Barcelona 400 km

Montjuich Park, 14 Oct 1973

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T292 [HU42] (Gérard Larrousse): Invoiced via Bonnier to Team Archambeaud, this was Gérard Larrousse's regular Schnitzer BMW car for 1973. Sold to José Uriarte for 1974 and converted back to FVC power. Uriarte returned for 1975 with the car upgraded to T294 specification as part of Roger Hire's team and with sponsorship from Miles Roystone. This car was raced at the Spa 1000 km in May and the Nürburgring 1000 km in June. It was raced by Richard Scott at Brands Hatch on 22 Jun at which point it was said to be owned by Miles Roystone. Scott crashed into the guardrail in heat 1 and the car was not seen again. It is possible that this monocoque was repaired and was part of the package sold with HU67 to Martial Legou in 1976 and 1977, and possibly then to Michel Elkoubi and contributed its components to the T294/6s built up by Elkoubi for Le Mans in 1978 and 1979.
2. Lola T292 [HU55] (Chris Craft): Originally sold to Martin Birrane's Crowne Racing for Chris Craft to run in the 1973 European 2-litre Sports Car championship. The car was fitted with the new Cosworth BDG engine and the team was managed by Keith Greene. Craft won at Misano and Imola and took two further second places to win the championship. In 1974, the car was due to be fitted with the new Tecno P82 flat-8 engine but the project ran late and Birrane eventually sold the car in frustration to the Pederzani brothers. When the Lola-Tecno did finally appear, at Misano in July, it was driven by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud but retired with overheating problems. According to later sale descriptions, HU55 was then sold to well-known Sicilian hillclimb specialist Angelo Giliberti, continuing to Giuseppe Tornatore (Sardinia) in 1980, to Gianpaolo Casazza (Florence) in 2000 and then to Pietro Silva (San Marino) soon after. It returned to England in 2009 and was offered for sale by Maxted-Page in 2011.
3. Chevron B21/B23 [72-26] (Martin Raymond): Bought relatively late in the 1972 season by Martin Raymond (London) to replace his Daren Mk. 3, B21-72-26 was used for the last three races of the European series and then, in upgraded B23 form, for the whole 1973 season. It was unused in 1974 and was advertised by Raymond in November that year. Bought by John Blanckley (London) for 1975 and raced by him and John Calvert that season, after which it was sold to Rolf Götz (Waldenbuch, Germany) and raced from 1976 to 1978, latterly described as a B26. For 1979, Götz bought Blanckley's newer B31 and the fate of the B21 is unknown. Between 1980 and 1982, a car with this identity was advertised by Bob Speak's Barrowford Garage (Nelson, Lancashire) but how it had got from southwestern Germany to Lancashire is unclear.
4. Chevron B23 [73-09] (Jorge de Bagration): Acquired by Roger Hire a few races into the 1973 season and quickly completed using some B21 parts to run as part of the Hire International/Scuderia Montjuich team. Raced by José Juncadella, Javier Juncadella, Jorge de Bagration and Tim Schenken in European 2-litre events in 1973. Maybe the car raced by Rafael Barrios at Paul Ricard in April 1974 for Hire's Forge Mill Racing. Also appeared at Jarama 20 Oct 1974 for De Bagration. Advertised by Hire at the end of 1974 but not known in 1975 and 1976. With Laurence Jacobsen 1977 and with Tony Sugden for libre racing late 1978. Rebodied as a Skoda Super Saloon for 1979 and raced until at least 1981. Advertised by Malcolm Johnstone 1983. Reported to be with Mike Burtt 1988.
5. Chevron B21/B23 [72-20] (José Maria Juncadella): Bought by Roger Hire for Peter Hanson to drive in European sports car events in 1972, at first with a 2-litre BRM V8 engine, until changing to a normal FVC. Raced in the Springbok series at the end of the year. The car was upgraded to B23 specification for 1973 and joined Roger Hire's new B23 in the Hire International/Scuderia Montjuich team. Raced by both Javier and José Juncadella. This may be the "bitza" Chevron built up for Frank Sytner to drive at the start of the 1974 season. Presumably one of the two "B23s" advertised by Roger Hire in May 1975. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Chevron B21/B23 [72-2] (José Maria de Uriarte): This car was sold to Trevor Twaites and raced by him and regular co-driver Brendan McInerney in European events throughout 1972. They continued to drive the Intertech-backed car in early 1973, their last event being the Nürburgring 1000 km in May, It was then acquired by Roy Johnson and Alan Stubbs who were to form Paulenco Racing and driven by José Uriarte at Vila Real in July 1973 and in the Angolan series. It was raced by Chris Skeaping in the Nürburgring 500 km in Sep 1973 and then by Uriarte at Nogaro and the Barcelona 400 km. It was sold to Stewart Chubb for 1974 and driven by Peter Long and others 1974-1975. It is then believed to have been sold to France.
7. Lola T292 [HU47] (Carlos Gaspar): According to Lola records, this car went to Bonnier for the BIP team. Raced by Carlos Santos until crashed at Vila Real on 1 July 1973 and destroyed. It was replaced by a new car (probably HU64) which may have continued to wear the HU47 chassis plate.
8. Lola T290 [HU22] (Tony Birchenhough): The works assisted Barclays International entry, chassis HU22 was driven by Guy Edwards in 1972. It was then sold to Dorset Foods and driven by Tony Birchenhough, Brian Joscelyne and Lee Kaye in 1973 events and this continued into 1974, when Claude Crespin joined the driving group, and 1975, when Ian Bracey became a regular driver. Each year the car was updated at the Lola factory to the latest specification and different chassis plates were added to ensure it gained the best possible prize money. The car was raced at Le Mans every year from 1976 to 1980 and continued to race in Internationals right up to 1983. It was then sold to Nick Mason and stored until brought back to Le Mans for demonstration runs in 1992 and 1993. Birchenough now cares for the car and it appeared at the Le Mans Classic in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
9. Lola T292 [HU54] (Hervé Bayard): One of four Lola T292s invoiced by Lola to Ecurie Bonnier for customer Archambeaud, HU54 is identified in Sport Auto as the BMW-powered car driven by Bayard. It has been identified by Lola specialist Philippe Rafesthain on Autodiva as the car sold to Jean Belin for 1974. Belin finished second in the G5-7 class of the French hillclimb championship in 1974. He raced the car regularly through 1974 and 1975, and appeared for a couple more events in 1976. The car was then retired to Michel Pont's Abarth museum at the Château de Savigny lès Beaune in France until 1986, when it was sold to Jean Proyart and Jean Martin to race again. After Martin's death, Proyart kept the car from 1987 to 1991, when it was prepared for historic racing. After a severe testing accident, it was extensively rebuilt at Lola in 1992. It was sold on in 1999 or 2000. Subsequent history unknown.
10. GRD S73 [055] (Jörg Obermoser): Jorg Obermoser ran a pair of GRD S73s during 1973 and his own car was identified by Sport Auto at Clermont-Ferrand in June as chassis 055. It is assumed that he ran the same car all season. In 1974, the two GRDs were extensively modified by Obermoser's TOJ company and entered as Toj SS02s. The individual history of the two SS02s has not yet been determined.
11. Lola T292 [HU40] (Guy Edwards): Described consistently as the "prototype" T292, HU40 first appeared at Jarama 5 Nov 1972 where it was raced by Richard Scott. It was then Guy Edwards' works car throughout 1973 after which it was updated to T294 specification and sold by Lola to Martin Raymond for 1974. It went to Stewart Chubb for 1975 and continued to race in the European series. In 1976, Chubb sold the car to Steven Payne-Herbert and it was used in Can-Am and SCCA BSR racing until 1980. Payne-Herbert kept the car until 1989 when it was sold for vintage racing and, three owners later, it was being offered for sale by Grand Prix Classics in February 2011.
12. Chevron B23 [73-12] (John Lepp): The second Red Rose Racing Chevron was driven by John Lepp in 1973 and he was allocated chassis B23-73-12. The B23 was advertised by Red Rose at the end of the season and bought by Bob Howlings in March 1974 who intended to race it. However, the car is not seen again and is believed to have been sold by Howlings to a Japanese customer.
13. Chevron B23 [73-08] (John Burton): John Burton joined Red Rose Racing for 1973 and drove a new Chevron B23, chassis 73-08. The car was advertised in October 1973 and was sold to young Scottish hillclimber (and future double British Touring Car Champion) John Cleland for British hillclimbs. He used a 1930cc Alan Smith engine and fitted a Chevron B26 rear end to the car. John recalls selling the car to Roger Nathan and delivering it to London but the movement of the car are unknown for the rest of 1975. It was run in French courses de côte by Jean Pierre Lecomte in 1976 and 1977, by Jacques Heuclin from 1978 to 1980 and by Gérard Ferré in 1982. The car was then rebodied as the Sthémo and ran like this from 1985 to 1991.
14. Lola T292 [HU52] (Jorge Pinhol): New to Ecurie Bonnier for customer Ray Fallo. It first appeared at the Monza 1000 km in April 1973, driven by Fallo at José Dolhem, but the car then became part of the BIP Ecurie Bonnier team and was shared by Carlos Gaspar and Jorge Pinhol in the Spa 1000 km and the Nürburgring 1000 km in May. It was raced by Gaspar at Clermont-Ferrand in mid-June, and in the Portuguese races at Vila Real and Estoril in early July. Then taken to Angola for Fallo to drive at Luanda and Benguela in July/August 1973, then for Fallo again at Imola in September, for Gaspar at Nogaro, and finally Pinhol at Barcelona and Estoril. Ecurie Bonnier did not continue into 1974 and the car's subsequent history is unknown. The two surviving BIP cars, HU52 and HU64, are likely to have been the Swiss cars of Ruedi Jauslin and Henri Bürgisser in 1974.
15. Chevron B21/B23 [B19 71-9] (Rafael Barrios): Sold to Central Garage (Mirfield) Ltd for John Lepp to drive in the 1971 European 2-litre series. Sold to James Gray for 1972 with Peter Gaydon as co-driver and then to Ian Harrower and James Bell for 1973 and 1974. Sold to Tony Wadsworth and rebodied with an Imp body as the Special Saloon "Chimp" and driven by Jonathan Buncombe. Banned almost immediately and sold to Paul Howarth for historic racing in 1977. Then raced by Vin Malkie from 1978 to 1982 after which it was raced by James Wallis (Edenbridge, Kent) in 1983 and 1984. The car's history becomes increasingly murky after this point. For more on this car, see 'Chevron B19 71-9'.
16. Lola T290 [HU17] (Fredy Grainal): The history of HU17 prior to September 1972 is unknown but the car was apparently new for Belgian Freddy Grainal. Used at Nürburgring 3 Sep 1972, Montjuich 8 October 1972 and Jarama 5 Nov 1972 as a Marcel van Hool entry. Raced again in 1973, winning two minor Belgian races. Last seen at Barcelona Oct 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
17. Chevron B23 [73-10] (Tony Goodwin): Bought by Bobby Howlings early 1973 for Bill de Selincourt's new Ember Racing team but only raced nine or ten times over the next two seasons. Raced by John Quick and Tony Goodwin in European 2-litre rounds but also by de Selincourt and others in long-distance racing. Last seen in a British club race 28 Oct 1973 but advertised during 1974 and in early 1975. Sold to Allan Cruikshank (Australia) and retained to 2009.
18. Chevron B21/B23 [72-2] (Hervé Leguellec): This car was sold to Trevor Twaites and raced by him and regular co-driver Brendan McInerney in European events throughout 1972. They continued to drive the Intertech-backed car in early 1973, their last event being the Nürburgring 1000 km in May, It was then acquired by Roy Johnson and Alan Stubbs who were to form Paulenco Racing and driven by José Uriarte at Vila Real in July 1973 and in the Angolan series. It was raced by Chris Skeaping in the Nürburgring 500 km in Sep 1973 and then by Uriarte at Nogaro and the Barcelona 400 km. It was sold to Stewart Chubb for 1974 and driven by Peter Long and others 1974-1975. It is then believed to have been sold to France.
19. Lola T294 [HU67] (Roger Heavens): This car was sold new to Roger Heavens for 1974 and was entered under the Escuderia Montjuich Tergal banner for Javier Juncadella. It was also raced by Hervé Leguellec, Richard Lloyd and Manrico Zanuso. In January 1976, it was advertised by Heavens, noting that it had last raced in the Boxing Day meeting at Brands Hatch. Martial Legou told Philippe Rafesthain, as reported on the Autodiva thread, that he bought this car from Heavens via Leguellec after the 1975 season. According to Philippe's research, this car later ran as the #25 Pronuptia entry at Le Mans in 1978.
20. Abarth Osella SE021/72 (Gianfranco Trombetti): "Gianfranco" (Gianfranco Trombetti) raced an Osella Abarth in Italian domestic racing in 1973, winning at Siena in September, and at two rounds of the European 2-litre championship. A photograph of the car identifies it as a 1972-spec SE021, appearing unchanged from when Merzario drove it, right down to the Scuderia Bescia Corse stickers over the head lights.

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 18 Oct 1973 pp20-21, Motoring News 18 Oct 1973 p11.