• F1
• F2
• F3
• F5000
• Indy
• Can-Am
• Tasman
• Atlantic
• Formula B
• Drivers

SCCA Continental Championship for Formula B/C Race

Lime Rock, 2 Aug 1969

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Lotus 59 "B" [59-FB-12] (WP Fred Stevenson): Bought by Duchess Auto in 1969 for Fred Stevenson (Salisbury, CT) to race in US Formula B and entered by Stevenon's Lotus/East Inc operation. Sold at the end of the main season to his customer Bob Hebert (Monterey, MA) and driven by him at Sebring at the end of 1969 (according to Stevenson's recollection but not in reports) and then through the 1970 season. Hebert and Stevenson had new 69s for 1971 and the 59B may have returned to Stevenson and even been raced by him in some SCCA Nationals in 1971. Advertised by Lotus East in June 1972 where it was said to have been Stevenson's Bogotá car.
2. Chevron B15B [FB-69-6?] (Steve Brownstein): Steven Brownstein (Hewlett, NY) had a blue Chevron B15B for 1969, the colour and late arrival suggesting that it was chassis 15B.69.6, a car originally intended for Steve Matchett. He raced in the Pro series but also took 25 pts in NEDiv FB racing. Brownstein retained the car for 1970.
3. Brabham BT18 (Mike Eyerly): Mike Eyerly dominated the 1969 US Formula B series in his orange Brabham BT18. It was identified as a BT18 in the 1968 Run-Offs official results, by Autoweek at Sears Point 21 Jun 1969 and in the Seattle and Brainerd entry lists so it is assumed to be the same car all season.
4. Brabham BT21A [4] (Ken Duclos): Sold new to Lou Sell (Fullerton, CA) for US Formula B in 1967 (three Pro races only), then to his backer Dick Smothers (Woodland Hills, CA) for 1968, although Sell also raced it in one SoPac National early that year. To Fred Opert late 1968 in part-exchange for a new Chevron and from him on to Ken Duclos (Boxboro, MA) for 1969. Duclos believes he returned it to Opert at the end of 1969 when he acquired his new BT29 and it next turns up in 1971 with John Sorbello (Lafayette, MA) who widened the cockpit section into a two-seater and added a Chevron B16 body. Later to John Kauffman thought he had bought a Chevron and then to Joe Maria in the early 1990s. It was restored by David Irwin to BT21A spec and was still with Maria in 2007.
5. Brabham BT21B [24] (Matt Spitzley): Matt Spitzley ran a Brabham in SCCA Nationals and in the 'Pro' FB series in 1969. His car is identified in the July 1969 Seattle entry list as a yellow and red Brabham BT21 but has been identified by Ted Walker as the ex-Guthrie Tasman BT21B [24] (10 Tenths ref 1544290).
6. Chevron B15B [FB-69-3?] (Syd Demovsky): Chicago's Syd Demovsky bought a Chevron B15B for 1969, racing in Pro events and also in SCCA FB events, finishing fifth in CenDiv. The car was red and blue and raced as #11, Demovsky's usual number. After a couple of races of 1970, Demovsky replaced the Chevron with a Brabham BT29.
7. Chevron B15B (Joe Grimaldi): Joe Grimaldi acquired one of four late 1968 Chevrons to arrive in the US. At least three of these were described by Chevron as B14s, including Grimaldi's. He debuted the car at Mosport Park in Aug 1968 and raced it twice more in Pro events. Grimaldi reappeared in August 1969 with what was reported to be a Chevron B15B which he raced three more times. Larry Wright then acquired a Chevron from Grimaldi for the 1970 season which was described to him as a B15 but when Wright advertised the car in 1971, he called it a "late-1968 Chevron FB" which identifies it as a B14. Wright traded the Chevron to Charlie Hayes in May 1971 for a new Brabham BT29.
8. Cooper FJ Mk 3A 'T67' (Ronald Stanwicks): Ronald Stanwicks of Newington, CT, appeared in SCCA events in the late 1960s in a Cooper. The Danvile Bee, Monday of 2 May 1966, quoted on the excellent virhistory.com website, identified this as a "Cooper 67" and it is assumed that Stanwicks used this same ex-Formula Junior car in both FC and FB over the next three seasons.
9. Brabham BT18 (Dave Rines): R. David Rines (St Louis, MO) raced a "F2 Brabham" in Formula B in 1969. Rines raced this car consistently in the 1969 Pro series until engine failure at Thompson in September, after which he entered his Brabham-Climax at Sebring. Rines' advert for the car in October 1969 described it as a BT18 with Vegantune engine. Rines had previously driven a Brabham-Climax in Formula A and we're very keen to locate him to ask about this car.

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.

1970 US FB results were compiled from Autoweek reports by Jim Thurman; 1971 results were transcribed from Autoweek by Allen Brown and 1972 results were compiled by Chris Townsend from an SCCA results publication.

The US Formula B series did not continue in 1973 but a race was organised in Caracas in March 1973 that fits here probably better than anywhere else, as do the occasional SCCA F/Atlantic and FB races in 1974 and 1975.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen if you can add anything.