Irish Formula Atlantic Series Race

Donington Park, 23 Apr 1978

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Chevron B29 [29-75-04] (Eddie Jordan): New to Tom Wheatcroft in February 1975, and tested by Richard Morgan who would be driving it in British Formula Atlantic. Raced by Morgan in the early races of the season with Donington Museum sponsorship, winning one race, until crashed at Brands Hatch in April. Morgan then drove the new Wheatcroft R18, and the Chevron was sold to Kiwi Brett Riley, who drove it for the rest of 1975. To Ken Bailey (Stretford, Greater Manchester) and raced in Indylantic in 1976. Stored unused during 1977 and advertised by Bailey in November. Sold to Eddie Jordan (Dundrum, County Dublin, Ireland) and used in Irish Formula Atlantic in 1978 in Marlboro livery, winning both the All-Ireland and Duckhams Formula Atlantic Championships. Raced by his teammate Vivian Candy in Ireland in 1979, then sold via Phil Bennett to David Ward (Hesketh Bank, Lancashire) for British libre racing in 1980 and 1981. With Terry Cole (Stonehouse, Glocestershire) for Monoposto racing in 1983, then reportedly broken up for spares by Chevron Cars. Chris Townsend was told by Chevron that the monocoque itself went to Customs & Excise for a training exercise.
2. Modus M3 [027-FA] (Mike Nugent): New to Dicksons of Perth, and entered for Richard Scott to drive with sponsorship from Fife & Kinross Motor Auctions in the Indylantic Championship, the ShellSPORT Group 8 series and in libre racing. The Nicholson BDA engine was swapped for 1970cc Swindon BDX engine for the Group 8 series, and Dickson also used this engine for the Ingliston Formule Libre series. Sold to Gerry Kinnane for 1977, and fitted with a Swindon BDA for Mike Nugent to drive in the Irish Formula Atlantic. Whether Kinnane continued to own this car is unclear. For Nugent again in 1978. To Tyrrell Arnold late 1979, and retained for 1980. It was then sold to Patrick Plunkett (Dublin, Ireland). Marcus Pye reports that Plunkett crashed it very heavily on The Corkscrew hillclimb, at Ballyalban, County Clare, in the 1980s. He still the wreck in 2003, and still intended to start rebuilding it.
3. March 73B [8] (Ken Fildes): New to Colin Vandervell (Purley, Surrey) and raced with great success in the Formula Atlantic in the UK in 1973, winning four races, and securing the Yellow Pages Championship. Sold to Des Donnelly (Naas, County Kildare, Ireland) for the Irish Formula Atlantic series, and raced by him in 1974 and 1975. This must be the March "74B" advertised by Gerry Kinnane in Belfast in June 1976. There is then no mention of the car in 1976 or 1977, but in 1978, the car was raced by Ken Fildes (Clonskeagh, Dublin), and it had been owned by Kinnane for part or all of this period. Sold to Graham Brown, who took it to Australia when he emigrated in 1979, and raced by him in Western Australia in 1980 and 1981. Also raced by Joe Ricciardo in 1981. To Rod Housego, and raced by him and by Nev Grigsby in Western Australia in 1982 and 1984. Acquired by Richard Carter in 1988, and restored. Raced by Carter in HSRCA events from 1999 to 2002. Later to George Makin (Melbourne), and raced by Andrew Makin in historic events from 2003 onwards.
4. March 772P [U2] (Patsy McGarrity): New for Marc Surer to race in the final F2 race of the 1977 season, at Donington Park in October 1977. Then to Patsy McGarrity (Belfast, Northern Ireland) for Irish Formula Atlantic in 1978, using a Fred Smith BDA engine. To Kim Mather (St Helens, Lancashire) for 1979 and raced in F2 and Aurora British F1 that year. Also raced by sponsor David Ward (Hesketh Bank, Lancashire) in libre racing. Crashed heavily by Ward at Aintree in July, and rapidly rebuilt on a 782 or 783 tub for Mather to use for the rest of the season. Mather recalls that the 783 was sold to Jim Evans, but Evans has no recollection of this. The damaged 772P tub is claimed to have been sold to the Seattle area and rebuilt into a car that was later owned in Canada. Neither of these stories has yet been confirmed.
5. Chevron B34 [34-76-24 (A)] (Richard Parsons): A car built by John Lewis at the Chevron factory using a monocoque that had been in Geoff Lees' Chevron B34 (76-24) until it received a new monocoque near the end of the season. Lewis fitted a Richardson BDA engine and used the car in libre racing in 1977. Sold for 1978 to Richard Parsons (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and used in the Irish Formula Atlantic series in 1978. Retained for 1979, but Parsons missed a good part of the season due to eye problems. He retained the car again for 1979, when he competed in hillclimbs as well as in the Irish Formula Atlantic series. Parsons was still using the car in Irish hillclimbs in 1983. It was advertised by Parsons in January 1985 and sold to Andrew Houston (Fife, Scotland) who used it in libre racing in 1985. Then sold to Ginetta hillclimber George Ritchie. Ritchie bought it with a 1600cc Swindon BDA engine and used it in hillclimbs in Scotland in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He then had it fitted with a 2-litre Swindon Hart 420R engine and appeared in Scottish, English and Irish hillclimbs in 1989 and 1990. After the 1990 season, Ritchie bought Roy Lane's Pilbeam MP58 and fitted the Swindon Hart 420R to that. The Chevron went to Lane in trade, and he sold it to Bob Wilson as a complete roller with gearbox less engine. Wilson intended to race the car but a business venture required a change of plans and the car remained with him unraced, thereafter.
6. Chevron B25/B27 [B25 73-04?] (David Lambe): Displayed at the Racing Car Show in January 1973, then sold to Ed Reeves for Dave Morgan to race in Formula 2. Reeves withdrew his team in July 1973, and gifted the Chevron to Morgan, but without funding Morgan could not continue. Morgan retained the car for 1974 and raced it in the British Formula Atlantic series, run for him by Harry Stiller. Sold to property developer David Peck at the end of the year for his daughter Lorraine Peck, a remarkably talented kart racer who had finished second in the Junior World Championships in 1974, but she was tragically killed in the World Junior Championships at Fulda in July 1975, while still only 16. The Chevron was sold to former clubmans driver Derek Shortall (Malahide, County Dublin, Ireland) and raced in the 1976 Irish Formula Atlantic series, backed by Vista Blinds, his long time sponsors. Reported to have gone to Dermot O'Leary and Eddie Regan for 1977, but next seen when raced by David Lambe (Dublin) in 1978 and 1979. Taken in part-exchange by Belfast team owner Gerry Kinnane for his Lola T460 at the end of 1979, and sold on to Alwyn Bingham (Belfast, Northern Ireland), the reigning Irish Hill Climb Champion. Raced in hillclimbs in 1980 and 1981. Alwyn recalls that he sold it "down south", but does not recall the next owner's name. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Lola T460 [HU20] (John Pollock): New for Tony Trimmer and raced in Shellsport G8, Indylantic, and Irish Formula Atlantic from August 1976 onwards. Unknown in 1977. To Gerry Kinnane, and raced by John Pollock in Irish Formula Atlantic in early 1978, then by Alo Lawler later in the season. Entered by Kinnane for Lawler and Patsy McGarrity in 1979 Irish Formula Atlantic. To David Lambe (Dublin) for the 1980 season.
8. Modus M3 [025-FA] (Des Donnelly): New to Dicksons of Perth, and entered for Norman Dickson to drive with sponsorship from British Caledonian Airways in the Indylantic Championship, the ShellSPORT Group 8 series and in libre racing. The Nicholson BDA engine was swapped for 1970cc Swindon BDX engine for the Group 8 series, and Dickson also used this engine for the Ingliston Formule Libre series. Sold to Gerry Kinnane for 1977, and fitted with a Swindon BDA for Des Donnelly to drive in the Irish Formula Atlantic. Retained by Kinnane for Donnelly in 1978. Retained by Kinnane again for 1979 and driven by Patsy McGarrity, using Fred Smith BDA engines. Subsequent history unknown but David Plunkett recalls that McGarrity crashed the car. It is believed to have been rebuilt using the monocoque from M3/048, and thereafter took the identity of the donor tub. This means that M3/025 has effectively ceased to exist. Some remaining suspension parts may have been used on George Scott's Scottclimber Special hillclimb car.
9. Chevron B29 [29-75-06_-2] (Joe Greenan): New to Alo Lawler (St Helens, Merseyside) and raced in the 1975 British Formula Atlantic championship, sponsored by L&B Excavations Ltd. Also used in the Irish championship that year, and in libre racing. Retained by Lawler for 1976, when he raced it in the Shellsport G8 championship, the Irish Formula Atlantic championship, the British Indylantic championship, and in libre racing. Sold to John Eastwood and raced in the Irish Formula Atlantic series. To Joe Greenan (Belfast, Northern Ireland) for 1978, and entered by Irish Racing Cars in Irish Atlantic, then raced by Ken Fildes (Clonskeagh, Dublin) in 1979 and 1980. Sold to English wheeler dealer Bobby Howlings (Alderley Edge, Cheshire) for 1981, and raced by Howlings in rounds of the reintroduced British Formula Atlantic championship. Sold to Stuart Harte (Littleborough, Greater Manchester) and fitted with a 2.2-litre Hart 420R engine for sprints and hillclimbs. After Harte's death, the car was retained by his family until 2011, when it was sold to Jon Waggitt. Waggitt sold it to Chris Porritt in July 2011, and he spent some years returning it to running condition. He first raced it at Laguna Seca in March 2020, then brought it back to the UK later that year.
10. Chevron B29 [29-75-29] (Tom O'Leary): New to Derek Cook (Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, South Yorkshire) in August 1975, and raced in British Formula Atlantic with support from George Cooper Lubricants. To Jeremy Rossiter (Kidlington, Oxfordshire) for 1976, and raced in Shellsport G8 and Indylantic races. The series died at the end of 1976, and the car was unused until August 1977 when it was sold to John Pollock (Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland), who raced for Gerry Kinnane's team in Irish Formula Atlantic. Pollock raced it at Phoenix Park and Mondello Park in September 1977, but it was then sold to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin), Pollock taking O'Leary's older Brabham BT40 in part-exchange. Raced by O'Leary in the Irish series in 1978 and 1979.
11. Chevron B27 [B25?] (Bosco O'Brien): Bosco O'Brien (Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland), owner of Mondello Park, raced a Chevron 'B27' at two events in 1978: at Donington Park and at Phoenix Park. As there were no B27s in Ireland at that time, and not many in the UK, it is likely that this was an updated B25. Nothing more known.
12. Chevron B39 [39-77-03] (Harold McGarrity): New to Patsy McGarrity (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and raced in the Irish Formula Atlantic series. Raced by Patsy's brother Harold McGarrity (Belfast, Northern Ireland) in 1978. Later raced by Eddie Jordan (Dundrum, County Dublin) at Phoenix Park in 1980. Sold to Paraic Mooney (Dublin) who raced it at Mondello Park two weeks later, and in the 1981 and 1982 series. Also raced in Formule Libre at Kirkistown in 1983. Later sold to Ronnie Le Bas and used by him in Irish hillclimbs.
13. Lola T462 [HU22] (John Eastwood): A Lola T462 built for Alo Lawler and fitted with a 2-litre Swindon BDX engine for the Shellsport Group 8 championship, sponsored by L & B Excavations. His first appearance was at the Silverstone International Trophy F2 race but he was pushed from the grid with an electric failure. He then had a huge accident in the car at Oulton Park in April. Raced in 12 rounds of the Shellsport series, and in Formule Libre races at Aintree and Mallory Park. To John Eastwood for Irish Formula Atlantic in 1978, racing at Mondello Park, Kirkistown and Donington Park. Then sold to Joe Greenan (Belfast, Northern Ireland) in August, and raced by him at Mondello Park in September and in 1979. The car remained in Ireland and ended up with Paddy Murphy, who raced it in a libre event at Kirkistown in 1984. Murphy said on 10 Tenths in January 2004 that he bought the car from Greenan, raced it for one season then sold it to historic racer Alex Seldon (Ripley, Surrey), "who wanted it just for the engine". Later owner Ed Poland (Netherlands) told Lola Heritage that "the car was completely restored in early 1990/1991 and then sold to a Dutchman Peter van der Velden from whom I purchased the car in 2003".
14. March 74B [712M] (John Bowtell): John Bowtell (Witney, Oxfordshire) raced a March "73B" in British libre racing in 1975. He recalls that it was a 1971 car with 1973 modifications, and came from a garage in Salisbury, which would suggest a connection to Mike Sullivan of Riverside Garage in Salisbury, who ran a 712M in 1974 but who sold three Marches after that season. Bowtell modified the car over the next few seasons. He retained the car for 1976, initially for Indylantic, and then in Shellsport Group 8 races and libre, usually entering it as a 74B. He continued with it in libre in 1977, winning at least five races, and reappeared again with it in 1978, before replacing it with a "77P" for 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
15. March 712M/76B (Rhoddy Harvey Bailey): In 1975, John Colley and Rhoddy Harvey Bailey bought a March 712M and associated parts from Mike Sullivan of Riverside Garage (Salisbury, Wiltshire). This was said to be the spares from Sullivan's main 1974 Formula Atlantic car, and came with Falconer bodywork. As they put this together, they found it was incomplete, so returned to Sullivan and bought another car, one that he had recently reskinned and had been run by a female driver. Like the first car they bought, this was said to be a 712M, and was understood by Colley to be the ex-Tom Walkinshaw 712M-8. After their first purchase had been sold on, Colley and Harvey Bailey completed the latter car with 1975 March bodywork and ran it in Formula Atlantic, libre and sprints over the next four seasons. Colley added his own version of forward-facing rollhoop supports, normally seen only on cars built from 1973 onwards, and reinforced the back of the chassis after it was found to be flexing. It was sold to someone who planned to use it for hillclimbs. Subsequent history unknown.
16. Brabham BT40 [36] (John Ledlie): Run by Motor Racing Developments as a second works car in Formula 2 in 1973, driven at first by Andrea de Adamich, and entered by FINA Racing Team. Raced later in the season by Gabriele Serblin and Rolf Stommelen. Sold to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland) for Irish Formula Atlantic in 1974. Retained by O'Leary for 1975, 1976 and 1977, then acquired by Gerry Kinnane in part-exchange for a Chevron B29 sold to O'Leary, and entered for John Ledlie, Ivor Greenwood and Derek Shortall in 1978. Next seen with Chris Charlett in Trinidad in 1981 and 1982. Returned to the UK by 2001, when it was restored by Cooper Motorsports and raced by Steve Parrott in the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy. Sold to Tim Kuchel (Australia) in 2006 and raced in Australian historic racing. Kuchel died in December 2019, and the car was sold by his family to Wayne Groeger (Fairhaven, Victoria, Australia) in December 2020.
17. Chevron B29 [29-75-07] (John Smith): New to Patsy McGarrity (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and raced in the Irish Formula Atlantic series in 1975, entered by Savoy Motors. McGarrity also raced the car in libre at Ingliston and in the British GP support race in July. Retained for 1976 when he again drove it in the Irish series, plus Irish hillclimbs. In September it was sold to Derek Shortall (Malahide, County Dublin), who raced it for the first time at Kirkistown in October. Shortall raced it in the Irish series in 1977, and in September sold it to Joey Greenan, who made his debut in the car at Kirkistown in October. However, Greenan did not race the car in 1978, and it reappeared in the hands of John Smith (Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) when the Irish series visited Donington Park in April 1978. Raced by Smith for the rest of the season and advertised by him in October. In late May 1979 it was sold to Dave Rackham (Rochester, Kent) and used by him in the British series, but in only his second race he crashed it heavily at Oulton Park in July. Rackham replaced it with a B42 but advertised for parts for the rest of the year. The surviving parts of this car were probably acquired by John and Jim Blackwell (Seattle, WA) when they bought Rackham's Argo in late 1980.
18. Chevron B25 [25-73-12] (Paddy Farrelly): New to Brett Lunger and run for him by Space Racing in F2 in 1973, starting at Nivelles-Baulers in June. To Nick May (Sutton, Surrey) in 1974, and converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the British series. Then to Gerry Kinnane (Belfast, Northern Ireland), and entered for John Pollock to race in the 1975 Irish Formula Atlantic series. Sold to Bill Gowdy (Banbridge, County Down, N. Ireland) for 1976, but crashed twice that year. Crashed again during 1977, and at some point in this period, the car is believed to have had a new chassis. Sold by Gowdy to Paddy Farrelly (Lucan, Dublin) for 1978, and again used in Formula Atlantic, but now quite uncompetitive. Sold to Tony Skinner (Terenure, Dublin, Ireland) and raced at Phoenix Park in 1981. He raced it again early in 1982, but then moved over to a friend's B42 later in the season. Tony sold the B25 to Cyril Lynch, who fitted a 4.4-litre Rover V8 engine, and first ran the car in the Galway MC Ballyvaughan in mid-1983. For 1984, Lynch ran the car for Shay Lawless, who dominated the Pioneer Hi-Fi Hill Climb Championship, setting nine records. It was sold to Paul Deveney for 1985, and he continued to run it in hillclimbs. The hillclimb championship was cancelled after 1986, and the Chevron was sold to Ken Moore (Iver Heath, Bucks), rebuilt by Bob Egginton of ASD in 1988/1989, and used in libre racing at Lydden. Then to Lew Wright (Haslemere, Surrey) who got HSCC papers for the car in 1999. By 2001, it was with Nick Overall (Petworth, West Sussex) who entered it in HSCC Derek Bell events, and still had it in 2006. Sold to Markus Kalbermatten (Grellingen, Switzerland) in 2006, and used in historic Bergrennen.

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.

The Irish race results for 1974 were originally compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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.