OldRacingCars.com

IMSA Formula Atlantic Championship Race

Laguna Seca, 3 Oct 1976

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Price Cobb March 76B [13] - Ford BDA Race Shop
Doug Shierson Racing (see note 1)
33 35m 06.81s
107.13 mph
2 Elliot Forbes-Robinson Chevron B34 [34-76-25] - Ford BDA Hart
#7 Fred Opert Racing (see note 2)
33
3 Bobby Brown March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale
#79 Carroll Smith-Audiovox (see note 3)
33
4 Don Breidenbach March 76B [9] - Ford BDA
(see note 4)
33
5 Dan Marvin Lola T360 [HU4] - Ford BDA
Norman Racing Group (see note 5)
33
6 Hugh "Wink" Bancroft March 76B - Ford BDA Hart
Performance Marketing (see note 6)
33
7 Kevin Cogan Ralt RT1/76 [33] - Ford BDA Swindon
(see note 7)
33
8 Tom Klausler Lola T460 - Ford BDA Nicholson
#63 Wilbur Bunce Racing (see note 8)
33
9 Tim Coconis Lola T460 [HU17] - Ford BDA Cosworth
(see note 9)
33
10 Jon Norman Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] - Ford BDA
(see note 10)
33
11 Gordon Strom Chevron B29 - Ford BDA
(see note 11)
32
12 Bob Kolowich March 75B [R1] - Ford BDA
Razowich Enterprises (see note 12)
31
13 Steve Jizmagian Lola T460 [HU3] - Ford BDA
(see note 13)
31
14 Bobby Rahal March 76B [4?] - Ford BDA McCoy
#9 Doug Shierson Racing (see note 14)
30
15 Butch Owsley Chevron B34 [34-76-34] - Ford BDA Hart
(see note 15)
30
16 Phil Currey Lola T460 [HU4] - Ford BDA
(see note 16)
30
17 Dwight Zillig Rondel M1 - Ford BDA
(see note 17)
30
18 Tim Cooper March 75B/76B - Ford BDA CRW
Bunce Racing (see note 18)
13
19 Tom Crowther March 75B [722] - Ford BDA
Norman Racing Group (see note 19)
7
20 Tom Gloy Tui BH2 [3] - Ford BDA Nicholson
4 Accident
21 Phil Threshie Lola T360 [HU16] - Ford BDA
(see note 20)
1
DNS Hugh Mooney March 71BM Falconer - Ford BDA Hart
RPM Racing (see note 21)
Did not start
DNS Jim Mullins March 75B - Ford BDA
Did not start
DNS Dale Lang March 76B [8?] - Ford BDA
(see note 22)
Did not start
DNS Warren "Bud" Pauge Brabham BT38 [‘33’] - Ford BDA
(see note 23)
Did not start

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Heat 1 Laps Time Speed
1Tom Gloy13
2Bobby Brown
3Price Cobb
4Don Breidenbach
5Kevin Cogan
6Tom Klausler
7Tim Coconis
8Gordon Strom
9Bob Kolowich
10Phil Currey
11Butch Owsley
12Jim Mullins
Steve JizmagianDNS (ran in heat 2)
Heat 2 Laps Time Speed
1Bobby Rahal13
2Elliot Forbes-Robinson
3Dan Marvin
4Hugh "Wink" Bancroft
5Tim Cooper
6Jon Norman
7Tom Crowther
8Phil Threshie
9Hugh Mooney
10Steve Jizmagian
11Dwight Zillig
12Dale Lang
Warren "Bud" PaugeDid not start
Qualifying
1 Tom Gloy (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Tui BH2 [3] - Ford BDA Nicholson
2 Bobby Rahal (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [4?] - Ford BDA McCoy
3 Bobby Brown (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale
4 Elliot Forbes-Robinson (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-25] - Ford BDA Hart
5 Price Cobb (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [13] - Ford BDA Race Shop
6 Dan Marvin (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU4] - Ford BDA
7 Don Breidenbach (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [9] - Ford BDA
8 Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B - Ford BDA Hart
9 Kevin Cogan (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/76 [33] - Ford BDA Swindon
10 Jon Norman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] - Ford BDA
11 Tom Klausler (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 - Ford BDA Nicholson
12 Tim Cooper (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B/76B - Ford BDA CRW
13 Tim Coconis (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU17] - Ford BDA Cosworth
14 Tom Crowther (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B [722] - Ford BDA
15 Gordon Strom (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 - Ford BDA
16 Phil Threshie (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU16] - Ford BDA
17 Bob Kolowich (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B [R1] - Ford BDA
18 Hugh Mooney * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 71BM Falconer - Ford BDA Hart
19 Phil Currey (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU4] - Ford BDA
20 Steve Jizmagian (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU3] - Ford BDA
21 Butch Owsley (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-34] - Ford BDA Hart
22 Dwight Zillig (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Rondel M1 - Ford BDA
23 Jim Mullins * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B - Ford BDA
24 Dale Lang * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [8?] - Ford BDA
25 Warren "Bud" Pauge * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT38 [‘33’] - Ford BDA
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 76B [13] (Price Cobb): 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.
  2. Chevron B34 [34-76-25] (Elliot Forbes-Robinson): Invoiced to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the "brand new" pale blue #75 Chevron B34 raced by Opert's customer Gordon Smiley at Mosport Park in late August 1976. Then raced by Patrick Tambay at Trois-Rivières two weeks later, and by Elliot Forbes-Robinson in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in early October. It was one of three B34s taken to New Zealand for the Formula Pacific series in January 1977, and was Mikko Kozarowitzky's regular car. After the series, it was sold to Narcisco de la Merced and raced by him in Southeast Asian races from 1977 to 1982. Then to Luis Camus for 1983. Subsequent history unknown.
  3. 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.
  4. March 76B [9] (Don Breidenbach): New to Don Breidenbach (Oakland, CA) and raced in SCCA Nationals, IMSA Formula Atlantic and the Players series in 1976 with support from Roots Footwear. The history of this car is then unknown until it was sold by Chuck Billington (Modesto, CA) as a CSR sports car to Chuck McCain (Tuscon, AZ). Retained by the McCain family after his death in 2010. Sold in August 2013 to Ian Ashdown (San Clemente, CA).
  5. Lola T360 [HU4] (Dan Marvin): Sold to North American agent Carl Haas, where it is almost certainly the car acquired by preparer Dan Fodge. Said to have been run by Fodge for Kenny Briggs, but Briggs did not appear in Pro Formula Atlantic and there is no mention of him in the SCCA's Finish Line or The Wheel magazines covering SCCA racing in California. Then said to have gone to Jon Norman (Oakland, CA) for 1975, but Norman raced an older Lotus in 1975, winning Northern Pacific Division, and no Lola was mentioned at the time. Its first known usage is 1976, when Norman ran it for Dan Marvin (El Sobrante, CA) in Pro Formula Atlantic and in SCCA FB. Sold at the end of 1976 to Cal Huartson (Bellingham, WA), who used in in Regional Formula B in 1977. This is presumably the T360 used by Bruce Yeo (Burnaby, BC, Canada) in ICSCC in 1978, then by Bruce Shaughnessy (Maple Ridge, BC/Coquitlam, BC) in 1979 and 1981 and, in the Formula Libre class, in 1982 and 1983. Shaughnessy advertised the car in 1993, and this is then reported to be the T360 raced by Udo Pietsch between 1996 and 2003. Subsequent history unknown.
  6. March 76B (Hugh "Wink" Bancroft): Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (Costa Mesa, CA) had a Fred Opert Racing Chevron B34 for 1976 but wrecked the car in practice at Trois-Rivières in September and borrowed a Shierson March 76B for that race and for the two remaining IMSA races. The identity of the 76B is unknown as several of Shierson's usual drivers were absent from Trois-Rivières so their cars would have been available.
  7. Ralt RT1/76 [33] (Kevin Cogan): 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 Craig Hill at Mosport Park in August 1976, a round of the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series. Then used by Kevin Cogan in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in late 1976 and retained as his main car in 1977 when he also had RT1/75-10 as a spare car. Then retained by Cogan as an unused spare car in 1978, and advertised by him in October 1978. Retained again as a spare car in 1979, and still owned by Cogan in early 1980. CT
  8. Lola T460 (Tom Klausler): A Lola T460 run by Wilbur Bunce Racing late in the 1976 season for Tim Cooper and then for Tom Klausler.
  9. 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.
  10. Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] (Jon Norman): New to William Monson (Kent, WA) in February 1971 with pale yellow bodywork according to the Lotus built record. Raced by Monson in the SCCA Continental Championship and SCCA Nationals in 1971 but after only a few races he suffered a major accident at Laguna Seca in June 1971 when he clipped the bridge and was in hospital with significant injuries. He returned to racing but crashed again in an SCCA Regional at Portland in August, seriously damaging the car. This time he retired from racing and sold the wrecked Lotus to Gary Gove (Tacoma, WA). Gove's racing partner Pete Lovely was then in the process of fitting a F1 DFV engine to his 1970 F2 Lotus 69 and Gove was able to use the F2 rear end to repair Monson's car. The result was a very quick car and in 1972 Gove raced it in ICSCC and NW Regional events plus at least one National, the Kent (Seattle) National in September. In 1973, Gove won the NorPac title in the Lotus and then sold it to Jon Norman (Oakland, CA) who won the 1975 NorPac FB title and was second in 1976. Norman also took the car to the SCCA Runoffs in 1975, finishing a remarkable fourth, and raced it in several Pro Formula Atlantic races. Norman raced it at least once in SCCA events in 1977 before replacing it with a much newer March 76B. Subsequent history unknown.
  11. Chevron B29 (Gordon Strom): Gordon Strom (Santa Cruz, CA/Sunnyvale, CA) ran a Brabham BT35 in west coast SCCA racing from 1972 to 1975 when he moved up to a nearly-new Chevron B29. The car was yellow with red top bodywork and ran as #9. The identity of the Chevron is not known. Strom raced this in 1976 and 1977 until an accident at Laguna Seca in June 1977 in which he suffered massive head injuries. It is likely that the car was destroyed. Strom was hospitalised but his medical insurance "ran out", and a fund was established to help his wife Kay with the overwhelming hospital bills. He died in November 1977 without having regained conciousness.
  12. March 75B [R1] (Bob Kolowich): A March 75B built up specifically for Patrick Depailler to drive at Trois-Rivières in 1975 as part of the Ecurie Canada team. Depailler took pole, but the engine broke during practice and he borrowed a different car for the race. The 75B was sold after the race to Bob Kolowich (Mountain View, CA), who raced it in SCCA events in 1976. At the end of that season, Kolowich had to give up racing, and the car was stored. He still owned it in 2008, when he took it out of storage and started to restore it.
  13. Lola T460 [HU3] (Steve Jizmagian): New to Steve Jizmagian (San Francisco, CA) and raced in SCCA Nationals and IMSA Formula Atlantic races in 1976. Retained for 1977 for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained again for 1978, again for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained by Jizmagian for 1979, but destroyed in an accident at Westwood in June 1979. What was left was broken for spares.
  14. 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".
  15. Chevron B34 [34-76-34] (Butch Owsley): New to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the car raced by Alan Jones at Trois-Rivières in early September. To Butch Owsley (Aptos, CA/San Jose, CA) and raced in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in early October. Retained by Owsley for SCCA Nationals and Regionals in 1977. Then raced by Bob Earl (Novato, CA) at a couple of late-season SCCA Regionals. The car was bought by actor James Brolin and run for Earl to drive by Ron Tourte's Tourté Racing in 1978, then Earl raced it in Pro events and SCCA Nationals. Earl did not get the results he expected, and also raced Doug Dreager's March 76B in one race, and ended the season in one of Fred Opert's newer Chevron B39s. The B34 went to Mike Buckenham (Stockton, CA) for 1979 and he raced it in SCCA Nationals until 1982 at least. The car was then taken by Joe Ordoqui (Boeing, CA) in partial payment for his March 80A. Ordoqui recalls that the Chevron sat in his garage for a couple of years but he is not sure where it went. Subsequent history unknown.
  16. Lola T460 [HU4] (Phil Currey): New to Pierre Phillips of Pierre's Motor Racing, and entered for Tom Gloy to race in IMSA and Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1976. Gloy then moved to Allan McCall's Tui team, and the Lola was next seen raced by Phil Currey (Concord, CA) in 1976 and 1977. Unknown after November 1977, but probably the "ex-Gloy" T460 advertised by Rob Mullaney (San Francisco, CA) in 1981 and 1982. Also likely to be the "ex Gloy" T460 advertised from Britton, OK, a suburb of Oklahoma City, in December 1987.
  17. Rondel M1 (Dwight Zillig): A Rondel M1 sold via Fred Opert to airline pilot David Ralston (Elmhurst, IL) for SCCA FB in 1974. Sold to up-and-coming local youngster Bobby Rahal (Glen Ellyn, IL) late 1974, and raced in the SCCA National in September, and then the Watkins Glen FB race in October. Subsequently to Tim Fortner and Butch Owsley (San Jose, CA) for 1975 and 1976, and Fortner later told Rahal that he thought it then went to Dwight Zillig (Novato, CA). Zillig advertised the car in March 1978 saying he had only raced it once in two years. Then to Jim Vawter (Pasadena, CA) later in 1978, who had his first race after completing Drivers School at Riverside in August. He is thought to have raced the car until 1980 at least. After Vawter, the car was acquired by Jerry Smith, and raced once for him at Riverside by Paul Decker, usually a DSR driver. Smith then had the Rondel converted to CSR by Jim Langan using a widened and stretched LeGrand body. Decker does not know what happened to the Rondel after its CSR career. Subsequent history unknown.
  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. March 75B [722] (Tom Crowther): Tom Crowther (Kentfield, CA, later Novato, CA) raced a March in Formula B/Atlantic from 1974 to 1976 and this is believed to have been the same March 722 throughout. At first the car was entered by "Pollard Racing, a division of Donald Pollard Associates". By the start of 1975, it had Falconer bodywork, but later that season it had acquired 75B bodywork, and was entered as a 75B at the 1975 Run-Offs and at a single Pro appearance in late 1976. Crowther ran the "75B" regularly through 1977, winning the Portland National in September. It was then sold via Pierre Phillips to Nick Lingren and was driven by Sans Thompson at Trois-Rivières in 1978. In February 1979, Pierre Phillips Racing was advertising the "ex-Crowther March" as a rolling chassis. Subsequent history unknown.
  20. Lola T360 [HU16] (Phil Threshie): Sold via Carl Haas and Pierre Phillips to Tom Gloy (Lafayette, CA), and raced in SCCA Nationals at the start of the 1975, then in the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series, sponsored by Hanna Industries. Rented by James Heath for an SCCA National at Willow Springs in October 1975. Sold to Phil Threshie (Alamo, CA), and raced in an SCCA National at Sears Point in April, then in three Californian rounds of the 1976 IMSA series. Advertised by Threshie in November 1976. Subsequent history unknown.
  21. March 71BM Falconer (Hugh Mooney): Hugh Mooney (Huntingdon Beach, CA) raced a "March 712" in SCCA Formula B and IMSA Formula Atlantic in 1976. When he first appeared, he referred to it as a converted F2 car, and when he advertised it in Formula magazine in August 1977, he called it a "March 712 Formula Atlantic", However, it is assumed here to have been a 71BM. In his advert, it had Falconer bodywork and a Hart BDA engine, and photographs show that it had the Falconer body throughout his ownership of it.
  22. March 76B [8?] (Dale Lang): Doug Shierson Racing ran a red March 76B for Dale Lang (Wilton, CT) in 1976. The only red 76B in March build records was 76B-8, suggesting this was Lang's car. Lang retained this car for 1977 and then sold it to Ralph Manaker (Erieville, NY) who raced it in 1978. Advertised by Manaker as a 76-77B in October 1978. According to Chris Townsend, the car was then sold to Steve Alexander (Columbus, OH) who raced it in SCCA Formula Atlantic in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
  23. Brabham BT38 [‘33’] (Warren "Bud" Pauge): A "new chassis" replacing the ASCA team's Brabham BT38 wrecked by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Rouen. It was raced by teammate Adam Potocki at Imola, where Potocki failed to qualify, and was then Jaussaud's car for the rest of the season. ASCA entered Jaussaud in the Brazilian F2 Torneio, but he was involved in the startline accident at the second Interlagos race, and the Brabham was badly damaged. According to Chris Townsend's research, this car was acquired by Fred Opert Racing and raced by Héctor Rebaque in the Caracas Formula B race in March 1973, then by Brian Robertson in the JAF Grand Prix in May 1973. It is not clear what else Opert used it for in 1973, but in January 1974, he sold it to John Bernadine (Tulsa, OK) for SCCA Formula B. Then to Warren Pauge (Hacienda Heights, CA) in August 1975, replacing his well-used Brabham BT21. Pauge retained the BT38 for many years, even running it as a Can-Am car once in 1982. After he finally stopped racing it in 1988, he sold it to Marc Bahner, then it went to George Steven in 1992, Tom Stapleton about 2008, and Paul Skilowitz (Stuart, FL) in 2016.

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.

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 (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.