Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic Series Race

Halifax, 8 Aug 1976

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 76B [10 or 15?] (Gilles Villeneuve): Ecurie Canada ran a pair of green #69 March 76Bs in 1976 for Gilles Villeneuve (Lasalle, Quebec) with support from Skiroulle. Skiroule's signature green colour suggests they were the two cars listed in March records as being "leaf green", 76B-10 and 76B-15. Villeneuve had several crashes during 1976 and probably raced both cars, but exactly how they were used is not known. Two 76Bs were sold to Jim Morgan who raced them in early 1977 SCCA races alongside Bobby Rahal (Glen Ellyn, IL) and then entered them for Rahal in the 1977 Pro series with sponsorship from Red Roof Inns. Rahal also had a 77B but this was crashed at the opening race. One 76B then went to Ron Levanduski (Elmira, NY) and the other to Bob Earl.
2. Chevron B34 [34-76-14] (Bill Brack): New to Bill Brack (Clarkson/Toronto, Ontario) and used in North American Formula Atlantic, entered by Bill Brack Racing and sponsored by STP. Brack crashed heavily in the second practice session at Laguna Seca and "wrote off" the car, but was back up and running at Ontario Motor Speedway just a week later. He drove the B34 for the rest of the 1976 season. Brack moved to Doug Shierson Racing for 1977 to drive a March 77B, and the subsequent history of the Chevron B34 is unknown.
3. Chevron B34 [34-76-26] (Howdy Holmes): New to Bill Scott Racing for Howdy Holmes, replacing 76-09 burnt out at Laguna Seca. Sponsored by Jiffy Mixes. Raced by Holmes for most of the season, but by Tom Pumpelly in the final IMSA round at Road Atlanta. Crashed here and said to have been "destroyed" but likely to have been rebuilt. This is presumably the "ex-Howdy Holmes" Chevron B34 raced by Jim Lyles (Columbia, MD/Palm Beach, FL) in SCCA Regionals and Nationals from 1977 onwards. In late 1983 it was damaged in a racing accident and sold unrepaired to Dennis Austin in late 1983/early 1984. He rebuilt it and used it in the ECAR series in 1985 and 1986. Sold to Ron Parks (Florida) in 1987.
4. Ralt RT1/76 [34] (Richard Spenard): New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Richard Spenard in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in yellow Planter's Peanuts livery. Both the Robertson team cares were offered for sale by Fred Opert in early 1977 so this must be the yellow RT1 that was bought from Opert by Dave Webber (Mississauga, Ontario) and raced in the Labatts Formula Atlantic Championship in 1977. Badly damaged in a practice accident at St-Félicien in August and Webber spent much of 1978 rebuilding it. Webber advertised the car in February 1979 with a Can-Am body. This is then very probably the car acquired by Tom Gloy (Lafayette, CA) as a spare to his newer RT1/79 for the 1979 season, when he was run by Lane Sports. Retained by Lane Sports for 1980. CT
5. Lola T460 [HU1] (Héctor Rebaque): New to Carl Haas Racing for Héctor Rebaque to race in Canadian and IMSA Formula Atlantic races. Norman Allen (Hanover Park, IL) then raced a Lola in Central Division Formula B in 1977 and 1978, identified as a T460 at one Regional in 1978, and he advertised an "ex-Rebaque" Lola T460 in November 1978. Eleven years later, in September 1989, Michael Duncan (Los Altos, CA) advertised the "ex-Rebaque" T460. Subsequent history unknown.
6. March 76B [13] (Price Cobb): An orange March 76B invoiced to Shierson in March 1976.
7. Ralt RT1/76 [30] (Bertil Roos): New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Bertil Roos in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in white Gabriel International Warranty livery. Unknown after 1976.
8. Chevron B29 [29-75-14] (Bruce Jensen): New to Bruce Jensen (Kitchener, Ontario) and used in the Canadian Players Formula Atlantic series in 1975, sponsored by Jensen Exotic Plants. Retained by Jensen for 1976, and retained again for 1977. Leighton Irwin, who crewed for Jensen at this time, recalls that it was sold in early 1978, he thinks to Michigan. Subsequent history unknown, but believed to be the car later converted to A Sports Racing by Lou Infante Motoracing and raced by Jerry Molnar (Lathrup Village, MI) in Can-Am in 1982. To Frank Jellinek (N. Hampton, NH), and used by him at two Can-Am races in 1983. Later sold to a "Dave", and Roger Sieling reports that it was stolen from him some time in the mid-1980s near Cleveland Ohio along with his tow truck, trailer, and an Austin-Healey Sprite. The car was never recovered.
9. Lola T460 (Craig Hill): Entered by Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans Racing for Craig Hill (London/Missassagua, Ontario) in the Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1976, sponsored by Gabriel International Warranty. Collided with Marcel Talbot in practice at Trois-Rivières in September 1976 and not seen again.
10. Chevron B34 [34-76-23?] (Juan Cochesa): Invoiced to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the pale blue #5 Chevron B34 raced by Opert's customer Gordon Smiley in the first three races of the Canadian series, at Edmonton, Westwood and Gimli. It is then likely to be the pale blue car raced by Opert's F2 customer Juan Cochesa in the Canadian series races at Mont-Tremblant, Halifax and Mosport Park, and then at Trois-Rivières and Road Atlanta. As 76-19, 76-21 and 76-25 were all taken out by Opert to New Zealand and sold, this is the most likely candidate to be the spare B34 used by Opert's team in 1977.
11. Chevron B34 [34-76-16] (Hugh "Wink" Bancroft): New to Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (Newport Beach, CA/Costa Mesa, CA) and run for him by Fred Opert Racing in North American Formula Atlantic in 1976. His car was entered by Performance Marketing, the tyres, parts and repair services company Bancroft had founded five years earlier. It appears that he moved from Opert to Shierson Racing in time for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in early September. Bancroft crashed the B34 in practice at Trois-Rivières, and it was reported to have been written off. The Chevron was replaced with a March 76B, but it is quite possible that the car returned to Opert and was repaired.
12. Chevron B34 [34-76-32] (Marcel Talbot): New to Marcel Talbot (Granby, Quebec) and raced in Canadian Formula Atlantic races in 1976, entered by Tamaco Industries, replacing the Chevron B29 that he had used for the first part of the season. The B34 was prepared by Colin Hine and helped Talbot secure the series rookie of the year award. Talbot bought a new March 77B for 1977 and Colin Hine recalls that the B34 "was sold to someone in Florida". Subsequent history unknown but in 2005 and 2006, this car was raced by Amanda Whitaker in the Formula Atlantic class of the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy and Euro F2 series. At some point around 2008 it was acquired from Oskar Christen (Bättwil, Switzerland) by Hans Peter (Nebikon, Switzerland).
13. Lola T460 [HU6] (Tom Klausler): New to Tom Klausler (Palatine, IL) and raced in IMSA and Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1976, entered by Traylor Engineering. Then to Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) in 1977, who borrowed it when his new Lola T560 was later being delivered. Chris Townsend's research shows that this car was briefly owned by Ed Midgley (Geneva, IL) in 1978, then sold to Niki Karabetsos (Chicago, IL) for 1979, and then to Sebastian Puleo (Chicago, IL) for SCCA drivers school and Regionals from 1982 to 1984. In 2005, it was acquired in Detroit by Derek Harling (Windsor Ontario), and retained by him as a source of spares for his T460 HU11. Harling sold both his T460s around 2017 to Joe Bunton (Fort Collins, CO).
14. Chevron B34 [34-76-21] (Lloyd Callaway): New to Fred Opert Racing for Jim Crawley in the IMSA Formula Atlantic series, appearing at Road Atlanta in April and Laguna Seca in May. He then missed the Ontario Motor Speedway as the car was reported to have been "destroyed" in a testing crash at Willow Springs. It was evidently rebuilt in time to be rented by Ric Forest at Edmonton in May. Crawley raced it again at Westwood, when it was pale blue and entered by Opert as #52. This is presumably the car then entered for Lloyd Callaway (Chicago, IL) to drive at Mont-Tremblant, Halifax and Mosport Park in July and August 1976, as his car was also pale blue and entered by Opert as #52. Like RJ Nelkin's similarly semi-private car, it evidently returned to Fred Opert Racing after these three races. It may then have been one of the cars hired from Opert for the SCCA Runoffs by Bill Anspach and Bill Kneeland. It is then thought to be the car used by Eddie Marcello at the Philippines GP in December. In January 1977, Opert took a team out to the New Zealand Formula Pacific series, and chassis 76-21 was identified as the car raced there by Keke Rosberg, winning three of the five races and taking four pole positions. It was then sold to Pocolo Ramirez (Philippines) and raced by him in southeast Asian races from 1977 to 1982. It is believed to have been imported into New Zealand from Asia by Graham Simms. It was then sold to Ken Smith and then Andy Higgins in New Zealand, then acquired by David Gathercole in 2009. He fully rebuilt it to Formula Atlantic specification by June 2011 for Rod Stead, who raced it at HSCC Donington Park in May 2012. Bought from Stead in November 2012 by Andy Huxtable. Raced by Huxtable in HSCC Derek Bell Trophy races in 2013.
15. Ralt RT1/76 [11] (Chip Mead): New to Chip Mead (Dayton, OH) and raced by him in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series, run for him by Cavanaugh Racing in dark blue livery. Retained by Mead for 1977, when it was run for him by Pierre's Motors. It was then sold to Rick Shea Racing but unused as Shea ran a newer Chevron B45 for hire drivers. Retained by Rick Shea Racing for 1979 when it was used by Mark McCaig at Long Beach, although his regular car that season was the same Chevron B45. To Carlos Bobeda late 1979 and raced by him in 1980 and 1981. It was rebuilt on Marc Bahner tub during this time. Sold to Stu Hayner for 1982. CT
16. Chevron B34 [34-76-19] (Robert J. Nelkin): Tom Bagley (Centre Hall, PA) raced a yellow-and-blue Chevron B34 run by Fred Opert Racing in three IMSA Formula Atlantic races in early 1976, with Kent Oil sponsorship. This car was then raced by Juan Cochesa (Venezuela) in the Players Formula Atlantic series, starting at Edmonton on 16 May. Chris Waddell's report from Edmonton for Autosport described Cochesa's car as "an Opert B34 driven earlier in the year by Tom Bagley". Cochesa then moved to a new car, and the ex-Bagley car was sold to RJ Nelkin (Roslyn, NY/Woodbury, NY), who first raced it in an SCCA National at Summit Point in late June. He then raced it in Pro and SCCA races for the rest of 1976. Nelkin recalls that the car was then returned to Opert to be used as a spare car for Keke Rosberg and Mikko Kozarowitzky to use in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1977. After the 1977 New Zealand series, the car was sold to Norman Lankshear (Feilding, New Zealand) and raced in the Gold Star series in 1977/78 and 1978/79, and the International series in early 1978 and early 1979. It was then sold to Bryan Hartley (Palmerston) and raced by him in the 1981/82 season. The car was then sold to John Wigston (Auckland), fitted with a Ford crossflow engine and used in hillclimbs in New Zealand in the late 1980s. Wigston was reported to still have the car in October 2016.
17. March 76B [18] (Bobby Brown): New to Bobby Brown (Hicksville, NY) to replace a Chevron B34 and raced in Pro events and in SCCA NEDiv FB in 1976, winning the 1976 Run-Offs. Brown won an early-season SCCA National at Charlotte in April 1977 before moving into Can-Am with a March 77S. The 76B was advertised in Road Racers Magazine in November 1977, so Brown must have kept it through the 1977 season. The car is then unknown for the next three seasons, returning to view when it was sold by fabricator Marc Bahner (Santa Ana, CA) to Chris Bender (Reno, NV) at the end of 1980. This is presumably the car Bender used to finish third in Northern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic in 1981. Bender later sold it to Ric Shaw (Santa Rosa, CA) who ran it as a CSR in NPDiv from 1982 to 1985, and then as a Formula Atlantic. Subsequent history unknown, until sold by Mark Rincon (Redding, CA) to Ken Stone (Redding, CA) some time before 2010, then sold to Jack Woodruff (Vail, Colorado) in 2013. It was restored from CSR to Formula Atlantic spec by Bahner but Woodruff wrecked the car at Laguna Seca when the front suspenson collapsed. It returned to Bahner again for a new chassis, and was racing again by 2020.
18. March 75B/76B (Tim Cooper): Tim Cooper (Kansas City, MO) raced a yellow #8 March 75B for Doug Shierson Racing in 1975 with backing from Rutledge Oil. Joe Grimaldi recalls that Cooper hired a new 75B from the team for 1975, and that the car then returned to Shierson. Chip Mead drove Cooper's car at Halifax, with Mead's bodywork transplanted onto it. Cooper moved to Wilbur Bunce Racing in California for 1976, taking the 75B with him, and the car was updated to "75B/76B" specification during the season.
19. Chevron B34 [34-76-18] (Rick Bell): To Rick Bell (Lakeville, CT) and used in Northeast Division Formula B, entered by Bell Racing. Also raced in two Pro races in Canada in July and August. Retained for 1977 again for NEDiv FB, but also taking in two Pro races at Trois-Rivières and Québec City. Subsequent history unknown.
20. Chevron B34 [34-76-20] (Kevin Cogan): New to Bill Brack Racing and raced by Kevin Cogan in the IMSA and Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic series in 1976. Unknown in 1977 and 1978. By late 1978, it was in the hands of Del Schloemer (Philippines) and raced by him and by Cherie Schloemer in Southeast Asia in 1979. Then unknown in 1980, but raced by Amir Mokhtar at the Shah Alam Grand Prix in 1981. Subsequent history unknown.
21. March 722/75B (Bob Beyea): Vern Schuppan raced in the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1975 in a March 722 prepared by Rick Shea's Shea Racing. The car was yellow-and-white, in 73B (or 74B) bodywork, and ran as #11 with support from Rapid Movements. Later in the season, the car was raced by Shea himself at Brainerd in September. At the start of the 1976 season, Shea ran the car for Dave Walker. It was now described as a March "72-75" and was black, but still entered as #11. After Walker drove it in the first four races, it was later raced by Bob Beyea, Shea himself, and by Damien Magee at Trois-Rivières in September. The car was then sold to Frank Monise (Pasadena, CA), so is presumably the blue-and-white #25 March "75B" that he raced in southern Californian SCCA Nationals in 1977 and 1978. Advertised by Monise in September 1978 as a March "72 updated to 76" with "fresh CRW BDD". It was traded by Monise to Pierre Phillips in part-exchange on one of Rahal's Ralts in 1979.
22. March 76B [4?] (Bobby Rahal): Doug Shierson Racing ran an orange #9 March 76B in 1976 for Bobby Rahal (Glen Ellyn, IL). There were four orange March 76Bs according to March records but only one was built as part of the first batch of cars, 76B-4, strongly suggesting this was Rahal's car. The subsequent history of this car is not known until it was advertised in 1985 as "ex-Villeneuve".
23. March 76B (Seb Barone): Seb Barone (Portland, CT or Dilliner, PA) drove a white #28 March 76B in 1976, entered by Isola Racing but run by Doug Shierson Racing. This car would probably have been either 76B-11 or 76B-12. Barone crashed the car at Trois-Rivières in September and it was not seen again.
24. March 76B (Marty Loft): Marty Loft (Olympia, WA) hired a March 76B from Doug Shierson Racing for the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series. The car was orange and entered as #4 with support from Hanna Car Washes, who had sponsored Loft during his very successful Formula Ford season in 1975. Loft won at Westwood, but crashed in the final series round at Mosport in August. Subsequent history unknown, but this may have been the car that was repainted black for Vittorio Brambilla to drive at Trois-Rivières in September with Sony backing.
25. Lola T460 [HU17] (Tim Coconis): New to Tim Coconis (Palo Alto, CA) for Canadian and IMSA Formula Atlantic races in 1976. Retained for SCCA Nationals in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Sold to John Keller, who continued to run the car in SCCA events up to the mid-1980s. Bought by Don Harris in 1990, who confirmed the provenance to Chris Townsend. Sold by Harris to Terry Fullerton (UK) in May 2007. Painted during this time in Tim Coconis's 1978 Carmel Plaza livery. In late 2010/early 2011 it went to Jim Blockley, who sold it a year later to Fred Phillips in South Africa. Phillips raced it at East London in 2012. Bought from Phillips by Andre Bezuidenhout in early 2019.
26. Lola T360 [HU6] (Gary Magwood): New via North American agent Carl Haas and Canadian agent Brian Robertson to Jack Burnett for Gary Magwood (Toronto, Ontario) to race in the Canadian John Player Formula Atlantic series in 1974. Also raced by Magwood at the US GP Formula Atlantic support race at Watkins Glen in October 1974, but then not seen until Magwood returned to Formula Atlantic in July 1976. Comprehensively destroyed in Magwood's accident at Halifax in August 1976.

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' original results.

North American Formula Atlantic race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Formula and On Track, information drawn from Canadian newspapers and 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.