OldRacingCars.com

International Formula Atlantic Race

Donington Park, 5 Jul 1981

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Alo Lawler Ralt RT4/80 [199] - Ford BDA Smith
#1 L&B Excavations
20 23m 35.55s
99.96 mph
2 Ian Flux Ehrlich RP5B [1] - Ford BDA Ehrlich
#15 Dr J.Ehrlich
20 23m 55.52s
3 Jim Evans March 792 [31] - Ford BDA Swindon
#21 (see note 1)
20 24m 31.58s
4 Dave Muter Barton JTB3 [Sana RD11] - Ford BDA Cosworth
#6
19 23m 45.21s
5 Geoff Byman Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith
#49 Roger Cowman Racing
19 23m 47.07s
6 Phil Dowsett March 81A [15] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#5 Industrial Control Services/Pinch Plant
(see note 2)
19 24m 12.83s
7 Bobby Howlings Chevron B29 [29-75-06] - Ford BDA Richardson
#26 (see note 3)
19
R Tyrrell Arnold Argo JM9 [056-FA] - Ford BDA Smith
#23 (see note 4)
13 Accident
R Malcolm Hull March 782 - Ford BDA Richardson
#18 TRS/Neil Fletcher Engines
2
DNA Ian Taylor Tiga FA81 [164] - Ford BDA Nelson
#3 Queensgate Racing
Did not arrive

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

Qualifying
1 Alo Lawler (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT4/80 [199] - Ford BDA Smith
2 Phil Dowsett (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 81A [15] - Ford BDA Nicholson
3 Ian Flux (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ehrlich RP5B [1] - Ford BDA Ehrlich
4 Tyrrell Arnold (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Argo JM9 [056-FA] - Ford BDA Smith
5 Jim Evans (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 792 [31] - Ford BDA Swindon
6 Geoff Byman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith
7 Dave Muter (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Barton JTB3 [Sana RD11] - Ford BDA Cosworth
8 Bobby Howlings (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 [29-75-06] - Ford BDA Richardson
9 Malcolm Hull (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 782 - Ford BDA Richardson

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 792 [31] (Jim Evans): New to John Cooper to drive in the Aurora AFX series in 1979, using Hart engines. Also raced by Eddie Jordan in the Donington Park F2 race in August. Not seen in 1980, but reappeared in 1981 when it was used by Kim Mather in F2 and Formula Atlantic. Also driven by Jim Evans that year in libre racing. To John Travis for libre in 1982.
  2. March 81A [15] (Phil Dowsett): New to Phil Dowsett (Chelmsford, Essex) and raced in the British Formula Atlantic championshipmin 1981, with sponsorship from Pinch Plant and Industrial Control Services. Dowsett won two races and finished third in the championship. Sold to Theodore Racing and raced by Vern Schuppan at the Macau GP in November. Then sold to Graham Brown in Western Australia in April 1982 and raced in Australian Formula Pacific. To Michael Moylan in March 1985, then to Jeremy Kenyon (NSW) in January 1991. Sold to Clive Osborne (NSW) in August 1996 and raced by him in 2000, then to Robert Foster (NSW) by 2007 and raced by him from 2007 to 2019. To Barry Wise (QLD) in 2020, and raced by him in 2021 and 2022.
  3. Chevron B29 [29-75-06] (Bobby Howlings): New to Alo Lawler (St Helens, Merseyside) and raced in the 1975 British Formula Atlantic championship, sponsored by L&B Excavations Ltd. Also used in the Irish championship that year, and in libre racing. Retained by Lawler for 1976, when he raced it in the Shellsport G8 championship, the Irish Formula Atlantic championship, the British Indylantic championship, and in libre racing. Sold to John Eastwood and raced in the Irish Formula Atlantic series. To Joe Greenan (Belfast, Northern Ireland) for 1978, and entered by Irish Racing Cars in Irish Atlantic, then raced by Ken Fildes (Clonskeagh, Dublin) in 1979 and 1980. Sold to English wheeler dealer Bobby Howlings (Congleton, Cheshire) for 1981, and raced by Howlings in rounds of the reintroduced British Formula Atlantic championship. Sold to Stuart Harte (Littleborough, Greater Manchester) and fitted with a 2.2-litre Hart 420R engine for sprints and hillclimbs. After Harte's death, the car was retained by his family until 2011, when it was sold to Jon Waggitt. Waggitt sold it to Chris Porritt in July 2011, and he spent some years returning it to running condition. He first raced it at Laguna Seca in March 2020, then brought it back to the UK later that year.
  4. Argo JM9 [056-FA] (Tyrrell Arnold): New to Tyrrell Arnold to race in the 1981 Irish Atlantic series, then to Jim Blackwell (Seattle, WA) in 1982 and raced in WCAR events in 1984 and 1985, then Marty Knoll (North Vancouver, BC) who raced it in WCAR in 1986 and 1987. Then to Terry Edwards in 1987-88 and from him to Gary Milligan (Richmond, British Columbia) who used it as the basis of the Buick-engined Lotus Europa with which he won the National Autocross Championship in 1994.

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.