British Formula Atlantic Championship Race

Brands Hatch, 25 May 1981

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 792 [31] (Kim Mather): New to John Cooper to drive in the Aurora AFX series in 1979, using Hart engines. Also raced by Eddie Jordan in the Donington Park F2 race in August. Not seen in 1980, but reappeared in 1981 when it was used by Kim Mather in F2 and Formula Atlantic. Also driven by Jim Evans that year in libre racing. To John Travis for libre in 1982.
2. Ralt RT1/77 [71?] (Mike Catlow): Mike Catlow (Dulwich, London/Charing, Kent) drove a Ralt RT1 in British Formula Atlantic from 1980 to 1983. The car was later acquired by Jackie Harris for hillclimbs in Ireland, at first with a 1600cc BDA engine in 1986 and later with a 2-litre BDG from 1987 to 1990. It then went to Andy Kittle, who ran it in hillclimbs around 1993. In 1996 he sold it via Simon Hadfield to Tom Calicchio (Erie, PA). Subsequent history unknown.
3. March 81A [15] (Phil Dowsett): New to Phil Dowsett (Chelmsford, Essex) and raced in the British Formula Atlantic championshipmin 1981, with sponsorship from Pinch Plant and Industrial Control Services. Dowsett won two races and finished third in the championship. Sold to Theodore Racing and raced by Vern Schuppan at the Macau GP in November. Then sold to Graham Brown in Western Australia in April 1982 and raced in Australian Formula Pacific. To Michael Moylan in March 1985, then to Jeremy Kenyon (NSW) in January 1991. Sold to Clive Osborne (NSW) in August 1996 and raced by him in 2000, then to Robert Foster (NSW) by 2007 and raced by him from 2007 to 2019. To Barry Wise (QLD) in 2020, and raced by him in 2021 and 2022.
4. Argo JM9 [057-FA] (Colin Lees): New to Colin Lees (Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) and raced in the British Formula Atlantic series, run by Ivor Goodwin's Goodwin Racing with backing from Carcover. After Lees left the team, it was raced later in the season by Desiré Wilson and John Lewis. It was next seen in sprints and hillclimbs, driven by Neil White in 1987 and 1988, when it used a 2-litre BD-series engine. Then to Barry Goode (Malvern, Worcestershire) for 1989 and 1990, and sold by him to Simon Frost (Brechin), who raced it in 1994 and 1995 with a Vauxhall engine and with the sidepods removed. Then run by Mick Lancashire (Jersey) between 1996 and 1998 in the 1600cc class. Then hillclimbed by Laurie Ritchie (Studley, Warwickshire) between 2000 and 2013 using a QED-built 2-litre Vauxhall engine. Advertised by Ritchie in December 2013 and January 2014.
5. Ralt RT1/75 [9] (Richard Hawkins): New to Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing Team and fitted with a Hart 420R for Vern Schuppan to race at the JAF Grand Prix in November 1975. Then converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the Macau Grand Prix but vital parts did not arrive in time for Schuppan to use it. It was next raced at the Macau GP a year later, when Schuppan won the race. Yip himself drove it at the Malaysia Grand Prix meeting in April 1977, but did not start the race. It was then driven by Alan Jones at Macau in November 1977 but he retired. After that, it sat idle for nearly two years until it was taken to Ireland for the Phoenix Park Formula Atlantic race in September 1979, where it won in the hands of David Kennedy. It then returned to Macau for the 1979 race, when Geoff Lees took over the drive and won. Lees took the Ralt to its third Macau GP victory in 1980, in only its sixth known race start. It was then sold to Richard Hawkins, who drove it in the British Formula Atlantic championship in 1981. He sold it to dealer Roger Cowman who ran it for Vivian Candy at Phoenix Park in August and at Mondello Park in September. It stayed in Ireland and in late 1983 was sold by Jim Flynn to Tony Skinner.
6. Lola T760 [HU1] (Geoff Byman): New to Alo Lawler (Newton le Willows, Lancashire) for the 1979 British Formula Atlantic series, using Alan Smith engines and sponsored by L&B Excavations Racing. Lawler won the opening round at Mallory Park in the rain, but at other races the car proved uncompetitive. Sold to Geoff Byman (Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) late 1980 and used in Formula Atlantic in 1980 and 1981, and also in The Donington Open series and other Formula Libre. Retained for Formula Atlantic and Formula Libre in 1982 and 1983. Following the cancellation of British Formula Atlantic, the car was taken out to India and was raced by Jim Crawford there in 1986. It was then owned and raced by Harish Samtani in India from 1987 to 1989. It returned to the UK in early 1989 and was used by John Russell and John Malley in sprints and hillclimbs. Jeremy Bouckley then used it in hillclimbs in 1991. Its history is then unknown until 2006, when it was bought by Dermot Healy for a customer. It then passed to Martin Walker (Notts) later in 2006. It was with Peter Hiscocks by 2009, and then with Martyn Donn by 2012, who used it in HSCC and other historic events until 2017. It was then sold to George Coghill (Halkirk) who used it in historic hillclimbs in 2018 and 2019. It was offered for sale by Steve Worrad in May 2020, and sold to Lothar Oberlaber (Austria). He restored the car in 2022 and has used it in Histo Cup events.
7. March 78B [782-14] (Charlie Kirby): Eddie Cheever's car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. To Dick Bennetts Racing and converted to Formula Atlantic for Eje Elgh to race in New Zealand in January 1979. Then to Charlie Kirby as a 78B and raced in Atlantic from 1979 to 1981. Offered for sale in On Track in 1981 by Kirby's Transatlantic Racing Services (Norcross, GA). Next seen with Andy Falbo (Detroit, MI) who raced it in US Formula Atlantic in 1983, and again in 1986 and 1988. Retained by Falbo and still owned by him in 2015.

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.