CASC North American Formula Atlantic Series Race

Westwood, 23 Aug 1981

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 76B/77B (Gary Fernandez): Rick Shea Racing Team ran a #11 March 76B in 1977 for Tom Gloy (Lafayette, CA) but the origins of the car are unclear. The current owner of the ex-Gloy car has history indicating it is the ex-Gloy car but Shea's recollection is that this car was Mortensen's which can be identified with confidence as 76B-7. Shea and Gloy retained the car for 1978, when it was run as #38 and had a front-mounted radiator. Gloy last raced it at Hamilton in August, after which it was advertised by Bud Rude in September, noting that it had a new monocoque. It was then sold, still yellow and with its front radiator, to Gary Fernandez for 1979, who painted it red. Fernandez crashed the car in April 1979, and it was repaired by Arnie Loyning, who ended up owning it, and raced it a couple of times. It was subsequently traded (for a Sports 2000) to Bob Lesnett (Berkeley, CA), owner of Pfieffer Ridge Racing, so would be the "77B" he raced in SCCA Nationals in 1982, and during his ownership the tub was rebuilt by Marc Bahner. An "ex-Gloy" March was later advertised by Pfeiffer Ridge Racing in Richmond, CA, in January 1984. Larry Savage has a car in 2019 that is said to be ex-Gloy and has the SCCA Log Book from when Gary Fernandez owned it in 1979. The car is now on a 77B tub, but a different 77B tub to the one recorded by the SCCA in 1979, and wears a replica "76B-9" chassis plate.
2. Argo JM5 [036-FA] (Jim Blackwell): Built late in the 1979 season and invoiced to Nick May, who drove it in the Brands Hatch Formula Atlantic race in October 1979. Then to Dave Rackham and tested by him, but remained unused until Rackham advertised it in August 1980. It was finally raced by Nick Adams, and run for him by Colin Bennett Racing, in two races in September and October 1980. Sold to Jim Blackwell (Seattle, WA) and raced by him in ICSCC events in 1981, then advertised in June 1982. Raced once more by Blackwell in 1985 after his newer Argo JM9 was damaged at Portland. Also raced by Allen Karlberg (Seattle, WA) for 1986 and Larry Dunn (Lake Stevens, WA) for 1987, both of whom used it in local WCAR events.
3. Ralt RT1/77 [81] (Brian McLoughlin): Thought to be the car owned by Jerry Blakemore (Oakesdale, WA) in 1977 and 1978, so would be the car advertised by Blakemore in April 1979 as "six races old". Then presumably to Ted Titmas for 1979 as the first definitive reference to this car is when it was sold by Titmas to Brian McLaughlin (Vancouver, BC), and raced by McLaughlin in ICSCC and Pro Formula Atlantic in 1980 and 1981. It was wrecked by McLoughlin at Westwood and later advertised by Sans Thompson in unrepaired state. CT

Sources

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' original 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 3 Sep 1981 p13.