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Non-championship Formula Atlantic race

Thruxton, 28 May 1973

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

Notes on the cars:

1. 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 1974 by Jack Paterson.
2. March 73B [1] (Stephen Choularton): Stephen Choularton (Hale Barns, Cheshire) acquired the first production March 73B and raced it in libre events and in the British F/Atlantic series with support from Autovita Developments Ltd. His mechanic Jim Crawford also raced this car in a libre race that year. Choularton continued with the car in 1974 when it was driven by Crawford in one round, at Brands Hatch in September, after Crawford had damaged his usual car. Choularto retained the car, unused, until 1977 when it was sold to Paul Gardener and used in libre racing in 1977 and 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
3. Chevron B25 [25-73-08] (John Lepp): The car run by John Lepp and George Silverwood through 1973 in Formula Atlantic. Also used by Lepp in the first European F2 round at Mallory Park, with the 1.6 BDA still in it. (Motoring News 15 Mar 1973 p12 says that Lepp's car was officially Birrell's, but looked like his regular Atlantic car. Autosport comments that Derek Bennett had to do some negotiating to have the car accepted for the race with the Atlantic engine in it.) Sold to Patsy McGarrity at the end of 1973, loaned back by him to works to use in F2 for John Watson at Albi. (MN 20 Sept 1973 comments that he used the car raced by Lepp at Mallory.) Used by McGarrity throughout the 1974 Irish Atlantic season, then sold on to Pat Woods 1975-77 (Autosport 9 Jan 1975 p18); Paddy Farrelly 1978-84. From 1985 through Jeremy Bouckley, Roy Lane, and Mark Colton in 1989. Then to Richard Budge 1990-2002 to Keith Harris who supplied this provenance. Retained by Harris 2006.
4. March 73B [18] (Geoff Friswell): According to surviving March records, this was a F/Atlantic car built for Geoff Friswell and raced by him in the UK series through 1973 and 1974. It was then sold to Andy Barton as a libre car and upgraded to 74B and then 75B spec over the next two seasons, also acquiring a F2 BDG engine at times in 1976. Barton sold it to Bob Rollo for 1977, as an Atlantic again, and it then went to Stewart Robb during 1978 in F2 spec. The car was rebuilt on a "new" 752 tub after a crash in 1978 and then rebuilt to 782 spec by Robin Smith after the 1979 season. It was sold to Roger Andreason at Chevron around 1984.
5. Chevron B25 [25-73-05] (Martin Webb): Used by Martin Webb for the first half of the British Atlantic season but without a great deal of success, and also in libre events. By a process of elimination the car seems to go in 1974 to Chris Skellern, who uses it in libre races, hill climbs and sprints. For sale by Skellern Autosport 16 May 1974 p64 with Hart BDA; again 27 Mar 1975. The ad in 1975 is perfectly timed to meet the acquisition of a B25 by Harrold McGarrity for the Irish season. The Peck car (chassis 4) is on the market much at the same time, but this went to Shortall, so it is a reasonable assumption that chassis 5 was McGarrity's. Retained by Harrold McGarrity to 1977 and a strong candidate for the 'B27' of Bosco O'Brien in 1978 (though there is a possibility that this was a real B27).

Sources

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' orginal 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 on the Atlas F1 and 10 Tenths forums.

If you can help with any additions, clarifications or corrections, please respond via the threads shown on the Atlantics page.