Yellow Pages Championship Round

Snetterton, 31 Mar 1972

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 722 [24] (Bill Gubelmann): New to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) to use in the 1972 Yellow Pages Formula Atlantic championship. The car was blue and yellow, and wore #16 all season. Gubelmann won six races and narrowly pipped Cyd Williams to the championship title. The car was sold to fellow American Jas Patterson (Rosslyn Heights, NY) for 1973, repainted red and white, and entered for him by Texaco Team Racing/RIR in the 1973 British season. Patterson crashed heavily at Oulton Park in May 1973, and although the car was rebuilt, he appeared a few races later in what appears to be a new 73B. Patterson raced the 73B for the remainder of 1973 and through 1974, but the 722 reappeared in early November 1974 when an ex-Patterson "722/73B" was acquired by Roy Baker (Ferndown, Dorset) and raced regularly by him through the 1975 season. Subsequent history unknown.
2. Brabham BT35 [43] (Bob Salisbury): New to Bob Gerard in late 1971 and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine for Bob Salisbury to race in British Formula Atlantic from October 1971 to April 1973. Then sold to Harry Gilbert (Aberdeen, Scotland), and raced by Gilbert and Ronnie Mackay in libre racing. It was advertised by Johnny Blades in October 1973, and by Bob Howlings' R.D.H. Racing (Bollington, Cheshire) in August 1974 when it was identified as the ex-Bob Salisbury car and was available complete except for engine. It was next seen three months later when John Wingfield raced it in the Boxing Day libre race at Brands Hatch, fitted with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC. He retained the FVC engine and ran the car with huge success in libre racing through 1975. In September 1975, it was sold to dealer Bobby Howlings, who raced it a couple of times and then sold it to John Thistlewaite, who entered it for Tim Wood in libre in 1976. By 1978, it was owned by Joe Applegarth, still with the FVC engine in it, and it next appeared in 1986 when Nick Overall used it in the HSCC Pre '71 series. Overall was given an HVIF for this car as BT35-43 in 1988, and many years later, in May 2006, it was advertised on race-cars.com from the UK still with this HVIF. In 2009, it was reported to be with Tim Kuchel in Australia.
3. March 712M [17] (Chris Meek): New to Wilson Fittipaldi in May 1971, replacing the Lotus 69 with which he had started the European F2 season. Raced by Fittipaldi for the rest of the season as part of Team Bardahl. Retained for one F2 race in early 1972, then sold to Tate of Leeds (Racing) and converted to Formula Atlantic for Chris Meek to race in the British championship. Loaned to Sonny Rajah for the Brands Hatch Boxing Day race. Retained by Tate of Leeds for Malcolm Wayne in early 1973, then sold to visiting American Allen Karlberg (Seattle, WA) who took it back to the US. Entered by Karlberg for Monique Proulx at Watkins Glen in October 1974, by which time it had Falconer bodywork, and also taken to Trinidad for Formula Caribbean events where it was sold. By 1978 it was owned by David Kerr but it was "totally destroyed" in a towing incident at the "Love Bird International" meeting at Vernamfield Motorsport Park, Jamaica, in December 1978.
4. Brabham BT36 [9] (John Kendall): New to Rondel Racing for Bob Wollek to race in F2 in 1971. To John Kendall for Formula Atlantic in 1972, but leased to Richard Scott for the opening race of the F2 season, as his BT38 had not been delivered. Raced by Kendall until July 1972. Sold to José Araujo for British Formula Atlantic in 1973, but said to have been crashed at Snetterton. Ken Thorogood of Universal Racing Services (Wymondham, Norfolk) reportedly acquired the car in 1973, and although a lot of iits was sold off, the chassis remained stored with him until it was sold to Peter Denty (Thetford, Norfolk) in 2008. Restored by Denty between 2008 and 2010. To Klaus Bergs in 2010.
5. Brabham BT21B [4] (Philip Guerola): Bought by Dave Williamson and run for him by P & M Racing Preparations. Sold to Brendan McInerney either late 1968 or early 1969 and one of two BT21Bs run by McInerney's Race Cars International in 1969. This car was generally raced by Bev Bond until RCI acquired a new BT28 for him in July. Then raced a few times by McInerney instead of his usual Chevron B15 and then sold in August 1969 to Geoff Friswell. Not seen racing that year but fitted with a Ford twin cam engine and raced in libre in 1970. Not seen in 1971, but to Philip Guerola for libre in 1972, replacing a BT21A wrecked ast Castle Combe. With David Philipson in 1978. With Julian Mazoub in 1984.
6. March 722 [23] (Roy Folland): Roy Folland (Montréal, Quebec) raced a blue March 722 in the early rounds of the British Formula Atlantic series in 1972, before taking the car to Canada and running in the Players Canadian Formula B series. Sold for 1973 to Bruce Jensen (Kitchener, Ontario) and raced in the Players Canadian series. Sold to Edmond Villa (Clark, NJ), and raced in a New England Region SCCA Regional at Lime Rock in April 1974. In January 1976, he advertised a 722 in Competition Press & Autoweek from Port St Lucie, FL. Ed sold it to Folis Jones (Chesapeake, VA), who raced a March in SEDiv events in 1976 and 1977, and in SCCA Regionals at Summit Point in 1978 and 1979. This would be the March 722 with '77 bodywork advertised by Jones in December 1978 and February 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Palliser WDB4 (John Gillmeister): A car built for John Gillmeister using a new Atlantic-specification frame fabricated by Bert Ray. Raced by Gillmeister with a Ford twin cam engine in early 1974, then changed to a Richardson BDA later that season. Retained by Gillmeister for 1972. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Lotus 69 [59-XB/F3-38] (Peter Wardle): New to Peter Wardle (Wimbledon, London) for European Formula Ford in 1970. Rebuilt to Formula Atlantic specification for 1971, and raced by Wardle in the British series that season, winning one round at Oulton Park in August. Retained by Wardle for 1972. Sold to Gary Ainscough (Bulawayo, Rhodesia) for 1973, and fitted with a 1800cc Cosworth FVC engine for the F2 class of the South African national championship. Retained for 1974 and 1975, after which it was sold to Richard Baker (Johannesburg, South Africa), and raced by him with the HRCR in South Africa. It was restored in 1999, and sold to England in 2000, where it has been used in historic racing. From 2011 to 2016, it was raced by David Hampton (South Leverton, Nottinghamshire) fitted with a 2-litre Cosworth BDG engine.
9. Lotus 69 [71/69.10.FB] (Ian Mawby): Built for stock with red bodywork according to the Lotus built record, but still unsold at the end of 1971. Not one of the cars advertised by Lotus Cars Ltd after the closure of Lotus Components so this must be the car raced by Ian Mawby (Cambridge) in Formula Atlantic and formule libre in 1972. Wrecked in Mawby's crash at Brands Hatch in November 1972 and Mawby bought the ex-Reine Wisell sister car to replace it.
10. March 712M [11 as '9'] (Colin Andrews): New to the Shell Arnold team for Jean-Pierre Jaussaud to race in F2 in 1971. Raced by Ferrari F1 driver Clay Regazzoni in the final race of the season. To Colin Andrews for 1972, now wearing the 712M-9 chassis plate, and raced in Formula Atlantic in 1972 and 1973. Acquired by Mike Sullivan Racing/Multiglide International Racing, for Formula Atlantic again, first driven by Richard Robinson, then by Alan Jones, who astonishingly won the high-profile Martini International support race at Silverstone in May, and finally by Richard Knight. Subsequent history unclear, as three separate former Sullivan/Multiglide cars went to Norman Dickson in Scotland, to Kim Mather in Lancashire, and to the partnership of John Colley and Rhoddy Harvey Bailey in Derbyshire. Which was which may never be known.
11. Chevron B18C [18.A.71.1] (Cyd Williams): New to Graham Eden and delivered just in time for the Oulton Park Formula Atlantic race on 21 March 1971, the second round of the British series. Eden retired from driving shortly after and recruited Cyd Williams to drive the car. Williams won seven championship rounds and finished second in the 1971 championship. Eden ordered Ensigns for 1972 but cancelled the order and bought March 722s instead. Williams continued to drive the Chevron until his 722 arrived and won three of the first six rounds of the 1972 series. The car was later displayed at the London Racing Car show, where it was bought by Canadian Bob Armstrong (Winnipeg, Manitoba) for the Canadian Formula B series in 1973. Armstrong appeared in the early rounds of the series but made little impact and wasn't seen after June. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Chevron B20 [72-4] (John Lepp): To Bob Howlings Racing Team for John Lepp (Altrincham, Cheshire) to race in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. Won at Croft in August and had several other good placings. Last seen in the UK at Oulton Park on 30 September 1972, and then unknown until early 1974 when sold by Howlings to Nelson Todd (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), and raced in Irish Formula Atlantic, winning at Kirkistown in October 1974. To Jim Sherry (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) for a couple of races at Mondello Park in 1975. This must be the "little used" Chevron B20 advertised by Gerry Kinnane in Belfast in June 1976. Raced by Mike Nugent (Cookstown, County Tyrone) a couple of times later that year. Then to Dick Parsons (Dundonald, County Down, Northern Ireland) for 1977, when it was described as a ex-Kinnane. Sold to Tom McMillan in Scotland, then on to Bill Lord for 1978 and used in Scottish hillclimbs, reputedly with a Hart 420R Formula 2 engine, but this seems unlikely. Retained for 1979 and presumably the Chevron B20 with Cosworth FVC engine advertised from Dunfermline, Fife in November 1979.
13. Wimhurst (Jack Paterson): Designed and built in 1972 by Len Wimhurst, the former Palliser designer. It was a monocoque design and intended for F2 but fitted with a BDA engine and used in F/Atlantic in 1972 and 1973 by Jack Paterson (Seer Green, Buckinghamshire), who had previously driven in GT racing. Subsequent history unknown.
14. March 712M [25?] (Mike Campbell-Cole): Ian Barrowman (Hungerford, Berkshire) bought a March 712M from Frank Williams for Mike Campbell-Cole to race in Formula Atlantic in 1972. The chassis number of the car is unknown but it was said to be ex-Carlos Pace. At their first race, at Snetterton, the engine ingested a piece of metal during practice and, following a sponsor pulling out, they did not have the budget to have it rebuilt. After a season of unfilled entries, it was sold to Richard Longman (Christchurch, Hampshire) for 1973. The car was fitted with a BDA engine but Longman made only a single entry, at Thruxton in May 1973, and did not appear. He advertised the car in December 1973, and it was bought by Howard Rose (Wokingham, Berkshire). Rose raced the car for the next three seasons, but his actual appearances were quite limited, and his race finishes exceedingly rare. Rose retained the car after he retired from racing, and it was in storage for several decades, still in its mid-1970s livery. He described the car as being "712M-20". In November 2016, it was sold to Jeremy Caine (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire) and taken to Neil Fowler Motorsport for restoration.
15. Palliser WDB4 (Clive Santo): A car built for Clive Santo using a new Atlantic-specification frame fabricated by Bert Ray. Santo had raced a Formula Ford WDF3 in early 1971, and exactly when the car was rebuilt to Formula Atlantic specification with the Ray frame is unclear. Raced by Santo with a Hart twin cam engine in early 1974, then changed to a Hart BDA later that season. Retained for early 1972, and Santo won the opening round of the Yellow Pages championship. He then acquired a Formula 5000 McLaren M10B and the subsequent history of the Palliser is unknown.
16. Lotus 69 [69.F2.1] (Stephen Choularton): New for Emerson Fittipaldi to race in F2 in 1970. The F3 star was initially entered by Jim Russell, and the car was prepared by Russell mechanic Ralph Firman, but by the third race of the season it was entered by Team Bardahl and had changed to Bardahl yellow, with Russell having vanished from the operation. The Lotus 69 was sold to the new works-backed LIRA tea, for 1971, and raced by Reine Wisell in F2, winning at Pau in April. To Stephen Choularton (Hale Barns, Cheshire) for British Formula Atlantic in 1972, and also driven by his young mechanic Jim Crawford in libre at Croft. Unknown in 1973 and 1974, but to Warren Booth (Blackburn, Lancashire) for libre in 1975. Retained for 1976 and 1977, when it was fitted with a 2-litre Richardson BDA. Believed to be the 2-litre Lotus 69 then raced by Clive Astley in north-western sprints in 1977 and 1978. Subsequent history unknown, but according to historian David McKinney, the car was found in a north of England pigsty in the late 1980s, and acquired by Fredy Kumschick (Lucerne/Luzern, Switzerland), who restored it for historic racing. Raced regularly by Kumschick through the 1990s.
17. GRD 272 [012-F2] (Martin Watson): New to Martin Watson (Lowestoft, Suffolk) and used in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. Watson's yellow GRD was described as a 272, 372 and B72 that season. Retained for 1973, when Watson raced in Formuila Atlantic and in Formule Libre. He used the car again in libre and F/Atlantic in 1974, but only appeared at a handful of events. Not seen in 1975 or 1976, but Watson returned to libre racing at Mallory Park and Cadwell Park in 1977, competing in the "King of Cadwell" libre series and the BRSCC Midland Centre libre championship. He returned again for a handful of libre races in 1978, and at least one race in 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
18. March 722 [29] (John Calvert): New to John Calvert (Seaham, County Durham), and raced in Formula Atlantic and libre racing in 1972. The car regularly wore #77, and was described as white or blue. Sold to Mike Mather (St Helens, Merseyside) and used by him, and once by brother Kim Mather, in Formula Atlantic and libre in early 1973. Sold to John Kitchen in mid-season, and used by him in sprints and hillclimbs in late 1973, 1974, 1975 and early 1976, using a BDA engine. Then to Peter Riley (Crosby, Liverpool), again for sprints and hillclimbs. At first it was said to have a Cosworth FVA engine, but it had a Richardson BDA in 1977. Riley was still using the 722 in speed events as late as 1984. According to speed event historian Steve Wilkinson, Riley retained the car, complete but dismantled, and stored in his garage. Riley died in 2011, and the car passed to Paul Gardner and Alan Newton, and Gardner started the restoration. When Newton died, the car was sold to Chris Simpson in 2014, but he did not use it. It went to Ashley Hodge in 2016, and then to Daniel Clayfield in 2017.
19. Brabham BT36 [1] (Malcolm Wayne): New to a new team, Rondel Racing, run by ex-MRD F1 chief mechanic Ron Dennis and ex-MRD F1 and Indy mechanic Neil Trundle, for Tim Schenken to race in F2 in 1971. Sold to dealer Bobby Howlings, and used by him in libre racing in March 1972. Then sold to Tate of Leeds (Racing) for Malcolm Wayne to race in Formula Atlantic, but leased to Graham Hill to use in the early F2 races at Thruxton and Hockenheim before his BT38 was delivered. Sold back to Howlings in May 1972, then to Arthur Moore for libre, but crashed on his debut. For Moore in libre again in 1973 with a Cosworth FVA engine, and in 1974 and 1975 with a 1800cc Cosworth FVC. Then to Howlings (yet again) who raced it in Shellsport G8 in early 1976, again fitted with a 1800cc Cosworth FVC. To John Tait and used in Shellsport G8 in 1976 and 1977. To Eddy D'Hoe in Belgium in 1978, and hillclimbed with an FVA engine. To Regis Jumez 1980, and used in French hillclimbs. Later back via Howlings, who may have taken it back when he sold Jumez a Chevron B48, in 1984 to collector Anthony Mayman, then via John Harper and Ted Walker to Peter Williams in 1989. To Andrew Fellowes (Benowa, Queensland, Australia) 2002, then to Ian Rimmer in 2009. Sold by Rimmer to a customer of Damon Milnes in 2020, then sold again by Milnes to Leif Bosson (Helsingborg, Sweden) in 2022.

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.

The British race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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

Programme [AK], MN 6 Apr 1972 p12.