OldRacingCars.com

Yellow Pages Championship Round

Croft, 6 Aug 1972

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 John Lepp Chevron B20 [72-4] - Ford BDA Richardson
#25 Bob Howlings Racing Team (see note 1)
15 20m 07.4s
78.26 mph
2 Vern Schuppan March 722 [40] - Ford BDA Richardson
#1 Malaysia/Singapore Airlines (see note 2)
15 20m 07.8s
3 Sonny Rajah March 712M [7] - Ford BDA RES
#48 Sonny Rajah
15
4 John Calvert March 722 [29] - Ford BDA Richardson
#77 John Calvert (see note 3)
15
5 Mike Mather March 712M [12] - Ford BDA Hart
#21 Mike Mather (see note 4)
15
6 Peter Wardle Lotus 69 [59-XB/F3-38] - Ford BDA Eden
#7 Peter Wardle (see note 5)
15
7 Bob Salisbury Brabham BT35 [43] - Ford BDA Hart
#9 Bob Gerard (see note 6)
15
8 Johnny Blades Lotus 69 [59-F2-21] - Ford BDA Smith
#29 John Blades (see note 7)
15
9 Bill Gubelmann March 722 [24] - Ford BDA
#16 Bill Gubelmann (see note 8)
15
R Chris Meek March 712M [17] - Ford BDA BRM
#41 Tate of Leeds (see note 9)
1 Accident damage
R Cyd Williams March 722 [39] - Ford BDA Eden
#5 Alida/Graham Eden Racing (see note 10)
Misfire
R John Nicholson Lyncar 003 [003] - Ford BDA Piper
#19 John Nicholson (see note 11)
Gear selection
DNS Jonny Dimsdale Lotus 69 [59 F3-37] - Ford BDA RES
#55 Jonny Dimsdale
Did not start
(Gearbox)
DNS Stephen Choularton Lotus 69 [69.F2.1] - Ford BDA Autovita
#12 Stephen Choularton (see note 12)
Did not start
(Clutch)
  John Gillmeister Palliser WDB4 - Ford BDA
#8 John Gillmeister (see note 13)
On entry list
  Ronnie Mackay Brabham BT30 [14] - Ford BDA
#37 Dunnet's Team M.R.E. ("BT35 BDA")
(see note 14)
On entry list
  Alan Edgar Alexis Mk20 - Ford BDA
#53 Alan Edgar
On entry list
  Jim Murdoch Tui Mk1 ['AM1'] - Ford BDA Smith
#58 Jim Murdoch
On entry list
  Nick May Chevron "B17S" - Ford BDA
#59 Nick May
On entry list
  Derek Palmer McLaren M4A - Ford twin cam
#79 Derek Palmer
On entry list

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

Qualifying
1 Cyd Williams (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722 [39] - Ford BDA Eden 1.04.4
2 Chris Meek (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 712M [17] - Ford BDA BRM 1.04.8
3 John Lepp (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B20 [72-4] - Ford BDA Richardson 1.05.4
4 Vern Schuppan (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722 [40] - Ford BDA Richardson 1.05.6
5 John Calvert (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722 [29] - Ford BDA Richardson 1.06.2
6 Mike Mather (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 712M [12] - Ford BDA Hart 1.06.2
7 Sonny Rajah (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 712M [7] - Ford BDA RES 1.06.2
8 Bill Gubelmann (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722 [24] - Ford BDA 1.06.2

Notes on the cars:

  1. Chevron B20 [72-4] (John Lepp): To Bob Howlings Racing Team for John Lepp (Altrincham, Cheshire) to race in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. Won at Croft in August and had several other good placings. Last seen in the UK at Oulton Park on 30 September 1972, and then unknown until early 1974 when sold by Howlings to Nelson Todd (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), and raced in Irish Formula Atlantic, winning at Kirkistown in October 1974. To Jim Sherry (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) for a couple of races at Mondello Park in 1975. This must be the "little used" Chevron B20 advertised by Gerry Kinnane in Belfast in June 1976. Raced by Mike Nugent (Cookstown, County Tyrone) a couple of times later that year. Then to Dick Parsons (Dundonald, County Down, Northern Ireland) for 1977, when it was described as a ex-Kinnane. Sold to Tom McMillan in Scotland, then on to Bill Lord for 1978 and used in Scottish hillclimbs, reputedly with a Hart 420R Formula 2 engine, but this seems unlikely. Retained for 1979 and presumably the Chevron B20 with Cosworth FVC engine advertised from Dunfermline, Fife in November 1979.
  2. March 722 [40] (Vern Schuppan): New to Australian Vern Schuppan to drive in the British Formula Atlantic championship. Fitted with a BRM Ford twin cam engine, and first seen in practice at Mallory Park in late March, but Schuppan left before the race to catch a flight to the Singapore GP. Schuppan finished second in Singapore, and third in the Malaysian GP a week later. Then returned to the British series, now with a BDA, and won four rounds. The car was then fitted with Falconer bodywork and an Amon-Woods engine rebuilt by Geoff Richardson, and raced in the Rothmans 50,000 and in two late-season F2 races. After a single F2 race in 1973 fitted with a Richardon BDG, the car went to Southeast Asia, winning the Singapore GP with a Ford twin cam fitted, then competed in the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji with the BDG, and back to the 'twink' for Macau. He raced the car in British Formula Atlantic briefly in early 1974, then sent it back to Asia where he won the Macau GP in November, by which time it had been fitted with 732 bodywork and a Lola T360 rear wing. It then became a fixture at Macau up to 1977, being driven by Alan Jones and Derek Daly. Patrick Tambay also raced for Theodore Racing in the Malaysian and Penang Grands Prix in 1977, where it was still in 732 form but was billed as a 752. It reappeared at Macau for Schuppan in 1979, now in 76B bodywork. After one more race in the hands of Roberto Moreno, the car was retained by Yip and placed in the Macau Grand Prix Museum.
  3. March 722 [29] (John Calvert): New to John Calvert (Seaham, County Durham), and raced in Formula Atlantic and libre racing in 1972. The car regularly wore #77, and was described as white or blue. Sold to Mike Mather (St Helens, Merseyside) and used by him, and once by brother Kim Mather, in Formula Atlantic and libre in early 1973. Sold to John Kitchen in mid-season, and used by him in sprints and hillclimbs in late 1973, 1974, 1975 and early 1976, using a BDA engine. Then to Peter Riley (Crosby, Liverpool), again for sprints and hillclimbs. At first it was said to have a Cosworth FVA engine, but it had a Richardson BDA in 1977. Riley was still using the 722 in speed events as late as 1984. According to speed event historian Steve Wilkinson, Riley retained the car, complete but dismantled, and stored in his garage. Riley died in 2011, and the car passed to Paul Gardner and Alan Newton, and Gardner started the restoration. When Newton died, the car was sold to Chris Simpson in 2014, but he did not use it. It went to Ashley Hodge in 2016, and then to Daniel Clayfield in 2017.
  4. March 712M [12] (Mike Mather): March director Graham Coaker left the company in early 1971 and as part of his settlement, he acquired a March 712M. Coaker, who had not raced since F3 in 1969, was due to debut the car in a NSCC libre race at Silverstone on Easter Monday but crashed during practice, hitting the marshal's post at Woodcote and suffering a broken leg. As a result of complications from the injury, he contracted blood poisoning and died in hospital on 23 May. The March was sold by his widow Carol to Mike Mather (St Helens, Lancashire) who fitted it with a Hart BDA and raced in the British Formula Atlantic series. Also raced by younger brother Kim Mather in libre. Retained for 1973 but crashed heavily at Brands Hatch in March and not seen again. Surviving components may have been consumed in Kim Mather's bitza March 712M/752 in 1975.
  5. Lotus 69 [59-XB/F3-38] (Peter Wardle): New to Peter Wardle (Wimbledon, London) for European Formula Ford in 1970. Rebuilt to Formula Atlantic specification for 1971, and raced by Wardle in the British series that season, winning one round at Oulton Park in August. Retained by Wardle for 1972. Sold to Garry Ainscough (Bulawayo, Rhodesia) for 1973, and fitted with a 1800cc Cosworth FVC engine for the F2 class of the South African national championship. Retained for 1974 and 1975, after which it was sold to Richard Baker (Johannesburg, South Africa), and raced by him with the HRCR in South Africa. It was restored in 1999, and sold to England in 2000, where it has been used in historic racing. From 2011 to 2016, it was raced by David Hampton (South Leverton, Nottinghamshire) fitted with a 2-litre Cosworth BDG engine.
  6. Brabham BT35 [43] (Bob Salisbury): New to Bob Gerard in late 1971 and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine for Bob Salisbury to race in British Formula Atlantic from October 1971 to April 1973. Then sold to Harry Gilbert (Aberdeen, Scotland), and raced by Gilbert and Ronnie Mackay in libre racing. It was advertised by Johnny Blades in October 1973, and by Bob Howlings' R.D.H. Racing (Bollington, Cheshire) in August 1974 when it was identified as the ex-Bob Salisbury car and was available complete except for engine. It was next seen three months later when John Wingfield raced it in the Boxing Day libre race at Brands Hatch, fitted with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC. He retained the FVC engine and ran the car with huge success in libre racing through 1975. In September 1975, it was sold to dealer Bobby Howlings, who raced it a couple of times and then sold it to John Thistlewaite, who entered it for Tim Wood in libre in 1976. By 1978, it was owned by Joe Applegarth, still with the FVC engine in it, and it next appeared in 1986 when Nick Overall used it in the HSCC Pre '71 series. Overall was given an HVIF for this car as BT35-43 in 1988, and many years later, in May 2006, it was advertised on race-cars.com from the UK still with this HVIF. In 2009, it was reported to be with Tim Kuchel in Australia.
  7. Lotus 69 [59-F2-21] (Johnny Blades): New to Max Mosley for Formula 2 in 1969. It was prepared and entered by Len Street Engineering, a successful west London Lotus dealership. The car was first seen at the Jarama F1/F5000 race where it was ballasted and entered in the F1 class. At its next race, the F2 race at the Nürburgring, Mosley went off the road during practice when a bolt worked lose in the front suspension, and the Lotus was severely damaged. It returned to Lotus for repairs, but then remained unused during the summer as Mosley retired from driving. In September it was loaned to Roy Winkelmann Racing so that Ronnie Peterson could drive it at Albi, a precursor to Mosley and Winkelmann team manager Alan Rees signing Peterson to drive the new March F3 car two weeks later. The 59B was also raced by John Miles at Vallelunga. Then sold to Johnny Blades (Whitley Bay, Northumberland) for F2 in 1970, appearing at four early-season F2 races before being returned to Lotus to be converted to 69 specification. After a few libre races, it returned to F2 at Mantorp Park in August, where Autosport said "the only parts remaining of his ex-Mosley 59B being the wheels, gearbox and engine". Despite this surgery, the car was often described as a 59 or a 59B during Blades' ownership. Retained by Blades for F2 in 1971, when it was also raced by Carlos Pace at Crystal Palace. Blades retained the car again for 1972, when it was fitted with a BDA and used in the British Formula Atlantic series. Then sold to Ton Strous (Netherlands) for 1973, and fitted with a F2 engine, but Strous withdrew after wrecking his engine before his first race. Converted by Strous to F3 specification, but then unknown Strous reportedly sold it in 1991 to Richard Spelberg (Dusseldorf, Germany), who converted back to Lotus 59B spec for historic F2.
  8. March 722 [24] (Bill Gubelmann): New to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) to use in the 1972 Yellow Pages Formula Atlantic championship. The car was blue and yellow, and wore #16 all season. Gubelmann won six races and narrowly pipped Cyd Williams to the championship title. The car was sold to fellow American Jas Patterson (Rosslyn Heights, NY) for 1973, repainted red and white, and entered for him by Texaco Team Racing/RIR in the 1973 British season. Patterson crashed heavily at Oulton Park in May 1973, and although the car was rebuilt, he appeared a few races later in what appears to be a new 73B. Patterson raced the 73B for the remainder of 1973 and through 1974, but the 722 reappeared in early November 1974 when an ex-Patterson "722/73B" was acquired by Roy Baker (Ferndown, Dorset) and raced regularly by him through the 1975 season. Subsequent history unknown.
  9. March 712M [17] (Chris Meek): New to Wilson Fittipaldi in May 1971, replacing the Lotus 69 with which he had started the European F2 season. Raced by Fittipaldi for the rest of the season as part of Team Bardahl. Retained for one F2 race in early 1972, then sold to Tate of Leeds (Racing) and converted to Formula Atlantic for Chris Meek to race in the British championship. Loaned to Sonny Rajah for the Brands Hatch Boxing Day race. Retained by Tate of Leeds for Malcolm Wayne in early 1973, then sold to visiting American Allen Karlberg (Seattle, WA) who took it back to the US. Entered by Karlberg for Monique Proulx at Watkins Glen in October 1974, by which time it had Falconer bodywork, and also taken to Trinidad for Formula Caribbean events where it was sold. By 1978 it was owned by David Kerr but it was "totally destroyed" in a towing incident at the "Love Bird International" meeting at Vernamfield Motorsport Park, Jamaica, in December 1978.
  10. March 722 [39] (Cyd Williams): New to Graham Eden Racing in April 1972 for Cyd Williams (Sandbach, Cheshire) to drive in British Formula Atlantic. It replaced the Chevron B18 which had taken Williams to two wins earlier in the season. Once he had the car to his liking, Williams won six out of the next nine races, but narrowly lost the championship to Bill Gubelmann. Run by Graham Eden Racing for Ken Bailey (Stretford, Greater Manchester) in 1973, and fitted with Falconer bodywork in May. The car was sold to Philip Dowell (Ombersley, Worcestershire) for 1974, but during pre-season testing at Silverstone, he hit the bank heavily at Woodcote corner and died later in hospital. It is assumed that the March was destroyed in the accident.
  11. Lyncar 003 [003] (John Nicholson): New for John Nicholson in May or June 1972, replacing Lyncar 002, and raced in the British Formula Atlantic series, using Piper BDA engines. Nicholson was probably driving this car when he won at Mallory Park in late May. He was third in the championship in 1972. He retained the car for 1973, and won at Silverstone in May and at Oulton Park in July. Exactly when he moved to his new car, Lyncar 005, is unclear, but it appears to have been prior to the Oulton Park race in early July. David Oxton then raced 003 at Silverstone on 14 July. Lyncar 003 was sold to Martin Steele (Faringdon, Oxfordshire) who fitted a Ford twin cam engine and raced it in sprints until 1982. He generally appeared in club events, but ran in British Sprint Championship round at Wroughton and Bassingbourne, and later at Colerne in 1978 and 1979. After 1982, the car was refurbished and the engine rebuilt, before a final appearance in 1985.
  12. Lotus 69 [69.F2.1] (Stephen Choularton): New for Emerson Fittipaldi to race in F2 in 1970. The F3 star was initially entered by Jim Russell, and the car was prepared by Russell mechanic Ralph Firman, but by the third race of the season it was entered by Team Bardahl and had changed to Bardahl yellow, with Russell having vanished from the operation. The Lotus 69 was sold to the new works-backed LIRA tea, for 1971, and raced by Reine Wisell in F2, winning at Pau in April. To Stephen Choularton (Hale Barns, Cheshire) for British Formula Atlantic in 1972, and also driven by his young mechanic Jim Crawford in libre at Croft. Unknown in 1973 and 1974, but to Warren Booth (Blackburn, Lancashire) for libre in 1975. Retained for 1976 and 1977, when it was fitted with a 2-litre Richardson BDA. Believed to be the 2-litre Lotus 69 then raced by Clive Astley in north-western sprints in 1977 and 1978. Subsequent history unknown, but according to historian David McKinney, the car was found in a north of England pigsty in the late 1980s, and acquired by Fredy Kumschick (Lucerne/Luzern, Switzerland), who restored it for historic racing. Raced regularly by Kumschick through the 1990s.
  13. Palliser WDB4 (John Gillmeister): A car built for John Gillmeister using a new Atlantic-specification frame fabricated by Bert Ray. Raced by Gillmeister with a Ford twin cam engine in early 1971, then changed to a Richardson BDA later that season. Retained by Gillmeister for 1972. Subsequent history unknown.
  14. Brabham BT30 [14] (Ronnie Mackay): Sold new to Ecurie Ecosse and run for Graham Birrell in F2 in 1970. Also raced once by Peter Gethin and by Richard Attwood later in the season. To Peter Westbury early 1971 and raced in several F2 races (also raced once by Dieter Quester) until the team's BT36 was delivered. Sold to Dunnett's Garage, converted to F/Atlantic specification and entered for Ronnie Mackay in libre and F/Atlantic in 1971 and 1972, run by MRE. To Chong Boon Seng for south east Asian racing in 1973 and used by him until 1976. Then to Del Schloemer and raced by him and by Cherie Schloemer in 1977 and 1978. To Wybe Valkema around 1980 and retained to 1982. Then to Australia and with Brian Wilson by 1988. Wilson sold it to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) and from Valdez it returned to Australia when he sold it to Bob Ilich (Perth, WA) in 2010.

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 British race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK 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.

Individual sources for this event

AS 10 Aug 1972 p31, MN 10 Aug 1972 p10.