Rhodesian Grand Prix

Donnybrook, 31 Jul 1976

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT1/76 [10] (Roy Klomfass): New to Team Gunston for Roy Klomfass at the end of 1975 and used through the 1976 South African Formula Atlantic season in South Africa, during which time it was extensively modified. In early 1977 it was sold "to a guy in Los Angeles". This must have been Kevin Cogan (Torrance, CA, in southwestern Los Angeles County), who raced his newer RT1/76-33 in 1977 but kept chassis 10 as a spare car for the first part of 1977. It was borrowed by Pierre Phillips at Mosport Park in May for Juan Cochesa to race after the Venezuelan crashed his intended car in practice. Then very probably the car acquired from Brian Robertson by John Connolly (Brooklyn, NY) and raced by him at Trois-Rivières in September. The car is thought to have remained with Connolly until advertised by him in early 1982, but he also had a newer RT1/78 and a Ralt RT4. CT
2. Wheatcroft R18 [003] (Nols Nieman): Sold new to Alex Blignaut, for the 1976 South African season driven by Nols Neiman. Chassis number given in AS report of Welkom race 10 Feb 76, with the note that ‘last year’s Wheatcroft works car’ was carried as the team spare [R18-002]. Used throughout season, the spare remaining un-raced until 1977. Reported by Ian Hebblewhite as sold to Grant Maben in 1977, debut at Kyalami 1 Oct 77.
3. Modus M3 [024] (Dave Charlton): Works record for the car sold 24 Sep 75 to Dave Charlton in South Africa. Used throughout the 1976 South African season. At Natal Spring Trophy, September 5, 1976, Kevin Stopford appears in an M3, with Charlton debuting a new March 76B. In the A/S report of the Rand Spring Trophy, October 2, 1976, the Stopford car is described as 'ex Charlton'. Stopford appears in the car in the 1977 season; MN 10 Feb 77 p1 again describes the car as ‘ex Charlton’.
4. Chevron B29 [29-75-25] (John Gibb): The Rapid Movements Chevron B29 driven by Matt Spitzley is believed to have suffered a testing accident at some point early in 1975, and it was rebuilt with a new monocoque. At the Oulton Park race on 26 May, it was noted as having chassis plate 75-25, but exactly when the rebuild took place is still unclear. Gunnar Nilsson took over the car from Spitzley in August, and recorded five successive wins in it, four of them from pole. In January 1976 it was sold to John Gibb (Randburg, South Africa), to be raced in the new South African Formula Atlantic series, entered by Team Mum for Men with backing from Pioneer Hi Fi. It was sold to Geoff Frizell (Durban, South Africa) for 1977, and returned with Frizell in 1979, when it was described as a B34. It then went to Manny Pinto, and was raced by him from 1980 to 1983, and then reappeared two years later with Trevor Trautman who raced it in 1986. It remained in South Africa after that, but its ownership history is not fully resolved. Bernard Tilanus reported that it went from Pinto to Alan Dunlop then to Mike Budd, who restored it, then to Mark du Toit who owned it in 2000. It was purchased by Anthony Corin (Malmesbury, South Africa) in 2004 and was still owned in him in June 2008, but by 2019 it was owned by Colin Frost.
5. Brabham BT38 [12] (John Amm): New for Motul Rondel Racing in 1972, and raced by Bob Wollek, Henri Pescarolo (who won at Enna-Pergusa), and others. One of a group of cars sold to South Africa after the Torneio do Brasil. Raced by Jackie Pretorius in 1973, using an Alan Smith Cosworth FVC, then to John Amm for 1974. Converted to Formula Atlantic and raced again by Amm in 1976. Then unknown until reportedly located by Thomas Koch in South Africa some time around 1997-1999, and imported to the US. Then sold to Terry Allard (Denver, CO) some time before 2005.
6. Chevron B34 [34-76-02] (Tony Martin): New to Tony Martin for the 1976 South African Formula Atlantic championship, entered by Team Bic/South Coast Motors. Retained by Martin for 1977 as a spare car to his new B39 and raced only once that season, as a South Coast Motors entry for Evan Boddy at Kyalami in October. Raced by Boddy during 1978, entered again by South Coast Motors Racing. Raced again by Boddy in 1979, again entered by South Coast Motors.
7. March 722 (Mervyn Tunmer): In January 1973, it was announced that Guy Tunmer (Sandton, South Africa) had acquired the ex-Ronnie Peterson March 722 for the new "F2" class of the South African national championship. However, it appears that the car actually shipped to him was the ex-Brett Lunger car. Tunmer had the 722 fitted with an 1800cc Cosworth FVC and raced it through 1973. The car was not seen in 1974, but is believed to have been kept as a spare to Tunmer's new Chevron. In 1975, it was sold to André Verwey (Johannesburg, South Africa) who planned to rebuild it with a BMW F2 engine and Hewland FG400 gearbox, but when Formula Atlantic was announced, he updated it with 74B bodywork and Nicholson BDA engine. Used in this form by Verwey in two races late 1975, and then into 1976. Sold back to the Tunmers in mid-1976 for Mervyn Tunmer to use. Unused in 1977, but then sold to Andrew Thompson in 1978, converted to a Ford V6 engine for the new formula, and raced in that form by Bobby Scott in 1979. To Mel Lahner and raced by Derek Ziman and others in his team. Retained until 2004, when sold back to Andrew and Stuart Thompson.
8. March 74B [722?] (Gary Ainscough): In 1976, Gary Ainscough (Bulawayo, Rhodesia) raced a March 74B in the South African Formula Atlantic series. It has been suggested that it was built from a March 722, chassis 722/17, but evidence for this proving elusive. It then disappeared again until 1980, when Alan MacDonald was reported to be driving the "ex-Ainscough" March. Ian Hebblethwaite then reports that it went to Dave Hart's Team Valvoline in 1981, then Kent Dyson in 1982, then to Keith Horwood for Michael Bryan in 1985, and then to Lew Baker who was the last to race it. In about 1988, it was sold via Brian Raubenheimer in South Africa to David McLaughlin in England. Its history after 1988 is still to be resolved.
9. March 76B [1] (Ian Scheckter): Presumed to be the car of Ian Scheckter, used in the 1976 South African season. Racing tradition has it that Scheckter always had the first car of any of March's production runs, and South African expert Ian Hebblethwaite suggests that Scheckter had both the first chassis of the 76B and 77B production. A/S report of the race at Welkom in February 1976 says that Scheckter's car is "the first of the production examples". Badly damaged in testing accident after the race at Aldo Scribante in March 1976, and at Roy Hesketh Scheckter appears in a car that is described as "brand new" by Autsport and as having a "new tub" by Motoring News. Subsequent evidence suggests that the latter was the case, and the rebuilt car, if it still carried a plate, probably kept the identity of chassis 1 to avoid fresh import duties on a new car. The remains of the old tub were sold to the Domingo brothers, who built it up with spares to become 76B-1A in 1977. Sold to Len Booysen in 1977, and loaned by him to Dave Charlton and Bernard Tilanus in 1978.
10. Chevron B34 [34-76-03] (Guy Tunmer): A works-backed Formula Atlantic development car entered for Bill Brack in STP livery in the opening two rounds of the 1976 South African Formula Atlantic championship. Then to Guy Tunmer (Sandton) who ran it for the rest of the 1976 season, entered by Paradise Beach/National Radio. Tunmer did not continue in Formula Atlantic in 1977, and in 1978 Andrew Thompson recalls buying a Chevron B34 from the Tunmers on behalf of Rembrant. Entered by Thompson for Abel d'Oliveira for a couple of races in early 1979. Then to Peter Haller, who fitted a 3-litre Ford Essex V6 for the new Formula South Africa. After Haller died in a racing accident, the B34 was bought from his widow Hettie by Michael Rudolph, who raced it in 1986. The car is reported to have later gone to Alan Macdonald. In 2012, it was being restored by Davey Leeding in Johannesburg. He was still working on it in 2020.
11. March 722 (André Verwey): In January 1973, it was announced that Guy Tunmer (Sandton, South Africa) had acquired the ex-Ronnie Peterson March 722 for the new "F2" class of the South African national championship. However, it appears that the car actually shipped to him was the ex-Brett Lunger car. Tunmer had the 722 fitted with an 1800cc Cosworth FVC and raced it through 1973. The car was not seen in 1974, but is believed to have been kept as a spare to Tunmer's new Chevron. In 1975, it was sold to André Verwey (Johannesburg, South Africa) who planned to rebuild it with a BMW F2 engine and Hewland FG400 gearbox, but when Formula Atlantic was announced, he updated it with 74B bodywork and Nicholson BDA engine. Used in this form by Verwey in two races late 1975, and then into 1976. Sold back to the Tunmers in mid-1976 for Mervyn Tunmer to use. Unused in 1977, but then sold to Andrew Thompson in 1978, converted to a Ford V6 engine for the new formula, and raced in that form by Bobby Scott in 1979. To Mel Lahner and raced by Derek Ziman and others in his team. Retained until 2004, when sold back to Andrew and Stuart Thompson.
12. Chevron B34 [34-76-08] (Basil van Rooyen): New to Basil van Rooyen for the South African Formula Atlantic series, sponsored by Wrangler Jeans. Van Rooyen significantly modified the car during the season, with a March nose and side radiators. Retained for 1977, again with Wrangler Jeans sponsorship. Van Rooyen recalls that he sold the car to Tony Martin, and it was at some point during this time that the car was raced by Desiré Wilson in the first few races of the 1978 series. It was raced by Tony Martin at some races in 1979 as an alternative to his unsatisfactory B45, but Bernard Tilanus recalls that "the tub was damaged when Tony fell asleep and went off the road writing the trailer and car off". Tilanus explained that Martin bought a replacement tub from Chevron and built a standard B34. This car "was sold to Rolly Nofke, then to Keith Horwood". Tilanus then bought the car and sold it to Mike Fergusson, but the restoration was still incomplete when Fergusson died. It was then bought by Colin Frost, who took it to Andrew Thompson to complete the restoration.
13. Chevron B25 [25-73-01] (Mike Fogg): Chassis number given by the Formula 1 Register (F1R) on the Team Gunston car of John Love in the 1973 South African Formula 1 championship (F2 class). Sold to Tony Martin for the 1974 South African season, and retained for 1975, before being sold to Mike Fogg for 1976. It went to Ivor Raasch for 1977, and he used the back end of the car in a spaceframe Ford Escort Special Saloon. The car then went to Alan MacDonald for 1979 and was reconstituted, now with a Cosworth BDG, and MacDonald raced it in this form later that year. The car was sold by MacDonald to Mike Budd in Johannesburg, and he still had the car in March 2006. By 2016, the car was with Stuart Thompson and was being restored.

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.

The South African race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News plus 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.

Individual sources for this event

Chris Townsend's sources include Bulawayo Chronicle mc 1700 11 Jun 1976 p5 and 5 Jul 1976; Rhodesian Herald 1 Jul 1976 p16, 2 Jul 1976 p15, 3 Jul 1976 p1 and 5 Jul 1976 p1.