John Player Formula 3 International Championship

Silverstone, 14 Jul 1973

All cars are 1.6-litre F3 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 733 [3] (Russell Wood): New to Russell Wood and run for him in the British F3 series by Peter Bloore Racing with backing from The Chequered Flag. Wood won three early round of the championship but had a heavy accident at Zandvoort in May and did not win again. Sold to Australian Ian Douglass for 1974 and rebuilt for Australian F2, using various 742 bits. The car was involved in a fire during private testing at Oran Park after the Lakeside race in December 1974 and was completely burnt to the ground.
2. Elden Mk12 [87/12002/72] (Mike Catlow): New for Mike Catlow (Dulwich, London/Charing, Kent) to drive at the Silverstone round of the British F3 series in July 1973, entered by Mitford Group-Team Elden. Exactly how it was used for the rest of the season remains unclear. Nothing was seen of this car in 1974 or 1975, but in 1976 it appeared in SCCA Formula C in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, although it was usually entered as a Mk14. It was driven by Terry Annis (Maple Valley, WA) in ICSCC and SCCA races that season. In July, Annis bought a Cosworth BDJ engine to replace its original engine - presumably an ex-F3 1-litre Ford unit. He qualified for the SCCA Runoffs, finishing ninth. Annis retained the car for 1977, again qualifying for the Runoff and this time finishing sixth. He drove it again in 1978 and 1979, mainly in ICSCC events. The car was next seen a few years later in the hands of Steve Doty (Eugene, OR), who raced it in the Formule Libre class of ICSCC racing in 1984. A later advertiser said that Doty had fitted it with a 1600cc VW engine. Doty then turned it into a sports racing car, eligible for the ICSCC's 'D' Sports Racing category, and won the ICSCC DSR title with it in 1985 and 1986. It was sold to Mike Oberholtzer (Woodinville, WA) who continued to race it in ICSCC DSR from 1987 to 1990. Norm Hernandez bought it during 1990, and raced it that season and from 1991 to 1993. The Elden's engine broke in 1993, and he then left it garaged until he sold it to Lee Fjellanger (Lynnwood, WA) in March 2005. He raced it with the ICSCC from 2007 to 2009 in the C Sports Racing category, winning the title all three seasons. Fjellanger advertised it in 2018, still with its sports car body and VW engine, and sold it to Greg Lone (Langley, BC, Canada).
3. Royale RP11A [RP11-6] (Val Musetti): New factory car for Tom Pryce to drive, replacing the one wrecked at the 1972 Monaco GP F3 race. To Reystan Racing for 1973 for Andy Sutcliffe to drive, but Sutcliffe left the team in April, and his seat was taken over by Val Musetti, who had written off his own RP11 in testing. Raced by Musetti through to the end of the season. Converted to Formula Atlantic specification for 1974 with Wood and Nicholson BDA engines and raced by Musetti in the British championship up to May. Sold later in the year to Mike Franey (London) and raced in libre racing with a Nicholson BDA. Raced by Franey in a couple of British Formula Atlantic races in early 1975 with a Gray BDA. He then acquired a much newer Chevron B27 and the subsequent history of the Royale is unknown.
4. Brabham BT41 [11] (Johnny Gerber): Initially a Motor Racing Developments entry for Tony Trimmer for the opening race of 1973, then becoming an Ippokampos Racing entry for Johnny Gerber until August 1973. Last seen when Gerber retired with clutch trouble at Brands Hatch on 19 August 1973. Not seen again.
5. Royale RP11 [3] (John Sheldon): New to The Chequered Flag for Ian Ashley in British F3 in 1972. The team were a frequent non-arrival from July onwards, even when Brian McGuire replaced Ian Ashley as the nominated driver. Sold to John Sheldon (Surbiton, Surrey) for 1973 and raced in the British F3 series. Last seen at Mallory Park in August 1973. Bought from Sheldon by Ken Davies (Kittle, Swansea, South Wales) with two Vegantune twin cam engines, and used by him in the 1600cc class of hillclimbs and sprints in 1974. Then sold to Kaj Madsen (Denmark) for Jan K Pedersen to race in F3 in 1975 and 1976. At some point the car returned to England and was offered by Roger Orgee (Bristol) to Ken Davies, in case he wanted to buy it back. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Royale RP11 [5] (Simon Sherman): New to Simon Sherman (London) and raced in British F3 in 1972. Retained for 1973, but did not start many races. At Mallory Park in April 1974, Sherman entered the car again in the now 2000cc F3 in 1974 but still with its 1600cc engine. He was slowest of all in practice and his race ended with engine failure. Four months later, Sherman and his friend and mechanic John Chubb, a London garage owner, were both entered in the car at Silverstone, Sherman in the F3 race and Chubb in a libre race. Neither appears to have taken part. The engine in the car for Chubb's race was given as 1600cc, suggesting they were still using the original Vegantune engines. Chubb was entered for two more races later in 1974, both at Thruxton, but it is unclear whether he took part. Sherman advertised the car in Autosport in November 1974 from an 01-629 number as a RP11A with Vegantune engine and ready to race. Subsequent history unknown.
7. GRD 372 [025-F3] (John MacDonald): New to Reystan Racing Ltd for Masami Kuwashima to drive in British F3 in 1972, using Holbay engines. To John MacDonald for British F3 in 1973, when it was described as being the remains of Kuwashima's 1972 car built up around a new tub. Raced until October 1973, when it was said to have been sold to Ireland. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Merlyn Mk 21 [445/F3/73] (Bernard Vermillio): New to Bernard Vermillio for British F3 in 1973, but he failed to arrive for most of his races and had a poor season. The car was acquired from from Vermilio by Gordon Smiley (Mirriam, Kansas) who had come to England to race a works Merlyn Mk 25 in Formula Ford, and the Mk 21 was converted for him to also race in the Formula Atlantic series. His only race in the Mk 21 was in the Brands Hatch race in mid-March supporting the Race of Champions. He crashed during the very wet race and according to Clive Hayward, he "stuffed it pretty thoroughly". Smiley moved to the Elden F3 team.
9. Brabham BT41 [16] (Randy Lewis): New to American Randy Lewis for British and European Formula 3 in 1973, entered by Wrangler Racing. The subsequent history of the car is unknown, but at some point Lewis sold it in the US, and by 1976 it was owned by Reg Reis (Madison, WI), and was converted to Formula B specification with the same type of 1600cc Ford twin cam that it would have used in 1973. Reis advertised it in 1976, saying then that it had only been raced for one season, but retained the car for 1977. This is presumably the Brabham Reis raced in Midwest Council and SCCA events at Blackhawk Farms in 1976 and 1977. It was for sale again in 1979 from Middleton, WI with a Cosworth BDD engine. Then sold to Tex Arnold (Aurora, CO), and advertised by him in August 1980. Later sold to Jerry Peattie, and with Jon Anderson at Sears Point by 2020.
10. GRD 372 [024-F3] (Roger Craven): Entered by GRS International for Andy Sutcliffe for a few races in British F3 in April 1972, using Holbay engines. Then entered for young Portuguese driver Jorge Pinhol for the rest of the season, but he often failed to appear and may have only been at eight races, starting as few as three. Pinhol's car had been announced in early February, but he did not appear until the end of April. His last definite appearance was at Thruxon on 6 August but his entries continued until the start of October. The car was then run for Formula Ford star Johnny Gerber as an Ippokampos Racing entry but run by GRS International at Brands Hatch on 22 October 1972. The ex-Pinhol car went to Roger Craven (Lincoln) for British F3 in 1973, using RES and Vegantune engines. Also used by Craven very successfully in libre racing that season. It was advertised by Craven's entrant, L & K Racing Team (Lincoln) with a Neil Brown engine in November 1973 and from the same Lincoln telephone numbers in February 1974. Subsequent history unknown.
11. Brabham BT38C [19] (Jimmy Fuller): New to Canadian driver Chris O'Brien and raced in British F3 in 1972 using Holbay engines. To Jimmy Fuller (Antigua) for 1973, again in British F3 and again using Holbay engines. Advertised by Fuller from Sunbury-on-Thames as a "BT38/41" with two rebuilt Novamotor twin-cams, a spare monocoque and bodywork for £2,250 in November 1973. Formula 3 changed to 2000cc for 1974, and the BT38C was sold to David Taylor (Formy, Lancashire, later Merseyside) for Kim Mather to race in British Formula Atlantic in 1974. When the car first appeared, it had a RES BDA engine and still used F3 wheels, Mather recalling that he "just dropped a BDA in it". By the end of May it had a Richardson BDA and wider wheels, but it was still far off the pace of the leading cars, and this turned out to be its last Atlantic race. Taylor also used the car in sprints at Longridge, and Mather won two libre races at Aintree. Taylor advertised the car in September, complete with Richardson BDA, for £2,200 and sold it to Ted Payne (Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham). Payne had raced a BT38 earlier in the season with a Vegantune engine, but it appears he had sold that car and had bought Taylor's very similar one with its Richardson engine. Payne continued to race the car in 1975, and entry lists show that it was black with a Richardson engine, and generally entered as a BT38-40. It was advertised by Payne in November 1975 as a BT38/40 with a recently rebuilt Cosworth BDA engine, and with a spare monocoque. It was bought by Andrew Wareing (Kirkham, Fylde, Lancashire), whose recollection is that it came from Joe Applegarth, but Applegarth says he never owned a BT38. Wareing used it in sprints and libre in 1976. He advertised it in September 1976 as a BT38/40 with BDA engine, 10" and 14" wheels and a spare tub, and recalls that it went to a family of hillclimbers, father and sons. This must be John Hart (East Dulwich, London), who after hillclimbing a Brabham BT18 in 1976, transferred its Cosworth FVA engine into a Brabham BT38 for 1977. Hart recalls buying the BT38 in the Isle of Man, but it is quite plausible that the car had acquired an Isle of Man event sticker if Wareing had competed in one of the Longton & DCC events on the island. Hart raced this car in hillclimbs and sprints through 1977, being joined by his son Greg later that season. The pair retained the BT38 for 1978 but Greg wrecked it in a major accident at Shelsley Walsh in August, which he was lucky to escape. The car was briskly rebuilt using a BT40 monocoque acquired from MRD and raced again at Gurston Down just two weeks later. The car was renamed 'Hart JG79' for 1979, fitted with a 1600cc Richardson FVA and raced by Greg and John in 1979 and 1980. Doug Hart recalls that the BT40 was sold to Paul Squires, "who sadly died at a young age and before he finished the car". Subsequent history unknown.
12. March 733 [13] (Leonel Friedrich): New to Brazilian driver Leonel Friedrich (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and run for him by Peter Bloore Racing in the 1973 British Formula 3 season. Friedrich had not sat in a single-seater racing car before, but was the 1972 1600cc class Brazilian Touring Car Champion. For a novice, he was impressively quick straight away, eighth fastest in practice at his first race, and finishing second four times in his first dozen F3 races. His March was fitted with Holbay engines except for a brief mid-season flirtation with Novamotors. The car was then hired to another young Brazilian Alex Dias Ribeiro, and run for him by Angeleri March Racing Brazil in two races at the very end of the season. Subsequent history unknown.
13. March 713S [9] (Steve Coen): New to Peter Bloore (Wallingford, Oxfordshire) for driver Lee Kaye, and run by MRE in British F3. Also driven by Bob Muir at a couple of races, and by Ole Vejlund at one race at the end of the season. Unknown in 1972, but very likely to be the car advertised by Peter Slade from Folkestone and Hythe phone numbers in June 1972, especially as it was advertised with a Rowland engine, and the only 713S noted as having a Rowland engine in 1971 was the Bloore/Kaye car. Advertised again from the same phone numbers in October 1972, but without engine or gearbox. Raced by Steve Coen in Formula 3 in 1973. Subsequent history unknown but geography would suggest it was the March "713/73" used by Peter Orlando (Shepperton) in Formula Ford 2000 in 1975. Again, geography would suggest this became the Lydden libre car later in the 1970s.
14. March 733 [26] (Mike Wilds): New to Dempster International Racing Team for Mike Wilds to drive in F3 from July 1973 onwards, replacing the 1972/73 Ensign with which he had started the season. It was then sold to Graham Watts (Faringham) for hillclimbs, appearing at Prescott in March 1974, when the car had a 1600cc Holbay engine. During 1975, the car was bought by Terry Smith (Felton, Somerset) to replace his highly successful 1-litre Vixen Imp. Smith raced the March in sprints and hillclimbs through the rest of 1975 and through 1976, using a 1600cc Holbay Ford twin cam engine, but in the summer of 1976, bought the ex-F1 McLaren M14D. The March was sold to Geoff Hunt (Andover, Hampshire), again with the Holbay twin cam, and used in sprints for quite a few years. Eventually traded to Richard Speakman for the ex-F3 Pilbeam MP51. Subsequent history unknown.
15. Elden Mk12 [68/12001/72] (Andy Sutcliffe): New for Mike Catlow (Dulwich, London/Charing, Kent) to drive in the British F3 series in 1973, entered by Elden International Racing. After missing its first two races, the Mk12 debuted at Silverstone in early April,. Catlow was well down the time sheets, but completed the race in 16th place. It was next seen at Snetterton on 13 April, where Catlow was 22nd of 31 in practice, but did not start. He then retired from each of the next three races. A new car was built for the British GP support race in July, and it is then unclear which of the two Mk12s Catlow used.

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.

These British Formula 3 results have been compiled by Chris Townsend using the main British magazines Autosport and Motoring News but also the US magazine On Track which carried surprisingly good coverage of the British series.

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.