CASC North American Formula Atlantic Series Race

Mexico City, 5 Apr 1981

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT1/75 [6] (Juan Carlos Bolaños): New to Pat Walter (San Rafael, CA/Novato, CA) and raced in Formula Atlantic in North American in 1975 and 1976, entered by Ameropean Racing. The car was then unraced for several seasons until bought from Ameropean Racing by Ted Titmus and entered by him for Ben Schillachi in SCCA events in 1979. This would be the car raced by Juan Carlos Bolaños at Mexico City in April 1981. [CT]
2. March 77B (Erik Phelan): Eric Phelan (Redondo Beach, CA) raced a March 77B in SCCA Nationals in California in 1979. At the car's first appearance, at Willow Springs in April 1979, it was described as a 76B/77B, but was called a 77B at all later appearances. Phelan also drove the car in the first four rounds of the 1981 North American Formula Atlantic championship. Chris Townsend reports that Phelan ran this car until 1984. Nothing more known.
3. March 75B/77B (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.

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.

Individual sources for this event

Chris Townsend's sources include On Track magazine 25 Feb 1982 p14 and El Universal. Grid times courtesy of Robert Metcalfe from Shierson team documents.