OldRacingCars.com

Aurora AFX British F1 Championship Round

Brands Hatch, 26 Aug 1979

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Ricardo Zunino Arrows A1 [4] - Cosworth DFV V8
#17 Charles Clowes Racing
40 54m 34.27s
114.194 mph
2 Guy Edwards Fittipaldi F5A [3] - Cosworth DFV V8
#4 RAM Racing
40 54m 35.37s
3 David Kennedy Wolf [WR6] - Cosworth DFV V8
#11 Theodore Racing
40 54m 36.79s
4 Bernard de Dryver Fittipaldi F5A [2] - Cosworth DFV V8
#5 RAM Racing
40 55m 02.62s
5 Neil Bettridge Tyrrell 008 [5] - Cosworth DFV V8
#2 Melchester Racing
40 55m 12.12s
6 Gordon Smiley Surtees TS20 [03] - Cosworth DFV V8
#22 Team Surtees
40 55m 24.62s
7 Desiré Wilson Tyrrell 008 [3] - Cosworth DFV V8
#1 Melchester Racing
40 55m 27.89s
8 Robin Smith Surtees TS19 [04] - Cosworth DFV V8
#33 Smith & Jones (see note 1)
39
9 Brian Robinson (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-17] - Hart 420R
#19 A. G. Dean (Racing)
38
R Val Musetti Wolf [WR4] - Cosworth DFV V8
#7 Theodore Racing
34 Running, not classified
R Emilio de Villota Lotus 78 [1 JPS15] - Cosworth DFV V8
#3 Madom F1 Team
28 Engine
R Norman Dickson (F2) 2-litre March 792 [20] - Hart 420R
#30 Dicksons of Perth (see note 2)
28 Accident
R Kim Mather (F2) 2-litre March 792 [18] - BMW M12/7
(see note 3)
27
R Giacomo Agostini Williams FW06 [001] - Cosworth DFV V8
#9 Team Agostini
24 Fuel pump
R Marco Micangeli Williams FW06 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8
#10 Team Agostini
12 Accident
R David Purley Lec CRP1 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8
#27 Lec Refrigeration Racing
9 Clutch
R Hervé Regout (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-09] - Hart 420R
#25 RAM Racing
5 Engine
R David Leslie Chevron B41 [41-79-01] - Cosworth DFV V8
#6 Graham Eden Racing
4 Accident
DNS Rupert Keegan Arrows A1 [2] - Cosworth DFV V8
#16 Charles Clowes Racing
Did not start
(DNS: CV joint)
T Guy Edwards Fittipaldi F5A [4] - Cosworth DFV V8
RAM Racing
(Only used in practice)
T/C Gordon Smiley Surtees TS20+ [02] - Cosworth DFV V8
(Crashed in practice)
T/S   Arrows A1 [3] - Cosworth DFV V8
(Spare - not used in practice)

All cars are 3-litre F1 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Rupert Keegan * (F1) 3-litre Arrows A1 [2] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:19.53
2 Guy Edwards (F1) 3-litre Fittipaldi F5A [3] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:19.88
3 David Kennedy (F1) 3-litre Wolf [WR6] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:20.23
4 Ricardo Zunino (F1) 3-litre Arrows A1 [4] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:20.42
5 Emilio de Villota (F1) 3-litre Lotus 78 [1 JPS15] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:20.80
6 Bernard de Dryver (F1) 3-litre Fittipaldi F5A [2] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:21.62
7 Neil Bettridge (F1) 3-litre Tyrrell 008 [5] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:21.79
8 Norman Dickson (F2) 2-litre March 792 [20] - Hart 420R 1:21.83
9 Giacomo Agostini (F1) 3-litre Williams FW06 [001] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:22.07
10 Kim Mather (F2) 2-litre March 792 [18] - BMW M12/7 1:22.21
11 Desiré Wilson (F1) 3-litre Tyrrell 008 [3] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:22.40
12 Gordon Smiley (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS20 [03] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:22.89
13 Val Musetti (F1) 3-litre Wolf [WR4] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:23.15
14 David Purley (F1) 3-litre Lec CRP1 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:23.25
15 David Leslie (F1) 3-litre Chevron B41 [41-79-01] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:24.32
16 Hervé Regout (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-09] - Hart 420R 1:24.89
17 Marco Micangeli (F1) 3-litre Williams FW06 [002] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:25.13
18 Robin Smith (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS19 [04] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:25.65
19 Brian Robinson (F2) 2-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-17] - Hart 420R 1:26.29
- Gordon Smiley(T) (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS20+ [02] - Cosworth DFV V8 1:21.75
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Surtees TS19 [04] (Robin Smith): Alan Jones received a new car, Surtees TS19/04, in time for the 1976 Austrian GP, and raced this for the rest of the season. It was raced by Vittorio Brambilla in the South American races at the start of 1977, before being sold to Olympus Cameras for Divina Galica to race in Shellsport Group 8. It was acquired by Alo Lawler in 1978, but was quickly sold to John Cooper, then to Robin Smith. Smith updated it to "TS20S" specification in 1980, and added sports car bodywork for a couple of Can-Am events in 1981. It was sold to Ken Moore and then Rod Tolhurst, both of whom ran it in HSCC F1 in 1983 for Willie Green and John Narcisi. Its next seven owners did not race it, but it returned to competition in TGP in 1999, then raced regularly until 2012. It returned for Monaco in 2016.
  2. March 792 [20] (Norman Dickson): New to Norman Dickson (Perth, Scotland) and raced in the F2 section of the 1979 British F1 series, prepared by Colin Bennett. Due to be raced by Angelo Piccione at the Misano in August but he was too slow in testing. Sold to Paul Gibson in October 1979 and used mainly in libre racing at Croft but also appeared in rounds of the British series at Thruxton and Monza. Sold to Bob Leckie (Aberdeen, Scotland) for libre racing in 1981 but sold on in mid-season to John Bothamley who used it in the last few races of the Ingliston season. Taken to John Maguire in Coventry that winter who used the engine, gearbox, suspension, uprights, brakes and other components in the construction of a GT car for 1982, with Maguire's space frame chassis and Lotus Esprit bodywork. The tub, nose, rear wing, sidepods and rear bodywork were returned to Scotland and sold to Norrie Galbraith who planned to fit the running gear off his March 782 and put it in the 792 tub. Unfortunately Galbraith was killed in the 782 just weeks later. The 782 tub was scrapped but 792 tub and the remains of the 782 were sold to Bobby Howlings who eventually sold them to Willy Widar in Belgium. The 782 parts and 792 tub were evidently then built into a car which took the identity of 782-26. With its components scattered, the 792 has effectively ceased to exist.
  3. March 792 [18] (Kim Mather): New for Marc Surer to drive in F2 in 1979, as part of the Polifac BMW Junior Team. Presumably the same car used all season. Raced by Kim Mather in an Aurora race at Brands Hatch after the end of the F2 season.

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.

These results were compiled primarily from the race reports in Autosport during the season, with some additional information from the results section of Autocourse, and some details compiled by Jeremy Jackson from a variety of sources, including Autosport, Motoring News and the Formula One Register books. All the chassis identities were taken from research elsewhere on this site.

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.