Gran Premio de Barcelona

Montjuich Park, 9 Apr 1967

All cars are 1.6-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Lotus 48 [R3?] (Jim Clark): Entered by Lotus Components Ltd for Jackie Oliver at the opening race of the 1967 season, and then taken over by Jim Clark for Pau, Montjuich Park and Nürburgring, qualifying on pole position each time and winning at Montjuich. Clark generally preferred chassis R1 thereafter, and R3 was raced by Pedro Rodriguez at Reims, Moises Solana at Jarama, and then by Oliver again at the Nürburgring in August, at Brands Hatch and at Vallelunga in October. The car was damaged at Vallelunga but not badly, and why it was not seen again is unclear. It has been suggested that the car was rebuilt on a longer monocoque over the winter to become chassis R4.
2. Brabham BT23 [5] (Jochen Rindt): Roy Winkelmann Racing for Jochen Rindt in F2 in 1967, winning nine races that season. Also for Gijs van Lennep as a Roy Winkelmann Racing Team Holland entry at Zandvoort that July. Then used by Denny Hulme for the 1968 Tasman series but crashed at Pukekohe. Feo Stanton and Alex Mildren bought the wreck which went, less suspension, to Bob Britton in Australia who used it to make a jig for a 'Rorstan' for Stanton, a 'Mildren' for Alex Mildren and his own series of Rennmax BN3 cars. The BT23 frame later passed to Graham Hepburn and then to Denis Lupton (Melbourne) 1981 who also bought the suspension, by then with Les Sargent. Sold to George Goodare (Sydney, NSW) 1983 - Jean-Marie Muller (France) 2008 . Involved in an accident at Reims in 2010 and reported to be damaged by fire. Subsequent history unknown.
3. Brabham BT23 [2] (Denis Hulme): Motor Racing Developments entry for Denny Hulme in 1967 and probably the car used by Jack Brabham for a few races in July and August after his usual car was sold to Mick Mooney. Then raced by Frank Gardner in September. It was then taken to the Tasman series for Denny Hulme to drive after he had wrecked BT23-5 at Pukekohe. The BT23 was then advertised by Frank Williams in early April and sold by him to Ernesto 'Tino' Brambilla in Italy. Brambilla raced it as a Scuderia Picchio Rosso entry at Tulln-Langenlebarn in July 1968, but was then recruited by Ferrari to drive the F2 Dino 166, and his BT23 was only seen once more that season, when driven by Enzo Corti at Vallelunga in October. Corti drove the car for Scuderia Picchio Rosso right through the 1969 season, and it was then raced a few times in early 1970 by Vittorio Brambilla, Tino's younger brother. In 1970, the car had BT30 sidepods and wings. Its last appearance was in July 1970, after which the brothers bought new Brabham BT30s. The next steps in the car's life remains unclear, but it is said to have been acquired by Antonio Bernardo (Lugano, Switzerland) some time in the early 1970s. An original claim that Bernardo acquired it directly from the Winkelmann Racing at the end of the 1967 season appears to have been a misunderstanding. He stored it unused "for over 30 years". It was bought from Bernardo in 2006, and restored between 2006 and 2010. Paint layers on the bodywork match the colours used by MRD and Corti, and the double-rollhoop also matches Corti's car, but some questions remain unanswered about this car as of February 2023.
4. Brabham BT23 [4] (Alan Rees): Roy Winkelmann Racing for Alan Rees in F2 1967. To Walter Habegger (Oberönz, Switzerland) 1968 for Swiss championship events. To Gérard Pillon (Geneva, Switzerland) 1969 and used in Swiss national events and French hillclimbs. (Although one source gives this as the car of Enzo Corti at Rheims and Albi in 1969, that identification looks highly doubtful.) Crashed at Côte de la Faucille on 7 September and not seen again. In 2009, Walter Habegger recalled that Pillon had an accident in the car and that it was badly damaged.
5. Brabham BT23 [1] (Jack Brabham): Entered by Motor Racing Developments for Jack Brabham in F2 in 1967 until crashed at Rouen in July. Repaired and sold to Mick Mooney's Irish Racing Cars in July, fitted with a 1600cc Ford twin cam and raced by Tommy Reid (Tandragee, County Armagh, Northern Ireland) in Irish 1600cc Formula events for the rest of 1967 and through 1968. Refitted with a Cosworth FVA for 1969 and dominated the Irish season. To Walter Kinnear (Gilford, County Down, Northern Ireland) with twin cam power for 1970 but crashed heavily at Mondello Park in August. Rebuilt on a new BT23C frame and raced in 1971 and 1972 by Nelson Todd (Lisburn, Northern Ireland). To Maurice Stirling (Crumlin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) for 1973 and converted to Irish Clubmans for 1974. Advertised from a Ballymoney, County Antrim telephone number in 1979 but then unknown until for sale by Northdown Racing (Ripley, Surrey) in 1982. Then to Bob Wilson (Glasgow) and sold via dealer Jon Bradburn to Andrew Fellowes in late 1984. To Joe Fairley (Belfast, N. Ireland) 1986. To John Moulds (Alderley Edge, Cheshire) 1997. Sold to Steve Padgett (Australia) 2013.
6. Brabham BT16 [F2-23-65] (Brian Redman): The F1 Register show this car as being entered by Bob Anderson's DW Racing Enterprises for Anderson at Brands Hatch in August 1965 and at Oulton Park three weeks later but it may have been part of the Lythgoe operation. Lythgoe then enters this car for John Taylor and then Mike Beckwith in F2 in 1966. According to a profile of Rob Leeson in CT&T Feb 1969, this car was bought late in 1965 by Lythgoe, was used in libre with a 1.4-litre version of a SCA in 1966, went to David Bridges for 1967 and then to Leeson for 1968. The chassis number is derived from comparing that history with F1R F2 records. Its exact racing history in 1966 libre is hard to determine due to fluctuating descriptions but it seems to have been Rollinson's libre car from August until the end of the year with a F3 car travelling as backup. A profile of Rollinson in Autosport 6 Jun 1969 p19 gives more detail on the car and on other Lythgoe entries. MN reports that David Bridges borrowed the BT16-SCB for Brian Redman to race in early 1967 F2 rounds. Leeson took the BT16 back to his native Canada where he won the 1968 championship. Despite reports that it had gone to Bob Constabaris (West Vancouver, BC), Leeson sold it to Pierce Isaacs for 1970 and 1971. Later sold to Kevin Skinner (Langley, WA), by which time it has BT21 rear suspension, and raced by him with a Ford twin cam engine in FB. Sold by Skinner to Simon Gardner (Burnaby, BC, Canada) in July 1978, and raced in ICSCC events. Then sold in November 1979 to Jerry Ives, who used it for racing school in Canada. Sold by Ives to Bob Micheletti in February 1985 and rebuilt for history racing. To Christopher Leggett at the start of 1988, then later to David Long. Then unknown until 2017, when it was owned by Steve Davis.
7. Brabham BT18 [BT16 F2-33-65] (Bruno Frey): New to Walter Habegger (Oberönz, Switzerland) in March 1966, fitted with a 1600cc Lotus-Ford twin cam and entered by Midland Racing Team for Habegger in Swiss national events. To Bruno Frey (Horw, Switzerland) for 1967 and raced in Swiss events plus selected Formula 2 races, still as part of Midland Racing Team. To Paul Blum (Frick, Switzerland) for 1968, and again used in Swiss national events and run for him by Midland Racing Team. To Kurt Buess (Gelterkinden, Switzerland) for 1969 and 1970, then to Georges Hedinger for 1971. The car went to Fritz Messerli for 1972 but was stored until sold to Raphael Weber in 2006. Weber sold it in June 2011 to Gerald Ludwig (Krefeld, Germany), who restored it to original condition. Run for the first time at the Brabham revival meeting at Reims, France, in September 2016.
8. Lotus 48 [R2?] (Graham Hill): Graham Hill's regular Team Lotus entry in Formula 2 in 1967, raced by him in 16 of that season's races. Retained for 1968, when it was entered by Gold Leaf Team Lotus for Hill in a further eight F2 races. Sold to Gerry Kinnane's Team Ireland for 1969, and raced by John Pollock in the Thruxton F2 race in April and then in Irish 1600cc racing. Sold to Kevin Murphy in 1970 for Frank Keane to drive in Irish libre racing, primarily at Mondello Park, and in hillclimbs. Traded to Bobby Howlings for a Brabham BT30 in September 1970, and advertised by him the following month. Then evidently to Beric Ewin (Finchley, London) and fitted with a Ford twin cam engine for the new Formula Atlantic category in 1971 and 1972. Then unknown until acquired by a private collector in the late 1970s.
9. Brabham BT21/23 [BT21-30] (Chris Lambert): This BT21 was built to F2 specification with a Cosworth FVA engine and BT23 suspension for Alan McKechnie Racing and raced in 1967 by Chris Lambert. It was later damaged in a trailer accident but evidently repaired and is believed to be the car that Don O'Sullivan (Western Australia) bought for 1968, fitted with one of his 2.5-litre Climax engines, and used in libre events at Caversham. If so, the car was sold back to the UK at the end of that year and would then be the "ex-Lambert" car that was used as the basis of a "new" BT21B for Dr Joseph Ehrlich's team which was being built up for F3 in April 1969. Presumably then the car raced for the team by Roger Keele in September 1969. Raced again in 1971 in Formula Atlantic by Johnny Dimsdale (London) with an RES twin cam and advertised by him at the end of that season as a BT21C. Presumably the same car that Bob King of Bob King Motorcycles (Bedford) entered as a BT21C in Formula Atlantic races in 1972 and which he later advertised with a RES Ford twin cam in October 1972, mentioning that it was red. This would then be the red BT21C with RES engine entered by Nick Overall (East Horsley, Surrey) in a Jaybrand libre race at Silverstone in March 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Brabham BT23 [6] (Robin Widdows): 1967 Whitley Racing Services for Robin Widdows. Sold at the end of the 1967 season to Mitsubishi Motors and shipped to Japan. May have been used by Kouichi Satou in 1973 and Masaru Tanaka in 1975
11. Lola T62/T63 [SL62/8] (Robs Lamplough): John Surtees' 1966 F2 car according to Lola records, and raced only at Karlskoga in August 1966. To Robs Lamplough (London) at the end of 1966 and raced in 1967 F2 and libre, when it was described as having been updated to T63 specification. Then to John L'Amie in Ireland for 1600cc class racing. Sold to the US in Sep 1968, and almost certain to be the car imported by Pierre Philips of Pierre's Motor Racing (Portland, OR) and raced by Robert Schmidt (Portland, OR) for Formula B in 1969. From Schmidt it was sold to Sans Thompson (Banks, OR), who in turn sold it to Robert 'Bob' Tracy (Hillsboro, OR), who raced it in local Formula B in 1973. While owned by Tracy, the Lola was crashed by David E.B. 'Deb' Ward in 1974 at a driving school at Kent. Many years later, it was acquired by Lawrence Hayes, still in Tracy's livery, and sold by him via Rob Shanahan in February 2012 back to Robs Lamplough.

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.

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.