Brabham BT35 Formula Atlantic and Formula B car-by-car histories
Rob Turnbull in his Brabham BT35 at Prescott in 1976. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2019. Used with permission.
The Brabham BT35 was built in 1971 for Formula Atlantic, Formula B and Formula 3. It was a development of the successful BT28 and BT29 models.
As this was a multi-formula model, similar to the March 722 a year later, it is dealt with here by separating the Formula B and Formula Atlantic cars from the Formula 3 cars. Although all three models used Ford twin cam engines, and were technically very similar, there was actually very little overlap between the two groups of cars: F3 cars were not rebuilt for Formula Atlantic and vice versa. As most of these cars were built for FB in the US, where there was no F3 category, it works best to regard them as entirely separate groups. There was also a group of five BT35s built for hillclimbs; three of which were built with Ford twin cam engines and the two were built with larger capacity engines.
Mike Lawrence's book 'Brabham + Ralt + Honda: The Ron Tauranac Story' (Motor Racing Publications Ltd, 1999) lists four types of BT35: the Formula Atlantic BT35A with Ford twin cam engine, Hewland FT200 gearbox and inboard rear brakes; the Formula B/Atlantic BT35B which differed in having outboard rear brakes; the Formula 3 BT35C with smaller wheels and a Hewland Mk 8 gearbox, and the hillclimb BT35X which had a variety of engines but all had heavy-duty driveshafts, FT200 gearboxes and Formula Atlantic-size wheels. This page is therefore concerned with the BT35As and BT35Bs, even if we cannot easily tell which were the ones with inboard brakes and which had outboard, and with the three 1600cc hillclimb cars. Separate pages on the BT35C Formula 3 cars and the two larger-capacity hillclimb BT35Xs will follow in due course.
The first challenge is to work out how many were built. Lawrence's book contains a table showing 27 F3 cars built in 1971, plus 10 Formula Atlantics and 4 hillclimb cars. In another table, it shows 3 BT35As, 7 BT35Bs, 27 BT35Cs and 4 BT35Xs. The immediate problem is that these groups only add up to 41 cars, and BT35 chassis numbers are known to have gone to at least 49. If chassis 13 was not built, as seems likely, then the last chassis number should have been BT35/42. However, a chassis BT35/43 is known to have raced in England from October 1971 onwards, and it appears that a further batch of cars was built for 1972, primarily for Italian F3 customers, with chassis numbers going up to BT35/49. A letter on MRD letterheading dated 22 March 1972 states chassis numbers up to BT35/52!
Regardless of which was a BT35A and which was a BT35B, the total of ten such cars in the 1971 production does not correspond with the number of cars running in Formula Atlantic and Formula B in 1971, which appears to have been either 14 or 15. The number of observed F3 cars in 1971 is about 21 or 22, so the number of BT35As and BT35Bs appears to have been understated by about five, and the BT35Cs correspondingly overstated by about five. We then have to add the 1972 production of BT35s, one of which appears to have been a UK hillclimb car, and the others for Italian F3.
The next complexity is that the four BT35Xs may not have been in the same numbering system. Lawrence's book says that one of these was built with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC and one with a 5-litre Repco engine, which would be chassis BT35X/1 and BT35X/2 respectively, but the other two were built with Cosworth twin cam engines, just the same as the BT35As and BT35Bs. These are likely to have been Mike Hawley's BT35/35 and Bob Marsland's car, the number of which is unknown but may well be BT35/23, but that leaves a puzzle in the form of Gray and Agnes Mickel's BT35/44, which appeared at the start of 1972. This again suggests that all the cars above chassis BT35/42 were somehow omitted from published summaries. Hawley's, Marsland's and the Grays' cars are covered here.
In North America, first owners are only known for seven Formula B cars but we know BT35s were also raced in FB in 1971 by four more drivers: Steve Harris, Russ Tyndall, James Gutfreund and Mike Hall. We can expect that one of those four was driving BT35/41, the history of which is not known before 1973, but the other three of them must represent cars that are completely unknown as Formula B BT35s. That brings the total number of Formula Atlantic and FB cars in Britain and North America to 14.
Apart from the known Formula B or Formula Atlantic BT35s on this page, the 1600cc hillclimb cars, and the known Formula 3 BT35s listed elsewhere, we must assume that the other seven chassis numbers about which nothing is known were also built: BT35/11, BT35/17, BT35/24, BT35/25, BT35/27, BT35/29 and BT35/37. Four of those will be the unknown Formula B cars, and two might be the hillclimb cars known by BT35X chassis plates.
New to Nick Cook and used in the British Formula Atlantic series in 1971. Retained for early 1972, but Cook does not appear in the UK after the end of April and this is probably the car taken to the USA to use in the SCCA series in 1972. Used by Rob Turnbull in British hillclimbs in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. Sold to Andrew Fraser (Newton Abbot, Devon), and shared by him and Tim Painter in Sprints in 1977. Retained by Fraser for 1978 and 1979, and appeared at Wiscombe Park events in 1980 and 1982. Then via David McLaughlin to Keith Norman about 1984 and used by him in HSCC events in the 1980s and 1990s. To Rob Haze (Netherlands) between 1992 and 1995, and then back to Norman again. To John Dunham April 2001, then to Ben Tyler 2003, then Peter Shaw 2004, then Dr John Monson 2007. Raced by Monson in SVRA events, and in the HSCC Derek Bell Trophy in England in 2013. In February 2020, the car was with co-owner Frank Lyons in England. Raced by Lyons at Donington in April 2021.
Driven by: Nick Cook, Rob Turnbull, Andy Fraser and Tim Painter. First race: Castle Combe, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 100 recorded races.
New to Ed Reeves for British Formula Atlantic in 1971, using Wood BDA engines. Also raced by David Morgan at a couple of late season races. Retained by Reeves for Morgan to drive in 1972, and fitted with an 1860cc Wood BDA for the F2 race at Mallory Park in March 1972 which, remarkably, Morgan won. Reeves then bought a new BT38 for Morgan, and the BT35 was sold via Alan Jones to John and Chrystal Millard in Australia, who fitted a Ford twin cam for the ANF2 category, but it was four years before the car ran again. Raced by John Millard until February 1978 when an accident at Sandown Park damaged the chassis. Bought by Denis Lupton in September 1978 still in damaged state and repaired but still not assembled until bought by Bryan Miller (Kiama, NSW) in 1999. Retained by Miller until May 2014 when bought by John Hughes and shipped back to England.
Driven by: Ed Reeves, David Morgan and John Millard. First race: Castle Combe, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 25 recorded races.
New to Nick Craw, and raced initially in the British Formula Atlantic series at the start of 1971 before moving to the North American SCCA series in May. Borrowed by Alan Lader for the 1971 SCCA Runoffs. Raced by Craw at Bogotá in early 1972, then sold to Bob Schutt (Kirkwood, MO) for Midwest Division SCCA FB in 1972 and 1973. Sold to Dorsey Schroeder (Manchester, MO) and raced by him 1974, 1975 and 1976. Then to Mike Mahan in 1976 or 1977 for autocross, and next to Greg Scharnburg in 1980, also for autocross. In October 2001, it was bought from Scharnburg by Mike Winebrenner (Sellersburg, Indiana). Still owned by Mike in May 2023.
Driven by: Nick Craw, Allan Lader, Bob Schutt and Dorsey Schroeder. First race: Castle Combe, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 35 recorded races.
Kent Copeland restored Brabham BT35 in 2009. Copyright Kent Copeland 2009. Used with permission.
New to Brian Robertson (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) and raced by him in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971, entered by Fred Opert Racing. To Al Justason (Toronto, Ontario) for Canadian FB in 1972 and 1973. To Fred Beyer (Ottawa, Ontario) for the Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic series in 1974 and 1975. History then unknown until it was acquired from Bobby Brown in November 2006 by Kent Copeland (Dallas, TX). Brown is believed to have acquired it from Frank Costey in 2004. Copeland commented that it had been owned in Colorado in 1988, and its last races were believed to have been in 1986. It was red when acquired, but restored to a blue colour. Copeland died in July 2014 and, in May 2015, Todd Upp was advertising the car on behalf of his wife Holly. Sold in August 2022 to Stephen Temple (Santa Cruz, CA). Raced by Temple at Laguna Seca 6 May 2023 and Portland 23 July 2023. Still owned by Temple in March 2024.
Driven by: Brian Robertson, Al Justason and Fred Beyer. First race: Mont-Tremblant, 16 May 1971. Total of 36 recorded races.
New to Roy Folland (Montréal, Quebec) and raced in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971, prepared by mechanic Andy Aitken. Some reports suggest Folland raced an older BT29 towards the end of that season, but an article in the Montreal Gazette in late August only mentions a BT35. An annotation to the entry list for the Canadian GP support race in September identified this car as chassis BT35/18. To Bill Eagles (Lasalle, Montréal, Quebec, Canada) for the 1972 Canadian FB series, entered by Tex-Made Racing Team. Then to Scott MacKenzie for 1973, entered and supported by Bryant Cougle of Astro Sports, but crashed heavily at Edmonton in June. The chassis was too badly damaged to be repairable, and MacKenzie suffered neck injuries that brought his season to an end. The car was then used as a source of spares for the team's replacement BT35, before being sold. It was acquired by Doug DeFresne (Portland, OR) in 1979, when it still had Astro Sports bodywork with it. It was acquired by Bob Slusher (Portland, Oregon) in September 2005.
Driven by: Roy Folland, Bill Eagles and Scott MacKenzie. First race: Mont-Tremblant, 30 May 1971. Total of 20 recorded races.
New to Maurice McCaig (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), and raced in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971 and 1972. To Hugh Cree (Georgetown, Ontario) for Canadian FB in 1973, and then for Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1974. Advertised by Cree in November 1974, when it had a 1972 big valve Hart. History then unknown until it was advertised in Victory Lane August 1990 by Bill Schley (Hartland, WI), who described it as a "very original car in excellent condition" with a Hart BDA and FT200. Oddly, in the same edition of Victory Lane, Bob Hildreth and Ken Petrie from a Denver, Colorado number advertised a BT35 with the same "# 35-19" serial number, which was "original unrestored" and "in storage for 12 years".
Driven by: Bill McCaig, Maurice McCaig and Hugh Cree. First race: Mont-Tremblant, 30 May 1971. Total of 23 recorded races.
Unknown from 1971 to 1973. Bob Sunderland (Keighley, West Yorkshire) raced a Brabham BT35 in sprints and hillclimbs in 1974 that was later observed to be BT35-23. The car ran in the 1600cc class, but its engine was not identified that season. At some events, he shared it with Peter Kaye (Wetherby, West Yorkshire/Harrogate, N. Yorkshire), who had previously shared Sunderland's Lola T212 with him, and Kaye caused a shock by winning the 1600cc class in the BARC hillclimb at Cadwell Park in August. They continued to share the car in 1975, when it was entered as a BT35X and was fitted with a 1600cc Cosworth FVA. Kaye continued alone with the BT35X-FVA in 1976, and retained it for a further season in 1977, when it had been fitted with a BDA engine and was significantly more successful, winning its class regularly in the RAC British Hill Climb Championship. Subsequent history unknown but by 1991, the car was owned by John Harper, who offered it for sale in 1992 and 1993. By 1994 it was with Robert Brooks, and he sold it in 1998. To Terry Nightingale and raced in the 1600cc F2 class of HSCC racing in 1999 and 2000. History again unknown after this, but by 2019, the ex-Nightingale car was in Switzerland.
Driven by: Peter Kaye and Robert Sunderland. First race: Ingliston (R3), 28 Jul 1974. Total of 35 recorded races.
New to Mike Hansen (Belmont, CA) and Steve Marx (Fremont, CA) of Hansen-Marx Racing (or Marx-Hansen Racing) and raced by them in SCCA Regionals and Nationals predominately in southern California in 1971. Retained by the pair for 1972, and raced by Hansen in SCCA Nationals up and down the west coast, and then in Pro events later in the season. To Bill Cooper (San Jose, CA) for 1973, and used in SCCA Regionals. Retained by Cooper for 1974 and raced in SCCA Nationals. Seen less often in 1975, and advertised by Cooper with a BDA engine from September 1975 to July 1976. It is reported to have gone to Tom Smith after Cooper. It was bought from Tommy Smith in July 1978 by John Hafkenschiel and raced in Californian Formula Atlantic before selling it in the winter of 1984. In November 2016, Ron Hornig (Laramie, Wyoming) bought the car and has thoroughly restored it. Note that Hornig also has two F3 BT35s which he uses in historic racing.
Driven by: Mike Hansen, Steve Marx, Bill Cooper, Tommy Smith and John Hafkenschiel. First race: Riverside, 17 Jul 1971. Total of 36 recorded races.
Raúl Pérez Gama was one of several Mexican customers of Fred Opert racing in the early 1970s. For 1971, he had a brand new orange-and-yellow Brabham BT35 and raced as part of the Fred Opert Racing team in Pro Formula B events with entry number #66. He retained the car for the two Bogotá races in early 1972 after which BT35-32 has been identified as the car driven in SCCA events by Gordon Strom (Santa Cruz, CA or Sunnyvale, CA) in 1972 and for the following three seasons, retaining the car's original orange and yellow colours throughout. For 1976, Strom acquired a Chevron B29 and the Brabham may have been traded back to Fred Opert.
Driven by: Raúl Pérez Gama and Gordon Strom. First race: Monterrey (R2), 20 Jun 1971. Total of 21 recorded races.
Georges Legein in his Brabham BT35 at HSCC Silverstone in September 1994. Copyright Keith Lewcock 2023. Used with permission.
New to Mike Hawley (Solihull, Warwickshire) and fitted with a Hart twin cam engine for the RAC British Hill Climb Championship from August 1971 onwards. Hawley fitted a Cosworth FVA Formula 2 engine for 1972, and was a regular 1600cc class winner in the British championship that year. To Tony Harrison and fitted with a Hart BDA engine, again to 1600cc capacity. To David Render (London) for 1974, and fitted with a 1800cc BDA engine for Sprints, while also running his Brabham BT29X in the 1600cc class. Retained with a 2-litre BDA for 1975, when it became his main car, and for the early part of 1976 before Render borrowed a F1 Lotus 76 instead. It was retained to 1978 and then advertised in October 1978 by Bobby Howlings' AMCO dealership. It then went to Bob Sharrott in the West Indies, before returning via Ted Walker and Peter Watts in the late 1980s. It was with John Harper in 1991, who raced it in historic events with a BDA engine, then sold to Georges Legein (Belgium) in 1993, who converted it to F3 specification. To Jean-Luc Burlion (Belgium) in 2005, then to Cédric Cordemans (Belgium) in 2009. It reappeared when sold in 2012 by Kris Perdu (Belgium) to Kurt Vanderspinnen (Belgium), who raced it as a F3 car in Dutch Historic Monoposto Racing events in 2014 and 2016. Sold by Vanderspinnen to Michael Rasper (Cologne, Germany) in October 2021.
Driven by: Mike Hawley, Tony Harrison and David Render. First race: Bouley Bay (R6), 22 Jul 1971. Total of 63 recorded races.
New to Allan Lader in 1971 to replace the Brabham BT29 he had wrecked at Mexico City in June. Entered by Pacifico Inc. (Gresham, OR), and used by Lader to win at Road America in August and Mosport in September. Based on an annotation in a race program, this car is believed to be chassis BT35/39 (although a F3 car appeared in Germany in 1972 which is said to have the same chassis number). Presumably the Brabham BT35 entered by Pacifico for Frank Fitch at Riverside 24 Sep 1972 and, by extension, the Brabham raced by Fitch in other west coast events in 1972. Enetred by Fitch once in 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Allan Lader and Frank Fitch. First race: Edmonton (R4), 1 Aug 1971. Total of 10 recorded races.
The Brabham BT35 of John and Thomas Gloviak at Blackhawk Farms in 1974. Copyright Clark Lance 2022. Used with permission.
Unknown in 1971 and 1972. This car was logbooked by Chicago Region in March 1973, but the logbook number shows that this was not the car's first logbook, and it was originally logbooked before August 1972. Its first known race was at the St Louis Regional at Mid-America Raceway later in March 1973, but its first known results were when it was raced by David Ralston (Elmhurst, IL) in the latter part of 1973. To John Gloviak (Chicago, IL) for 1974 (raced at least three times by his brother Thomas Gloviak), and used in SCCA Nationals and some Pro events from 1974 to 1978. The Gloviaks continued to race the car up to 1982. They planned some suspension changes, but these were never made, and the car was sold to Gene Frings (Mayville, WI) who stored it for some years. Sold in 2002 to restorer David Irwin Evergreen, CO), at which time it had a BDD and FT200 gearbox. Sold to Lee Brahin (Philadelphia, PA) in 2004 or 2005, and raced in SVRA events. Still with Lee Brahin in February 2020.
Driven by: David Ralston, John Gloviak and Thomas Gloviak. First race: Mid-America Raceway, 25 Mar 1973. Total of 21 recorded races.
Wayne Wilson with his newly acquired Brabham BT35 in 2020. Copyright Wayne Wilson 2020. Used with permission.
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. Still owned by Kuchel when he sadly died in December 2019. Sold to Wayne Wilson in 2020, and still with him in May 2023.
Driven by: Bob Salisbury, Harry Gilbert, Ronnie Mackay, John Wingfield, Bobby Howlings, Tim Wood and Joe Applegarth. First race: Castle Combe (R19), 9 Oct 1971. Total of 66 recorded races.
Husband-and-wife hillclimbers Gray and Agnes Mickel (Glasgow, Scotland) bought a new Brabham BT35 for hillclimbs in 1972. It was fitted with a Hart twin-cam and first appeared at the Kinkell Braes hill climb in March 1972. Retained by the Mickels for 1973 and used in British and Scottish championship hillclimbs, acquiring a Hart BDA engine some time during that year. The car was advertised by the Mickels in November 1973 and was bought by Jim Campbell (Bothwell, Scotland) 1974 who raced it until 1978. It was then used by Chris Dowson (Pershore, Worcestershire) in hillclimbs in 1979 and 1980. Fred Edwards (Warboys, Cambridgeshire) bought it in 1985 and used it in Monoposto and HSCC events until 1991 but it was then unused until bought by David Irwin (Evergreen, Colorado) in 2001. Irwin still had it in 2004. It was restored by J&L restorations and had moved to Don Roose (Bainbridge Island, Washington) by 2005. Advertised by Roose in 2007. Sold to Allen Nicholas (California) in December 2009 and used in west coast historic events. Sold by Nicholas to Peter McLaughlin (New Hampshire) in December 2014 but not raced. Sold to David Smoker (South Australia) in April 2016.
Driven by: Agnes Mickel, Gray Mickel, Jim Campbell, Chris Dowson and Fred Edwards. First race: Kinkell (R1), 25 Mar 1972. Total of 82 recorded races.
Brabham BT35s in 1971
The 14 Formula B or Formula Atlantic BT35s in 1971, broken down by where they were at the end of the season, were:
Britain (3): BT35/6 (Nick Cook), BT35/8 (Ed Reeves), and BT35/43 (Bob Gerard)
Canada (3): BT35/10 (Brian Robertson), BT35/18 (Roy Folland), and BT35/19 (Maurice McCaig).
USA (9): BT35/9 (Nick Craw), BT35/31 (Mike Hansen), BT35/32 (Raúl Pérez Gama), BT35/39 (Allan Lader), plus the unidentified cars of Steve Harris, Russ Tyndall, Jim Gutfruend and Mike Hall, one of which is likely to be BT35/41.
Also closely related were the two 1600cc hillclimb cars that had appeared in 1971: Mike Hawley's BT35/35 and Bob Marsland's car that might turn out to be BT35/23.
New to Steve Harris (Fort Wayne, Indiana) and raced in SCCA Nationals, mainly in Central Division, in 1971. Harris's first race was very early in the Central Division season, which would suggest it was one of the earlier cars; perhaps BT35/17, BT35/18, BT35/24 or BT35/25. Unknown after 1971.
Driven by: Steve Harris. First race: Brainerd, 30 May 1971. Total of 10 recorded races.
Russ Tyndall (Addison, IL) raced a blue or blue/red Brabham BT35 in SCCA Nationals and in at least one Pro FB race in 1971. The car was entered at #7 in Nationals and at #87 in Pro races, by World Battery Racing and Tyndall Sign & Display. His last known outing was when he retired after 3 laps at MAR in September 1971. Born in Chicago in 1937, Charles "Russ" Tyndall died in December 2017. Nothing more is known of the Brabham, but it may be the one raced by Terry Allard in 1972.
Driven by: Russ Tyndall. First race: Mid-Ohio, 5 Jul 1971. Total of 3 recorded races.
A Brabham "BT35" was raced by Tom Moore (Greenfield Park, Quebec) at three events in July and August 1971, with sponsorship from Astro Shield, a new brand of car polish. He had previously driven a car called an EM Mk 1, believed to have been a Brabham of some sort, in 1969 and 1970. For the first two races of 1971, Moore was entered in the "Brabham EM-2", after which he called it a BT35. A photograph of the "BT35" taken at Mont-Tremblant on 11 July, the first race at which Moore called his car a BT35, shows it to have had BT21 bodywork and a relatively narrow rollhoop, so it was definitely not a BT35. Until we know what it was, it is covered here. Nothing more known.
New to Jim Gutfruend (Des Moines, Iowa), and raced by him in 1971 and 1972. To Joe Freeman (Boston, MA) for 1973, and raced by him for three seasons, finishing fourth in North East Division in 1974 and qualifying for the Runoffs. He planned to sell the car at the end of 1975, but in a final practice session at Lime Rock in October 1975 he hit a stalled B Production Camaro and had to be cut out of the wreck. The salvageable parts were sold to his fellow racers.
Driven by: James Gutfreund and Joseph Freeman. First race: Olathe Airfield, 25 Jul 1971. Total of 12 recorded races.
New to Michael Hall (Chicago, Illinois) for CenDiv SCCA Nationals and some local Pro FB events in 1971, acquiring the BT35 relatively late in the season after starting the year in a BT29. He retained the car for 1972, winning the CenDiv FB title. In October 1972, the "ex-Mike Hall" red BT35 was advertised by Fred Opert, noting that it had a "Rondel sports car nose". Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Mike Hall. First race: Blackhawk Farms, 25 Jul 1971. Total of 17 recorded races.
Bob Marsland (Bromsgrove, Worcestershire) acquired a Brabham BT35 for hillclimbing in 1971. He appeared in the European Hill Climb Championship round at Ollon-Villars in August 1971, but was also entered for the Formula Atlantic race at Oulton Park in September, showing that his car had a Ford twin cam engine. He appeared intermittently in 1972, when the car was said to have a BDA engine, and entered a couple of Formula 2 races in 1973, using a Hart BDA engine of unknown capacity, before winning a Belgian hillclimb at Herbeaumont and then competing in the Weston-Super-Mare Speed Trials at the end of the season. Marsland acquired a Chevron B27 for 1974, and the subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.
Driven by: Bob Marsland. First race: Ollon-Villars, 29 Aug 1971. Total of 10 recorded races.
Brabham BT35s in 1972
Of the 14 Formula B or Formula Atlantic BT35s that we know about in 1971, 12 can be tracked onwards into 1972:
Britain: BT35/6 stayed with Nick Cook, BT35/8 was retained by Ed Reeves and then sold to Australia, and BT35/43 remained with Bob Gerard's team.
Canada: Brian Robertson's BT35/10 went to Al Justason; Roy Folland's BT35/18 went to Bill Eagles; and Maurice McCaig retained BT35/19.
USA: Nick Craw's BT35/9 went to to Bob Schutt; Mike Hansen and Steve Marx retained their shared BT35/31; Raúl Pérez Gama's BT35/32 went to Gordon Strom; Allan Lader's BT35/39 is believed to have gone to Frank Fitch; and both Jim Gutfruend and Mike Hall retained their cars, leaving just two that are unknown after 1971: the cars of Steve Harris and Russ Tyndall.
Only two mystery Formula B/Atlantic BT35s appear in 1972: the car of Turner Woodard in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Terry Allard's late-season car in California. Woodard's is most likely to have been Steve Harris's car from Fort Wayne, Indiana, just 120 miles away, but could also have been Russ Tyndall's, 200 miles away in the Chicago area. Terry Allard's car must have come some distance, as the three BT35s in California in 1971, Mike Hansen's BT35/31, Gordon Strom's BT35/32 and the Pacifico BT35/39 of Frank Fitch, all appeared alongside it in Allard's debut race. The car that fits best is Russ Tyndall's, but another possibility is that Randy Lewis had brought his Formula 3 BT35C (chassis BT35/7) back home to California from England and had converted it to Formula B specification.
Of the three 1600cc hillclimb cars: Mike Hawley still had BT35/35; Bob Marsland still had his car (suspected to be BT35/23); and Gray and Agnes Mickel had BT35/44.
Turner Woodard (Indianapolis, IN) raced a Brabham BT35 in SCCA Regionals and Nationals in 1972. He was entered at #76 by Motor Sport Associates, Cicero, Indiana. He was also entered by Motor Sport Associates for a few events in 1973, but it is not known whether he turned up for any. However, he scored 15 points in CenDiv Formula B in 1973, suggesting he ran the BT35 for most of that season at least. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Turner Woodard. First race: Road America, 18 Jun 1972. Total of 6 recorded races.
Terry Allard (Newbury Park, CA) raced a Brabham BT35 in SCCA events in 1972 and 1973, first appearing in the Pro event at Riverside in September 1972. It cannot have been Mike Hansen's BT35/31 or the Pacifico BT35/32 of Frank Fitch, as both were at that same race. In early 1973, a blue/red BT35 was advertised in Finish Line from an 805 area code, which matches Allard's location, saying it had seven races from new. Both the colour and the number of races make it a very good match for the car raced by Russ Tyndall (Addison, IL) in 1971. Allard retained the car for SCCA Regionals and Nationals in 1973, when the car was blue-white and wore #70, scoring 14 points and qualifying for the Runoffs. Unknown after the end of 1973.
Driven by: Terry Allard. First race: Riverside (R8), 24 Sep 1972. Total of 5 recorded races.
Brabham BT35s in 1973
To recap where we were with the 14 Formula B or Formula Atlantic BT35s that were identified in 1971, 12 could be tracked into 1972, and two mystery cars joined them. Most of those can then be tracked further into 1973. There were also three 1600cc hillclimb cars to add to these. It makes most sense to group the cars by location:
Britain: Nick Cook's BT35/6 went to Rob Turnbull, Ed Reeves' BT35/8 had gone to Australia, and Bob Gerard's BT35/43 went to Harry Gilbert. All of the 1600cc hillclimb cars were still with their original owners, Mike Hawley still had BT35/35, Bob Marsland still had his car (suspected to be BT35/23) and Gray and Agnes Mickel still had BT35/44.
Canada: Al Justason retained BT35/10; Bill Eagles' ex-Roy Folland BT35/18 went to Scott MacKenzie; and Maurice McCaig's BT35/19 went to Hugh Cree.
USA: Bob Schutt retained BT35/9; Bill Cooper bought BT35/31; Gordon Strom retained BT35/32; Frank Fitch's ex-Allan Lader BT35/39 largely disappears but Fitch may have retained it; Jim Gutfruend's car went to Joe Freeman; and Mike Hall's car disappeared. The cars of Steve Harris and Russ Tyndall had already disappeared after 1971. Of the 1972 mystery cars, both Turner Woodard and Terry Allard retained their cars in 1973.
Australia: BT35/8 had arrived in Australia from the UK.
We have some additional information to add to the puzzle in 1973, as we know that BT35/41 was with David Ralston (Elmhurst, IL) in August 1973. This fits best if it had been the car raced by Mike Hall (Chicago, IL) in 1971 and 1972. The relatively high chassis number of BT35/41 is consistent with the relatively late first appearance of Hall (25 July 1971). Alternatively, it could have been the car of Steve Harris (Fort Wayne, Indiana) or Russ Tyndall (Addison, Illinois). Ralston's home town of Elmhurst, and Tyndall's of Addison are both, like Hall's, in the Greater Chicago area.
There are also several new mystery BT35s in 1973. The one we know most about is the car acquired by Astro Sports after Scott MacKenzie's accident in BT35/18. If, as hypothesised above, Mike Hall's had gone to David Ralston, and Steve Harris's car had gone to Turner Woodard, then perhaps Randy Lewis had brought his Formula 3 BT35/7 from England after the 1971 season and sold it to Terry Allard, that still leaves Russ Tyndall's car unaccounted for. We can now be sure that Tom Moore's car was not a BT35, so maybe Tyndall's was the car Astro Sports acquired. (Note that Moore's sponsor Astro Shield, a brand of car polish, was not connected to Bryant Cougle's Astro Sports chain of sports good shops, a name derived from the Gloucester Astros ice hockey team.) The other two new mystery BT35s in North America were both hire cars, one hired out by Fred Opert in March and July, and one hired out by Pierre Phillips in Portland in May. Opert's could have been BT35/41 before it went to Ralston in August 1973, and Phillips' could have been the Fitch BT35/39. Note that the BDA-powered "BT35" raced by Mike Gill at Bushy Park in Barbados in February 1973 was the ex-Jimmy Fuller Brabham BT28.
Fred Opert Racing ran a Brabham BT35 hire car on a couple of occasions during 1973: for Ernesto Soto at Caracas in March 1973, and for Bertil Roos at Mosport Park in July 1973. A picture of Soto with the car shows that it was red, with yellow wings, Marlboro decals, and wearing Soto's usual #81. Nothing more is known of this car.
Driven by: Ernesto Soto and Bertil Roos. First race: Autodromo de San Carlo, Caracas, 18 Mar 1973. Total of 2 recorded races.
Pierre Phillips's Pierre's Auto Racing (Portland, OR) rented a Brabham BT35 to Cam McKenzie (Squamish, British Columbia) for the opening round of the Players Canadian Formula B series at Westwood in May 1973. McKenzie reported to the press that the car was a pig, and did not reappear with it. Given the location, the the ex-Allan Lader/Frank Fitch BT35/39 would be the most likely car. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Cam McKenzie. First race: Westwood (R1), 27 May 1973. Only one recorded race.
The Astro Sports Brabham BT35 photographed in Ontario regional racing in 1974. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Bryant Cougle, an Ottawa sports team owner, owned a Brabham BT35 to be driven by Scott MacKenzie in the 1973 Canadian FB series, entered by Cougle's Astro Sports. MacKenzie crashed the car, believed to be BT35/18, at its second race and both driver and car were unable to continue the season. Cougle owned a second BT35, and this was raced by Ric Forest as an Astro Sports entry at Mosport Park in July. Bertil Roos then drove it at Debert, then Forest returned to the seat for Gimli, winning the race. Forest also drove it at Mosport Park and Trois-Rivières, and in between these races, it was driven by Dave McMillan in two SCCA Pro FB races at Road America and Watkins Glen. Astro Sports did not return to competition in 1974, and Cougle filed for bankrupcy in January 1975. The subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.
Driven by: Ric Forest, Bertil Roos and Dave McMillan. First race: Mosport Park (R4), 2 Jul 1973. Total of 7 recorded races.
Brabham BT35s from 1974 onwards
In Britain, Rob Turnbull was still a regular class winner using BT35/6 in Sprints, and John Wingfield was giving BT35/43 a second lease of life by fitting a Cosworth FVC engine for libre racing. Two of the 1600cc hillclimb-spec BT35s were still going strong, as David Render was also a regular winner in Sprints in BT35/35 and Jim Campbell was using BT35/44 in Scottish speed events, but Bob Marsland had replaced his BT35 with a new Chevron B27.
Three more cars appeared this season: Robert Sunderland had BT35/23 which he shared with Peter Kaye in hillclimbs, Mike Allen in West Yorkshire had a car in hillclimbs and Terry Drury in the south of Ireland used a Brabham in Formula Atlantic. It was previously believed that the Sunderland/Kaye car was the ex-Nick Williamson/Iain McLaren BT35X/1, but the original evidence for that cannot be found, and it may have been supposition. It now seems quite plausible that Sunderland had acquired the ex-Marsland car. The Mike Allen and Terry Drury cars may have been older Brabhams updated to BT35 specification or could be ex-Formula 3 BT35s. By 1974, the two remaining F3-spec BT35s in the UK, BT35/1 (last seen with MRE in 1972) and BT35/4 (last seen with Andy McGregor in 1973), had both vanished.
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.
Driven by: Mike Allen and David Winstanley. First race: Baitings Dam, 12 May 1974. Total of 2 recorded races.
Terry Drury (Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland) ran a Brabham BT35 in Irish Formula Atlantic in 1974, racing at Mondello Park and Phoenix Park, and also appearing on the entry list for races at Kirkistown. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Tom Drury. First race: Mondello Park, 14 Jul 1974. Total of 3 recorded races.
In addition to the above, unknown Brabham BT35s were driven by Bob Snelson and Simon Clark.
In addition to the above, unknown Brabham BT35s were driven by John Montano and Alain d'Avanzo.
Acknowledgements
I have been researching the Brabham BT35s for so long, it's going to be impossible to acknowledge all the sources and all the other researchers who have made it possible to get this far. I met Ted Walker of the Brabham Register in 1985, and we were certainly swapping notes about these cars in the late 1980s. My correspondence with Bryan Miller and Denis Lupton in Australia also dates back to the 1980s, and I cannot remember exactly when I first met the late David McKinney, another greatly valued early source of information. Chris Townsend, soon to take on the role of OldRacingCars.com's Junior Formulae Editor, applied his expertise to this subject from 2002 onwards, and a thriving discussion grew up on the 10 Tenths forum between 2003 and 2008, where Andrew Fellowes took a leading role on the BT30s, BT36s and BT35s alongside Chris, Ted, Bryan, David, Jeremy Jackson, Steve Wilkinson, Philippe Demeyer, Bob Slusher, Andrew Thorpe and a host of others. In the 15 years between that forum winding down and this page finally being published, most of the above names have continued efforts to make sense of the data. My thanks to all the many owners and other contributors who have added to our knowledge of this subject over this period.
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