Grande Prémio do Estoril

Estoril, 8 Aug 1976

All cars are 2-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Elf (Jabouille) 2J [7603] (Jean-Pierre Jabouille): New for the Elf Switzerland team in 1976, built with new chassis 7603 and fitted with a Renault V6 engine for Formula 2 in 1976. Raced by Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the opening race of 1976, and believed to be his car at every race that season. This car was rebuilt for 1977 as chassis 7701 and sold to the Kauhsen team.
2. March 762 [U1] (Alex Dias Ribeiro): Built in March 1976 for the works F2 team, initially using parts from the works 752s. Then rebuilt on a new monocoque for Ronnie Peterson to drive at the opening round of the 1976 F2 season. It was then raced by Alex Dias Ribeiro for the rest of the season, with CAIXA sponsorship. It was crashed by Ribeiro at Hockenheim in September and effectively written off. The remaining components of the car were fitted to a new 772 monocoque and given chassis number 772/9.
3. Chevron B35 [35-76-14] (Hans Binder): New as a works entry with BMW engine for Rolf Stommelen to race at Hockenheim in June. Then raced by Hans Binder for the rest of the F2 season, and also in the Shellsport G8 race at Brands Hatch in late August. Then sent out to Japan for Jacques Laffite to win the Nihon Grand Prix at Fuji in November. The car remained in Japan and was raced by Tetsu Ikuzawa at two races in March and April before his new B40 was delivered. It is believed to be the car raced by Kuniomi Nagamatsu later that season, and then by Keiji Matsumoto for the rest of 1977 and through the 1978 season. Subsequent history unknown.
4. March 762 [7-2] (Eddie Cheever): New to Ron Dennis's Project Four Racing with a standard BMW engine installation. The back end was then stripped off at the factory and the front end was collected by Dennis for fitting of a Lancia-Ferrari Dino V6 engine, as used in the Lancia Stratos. It was driven by Jochen Mass at Hockenheim, the opening F2 round, but it broke a crankshaft almost immediately, and the spare engine broke a piston after a few more laps. The car was rebuilt with a Hart 420R engine for Eddie Cheever to drive for the rest of the season. It was "totally wrecked" in a pre-race testing accident at Mugello in July and rebuilt on an updated 752 monocoque. Cheever then took over the team's new Ralt and the 762 was driven by Mikko Kozarowitzky and Bertram Schäfer at the final two races, but neither were able to qualify. Sold to Michel Lateste for French hillclimbs in 1977 but wrecked at La Forêt-d'Auvray in June 1977. The 762/752 was not seen again.
5. Chevron B35 [35-76-02] (Roberto Marazzi): New to Trivellato Racing Team for Roberto Marazzi to race in the 1976 European F2 series. The car was retained by Trivellato for 1977 and when the team's new Ferrari-engined B40 was not ready in time, the old B35 was raced by Riccardo Patrese in the opening races of the season. Despite being identified as chassis '76-02, it was said to be the car driven by Marazzi's teammate Giorgio Francia in 1976, indicating that the team cars had been swapped around during 1976. Patrese took pole position in the car at the fourth round, at the Nürburgring on 1 May, but crashed in the race and the car was written off.
6. Elf (Jabouille) 2J [7602] (Michel Leclère): New for the Elf Switzerland team in 1976, based on the chassis 7502 used by the team in 1975, rebuilt with a Renault V6 engine as chassis 7602 for 1976. Raced by Michel Leclère at the second race of 1976, and believed to be his car at every subsequent race that season. This car is reported to have been rebuilt for 1977 as chassis 7703 and sold to the Kauhsen team.
7. Chevron B35 [35-76-11] (Xavier Lapeyre): New to Xavier Lapeyre (Toulouse, Occitanie, France), fitted with a BMW engine and used in F2, starting at Rouen in late June where Lapeyre failed to qualify. Lapeyre had previously driven a B29 in F2, but had failed to qualify for four of his five races in 1976. The B35 was yellow and carried Motul and Presta France signwriting. The reported chassis number of this car is odd, as Chevron did not usually sell cars with number 11 and the entry for this number is blank in Chevron records. However, tubs were still sometimes built with this number and it is possible that Lapeyre acquired a B35 monocoque from Chevron with which to rebuild his Chevron B29, which would explain why the B29 was not seen again. Lapeyre drove the B35 later in the season at Mugello, Estoril, Nogaro (DNQ) and Hockenheim. Sold for 1977 to Régis Péchaire who used the car in French hillclimbs, always entering it as a "B37" despite it still having its F2 BMW engine. Retained by Péchaire for 1978. To Henri-Paul Magnan (Hyères, Provence) for 1979, now using a Cosworth BDM engine and running in the 1600cc class. Retained by Magnan for 1980, 1981 and 1982. Subsequent history unknown but Pat Gasquet and Pierre Haverland on Autodiva recalled Joseph Laspisa owning a Chevron "B37" which was raced by his daughter and others, and was destroyed in an accident by Michel Bruynaud.
8. Chevron B35 [35-76-04] (Harald Ertl): New to Harald Ertl for the European F2 series using works BMW engines, first appearing in plain yellow livery at Hockenheim. As Ertl was also competing in F1, the Chevron was then raced by Rolf Stommelen with Heyco backing in the non-championship Nürburgring race, where he qualified on pole position and led until the engine broke. It was then raced by Ertl at Vallelunga and Salzburgring. When Fred Opert acquired Gitanes sponsorship for F2 in 1976, he struck a deal with Ertl to run his BMW-powered car for Gitanes' F1 star Jacques Laffite and other drivers at the three French F2 races in 1976, and had a spare set of bodywork in Gitanes blue so the car could be easily changed. In return, Opert's team ran Ertl's car at other races for him. Its first race in blue was Pau, where Laffite qualified the Gitanes/Elf B35 third and finished second. It was then put back in its yellow Heyco bodywork for Ertl to drive at Hockenheim, then back to blue for Tom Pryce to drive for Opert at Rouen in a deal arranged by the works. Pryce qualified third and apologised for not taking pole in a car he described as "fantastic". It had its yellow bodywork restored for Ertl at Mugello, Enna and Estoril, where it carried ATS sponsorship. There was another swap to Gitanes blue at Nogaro, where Jean-Pierre Jarier qualified well but disappointed Opert by retiring from the race for no good reason. It was back in Ertl's yellow for him to drive at Hockenheim in September. Ertl drove the car again at two early 1977 races, now with Schnitzer BMW engines and Heyco sponsorship. The car remained with Ertl and Gustav Hoecker, a German tuning specialist who regularly worked with Ertl, until Ertl's death in 1982. Ertl's collection of cars was then broken up, and the B35 ended up with Paul and Madelyn Gutman (Tiburon, CA) in the US. In 1990 or 1991 they sold the car to Dave Vegher of Veloce Motors West (Petaluma, CA) and it remained with him, being rebuilt as time allowed with a fresh BMW engine and its yellow bodywork repainted to Gitanes blue. In 2013 Vegher sold the car to Harindra de Silva (Palos Verdes Estates, CA) who wanted its BMW engine. The rolling chassis then sat at Virtuoso Performance for several years until it was shipped to the UK where it was rebuilt by Hi-Tech Motorsport and fitted with a Geoff Richardson BDG engine. It was raced in blue Gitanes livery by Timothy De Silva at the Silverstone Classic in July 2019, July 2021 and July 2022.
9. Chevron B35 [35-76-05] (Hans Meier): New to Fred Opert Racing for Formula 2 in 1976, and used by Juan Cochésa for the opening four races of the season, until he failed to qualify at Salzburgring. Jean-Pierre Jarier took over the drive at Pau, and and it was raced later in the season by Hans Binder, Hans Meier, Jacques Laffite and Rolf Stommelen. It was then rented by Ian Grob for two races of the Shellsport G8 series at Brands Hatch in October and November. The sister car to this was taken out for the Macau GP and sold in New Zealand, but the next time 76-05 was seen was at the start of the 1977 F2 season, prior to the Opert team's second and third B40s being delivered, when it was driven by Keke Rosberg at Silverstone and by Hans Royer at Thruxton. Subsequent history unknown but a car in France later claimed this identity.
10. March 762 [13] (Wilhelm "Willi" Deutsch): New to Willi Deutsch (Cologne, Germany) with BMW engine for Formula 2 in 1976. March records say that Deutsch had traded his 1975 car, although they give it as chassis 753/13 instead of chassis 752/13, so this car was listed in works records as 762/13 instead of 762/9, as had originally been intended. It left the factory with the 752 plate on it, but a replacement plate saying "763-13" was later provided at Deutsch's request. He was sponsored by the Cologne-based Daimon GmbH, who manufactured Varley batteries under license. Deutsch was entered in 1976 by Daimon Varley Racing Team. Deutsch returned in 1977 in what looked like the same car, but it was reported to be chassis 762/11, one of the Willi Kauhsen Racing Team cars from 1976. Deutsch had changed from BMW to Hart engines, so it is possible that he had acquired or leased an available car and transferred his 1976 bodywork on to it. However, the cockpit bodywork and nose he used in 1977 was new 772-bodywork, and he would have needed to respray the Kauhsen's 762's sidepods from white to red, as Deutsch's 1977 car had the same red sidepods as his 1976 car. For the purpose of these histories, it is assumed he used the same car in 1976 and 1977, but changed engine supplier. After low-key performances in the opening rounds at Silverstone and Thruxton, Deutsch failed to qualify at Hockenheim and was only able to start as second reserve when two other cars pulled out. Another disappointing performance at the Nürburgring two weeks later brought his F2 career to a close. In February 1978, Motoring News reported that Jim Evans (Selby, North Yorkshire) would be running the ex-Willi Deutsch 762 with sponsorship from Cliff Sayer's Sayers Haulage. Jim recalls that he acquired the car from Jim Gleave's MRE operation. The red livery of the car when it arrived was not an exact match to the last time Deutsch had raced it, but it was completely unlike Kauhsen's blue livery, which had also been suggested as the origins of Evans' car. Also Evans' car had a rear wing mount which matched Deutsch's car but was quite different to all the Kauhsen cars. The mount appears to have been from a Modus, so was very distinctive. Evans raced it in Formule Libre in 1978, winning more often than not. He then sold it to Paul Gardner (Preston, Lancashire) but he crashed the car very heavily soon after. The tub was scrapped at the Selby tip, and the suspension was used with a John Leek chassis for the "Lotus Esprit" GT that Evans drove in the Donington GT series from July 1980 onwards.
11. March 762 [R1-2] (Maurizio Flammini): Built in July 1975 as a test car for the Renault F2 engine, and tested at Goodwood. After three engine blow-ups, the relationship with Renault deteriorated and the car was rebuilt in November/December 1975 with a BMW engine. It was fitted with white 1976 bodywork to use as a show car, then sprayed orange in March 1976, and raced by Hans Stuck in the opening round of the 1976 season. Stuck won from pole. After Stuck raced it again at Salzburgring, it was then sprayed white and allocated to Maurizio Flammini from Pau onwards. Flammini wrecked it at Enna-Pergusa and it was rebuilt on a new monocoque. At the end of the season it was fitted with Stuck's orange bodywork and the chassis plate from 762//U2 and taken to Japan for the German to race at Suzuka in November. Sold in Japan. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Chevron B35 [35-76-01?] (Giorgio Francia): Used as a test car by Derek Bennett and others during February 1976, including Alex Ribeiro. Then sold to Trivellato Racing Team for Willi Lovato to race in four races at the start of the 1976 European F2 series. Believed to be the car taken over by Giorgio Francia for the rest of the season, although Francia was said to be driving the Trivellato team's spare car at Estoril after a "write off" at Enna. However, it does appear that there was some shuffling of cars, as '01 appears to be the car sold to Andy Barton for 1977, even though it was said to be the former car of Lovato's teammate Roberto Marazzi. Barton fitted a 2-litre BDA engine for Shellsport G8 and libre racing but struggled with the car's handling, and crashed at Croft in April. The car was rebuilt with a new tub and three new corners but was still problematic and he crashed again at Ingliston on 8 May. Barton then raced the Sana for the rest of 1977 but returned to the Chevron for a libre race at Croft in May 1978, only to crash yet again in practice. This time the car was not repaired.
13. Modus M4 [048-FA] (Ian Grob): Built in mid-1976 for Ian Grob to race in Formula 2 instead of the unsuccessful new Modus M7. The new car consisted of a Formula Atlantic chassis with a Formula 2 rear end and was designated M4, although it was little different to the cars then being run by in Group 8 by Norman Dickson and Richard Scott. Raced by Grob at Mugello, Enna-Pergusa and Estoril, but near the back of the grid at the last two of these. Grob then raced it in the ShellSPORT Group 8 race at Brands Hatch on August Bank Holiday Monday, where he qualified tenth in a huge field of 36, but crashed on the opening lap of the race. Much larger fields arrived for the last two F2 races of the season, at Nogaro and Hockenheim, and Grob was well off qualifying pace. The monocoque from this car (numbered "048-3-76") somehow ended up in Ireland where it was used to rebuild M3/025 in 1979 or 1980. The resulting car took the identity of 048. According to Marcus Pye, it was sold via dealer Brian McGinley (Northern Ireland) and after at least two more owners was owned by David Marsh (Bingley, Yorkshire). It was offered for sale on his behalf by Jim and Richard Evans (Yorkshire) in the late 1990s. By 2003, Marcus believed it was owned by Martin Brockhouse (Leeds, Yorkshire).
14. Ralt RT1/75 [8] (Freddy Kottulinsky): New to Freddy Kottulinsky, fitted with a BMW M12 engine and raced in F2, entered by wealthy German brewer Fritz Lochmann. Kottulinsky debuted the car at Vallelunga in October 1976 but failed to qualify after his first engine ran its bearings and his replacement blew up after an oil line came adrift. The car was loaned to Gernot Lamby for the opening rae of the 1976 season, then Kottulinsky raced it for the rest of the year, winning at the Nürburgring in May. Retained for 1977, when Kottulinsky used Heidegger BMW engines. Sold to Freddy Roland (Mulhouse, Alsace, France) for French hillclimbs from 1978 and 1979, during which time it was substantially modified. After winning at Bagnères-de-Bigorre in July 1979, Roland suffered a motorcycle accident and did not return until May 1980, when he had a newer and more standard Ralt RT1. Photographs indicate that his older 1975 car was sold to Roger Ecoffet, who ran it during the 1980 season, still with a BMW engine. Subsequent history unknown.
15. March 762 [2] (Bernard Chevanne): New to Pierre Maublanc's MRS team with white bodywork and blue sidepods for Maublanc to use in French and European hillclimbs in 1976. Sold or leased to Bernard Chevanne to use in F2 for the latter part of the season, replacing a MRS-supplied March 742 which he had failed to qualify at five successive races. Raced by Chevanne at Enna-Pergusa, Estoril and Nogaro. To Jean Lapierre for 1977 and updated to 772 specification for French hillclimbs. Retained for 1978 but crashed in practice at Tonnerre in April. Reported to have been repaired and raced by Anne Bavery in 1979, but that car seems more likely to have been a March 752. The 762 was next seen in August 1980, when it had been fitted with a ROC engine and was raced by José Albertini. Retained by Albertini for 1981, but only seen infrequently after May 1981. Raced by Albertini a few times in 1982 and 1983, with either a ROC or BMW engine. Subsequent history unknown.
16. Chevron B35 [35-76-06] (Keke Rosberg): New to Fred Opert Racing for Formula 2 in 1976, and used by José Dolhem for the opening seven races of the season. Then raced by Riccardo Patrese, Howdy Holmes, Keke Rosberg and Rupert Keegan later in the season. Taken to Macau for Keegan to race in the Grand Prix on 14 November, then sold to Steve Millen who raced it in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1977, and then in Southeast Asian races later that year. Subsequent history unknown but some reports say that it was badly damaged in a testing accident by its next owner and remains in Southeast Asia.

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.