OldRacingCars.com

IMSA Formula Atlantic Championship Race

Road Atlanta, 19 Sep 1976

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Gilles Villeneuve March 76B [10 or 15?] - Ford BDA Morris
#69 Ecurie Canada (see note 1)
25 34m 23.261s
109.923 mph
2 Tom Gloy Tui BH2 [3] - Ford BDA Nicholson
25
3 Tom Klausler Lola T460 [HU6] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#63 Traylor (see note 2)
25
4 Héctor Rebaque Lola T460 [HU1] - Ford BDA Traylor
Carl Haas (see note 3)
25
5 John Mortensen March 76B [7] - Ford BDA
(see note 4)
25
6 Marcel Talbot Chevron B34 [34-76-32] - Ford BDA Hart
Tamaco (see note 5)
25
7 Tim Cooper March 75B/76B - Ford BDA CRW
Wilbur Bunce Racing (see note 6)
25
8 Howdy Holmes March 76B - Ford BDA Morris
Ecurie Canada (see note 7)
24 Accident
9 Price Cobb March 76B [13] - Ford BDA Race Shop
Doug Shierson Racing (see note 8)
24 Accident
10 Bobby Brown March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale
Carroll Smith-Audiovox (see note 9)
24
11 Bobby Rahal March 76B [4?] - Ford BDA McCoy
#9 Doug Shierson Racing (see note 10)
24
12 Jon Norman Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] - Ford BDA
(see note 11)
24
13 Robert J. Nelkin Chevron B34 [34-76-19] - Ford BDA Hart
(see note 12)
24
14 John Barringer Chevron B34 [34-76-10] - Ford BDA BSR
Bill Scott Racing (see note 13)
22
15 Juan Cochésa Chevron B34 [34-76-23?] - Ford BDA Hart
Fred Opert Racing (see note 14)
16
16 Dan Marvin Lola T360 [HU4] - Ford BDA
Norman Racing Group (see note 15)
14
17 Hugh "Wink" Bancroft March 76B - Ford BDA Hart
Performance Marketing (see note 16)
14
18 Kevin Cogan Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Swindon
Cavanaugh Racing (see note 17)
13
19 Tom Outcault March 76B [6?] - Ford BDA
(see note 18)
13
20 Tom Pumpelly Chevron B34 [34-76-26] - Ford BDA BSR
Bill Scott Racing (see note 19)
6 Accident ("destroyed")
21 Pete Halsmer Race Research W2 - Ford BDA
5
22 Joe Sposato Chevron B29 [29-75-20] - Ford BDA Hart
(see note 20)
4
23 Bill Anspach Chevron B34 - Ford BDA Hart
2

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Gilles Villeneuve (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [10 or 15?] - Ford BDA Morris 1.20.142
2 Bobby Rahal (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [4?] - Ford BDA McCoy 1.20.756
3 Tom Gloy (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Tui BH2 [3] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.21.232
4 Tom Klausler (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU6] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.21.381
5 Howdy Holmes (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B - Ford BDA Morris 1.21.519
6 Bobby Brown (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale
7 Price Cobb (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [13] - Ford BDA Race Shop 1.21.874
8 Kevin Cogan (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.22.024
9 Héctor Rebaque (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU1] - Ford BDA Traylor 1.22.105
10 Tom Pumpelly (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-26] - Ford BDA BSR 1.22.408

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. According to Ecurie Canada mechanic Graham Scott, Villeneuve used his main car for all his wins, only racing his spare car at Westwood. At the end of the season, Villeneuve's main car was returned to Shierson, who rented it to Tom Pumpelly for the SCCA Run-Offs at Road Atlanta, where Pumpelly crashed it. John Norman (Oakland, CA) bought the remains of the Road Atlanta wreck and rebuilt it, then racing it as part of a two-car team with Dan Marvin in 1977 and 1978. Norman sold the car around 1984 to Graham Scott, but he lacked the finance to restore it. He sold it back to Norman, in partnership with Paul Pfanner, and it was restored to Villeneuve's livery by Norman, Dan Marvin, and others.
  2. 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).
  3. 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 T460 "chassis #1" which he described as an "Ex-Carl Haas/works car driven by Tom Klausler/Hector Rebaque". Subsequent history unknown.
  4. March 76B [7] (John Mortensen): John Mortensen (New York, NY/Weston, CT) raced a March 76B in SCCA events in 1976, entered by Karaba Racing Ent. The livery of his car, Midnight blue with red stripe on each side, exactly matches the description given in March records for 76B-7. Raced by Mortensen in Northeast Division SCCA Nationals in 1976, winning at Lime Rock in late July and at Summit Point on 22 August. He qualified for the Runoffs, where he finished fourth. Mortensen was on the entry list for the Pocono SCCA National in May 1977 and he scored two points in Northeast Division somewhere that season, but no results have been found for him. Mortensen progressed to a March 78B for 1978, but the subsequent history of his 76B is unknown.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.
  7. March 76B (Howdy Holmes): 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. The main car was owned by Ecurie Canada, but the spare car was on loan from March importer Doug Shierson. According to Graham Scott, who worked for Ecurie Canada in 1976 and then for James Morgan in 1977, Villeneuve's spare car was only raced once, at Westwood at the end of May. Villeneuve then crashed it in testing at St Jovite (Mont-Tremblant) in July, and it had to be rebuilt on a new monocoque. It was repainted in red Ramada livery and used by F1 star James Hunt at Trois-Rivières in September, and then by Howdy Holmes at Road Atlanta, where he wrecked it. Scott recalls that it was rebuilt on another new monocoque and sold to James Morgan, who ran a two-car team in 1977, his other car being the ex Seb Barone 76B. Morgan 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 is also reported to have had a 77B which was crashed at the opening race. The ex-Barone 76B then went to Ron Levanduski (Elmira, NY) in 1980, but it is not known where the ex-Villeneuve car went.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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".
  11. 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.
  12. 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 Cochésa (Venezuela) in the Players Formula Atlantic series, starting at Edmonton on 16 May. Chris Waddell's report from Edmonton for Autosport described Cochésa's car as "an Opert B34 driven earlier in the year by Tom Bagley". Cochésa 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.
  13. Chevron B34 [34-76-10] (John Barringer): New to Bill Scott Racing and raced by Johnny Gerber in the IMSA and Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic series. Gerber's car was white with red/green trim, representing Mexico, and was sponsored by Batab. After six races, he crashed his car at Gimli in June and was then said to be out of budget. Bill Scott himself drove it at Mont-Tremblant in July, and it was raced by John Barringer and Elliot Forbes-Robinson later in the season. Subsequent history unknown.
  14. Chevron B34 [34-76-23?] (Juan Cochésa): 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 Cochésa 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. Ralt RT1/76 [36] (Kevin Cogan): To Cavanaugh Racing and run for Kevin Cogan in two late-season 1976 Canadian Formula Atlantic races. Sold to David McMillan and raced in the 1976/77 New Zealand Gold Star season, and in the January 1977 New Zealand International Formula Pacific series. Taken back to Canada for McMillan to race in two Canadian series races in 1977, then back to New Zealand for the 1977/78 Gold Star series and the January 1978 International series. Retained by McMillan for the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons, while also used in a handful of North American races in 1979 and 1980. Rebuilt as a Formula Super Vee for McMillan in 1980. McMillan moved to Ray Lipper’s Centreline Wheels team in 1981 and the old RT1 was raced by Lipper that season. [CT]
  18. March 76B [6?] (Tom Outcault): Tom Outcault (Middletown, OH or Cranford, NJ) raced a blue #31 March 76B in 1976, entered by Tom Outcault Racing. The colour suggests that this was 76B-6, the only blue car in March records for which an owner is not known. Outcault appears to have retained the car for SCCA racing in 1977, but is thought to have acquired a 77B later that season. Outcault was still racing a 76B or 77B as late as 1980. Subsequent history unknown.
  19. Chevron B34 [34-76-26] (Tom Pumpelly): 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.
  20. Chevron B29 [29-75-20] (Joe Sposato): New to Joe Sposato (Ridgefield, CT) and used in SCCA Northeast Division Formula B in 1975, entered by Spoasto Motoracing (Waccabuc, NY). Also used in one Players Canadian Formula Atlantic race at Mosport. Retained for 1976, again in NEDiv SCCA Nationals and for two IMSA Formula Atlantic Championship races. To John Higgins (Elizabeth, NJ) for 1977, and raced in NEDiv SCCA events. Presumably the Chevron he raced in 1978. Chris Townsend advises that the car then went to Mike Cronin, and was retained by him until it was sold to Mike Malley (Greenville, NC) in April 2001. Malley crashed the car at Summit Point in 2003, breaking his back, and the car was then rebuilt using "a new tub by Chevron" and sold to Dick Ward (Australia) in 2007 or 2008. Ward raced it in events at Waneroo Park from 2009 to 2014, before selling it to Gwyn Pollard in the UK in 2015. Pollard had the car extensively rebuilt by Vin Malkie, then fitted a Gathercole BDG and raced the car in HSCC racing from 2016 to 2019, prepared by Gerry Wainwright Motorsport.

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.