Players Trophy

Phoenix Park, 13 Sep 1970

All cars are 1.6-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT30 [6] (Alan Rollinson): Bought by Mick Mooney's Irish Racing Cars for Alan Rollinson to race in F2 in 1969. Retained for 1970 but raced only at Phoenix Park as it still had 1969-style aluminium fuel tanks which weren't allowed in 1970. Raced at Bogotá early 1971 when Rollinson won the second race. Then to John Smith (Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) for Irish 1600cc racing, winning first time out at Mondello Park in April 1971. To Ken Walker (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) for 1972 and raced in northern English libre racing. Advertised by Adrian Bethall of Northern Racing Spares (Sheffield, South Yorkshire) in January 1973. Subsequent history unknown. At some point in the early 1980s, a BT30 was reputedly sold by dealer Jon Blackburn to Otford Group's Jim Wallis (Edenbridge, Kent) who restored it and raced it in HSCC events from 1982 to 1985. Its HSCC papers issued in 1984 identify it as BT30-6. It then passed via Bobby Howlings to Tony Thompson in 1986 but he did not like the car and had sold it to Australian Chris Farrell by 1987. Retained in Farrell's collection for many years. Fully restored in 2006 and raced in Tasman Revival events.
2. Brabham BT30 [24] (Richard Scott): To Team Obrist and run by Motor Racing Enterprises in F2 in 1970 for Howden Ganley, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Richard Scott. Retained for 1971 and entered by Team Obrist for Jürg Dubler in F2 and also in some French and Swiss hillclimbs. Presumably the car driven by Albert Obrist at Lorentzweiler in April 1972. Then to Michel Pignard (Rillieux, France) for French hillclimbs in 1972 and early 1973 before being replaced with a 1971 Pygmée MDB16. Sold to Daniel Gache (Avignon, France) and advertised by him in December 1973. Gache recalls that he sold it to someone in the 'area of Lyon' and he believed that Gérard Gamand later bought the car from that same man. To Gamand (France) 1985 and retained to at least 1990. With Gerard Cerny (France) in 1994. Then unknown until raced by Laurent Fort (France) in 2009 and 2010. Sold to Ian Rimmer (Pavenham, Bedfordshire) in 2011 and restored by Peter Denty Racing. Sold by Rimmer in 2013 to Ray Stubber (Australia) who ran the car in a few HSCC Historic F2 and Derek Bell Trophy races between 2013 and 2015.
3. Crosslé 18F [18F.70.01] (Brian Nelson): New for Brian Nelson at the Mondello Park Boxing Day libre race in December 1969 in Formula B specification with a Ford twin cam. Fitted with a Cosworth FVA for 1970 and raced as a F2 in Irish libre racing in the early part of the season, then later in hillclimbs, and in the F2 races at Mantorp Park, Phoenix Park and Imola. Taken to Bogotá in February 1971 for Tetsu Ikuzawa to drive. Subsequent history unknown but believed to be the 18F bought by Mike Winn in 2012.
4. Brabham BT21 [15] (Ronnie Mackay): New to Peter Westbury and raced exensively in British and European F3 in 1967. To Davey Powell (Wales) for 1968. To Ronnie Mackay (Thurso, Scotland) for 1969. Fitted with an Alan Smith Ford twin cam engine and raced in libre by Mackay in 1970, also appearing in two F2 races that season. To Vivien Candy (Dublin), still with its Ford twin cam engine, and raced by him in Irish events in 1971 and 1972.
5. Lotus 59B/69 [59-F2-21] (Johnny Blades): New to Max Mosley for Formula 2 in 1969. It was prepared and entered by Len Street Engineering, a successful west London Lotus dealership. The car was first seen at the Jarama F1/F5000 race where it was ballasted and entered in the F1 class. At its next race, the F2 race at the Nürburgring, Mosley went off the road during practice when a bolt worked lose in the front suspension, and the Lotus was severely damaged. It returned to Lotus for repairs, but then remained unused during the summer as Mosley retired from driving. In September it was loaned to Roy Winkelmann Racing so that Ronnie Peterson could drive it at Albi, a precursor to Mosley and Winkelmann team manager Alan Rees signing Peterson to drive the new March F3 car two weeks later. The 59B was also raced by John Miles at Vallelunga. Then sold to Johnny Blades (Whitley Bay, Northumberland) for F2 in 1970, appearing at four early-season F2 races before being returned to Lotus to be converted to 69 specification. After a few libre races, it returned to F2 at Mantorp Park in August, where Autosport said "the only parts remaining of his ex-Mosley 59B being the wheels, gearbox and engine". Despite this surgery, the car was often described as a 59 or a 59B during Blades' ownership. Retained by Blades for F2 in 1971, when it was also raced by Carlos Pace at Crystal Palace. Blades retained the car again for 1972, when it was fitted with a BDA and used in the British Formula Atlantic series. Then sold to Ton Strous (Netherlands) for 1973, and fitted with a F2 engine, but Strous withdrew after wrecking his engine before his first race. Converted by Strous to F3 specification, but then unknown Strous reportedly sold it in 1991 to Richard Spelberg (Dusseldorf, Germany), who converted back to Lotus 59B spec for historic F2.
6. Lola T100 [SL100/5] (Robs Lamplough): Believed to be the works Lola T100 with BMW engine entered by Lola Racing for John Surtees to drive in Formula 2 that first appeared at the Nürburgring in April 1967. Also raced by Chris Irwin at Reims, David Hobbs in the German GP, Irwin at Brands Hatch, and Andrea de Adamich at Albi. As Lola Racing's other two T100s, SL100/2 and SL100/4, were both sold, this is believed to be the Firestone test and development car maintained by John Surtees' operation over the next two years. For 1970, it was sold to Robs Lamplough, fitted with a Cosworth FVA engine and raced by him in F2 in 1970, and also once by brother Peter in a libre race at Castle Combe. To Brian and Barry White for 1971, and fitted with a Ford twin cam for the new Formula Atlantic. Presumably the car advertised in November 1971 from west London numbers with a new Broadspeed BDA, and still in Surtees' red and silver livery. Last seen at the Brands Hatch Atlantic race in April 1972. Its history after the Whites is not known, but a few years later, the ex-Surtees Firestone test car was bought by Bob Eccles (Oldbury, West Midlands), less engine and gearbox. He fitted a Ford twin cam engine and used the car in libre between 1975 and 1978, and later, suitably re-engined, in Monoposto in 1979 and 1980. Bob cannot remember where it went. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Brabham BT23C [11] (Brian Cullen): New to Winkelmann Racing for Alan Rees to race in F2 in 1968 but also raced by Gerhard Mitter at Hockenheim in October. To Bill Ivey for 1969 and entered for him in F2 races by Paul Watson Racing Organisation (PWRO). To Brian Cullen (Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland) in August 1969 and he raced it in a F5000 race and in libre in 1969, in European F2 events in 1970, and at Bogotá in early 1971. Entered by Irish Racing Team for Lingard Goulding at Mondello Park in July 1971 and then maybe the BT23C raced by Ted Shanahan (Dublin) over the next two months and also possibly the BT23C raced by Roy Courtney (Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) in local clubmans/club specials racing in 1972. To Harold McGarrity (Belfast) for 1973 and raced in Formula Ireland with a 1.6-litre Holbay engine. To Paddy Heron for 1974 and raced in clubmans and in Formula Atlantic. For sale from Glengormley in 1975 and entered by Belfast car dealer Noel Crymble for Chris Stanfield to race at Kirkistown a couple of times until the Holbay pushrod engine blew up. Next seen when bought from Ireland by Mark Raymont who still had it in the late 1980s with a Holbay engine and Hewland Mk 8 gearbox. Sold to Steve Worrad (Whitchurch, Shropshire) of Maverick Motorsport around 2002 and restored by him. For sale by Maverick in 2004 and sold the following year via the Bonhams auction at RAF Hendon to Joe Willenpart (Scheibbs, Austria).
8. Brabham BT30 [14] (Richard Attwood): Sold new to Ecurie Ecosse and run for Graham Birrell in F2 in 1970. Also raced once by Peter Gethin and by Richard Attwood later in the season. To Peter Westbury early 1971 and raced in several F2 races (also raced once by Dieter Quester) until the team's BT36 was delivered. Sold to Dunnett's Garage, converted to F/Atlantic specification and entered for Ronnie Mackay in libre and F/Atlantic in 1971 and 1972, run by MRE. To Chong Boon Seng for south east Asian racing in 1973 and used by him until 1976. Then to Del Schloemer and raced by him and by Cherie Schloemer in 1977 and 1978. To Wybe Valkema around 1980 and retained to 1982. Then to Australia and with Brian Wilson by 1988. Wilson sold it to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) and from Valdez it returned to Australia when he sold it to Bob Ilich (Perth, WA) in 2010.
9. Lotus 48 [R2] (Frank Keane): Graham Hill's regular Team Lotus entry in Formula 2 in 1967, raced by him in 16 of that season's races. Retained for 1968, when it was entered by Gold Leaf Team Lotus for Hill in a further eight F2 races. Sold to Gerry Kinnane's Team Ireland for 1969, and raced by John Pollock in the Thruxton F2 race in April and then in Irish 1600cc racing. Sold to Kevin Murphy in 1970 for Frank Keane to drive in Irish libre racing, primarily at Mondello Park, and in hillclimbs. Traded to Bobby Howlings for a Brabham BT30 in September 1970, and advertised by him the following month. Then evidently to Beric Ewin (Finchley, London) and fitted with a Ford twin cam engine for the new Formula Atlantic category in 1971 and 1972. Then unknown until acquired by a private collector in the late 1970s.

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.

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

Autosport (17 Sep 1970 pp22-23) reported that the feature F2 race was merged with the "Irish Shell-BP 1600 Formula (twin-cam)" race. John Smith was third overall and winner of the 1600 classis in his Brabham BT18 followed by Patsy McGarrity in another Bt18 and Dave Furlong in his Lola T100; all had Ford twin-cam engines.