WCAR Formula Atlantic Championship Round

Laguna Seca, 24 Jun 1984

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 77B [21?] (John Wink): Tennyson Kwok (Long Beach, CA) raced a March 77B at Long Beach in April 1979, and advised Chris Townsend that it was an ex-Holmes car that he bought the car from Wally Farrell who used it in SCCA Nationals with Cal Club in 1978. As 77B-22 is known to have gone to Dan Carmichael, Kwok's car is likely to have been 77B-21. Kwok then used it in a few SCCA events prior to Long Beach. It was sold to Bill Fickling (San Clemente, CA), who raced it at Long Beach in 1982, after three years in which it had barely been used. It was then sold to John Wink (Sacramento, CA) for 1983 but was wrecked at an SCCA National at Laguna Seca in 1984. The remains of the car were sold to Chuck Billington (Modesto, CA) who built them onto a CSR using a new monocoque. This is too late to be the Tracer TR2 that Billington raced in 1983, so may have been for a customer. Subsequent history unknown.
2. March 722/76B (Steve Hartgraves): In January 1980, Jim Buick (Berthoud, CO) registered a Formula Atlantic March 722/76B with SCCA's Colorado Region. He first raced it at La Junta in May 1980, but sold it in August 1980 to Bill Murray, who then raced it at La Junta in October. Roy Jo Peltz, better known as a sprint car racer, bought the March in September 1982 and raced it at Pueblo and La Junta in 1982 and 1983. Then to Steve Hartgraves (Sunnyvale, CA) who raced it in Solo I and in west coast WCAR Formula Atlantic races in 1984. It was advertised by Steve's father Roger Hartgraves (Sunnyvale CA) in March 1985, but unfortunately Steve cannot remember where it came from or where it went. This car was acquired soon after by John Hammill (Albuquerque, NM), and has remained with him since then.
3. March 77B [76B-13] (John Herne): Doug Shierson Racing ran an maroon/red #8 March 76B in 1976 for Price Cobb. In early 1977, it was entered by Doug Shierson Racing in SCCA Nationals for Steve "Gas" Saleen (Whitter, CA), but when the Pro series started in May, his entrant was Clayton Racing Team. The car's log book states that it was chassis 76B-13. Run by Clayton Racing for Frank Beetson (San Diego, CA) in 1978, when it was entered as a 77B. Also seen once in mid-1979 with Beetson, and later adbertised by him in February 1980. Its history is then unknown until 1983, when it reappeared in the hands of John Herne (Santa Ana, CA). He retained it for WCAR in 1984, then sold it in early 1985 to John Blizzard (Prescott, AZ), who raced it in WCAR that season. Blizzard remembers selling it to someone in Phoenix, AZ. Subsequent history unknown.
4. March 76B [2] (Lee Follansbee): Cliff Hansen (Laguna Beach, CA) campaigned a blue/red #6 March 76B in 1976 as part of the Doug Shierson Racing operation. Hansen retained the car for the start of the 1977 season, until his new 77B arrived, and then kept the 76B as a spare, needing it at St-Félicien and at Trois-Rivières after crashing the 77B. Its history in 1978 is unknown, but it is believed to be the car raced by Tom Contino (Ontario, CA) between 1979 and 1981, then sold by him in October 1981 to Damon Meek (Los Gatos, CA), who raced the car in SCCA Nationals in 1982 and has identified it as "76B-02" and ex-Cliff Hansen. Meek sold it to Lee Follansbee (San Jose, CA) and it would be the 76B raced by him in the Sears Point Pro race in 1984. Sold by Follansbee to Michael Olsen (Santa Clara, CA) who raced it at Sears Point in October 1988. Subsequent history unknown.
5. March 77B (Erik Phelan): Eric Phelan (Redondo Beach, CA) raced a March 77B in the first four rounds of the 1981 North American Formula Atlantic championship. Chris Townsend reports that Phelan ran this car from 1979 to 1984. Nothing more known.
6. Lola T242 [T240 HU15] (Nathan Burmeister): Invoiced to Hayes Racing in late June 1971, but it is now known how this car was used in 1971. To Ted Titmas (Van Nuys, CA) for Formula B in 1972. Retained for the first race of 1973. History then unclear until February 1978 when acquired by Rob Mullaney (Pleasant Hill, CA), but the car was still wearing Titmas's #4 Autohaus livery so may not have been used since 1973. Raced by Mullaney in SCCA Regionals in San Francisco Region in 1978. To Tom Tampi in January 1979, and raced in one SCCA Regional, then to Nathan Burmeister (Manton, CA) September 1980, and raced from 1981 to June 1984, when the car was retired and stored. Restored by Burmeister 2001 to 2003, and advertised by him on race-cars.com in February 2005. The car was acquired at that time or soon after by Bob Yarwood (Lymm, Cheshire) and returned to the UK. Later to Tim Harrison (Ripon, North Yorkshire).

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.

North American Formula Atlantic race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in On Track and Sports Car, plus results sheets where available.

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

Chris Townsend's sources include On Track magazine 30 Jul 1984 pp28-29.