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John Player (British) Formula Atlantic Series Race

Phoenix Park, 7 Sep 1974

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Chevron B25 [25-73-04] (David Morgan): Sold to Ed Reeves in spring 1973 for Dave Morgan to use in the 1973 European F2 championship. Retained 1974 and used in the British Atlantic championship, run by Harry Stiller. Sold to David Peck (Autosport 2 Jan 75 p3) but seemingly not used. James Murray, whose research on B25s has been invaluable, was advised by David Lambe that his car in 1978 was ex Morgan. Therefore seemingly sold by Peck to Derek Shortall. Former clubmans driver Shortall appears at round one of the 1976 Irish series on 17 Mar 1976 with a B25 backed by Vista Blinds, his long time sponsors. The car is often described as a B25/27 or even as a B27 from early in Shortall’s use. This suggests that the car was bought updated, and perhaps is a pointer towards it having been the ex Morgan car, unused by Peck in 1975, which had undergone significant modification in the 1974 season. Motoring News (MN) 24 Feb 1977 p15 reports this car sold to Dermot O’Leary and Eddie Regan for 1977 Irish season. David Lambe is said to have the ex Shortall car MN 23 Mar 1978 p15 and keeps it in 1979. For sale by Lambe Autosport 1 Nov 1979 p65 with Swindon BDA.
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. Lotus 69 [71/69.1.F2] (Walter Kinnear): Walter Kinnear has a Lotus 69 in 1973 which is described (MN 3 May and 10 May) as ex-Ikuzawa and can be identified with a high degree of confidence as 69/71.1.F2. At this point, the other ex-Ikuzawa F2 69 [69.F2.2] is being used by Farrelly, with MN and AS both calling the car ex Pollock and MN adding Kinnane. The FB Lotus 69 that Ikuzawa drove once, at the 1971 JAF GP, can almost certainly be discounted as well as it is in the UK during this time. The last time 69/71.1.F2 was seen was therefore likely to be the advert placed by Johnny Blades for an ex-Ikuzawa 69 in Autosport 15 Mar 1973 p59. Kinnear continues to drive the car in 1974 and 1975 with a BDA engine in Irish F/Atlantic.
4. Chevron B25 [25-73-08] (Patsy McGarrity): 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.
5. Chevron B27 [27-74-08] (Héctor Rebaque): Chassis 08 was intended as an Opert team car for Bertil Roos and Hector Rebaque in British Formula Atlantic races then used as a hire car. With Dick Hayes (Newport Beach, CA) in 1975.
6. Chevron B27 [27-74-16] (Peter Williams): Sold to Peter Williams, June 1974. Motoring News report for John Player Atlantic round at Brands Hatch 14 Sep 1975 describes Mike Franey's Samatco Racing car as 'ex Williams'. John Scannell’s B27 in 1976 Indyatlantic races is described as 'ex Franey'. Interesingly, this car is entered at Brands Hatch 3 Oct 1976 by 'J. Sumner', suggesting that this car is also that used in the Indyatlantic series by Jeremy Sumner, and once by Mike Wilds. The car always appears as #27 and Sumner and Scannell are never entered together. Martin Murphy has an 'ex Williams' B27 at a Thruxton Formula Libre race (MN 31 Mar 1977 p6]. Owned by hill-climber Phil Sharp in 1984.
7. March 73B [8] (Des Donnelly): Supplied new to Colin Vandervell for 1973 UK series – much of the provenance comes from Bryan Miller on behalf of the current owner in Australia. The chassis number was noted on Des Donnelly’s car by Adam Ferrington at John Player Atlantic round at Silverstone, July 19, 1975, so the car used by Donnelly throughout 1975 in Ireland. Then unknown to 1978, perhaps kept unraced by Donnelly, when it then appears at the hands of Ken Fildes in Irish races. Unknown again until early 1981, when it appears in Australia in the hands of Graham Brown.
8. Brabham BT30 [12] (Harold McGarrity): Autosport identifies BT30-12 as Reid's F2 car in 1971 implying BT30-8 was his FVC libre car. As BT30-8 is advertised by Bobby Howlings in late 1971, it is reasonable to assume that it was BT30-12 that Reid retained for the early part of 1972, still FVA-powered. That car goes to Nelson Todd in July 1972 and has then been tentatively identified as John Pollock's 1973 car, Harold McGarrity's 1974 car and Paddy Heron's 1975 BT30.
9. March 74B [1] (Ted Wentz): Shown on what is probably an incomplete copy of the March 74B build records made by Gordon Spice Racing as “Planer, White, 2-Nov-73”. Planer was the holding company for the Wella brand, the hair products manufacturer, and the car was presented as a special prize, with Wella sponsorship, to Ted Wentz for winning the 1973 Wella Formula Ford championship. Wentz’s car is later described by MN as ‘the first customer 74B’. Used by Wentz throughout 1974. Sold to Alan Crocker for the British Formula Atlantic series in 1975 and 76. Chassis number observed on Alan Crocker’s car by Dave McKinney at Baypark, 2 Jan 1977, described in NZMA as ex Wentz, and similarly in MN, 10 Feb 77. Sold to Ken Smith and rented by him to Ken Sager. To Robbie Booth for 1979. Entered by Robbie Hislop in some races for the 1981-82 Gold Star series but did not appear. Sold to Tony Batchelor who used the car in the 1982 – 83 international series.

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.