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John Player (British) Formula Atlantic Series Race

Silverstone, 19 Jul 1975

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Chevron B29 [29-75-25] (Matt Spitzley): Chassis number noted on Matt Spitzley's Rapid Movements car by Adam Ferrington at John Player Atlantic round at Oulton Park, May 26, 1975. [Contradicts Chevron build record, which shows B29.75.18 as consigned to Rapid Movements, and 25 as blank.] This suggests that 25 may be a replacement chassis built up after a testing accident. Spitzley replaced by Gunnar Nilsson towards the end of the 1975 season. Sold to John Gibb in South Africa for the 1976 Atlantic series there. [A/S 22 Jan 76 p5]. In 1976 initially entered by Gibbs’s sponsors for Trevor van Rooyen, but does not appear. Since there are no other available B29s in South Africa later in 1977 [29.75.15 being owned by Trochanni] this was probably the car of Rhodesian driver Geoff Frizell.
2. 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.
3. March 74B [1] (Alan Crocker): 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.
4. McLaren M21 (Steve Prior): The two M21s that appears in F/Atlantic in 1975 and 1976 are a puzzle, as the only known M21, the ex-works/Scheckter car, had been wrecked in France by Yves Martin in 1974. Around 2001, Chris MacAllister bought a McLaren M21 at auction that appeared to be one of Steve Prior's old cars and still had radio broadcasting sponsorship logos on it. It was fully restored by 2004, using the Donington Museum car - also or unclear origins - as a model.
5. Chevron B25 [25-73-12] (John Pollock): Chassis number given by Motoring News 14 June 1973 p8 for Brett Lunger's new car, run by Space Racing, at the Nivelles round of the 1973 European F2 championship. Nick May's Wessex Finance car is described as 'ex Lunger' Autosport 3 Oct 1974 p24, used in the second half of the 1974 Atlantic season. Chassis number noted by Adam Ferrington on John Pollock's car at John Player Atlantic round at Silverstone 19 July 1975. Bill Gowdy’s car in 1976 is described as ex-Pollock (Autosport 8 Apr 1976) and seems to have been retained in 1977. Then to Paddy Farrelly 1978-79 to Cyril Lynch, Paul Deveney and Seamus ('Shay') Lawless. This provenance from owner Nick Overall, via Marcus Pye. Retained by Overall 2006.
6. McLaren M21 (Tony Trimmer): The two M21s that appears in F/Atlantic in 1975 and 1976 are a puzzle, as the only known M21, the ex-works/Scheckter car, had been wrecked in France by Yves Martin in 1974. Around 2001, Chris MacAllister bought a McLaren M21 at auction that appeared to be one of Steve Prior's old cars and still had radio broadcasting sponsorship logos on it. It was fully restored by 2004, using the Donington Museum car - also or unclear origins - as a model.
7. Chevron B29 [29-75-15] (Jim Crawford): Chassis number noted on Jim Crawford’s car by Adam Ferrington at John Player Atlantic round at Oulton Park, May 26, 1975. [Confirms Chevron build record.] A/S report for that race says that this is a new car, suggesting that to this point Crawford had used the earlier works car [29.75.2A] which then reappears a week later with James Crawley. MN report of Southern Organs Atlantic round at Silverstone, August 3, 1975 says that Derek Cook 'had an outing in Jim Crawford's usual Chevron as his own car is not yet ready' [MN 7 Aug 75 p11]. The car was probably run for the works by SDC rather than owned by them, because A/S and MN report that Richard Morgan runs the ex Crawford car, ‘hired from the works’ beginning with the Southern Organs Atlantic round at Oulton Park, October 4, 1975. Sold to Len Booysen in South Africa for the 1976 season there [A/S 15 Feb 76 says Boyden's car is 'ex Crawford works development chassis'] - however Ian Hebblewhite reports that this was chassis 15, rather than 2A, by then probably in the USA - then passed on to Dorino Trocani, who used the car in 1977-78 in South Africa. [described as 'ex Booysen' A/S 16 Feb 78 p6]. This history confirmed by the current owner.
8. Chevron B27 [27-74-14] (Derek Cook): Chevron build record says sold to Derek Cook, August 1974. Hugh Munro’s car is described in Autosport report of John Player Atlantic round at Mallory Park, 9 March 75 as "ex Derek Cook", so Cook’s late 1974 chassis (Autosport 13 Mar 1975 p26). The race report for the support race at the British GP meeting, 1975, says that Munro loaned the car back to Cook after he had wrecked his "new" 73B against Val Musetti’s car. In the race Cook managed to hit Musetti again, on the approach to Beckett’s on lap one... Found in France and now being restored in UK.
9. Chevron B27 [27-74-14] (Peter Munro): Chevron build record says sold to Derek Cook, August 1974. Hugh Munro’s car is described in Autosport report of John Player Atlantic round at Mallory Park, 9 March 75 as "ex Derek Cook", so Cook’s late 1974 chassis (Autosport 13 Mar 1975 p26). The race report for the support race at the British GP meeting, 1975, says that Munro loaned the car back to Cook after he had wrecked his "new" 73B against Val Musetti’s car. In the race Cook managed to hit Musetti again, on the approach to Beckett’s on lap one... Found in France and now being restored in UK.
10. Modus M3 [022] (Rüdi Gygax): Chassis number given in works record for new car for Brise, so presumably a replacement for 009-FA. Marcus Pye’s Modus records suggest that this was Gygax's car at the 1975 British GP support race. However, this is disproved by Adam Ferrington's observation of 020-F3 for Gygax, and so likely to be Brise's car at that race. As Brise was increasingly busy with F1 commitments, the car eventually went to David Price Racing for John Nicholson’s return to Formula Atlantic in Britain. In the interim it may be the car raced by Tim Brise at Silverstone, August 3, 1975 [the alternative is 020-F3]. The car was crashed by Nicholson at Oulton Park, October 4, 1975 and it is said to have been written off. Indeed, the gearbox [FT200-955] and some other parts of the car were built up around monocoque 054, but as this is a 1976 build, it cannot explain the identity of Nicholson’s car for the rest of the 1975 season. Since Richard Parsons is also given an outing in a works car – alongside Nicholson – at Thruxton October 12, 1975, it seems as though 022-FA survived in some form. As the works records comment that 022 was sold to the Domingo Brothers in South Africa for the 1976 season, with ‘a new 16 swg monocoque with ex-Gygax running gear’ it may be that this new tub was built not for the Domingos, but rather in October 1975 for Nicholson or Parsons. However, as Modus build numbers seem to be based upon the tub, the description of the Domingo car in 1976 as 'ex Brise' cannot be justified. In the absence of a known number for the late 1975 monocoque we have labelled it "022". In its hybrid form this is possibly the car taken to Macau GP in November 1975 by Team Harper for David Purley, though that is more likely to have been a different car, sold afterwards in the Philippines. Mike Domingo first appears with a Modus M3 at Killarney, 24 Jan 76. A/S reports of races in the South African championship later describe this car as ‘ex Brise’. There are two Moduses in the 1977 series in South Africa, and since Stopford's is known to be [024-FA], it is assumed that the car used by John Simpson was 022B-FA.

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.