] (Brett Lunger): New to Brett Lunger and run for him by Space Racing in F2 in 1973, starting at Nivelles-Baulers in June. To Nick May (Sutton, Surrey) in 1974, and converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the British series. Then to Gerry Kinnane (Belfast, Northern Ireland), and entered for John Pollock to race in the 1975 Irish Formula Atlantic series. Sold to Bill Gowdy (Banbridge, County Down, N. Ireland) for 1976, but crashed twice that year. Crashed again during 1977, and at some point in this period, the car is believed to have had a new chassis. Sold by Gowdy to Paddy Farrelly (Lucan, Dublin) for 1978, and again used in Formula Atlantic, but now quite uncompetitive. Sold to Tony Skinner (Terenure, Dublin, Ireland) and raced at Phoenix Park in 1981. He raced it again early in 1982, but then moved over to a friend's B42 later in the season. Tony sold the B25 to Cyril Lynch, who fitted a 4.4-litre Rover V8 engine, and first ran the car in the Galway MC Ballyvaughan in mid-1983. For 1984, Lynch ran the car for Shay Lawless, who dominated the Pioneer Hi-Fi Hill Climb Championship, setting nine records. It was sold to Paul Deveney for 1985, and he continued to run it in hillclimbs. The hillclimb championship was cancelled after 1986, and the Chevron was sold to Ken Moore (Iver Heath, Bucks), rebuilt by Bob Egginton of ASD in 1988/1989, and used in libre racing at Lydden. Then to Lew Wright (Haslemere, Surrey) who got HSCC papers for the car in 1999. By 2001, it was with Nick Overall (Petworth, West Sussex) who entered it in HSCC Derek Bell events, and still had it in 2006. Sold to Markus Kalbermatten (Grellingen, Switzerland) in 2006, and used in historic Bergrennen.
  10. Surtees TS15 [12] (Jochen Mass): A new car for Jochen Mass as a Team Surtees FINA entry at Mantorp Park in July, replacing chassis TS15/03 which had been badly damaged at Monza. Then raced by Mike Hailwood at Karlskoga, by Mass at Enna, by Pace at Salzburgring, then by Mass again at Albi and Vallelunga. In that final race, Mass was running second in the final stages of Heat 1 when he understeered into one corner, slid across the grass and hit the Armco, wiping the suspension off one side of the car and "putting a huge dent in the monocoque".
  11. Surtees TS10 [07] (Alberto Colombo): A new car built up for the Matchbox Team Surtees F2 team in mid-1972, and first raced by Dieter Quester at the Österreichring in early July. Raced later in the season by Carlos Pace, John Surtees and Mike Hailwood. It is almost certainly the car raced by Lian Duarté in the F2 Torneio do Brasil. Sold to Silvio Moser for 1973, repainted in Marlboro livery, and used regularly through the 1973 F2 season. Raced by Alberto Colombo at Vallelunga at the end of the season. According to Beat Schenker, Moser's mechanic, the Surtees was sold to a Mr Herber, from Ticino, who planned to use it in the Swiss national championship. Beat recalls that he crashed on his second or third outing, and believes the car may have been a total loss.
  12. March 712M [4] (Fernando Spreafico): New to Frank Williams Racing, and raced in F2 in 1971 by Henri Pescarolo, Andrea de Adamich, and "Jean Max", who crashed heavily at Rouen in June. Suggestions that the car was replaced by a new car, 712M/25, after that accident appear to be unfounded. Used by Pescarolo for the remainder of the 1971 European season. At the Torneio Brasiliero, it was raced by Pescarolo in the first two races, then by Carlos Pace at Porte Allegre, and by local driver Nestor Garcia Veiga at Cordoba. This is almost certainly the "ex-Pescarolo" March sold to Tino Brambilla for 1972, and raced by brother Vittorio at several F2 events, using an 1800cc Novamotor BDA. According to later owner Fabio Montani, this is the car that went to Ettore Ricci and Scuderia Nettuno for 1973. A few modifications were made to the car, including fitting a 2-litre Armoroli BDA engine and a Hewland FG400 gearbox to replace the original FT200, and it was entered as a Somalita, but all the race reports, including Autosprint's, simply called it a March 712M. The last time the car was seen in F2 was at Vallelunga in October, when Fernando Spreafico drove it, but the Armoroli BDA engine broke on the warm-up lap. The car was then bought by Adriano Parlamento (Turin), so this would be the March "732" that Parlamento used in hillclimbs from 1974 onwards. Parlamento last raced it in 1979, and after a season racing small saloons, he acquired a March 75S sports car for the 1981 season. The March 712M/732 was acquired by Fabio Montani (Milan) and restored. It is hoped that photographs were taken of the car in Parlamento's distinctive bodywork to prove the identity of this car. It was advertised by Montani in December 1994, when it was said to have new skins and suspension, and a Richardson BDA engine, but with the old parts available.
  13. March 732 [5] (Cosimo Turizio): Beta Racing Team for Tino Brambilla 1973 but crashed at Nivelles-Baulers in June. Repaired and then used as a spare car by brother Vittorio. Subsequent history unknown.
  14. March 732 [4-2] (Vittorio Brambilla): Beta Racing Team for Vittorio Brambilla 1973 and used as his main car all season. Crashed at Monza in June and rebuilt on a new monocoque. Crashed again in practice at Vallalunga in October and may have been written off, leaving Vittorio to drive brother Tino's 732/5 at the last race. This car appears to have been repaired on a new monocoque and retained by the team as a spare in 1974. It would be the car raced by Diulio Truffo at Mugello and Alberto Colombo at Vallelunga. It remained with the Brambillas until 1977, when it passed to sponsor Daniele Ciceri of Beta Tools, and was placed on display at the Beta factory. It 1988, it passed to the Autorevival Italia Association, and was displayed in the Museum Autodromo Monza until 2000, when it was acquired by Guido Romani (Milan). It was sold to Hall and Hall (Bourne, Lincolnshire) in 2019 when it was found to be in remarkably original condition. Sold to Graham Adelman in 2019.
  15. Surtees TS15 [09] (TBA): A brand new car prepared for Mike Hailwood to drive at Thruxton in April 1973, the third round of the 1973 F2 series, but after Hailwood was disqualified from the heart, the new car was driven by teammate Jochen Mass in the final. Then driven by Derek Bell at the Nürburgring as Hailwood was at the Spanish Grand Prix. Driven by Willy Braillard as a works entry at Nivelles-Baulers, then for Bell at Hockenheim, then for José Dolhem at Rouen where he crashed in practice and did not start, and then for Bell again at Monza a week later. Hailwood then drove this car at Enna in August, then Dolhem at Albi, and it was presumably the unused spare at Vallelunga. This car was not seen again, so it could be one of the cars that went to Japan, or the car that was destroyed over the winter in a transporter fire.

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.