OldRacingCars.com

MCD/Southern Organs Formula Atlantic Race

Oulton Park, 4 Oct 1975

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Gunnar Nilsson Chevron B29 [29-75-25] - Ford BDA Swindon
#59 Rapid Movements Ltd-Ted Moore
(see note 1)
20 19m 13.8s
103.21 mph
2 Ted Wentz Lola T360 [HU18] - Ford BDA Swindon
#10 Wella International Hair Care
(see note 2)
20 19m 14.6s
3 Bob Muir Birrana 273 [273-009] - Ford BDA Swindon
#25 Bob & Marj Brown
20 19m 32.8s
4 Richard Morgan Chevron B29 [29-75-15] - Ford BDA Swindon
#18 (see note 3)
20 19m 33.2s
5 Derek Cook Chevron B29 [29-75-29] - Ford BDA Cook
#17 George Cooper Lubricants (see note 4)
20 19m 59.0s
6 Philip Sharp Lyncar 005 [005] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#20
20 19m 59.4s
7 Alo Lawler Chevron B29 [29-75-06-2] - Ford BDA Swindon
#24 L&B Excavations Ltd (see note 5)
20
8 Val Musetti March 74B [73B-21] - Ford BDA Swindon
#14 Bernigra Ice Cream (London)
(see note 6)
20
9 Mike Franey Chevron B27 [27-74-16] - Ford BDA Gray
#30 Samatco Ltd (see note 7)
18
10 Steve Carvill Surtees TS15 [06] - Ford BDA Swindon
#45 (see note 8)
18
R John Nicholson Modus M3 [020-FA] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#1 Pinch [Plant] Ltd
17 Accident
DNS Danny Sullivan Modus M3 [022] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#58 Team Modus (see note 9)
Did not start
(Accident)
DNS Nick May Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDA Broadspeed
#15 Dave Price Racing (see note 10)
Did not start
(Accident)
DNS Ronald Remeeus Chevron B27 - Ford BDA Cook
#57 Ashtune Race Hire (see note 11)
Did not start
DNS David Winstanley Brabham BT35
#64 Piccadilly Radio Racing with Roosters Club
(see note 12)
Did not start
DNA Brett Riley Chevron B29 [29-75-04] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#40 (see note 13)
Did not arrive
DNA Tim Brise Modus M3 [022] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#58 Team Modus (see note 14)
Did not arrive
DNA Rikky Pierce Chevron B29 - Ford BDA
#63
Did not arrive

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

Qualifying
1 Gunnar Nilsson (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 [29-75-25] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.01.2
2 Bob Muir (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Birrana 273 [273-009] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.01.6
3 Derek Cook (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 [29-75-29] - Ford BDA Cook 1.02.2
4 Ted Wentz (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU18] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.02.6
5 Richard Morgan (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 [29-75-15] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.02.8
6 Alo Lawler (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 [29-75-06-2] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.04.0
7 John Nicholson (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Modus M3 [020-FA] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.04.4
8 Mike Franey (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B27 [27-74-16] - Ford BDA Gray 1.04.6
9 Philip Sharp (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lyncar 005 [005] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.05.4
10 Val Musetti (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 74B [73B-21] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.06.2
11 Steve Carvill (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Surtees TS15 [06] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.07.4
12 Danny Sullivan * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Modus M3 [022] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.08.0
13 David Winstanley * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT35 no time recorded
- Ronald Remeeus * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B27 - Ford BDA Cook not seen
- Nick May * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDA Broadspeed non starter
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Chevron B29 [29-75-25] (Gunnar Nilsson): 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 1984, and then reappeared two years later with Trevor Trautmann who raced it in 1986. Trautmann exhanged it for Alan Dunlop's Lant, and the Chevron then went to Alan McDonald and Mike Budd. Budd restored it for Mark du Toit, who owned it in 2000. It was purchased by Anthony Corin (Malmesbury, South Africa) in 2004 and was still owned by him in June 2008. By 2019 it was owned by Colin Frost.
  2. Lola T360 [HU18] (Ted Wentz): Described as "the 1976 prototype", this car was loaned by Lola to the Wella team for Ted Wentz to drive in the last few races of the 1975 British Formula Atlantic season after Wentz' regular car was wrecked in testing at Silverstone by Roy James. It was loaned to Tony Trimmer for the start of the 1976 season, now as a Lola T362, and Trimmer won the first two races, only for the car to be sold from under him to Bruach Racing for Mike King, who raced it in Indylantic and Shellsport Group 8 for the rest of that season. Somehow then to Carl Liebich (Plymouth, WI) as a spare car to his Lola T460. Exactly when it was used is not known. Crashed at some point, and sold, still unrepaired, to Cy Moreland (Trainer, PA). Still with Moreland in 2003. Later to Steve Maxted (UK), fitted with a Cosworth BDG and raced by him in HSCC F2 races from 2006 to 2011. To Mark Piercy for HSCC F2 from 2012 onwards.
  3. Chevron B29 [29-75-15] (Richard Morgan): New for Jim Crawford at Oulton Park in late May when his early-season development car was rebuilt on a new monocoque, effectively becoming a new car with chassis number 29-75-15. Crawford raced this car seven times in the British Formula Atlantic series, winning two races, and also raced it in F2 specification at Silverstone in August, using a Geoff Richardson BDA engine. Richard Morgan (Purley, Surrey) then hired the car for a few races at the end of the season. To Len Booysen (Randburg, South Africa) for the 1976 South African Formula Atlantic series, entered by Golden-Flo Racing with Kenitex. Then to Dorino Treccani, and raced by him in a few late 1977 and early 1978 races before it passed to Sarel Pienaar, who raced it for the rest of 1978 and in 1979. Subsequent history still being researched. The car was owned by Colin Frost by July 2014.
  4. Chevron B29 [29-75-29] (Derek Cook): New to Derek Cook (Wath-upon-Dearne, Rotherham, South Yorkshire) in August 1975, and raced in British Formula Atlantic with support from George Cooper Lubricants. To Jeremy Rossiter (Kidlington, Oxfordshire) for 1976, and raced in Shellsport G8 and Indylantic races. The series died at the end of 1976, and the car was unused until August 1977 when it was sold to John Pollock (Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland), who raced for Gerry Kinnane's team in Irish Formula Atlantic. Pollock raced it at Phoenix Park and Mondello Park in September 1977, but it was then sold to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin), Pollock taking O'Leary's older Brabham BT40 in part-exchange. Raced by O'Leary in the Irish series in 1978 and 1979.
  5. Chevron B29 [29-75-06-2] (Alo Lawler): New to Alo Lawler (St Helens, Merseyside) and raced in the 1975 British Formula Atlantic championship, sponsored by L&B Excavations Ltd. Also used in the Irish championship that year, and in libre racing. Retained by Lawler for 1976, when he raced it in the Shellsport G8 championship, the Irish Formula Atlantic championship, the British Indylantic championship, and in libre racing. Sold to John Eastwood and raced in the Irish Formula Atlantic series. To Joe Greenan (Belfast, Northern Ireland) for 1978, and entered by Irish Racing Cars in Irish Atlantic, then raced by Ken Fildes (Clonskeagh, Dublin) in 1979 and 1980. Sold to English wheeler dealer Bobby Howlings (Congleton, Cheshire) for 1981, and raced by Howlings in rounds of the reintroduced British Formula Atlantic championship. Sold to Stuart Harte (Littleborough, Greater Manchester) and fitted with a 2.2-litre Hart 420R engine for sprints and hillclimbs. After Harte's death, the car was retained by his family until 2011, when it was sold to Jon Waggitt. Waggitt sold it to Chris Porritt in July 2011, and he spent some years returning it to running condition. He first raced it at Laguna Seca in March 2020, then brought it back to the UK later that year.
  6. March 74B [73B-21] (Val Musetti): New to Stan Mathews (Wicken, Wolverton, Bucks) in June 1973, and raced in British Formula Atlantic. To Chris Oates (Kimberley, Notts) for 1974, but sold mid-season to Val Musetti (London). Retained by Musetti for 1975, when it was updated to 74B specification. It was also rebuilt on another tub about this time, but the details are obscure. Damaged by Derek Cook's March 73B in practice at Silverstone in July, and rebuilt in time for the race on the car's original tub - only to be crashed and damaged again in the race. At the end of 1975, Musetti built up a March "742", which could be said to have inherited the identity of 73B-21, but as the tub had been changed, the chassis plate had long gone, and its appearance and description were radically different, it could be argued that 73B-21 had dissipated by the end of 1975. The successor "742" later went to Bill Wood, then Ray Rowan, before spending much of the 1980s in Monoposto and then being rebuilt as a "712M" for historic racing in the late 1980s.
  7. Chevron B27 [27-74-16] (Mike Franey): Sold to Peter Williams (Brentwood, Essex) in June 1974 for British Formula Atlantic; and retained for the 1975 season. To Porsche racer and driving instructor Mike Franey (London) later in 1975 and raced in F/Atlantic with Samatco Ltd backing. Unknown in 1976, but in early 1977, novice racer Martin Murphy (London) won a Formule Libre race at Thruxton in the "ex-Peter Williams Coin Monthly" B27. The car remained in Franey's possession until September 1979, when it was sold to Jeremy Bouckley (Sutton Coldfield, West Midands) as a rolling chassis. Bouckley cannot recall what happened to it, but this car was reportedly owned by Phil Sharp for hillclimbs in 1984. Subsequent history unknown.
  8. Surtees TS15 [06] (Steve Carvill): New to Peter Wardle (Wimbledon, London) and raced in British Formula Atlantic in 1973, winning from pole position at one race Brands Hatch in August. Retained for 1974, again in British Formula Atlantic, and then retained for a third season in 1975. However, towards the end of 1975, Wardle was entering Steve Carvill (Wimbledon, London) in some races, and it is unclear whether the team had a second TS15 by this point, as the pair never appeared together in the same race. Wardle acquired sponsorship from Radio Luxembourg and Applied Racing Techniques for 1976, and both Wardle and Carvill appeared in Indylantic and in Shellsport G8 during that season, presumably both still in chassis 06. Wardle advertised a TS15 in 1983, with FG400 but no engine and a mountain of spares. According to researcher David McKinney, chassis 06 and chassis 07 were with Tony Collinson in 1990, and chassis 06 appears to stayed with its sister through the ownership of Gerry Wainwright, John Elliott, Mark Griffiths and Crispian Besley, who had both cars in 2010. Beesley sold chassis 06 to Dean Forward in 2019, still in unrestored component form.
  9. Modus M3 [022] (Danny Sullivan): Chassis number given in works record for new car for Brise, so presumably a replacement for 009-FA. Marcus Pye’s Modus records suggest that this was Gygax's car at the 1975 British GP support race. However, this is disproved by Adam Ferrington's observation of 020-F3 for Gygax, and so likely to be Brise's car at that race. As Brise was increasingly busy with F1 commitments, the car eventually went to David Price Racing for John Nicholson’s return to Formula Atlantic in Britain. In the interim it may be the car raced by Tim Brise at Silverstone, August 3, 1975 [the alternative is 020-F3]. The car was crashed by Nicholson at Oulton Park, October 4, 1975 and it is said to have been written off. Indeed, the gearbox [FT200-955] and some other parts of the car were built up around monocoque 054, but as this is a 1976 build, it cannot explain the identity of Nicholson’s car for the rest of the 1975 season. Since Richard Parsons is also given an outing in a works car – alongside Nicholson – at Thruxton October 12, 1975, it seems as though 022-FA survived in some form. As the works records comment that 022 was sold to the Domingo Brothers in South Africa for the 1976 season, with ‘a new 16 swg monocoque with ex-Gygax running gear’ it may be that this new tub was built not for the Domingos, but rather in October 1975 for Nicholson or Parsons. However, as Modus build numbers seem to be based upon the tub, the description of the Domingo car in 1976 as 'ex Brise' cannot be justified. In the absence of a known number for the late 1975 monocoque we have labelled it "022". In its hybrid form this is possibly the car taken to Macau GP in November 1975 by Team Harper for David Purley, though that is more likely to have been a different car, sold afterwards in the Philippines. Mike Domingo first appears with a Modus M3 at Killarney, 24 Jan 76. A/S reports of races in the South African championship later describe this car as ‘ex Brise’. There are two Moduses in the 1977 series in South Africa, and since Stopford's is known to be [024-FA], it is assumed that the car used by John Simpson was 022B-FA.
  10. Lola T360 [HU5] (Nick May): New to Nigel Clarkson (Cirencester, Gloucestershire) and raced by him and by Richard Scott (London) in British Formula Atlantic, backed by Hurford Jones Ltd. To Nick May (Sutton, Surrey) for the 1975 British series, entered as a T360B with Strakers of Wimbledon Ltd sponsorship and run by Dave Price Racing. To Brian Robinson (Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham) and fitted with a 2-litre Cosworth BDG engine for Shellsport Group 8 races in 1976. To John Brown for John Morrison (Warwick) to drive in Shellsport G8 and libre racing in 1977, then to Kevin Bowditch (Maidenhead) for a few race appearances in 1978. It was sold to Martin Mansell (Middlesex), who raced it as a Lola "FA79" with Winchmore Hill Garage sponsorship in Formula Atlantic in 1979. Mansell crashed heavily at Brands Hatch in April 1979, and did not appear again. It was next seen in 1990 when it was bought by Robert McGimpsey (Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland) from a dealer somewhere in the English midlands. It was then fitted with a 3-litre Weslake engine, and McGimpsey used it for one season in hillclimbing before the engine and chassis were sold separately. It was bought by two friends in 1993 or 1994, and in 2012 they still had it.
  11. Chevron B27 (Ronald Remeeus): From August to October 1975, Ashtune Race Hire entered a Chevron B27 in Formula Atlantic races for Dutch Formula Ford racer Ronald Remeeus. Remeeus rarely appeared, and his car has not been identified. However, the clue may be that the car's engine was identified as a Cook-built BDA, and the only other Cook BDA seen in 1975 had been in Derek Cook's Chevron B27, which had replaced with a newer car earlier in 1975. Cook returned to the B27 in early 1976, suggesting he had rented it to Ashtune Race Hire for the latter half of 1975.
  12. Brabham BT35 (David Winstanley): Mike Allen (Halifax, West Yorkshire) raced a 1.6-litre Brabham BT35 in speed events in 1974, appearing at Harewood in July 1974. This car later went to David Winstanley (Winsford, Cheshire) who first raced it an Aintree at the end of September 1975 and entered it for the Oulton Park Formula Atlantic race a week later. Nothing more known.
  13. Chevron B29 [29-75-04] (Brett Riley): New to Tom Wheatcroft in February 1975, and tested by Richard Morgan who would be driving it in British Formula Atlantic. Raced by Morgan in the early races of the season, winning one race, until crashed at Brands Hatch in April. Morgan then drove the new Wheatcroft R18, and the Chevron was sold to Brett Riley, who drove it for the rest of 1975. To Ken Bailey (Stretford, Greater Manchester) and raced in Indylantic in 1976. Stored unused during 1977 and advertised by Bailey in November. Sold to Eddie Jordan (Dundrum, County Dublin, Ireland) and used in Irish Formula Atlantic in 1978 in Marlboro livery, winning both the All-Ireland and Duckhams Formula Atlantic Championships. Raced by his teammate Vivian Candy in Ireland in 1979, then sold via Phil Bennett to David Ward (Hesketh Bank, Lancashire) for British libre racing in 1980 and 1981. With Terry Cole for Monoposto racing in 1983, then reportedly broken up for spares by Chevron Cars.
  14. Modus M3 [022] (Tim Brise): Chassis number given in works record for new car for Brise, so presumably a replacement for 009-FA. Marcus Pye’s Modus records suggest that this was Gygax's car at the 1975 British GP support race. However, this is disproved by Adam Ferrington's observation of 020-F3 for Gygax, and so likely to be Brise's car at that race. As Brise was increasingly busy with F1 commitments, the car eventually went to David Price Racing for John Nicholson’s return to Formula Atlantic in Britain. In the interim it may be the car raced by Tim Brise at Silverstone, August 3, 1975 [the alternative is 020-F3]. The car was crashed by Nicholson at Oulton Park, October 4, 1975 and it is said to have been written off. Indeed, the gearbox [FT200-955] and some other parts of the car were built up around monocoque 054, but as this is a 1976 build, it cannot explain the identity of Nicholson’s car for the rest of the 1975 season. Since Richard Parsons is also given an outing in a works car – alongside Nicholson – at Thruxton October 12, 1975, it seems as though 022-FA survived in some form. As the works records comment that 022 was sold to the Domingo Brothers in South Africa for the 1976 season, with ‘a new 16 swg monocoque with ex-Gygax running gear’ it may be that this new tub was built not for the Domingos, but rather in October 1975 for Nicholson or Parsons. However, as Modus build numbers seem to be based upon the tub, the description of the Domingo car in 1976 as 'ex Brise' cannot be justified. In the absence of a known number for the late 1975 monocoque we have labelled it "022". In its hybrid form this is possibly the car taken to Macau GP in November 1975 by Team Harper for David Purley, though that is more likely to have been a different car, sold afterwards in the Philippines. Mike Domingo first appears with a Modus M3 at Killarney, 24 Jan 76. A/S reports of races in the South African championship later describe this car as ‘ex Brise’. There are two Moduses in the 1977 series in South Africa, and since Stopford's is known to be [024-FA], it is assumed that the car used by John Simpson was 022B-FA.

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.