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Hitachi Formula Atlantic Series Race

Brands Hatch, 29 Apr 1979

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Ray Mallock Ralt RT1/77 [66] - Ford BDA Swindon
#1 Mario Deliotti Racing (see note 1)
25 36m 35.1s
107.16 mph
2 Jim Crawford Chevron B45 [45-78-04] - Ford BDA Hart
#4 (see note 2)
25
3 Phil Dowsett March 782 [6] - Ford BDA Racing Fabrications
#21 Wilding Office Equipment/Glaister Card Shops
(see note 3)
25
4 Paul Smith March 782 [2(B)] - Ford BDA Hart
#2 Birmingham Motor Tyres (BMTR) Ltd
(see note 4)
25
5 Emilio de Villota Lyncar FA79 [010] - Ford BDA Swindon
#9 Lyncar Engineering
25
6 Andrew Jeffrey Chevron B49 [49-79-01] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#8 Hope Scott Garage (see note 5)
25
7 John Bright Wheatcroft R18 [006] - Ford BDA
(see note 6)
25
8 Martin Mansell Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDA
#19 Winchmore Hill Garage (see note 7)
Accident
9 Geoff Byman March 75B [742] - Ford BDD Cosworth
#26 (see note 8)

R Rick Gorne Argo JM1X [018-F3] - Ford BDA Hart
#3 Barratt Developments Racing with Anglia Cars
Engine
UNK Daniel Lebacq Lebacq FA [BM73-015] - Ford BDA Cosworth
#10

DNS Alo Lawler Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith
#6 L&B Excavations Racing
Did not start
(Accident)
DNS Dave Rackham Druid 79A [377-01] - Ford BDA Andreason
#14 Andreasson Racing and Tuning
Did not start
(Accident)
DNS John Stokes Chevron B42 [42-78-02] - Ford BDA
#38 BRMB Radio Racing with Spitfire
Did not start

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

Qualifying
1 Paul Smith (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 782 [2(B)] - Ford BDA Hart
2 Jim Crawford (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B45 [45-78-04] - Ford BDA Hart
3 Ray Mallock (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [66] - Ford BDA Swindon
4 Andrew Jeffrey (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B49 [49-79-01] - Ford BDA Nicholson
5 Phil Dowsett (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 782 [6] - Ford BDA Racing Fabrications
6 Rick Gorne (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Argo JM1X [018-F3] - Ford BDA Hart
7 John Bright (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Wheatcroft R18 [006] - Ford BDA
8 Dave Rackham * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Druid 79A [377-01] - Ford BDA Andreason
9 Alo Lawler * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith
10 Martin Mansell (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDA
11 Geoff Byman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B [742] - Ford BDD Cosworth
12 Emilio de Villota (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lyncar FA79 [010] - Ford BDA Swindon
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Ralt RT1/77 [66] (Ray Mallock): New to Giancarlo Minardi's Scuderia Everest F2 team and fitted with a Ferrari Dino 206 V6 engine for Lamberto Leoni and later Elio de Angelis to drive in F2 in 1977. Unknown in 1978. To Ray Mallock (Roade, Northamptonshire) for British Formula Atlantic in 1979, run for him by Mario Deliotti Racing and later by Cliff Smith Racing. To Alo Lawler (St Helens, Lancashire) for British Formula Atlantic in 1980. Lawler won the Phoenix Park Irish Formula Atlantic race in August, and sold the car in Ireland to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin). Raced by O'Leary in the Irish Formula Atlantic series from 1980 to 1983. Subsequent history unknown.
  2. Chevron B45 [45-78-04] (Jim Crawford): New to Fred Opert Racing for North American Formula Atlantic as a second car. Used as a spare by Keke Rosberg and as his race car at Lime Rock. Also raced by Eje Elgh and by Arturo Merzario at Trois-Rivières. Raced by Rosberg at Macau in November 1978. Advertised by Opert from ATS Engineering, where he had moved to become team manager, in March 1979 as a lightweight B45 with 1979 rear suspension and F2 fuel tanks. Then sold to Mike Peers and entered in the revived British series for Jim Crawford in 1979, winning five races and finishing second in the championship. Fitted with a BDX engine for 1980 and run by Plygrange Racing for Crawford in the F2 class of the Aurora series. Stayed with Plygrange for 1981 when raced by Vin Malkie (Northwich, Cheshire) in libre racing. Reappeared in 1983 when raced by Duncan Gray in the British Formula Atlantic series. It was entered by Peers himself in libre in 1984. Then to Steve Raine for Sprints, co-driven by Robin Boucher, and then hired to Bob Fearnley's RK Racing for Tiff Needell to drive in a pair of races in India in early 1985. Then reportedly to Stuart Ridge for 1986. To John Lloyd then to Simon Hadfield (Shepshed, Leicestershire) but damaged in an accident at Mallory Park. Restored with original Excita condoms bodywork and sold in 1998 to Jeff Wright, a Scotsman then living in Canada. Still with Wright (Wilmington, NC) in 2014 and raced regularly in vintage racing. By 2019, the car had moved to Scotland and was owned by George Coghill (Halkirk, Highland) and was prepared by Steve Worrad (Whitchurch, Shropshire) for sprints.
  3. March 782 [6] (Phil Dowsett): Alex Ribeiro's Hart-engined car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. Hired by Wolfgang Locher for Hockenheim 26 Sep. To Phil Dowsett (Maldon, Essex) for British Formula Atlantic in 1979, converted to 79B specification and supported by Pinch Plant and Martin the Newsagent. Retained by Dowsett for 1980, then unraced in 1981. Advertised by Dowsett as a 782/79B in September 1981. To Dave Hoban (Horncastle, Lincolnshire) for libre racing and British Formula Atlantic in 1982, then retained for libre racing in 1983 and in 1984.
  4. March 782 [2(B)] (Paul Smith): After Paul Smith wrecked his ex-Toleman March 782-2 at Mallory Park in March 1979, he built up a new car using a tub fabricated by Mo Gomm. As the "782-2" plate remained on the original tub, and this was later repaired, this Gomm-built car is regarded here as a new car 'PS1'. The new 'PS1' was used by Smith in Formula Atlantic and F2 in 1979 and 1980. It was sold together with the remains of 782-2 to Bernard Tilanus "in the autumn of 1981" and shipped to South Africa. Tilanus converted 'PS1' to use Sigma Mazda engines and raced it in early 1982. It was sold in March or April 1982 to Hekro for Ian Scheckter to race, but he did not like the car, and it was taken over by his Hekro teammate Peter Haller. At some point in 1983, probably at Kyalami on 30 April 1983 where Haller retired, 'PS1' was damaged. It is believed that the unrepaired tub ended up with Keith Horwood. It passed via Ivan Glasby to a hotel owned by one of the Toleman brothers in the Eastern Transvaal, where it was hung on the wall of the bar. The tub was thrown away around 2005, when the hotel changed hands.
  5. Chevron B49 [49-79-01] (Andrew Jeffrey): New to Andrew Jeffrey (Currie, Edinburgh, Scotland) and raced in the 1979 British Formula Atlantic series until crashed in July and rebuilt on a new chassis. Sold to Tom O'Leary (Dalkey, County Dublin) for 1980 and raced in Irish Formula Atlantic. Then to Ken Fildes (Clonskeagh, Dublin) and raced by him in Formula Atlantic and in hillclimbs in 1981. Traded for a boat at the end of 1981, and then unknown until next seen when raced by Peter Oxley at Mallory Park in July 1984. From Oxley to John Chatley in late 1985 or early 1986 and used in hillclimbs in 1986 and 1987. Sold in 1988 to someone with a business called "childminders of canada". Next seen in 1990, when it had been acquired by Paul Rendle, and was prepared for him by David Keer, the pair appearing together in it at a Curburough test day in March 1991. Rendle sold it to Roger Kilty, who co-drove the car with John Roberts in 1993. From Kilty, it was sold via Martin Middleton to Alistair Mackilop in Scotland, who raced it from c1995 to c2015. It had been sold to Steve Worrad (Whitchurch, Shropshire) by 2017, and was being prepared for historic racing. Raced by Worrad in HSCC events until it was badly damaged in an accident at Anglesey in July 2019.
  6. Wheatcroft R18 [006] (John Bright): Chassis 006 is believed to be the identity of the rebuilt car raced by John Bright (Leicester) in British Formula 3 following his massive accident at Cadwell Park in July 1977. Bright first drove the "rebuilt" car at Donington Park on the last day of July, and continued with it to the end of that season. He raced it again in 1978, but again crashed, at Brands Hatch in July, and this time the car did not reappear. Bright sold the R18 to Rhoddy Harvey-Bailey (Hilton, Derbyshire) and John Colley for 1979, and as part of the deal Bright rebuilt it to Formula Atlantic specification. It was raced by Harvey-Bailey, Colley and Ian Shaw, using Alan Smith BDA engines. It was also raced on one occasion by John Bright. It was advertised by Roger Cowman in September 1979 as "hardly used". Colley sold it to hillclimber Richard Barnes (Lichfield, Staffordshire), who fitted an 1100cc Cosworth BDJ and hillclimbed it for a while. He has retained the car in his collection since then.
  7. Lola T360 [HU5] (Martin Mansell): 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.
  8. March 75B [742] (Geoff Byman): Paul Brooks (Selby, North Yorkshire) drove a March 742 in libre races at Croft in 1977 and 1978. Its engine was described as a 1600cc Swindon BDA in its first race, but later as a 2-litre Swindon BDX. It was sold to Geoff Byman (Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire), who raced it in the revised British Formula Atlantic series in 1979, describing it as a March 75B. There are no confirmed appearances of Byman with the car after Mallory Park in July 1979, but entries continued until April 1980. Byman reappeared later in 1980 with the Lola T760 previously raced by Alo Lawler. The subsequent history of the March 742/75B is 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.

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.