CASC North American Formula Atlantic Series Race

Mexico City, 22 Apr 1979

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 79B (Howdy Holmes): New to Howdy Holmes (Ann Arbor, MI) and raced in the CASC North American Formula Atlantic series in 1979, entered and prepared by Doug Shierson Racing and sponsored by Jiffy Mixes. Unknown after 1979.
2. Ralt RT1/79 [132?] (Kevin Cogan): A white Ralt RT1/78 invoiced to Ralt importer Brian Robertson for his Ralt American Racing team in mid-May 1978. It is likely to have been used by Kevin Cogan in 1978, but photographs found of Cogan's cars so far show an older car with bolted rollhoop supports. This was probably Cogan's car in 1979, but he had a spare car that season, so we cannot be sure when he used each car. In 1979 he took pole position at Long Beach, and won from pole at Westwood and Québec City. He won again at Mosport Park, but in his spare car after damaging his principal car in practice. Cogan retained chassis 132 as a spare for Long Beach in 1980, then sold it to Kent Combs (Laguna Beach, CA) who raced it in 1981 and 1982. It was then sold to Tom Ballentyne (Westlake Village, CA) and converted to C Sport Racing specification using a Cicale body. Ballentyne raced it in the SCCA CSR Runoffs in 1983 and 1984. It was later raced by Frank Monise until it was retired in 1993. It was restored to original specification by Frank's son, Howard Monise, between 2002 and 2006, and sold to David S. Morrison (Long Beach, CA) in 2007.
3. March 79B (Dan Marvin): New to Dan Marvin (El Sobrante, CA) and raced in the CASC North American Formula Atlantic series in 1979, entered and prepared by Marvin-Clegg Racing. Also raced by Price Cobb at Trois-Rivières. To Tom Phillips (Portland, OR) for 1980. Advertised in February 1981.
4. Ralt RT1/78 [146] (Bob Earl): A white Ralt RT1/78 invoiced to Ralt importer Brian Robertson in early December 1978. To Bob Earl (Novato, CA) ad raced at a SCCA National at Riverside in February 1979, where it was described as new. However, when Earl raced it at Long Beach in April, it was called "ex-Cogan". Raced by Earl in the 1979 North American series, sponsored by National Treaty Services and entered by NTS Racing. Raced by Earl at Macau in November 1979. Retained for the 1980 North American series, when it was entered by Earl Motor Racing, and again raced at Macau as part of the Flying Tigers Racing Team. Towards the end of 1980, it was again described as a ex-Cogan. Sold to Andy Mahood (Vancouver, BC) and raced in ICSCC and SCCA events in 1981 and 1982. Sold to Martin Pang (Seattle, WA) and raced in WCAR events in 1984, 1985 and 1986. CT
5. March 79B (Cliff Hansen): New to Cliff Hansen (Laguna Beach, CA) and raced in the CASC North American Formula Atlantic series in 1979. Unknown after 1979.
6. Ralt RT1/78 (Chris Gleason): Chris Gleason (Johnstown, PA) raced a white #75 Ralt RT1 in the Labatts Formula Atlantic Championship in 1978 from early July onwards, with sponsorship from Whalley BMW Sales. Gleason and Bertil Roos had been running together with a pair of March 77Bs earlier in the season, and both moved to Ralts at about the same time. Gleason retained the Ralt for 1979, when he was backed by Keystone Auto Products. This car looks like a new 1978 model, so could be chassis 135, a white Ralt invoiced to Robertson in late June. Retained by Gleason for 1979 when he ran at most rounds up to Road America in July, when he retired with engine failure. He entered for the next three races but does not appear in the results for any of them. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Ralt RT1/79 [96] (John Paul Jr): New to Kevin Cogan (Redondo Beach, CA) and raced in the Labatts Formula Atlantic Championship, entered by Ralt American. Sold to John Paul Jr (Lawrenceville, GA) for 1979 and used in the North American Formula Atlantic series. Paul had two Ralts, this car with bolted rollhoop stays and a newer car with welded stays, but it appears that he used the older ex-Cogan car in the Pro series. Then sold to Steve Overton (Belleville, IL) and used in Midwest Division SCCA Nationals in 1980, 1981 and 1982. According to the SCCA logbook with the car in 2022, its drivers after Overton were: Duane McLain (Omaha, Nebraska) who raced it in SCCA Nationals and Regionals in 1982; Bob Ericksen who raced it in SCCA Regionals in northern California in 1984, the WCAR event at Seattle in September 1984, and Regionals again in 1985; Joseph Holmes who raced it in SCCA Solo 1 and Regionals in 1985 and 1986; and then Gerald Lieberg who raced it SCCA Regionals at Lime Rock in 1990 and then in historic events from 1993 to 1995. After Lieberg it was owned by Ron Benadetti from 1998 to 2000, but he did not race it. It was then owned by Mike Agnifilo from 2001 to 2004 and used in SVRA and HSR historic events, and then by Greg Lane from 2004 to 2022. CT
8. Chevron B45 [45-78-02] (Marco Tolama): New to Fred Opert Racing for Keke Rosberg to for race in North American Formula Atlantic in 1978, with backing from Excita. Raced by Bob Earl at Montréal in September when Rosberg drove an older B39. Retained by Opert for 1979, and driven by Marco Tolama. To Paul Fostini (SCCA New York Region) and used in NEDiv Formula Atlantic in 1981, scoring seven points that season. It was then sold to AJ "Buddy" Pugliese (New Rochelle, NY) in 1982, and used in Race Car Club of America (RCCA) races, the club formed by Pugliese in 1979 to promote the Club Ford format. In 1983, Pugliese started a new RCCA class called Formula American, for pre-ground-effect Formula Atlantic cars with their Cosworth engines limited to 9200 rpm but also allowing the use of the Chevrolet 60° V6 engine limited to 6500 rpm. The B45 was fitted with the V6 engine and Pugliese raced it through much of the 1980s. In the early 1990s, he loaned the car to Walter Nelson who crashed it and then took it to a fabricator at Dutchess County Airport for repairs, where it sat for some time after the fabricator's business closed. In February 2014, Pugliese sold the whole project to Ric Baribeault, who first had to locate the missing tub and then took it all to Bob Cavanaugh for restoration. The restoration progressed slowly and was stil incomplete in 2020 when Baribeault sold it to Cordell Secrest (Houston, TX). Secrest moved the project to the Danbury, CT, workshop of Mike Agnifilo (North Salem, NY), and it remained with him until he eventually acquired it partly in payment of storage fees. Agnifilo plans to rebuild the car to original specification.
9. Chevron B45 [45-78-03] (Mark McCaig): New to Rick Shea Racing and in North American Formula Atlantic in 1978, with backing from Jethro Tull. Raced by Shea at the first round, and by Marcel Talbot, Skeeter McKitterick, Bob Earl and Tom Gloy at later races, Retained by Shea for 1979 and raced by Mark McCaig (Calgary, Alberta) in the Pro series. To Colin Tuckey (Calgary, Alberta) for 1980, and entered in the Pro series by FBM Racing. Retained by Tuckey for 1981. Later raced by David Farmer (Niagra Falls, Ontario) in 1983. The car ended up with another Chevron in a museum in Canada, until 1989, when they were spotted by Peter Hemming. The B45 was acquired by Ed Swart in February 1993, and prepared for historic racing. He raced the B45 from October 1993 with a BDA engine in the Formula Atlantic class, and after about five years ran it with a 2-litre BDG engine in F2 classes.
10. March 75B/78B (Gustavo Bolaños): Ted Titmas (Van Nuys, CA) registered a Formula B March with the SCCA Cal Club Region in Southern California in June 1977. That SCCA log book gives the chassis number as '722-33', but it is unclear why the car had not already been logbooked by the SCCA before June 1977. However, Titmas had two very similar cars, one red and one orange, and it not yet clear which was the old 722. Titmas ran a March "78B" or "77B" for a number of hire drivers from 1977 onwards. In 1977, he is said to have run it for Dennis Firestone (Los Angeles, CA), but Firestone focused on Formula Ford that season, and it is not clear where he raced the March. In 1978, Titmas ran it for Ben Schilachi (Beverley Hills, CA), at which time it was blue and entered as #22. He retained it for 1979, when it was entered for Dick Gamble at the Long Beach race, and then Titmas sold it to Juan Carlos Bolaños. Bolaños advertised a March 73B in July 1979, which only deepens the mystery of this car. Subsequent history unknown.
11. Ralt RT1/77 [88] (Larry Bergman): New to Brian Robertson's Ralt America as a late-season car for the CASC Formula Atlantic series, probably intended for Eddie Cheever to drive at Trois Rivieres, but he did not appear. To Larry Bergman (Los Gatos, CA) for SCCA Formula B in California. Bergman retained the car for 1979, winning the Northern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic title but also competing in most rounds of the North American Formula Atlantic series. Then to Steve Millen in New Zealand, and raced in the Aurora AFX New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1980, then in the 1980/81 season. To Eric Morgan for the 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84 seasons. CT

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.

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.