Gran Premio Campidoglio

Vallelunga, 4 Oct 1976

All cars are 2-litre F3 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Chevron B34 [34-76-06] (Riccardo Patrese): New to Trivellato Racing for Riccardo Patrese to race in the 1976 European Formula 3 championship. Patrese won four of the first eight races and finished on the podium in another three. Immediately after the final European round, at Vallelunga, the car was sold by Trivellato to Giovanni Carminati. He raced it once, but it was then raced by Piercarlo Ghinzani at Magione in early November, and advertised by Ghinzani in Autosprint. Raced by Carminati in 1977 and then according to a later advertisement the car was retained by Team Ghinzani until 1979, then sold to "Prema Racing who kept it for 25 years". It then went to Marco Milanese in 2005, then to Steve Worrad in France, who raced it at Pau in 2007. Then to Francis Boodts then Pierre Lemasson, who raced it from 2009 to 2012.
2. Chevron B34 [34-76-28] (Marc Surer): New to KWS Autotechnik Team and run in German and European F3 for Marc Surer with BMW engines in 1976, replacing the team's March 763s and being delivered in time for the Hockenheim round of the German championship in early July. Retained for 1977, updated to B38 specification and run in European F3 races for Rudolf Dötsch and others. Also appeared in 1978 as a KWS entry for Werner Fischer.
3. Chevron B34 [34-76-29] (Rupert Keegan): New to Rupert Keegan in July 1976 and raced in the British F3 series with British Air Ferries sponsorship, winning three races and clinching the BP BARC title for Keegan. To David Brotherston (Edinburgh, Scotland) for 1978, and raced in the British F3 series. Brotherston continued to use the car in 1979 and 1980, again in British F3, after which he sold the car to Bob Howlings. It was next seen in 1987 when it was used in TF3 by Alistair Ferguson.
4. Chevron B34 [34-76-24] (Geoff Lees): New to Geoff Lees to drive in the British F3 series, entered by Rob Roy Racing with D.J. Bond, but running with works assistance. A former triple champion in Formula Ford, Lees had a series of very good results in the Chevron, running immediately behind the championship battle between Bruno Giacomelli and Rupert Keegan. He took his first win at Silverstone in September, leading every lap. He followed that with two second places, and then won the season finale at Thruxton at the end of October after Keegan collided with Giacomelli at the start. The car was then used as a test car for prospective Chevron customers. At some point in this process, the car was rebuilt on a new monocoque and effectively divides, with the original tub used by factory fabricator John Lewis to build one car, and the retubbed car going to KWS for Jean-Louis Schlesser.
5. Chevron B34 [34-76-17] (Fernando Spreafico): New to Trivellato Racing for customer Fernando Spreafico and raced in European and Italian F3 in 1976. Spreafico had a Chevron B38 for 1977, but he may have retained his B34 into 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Chevron B34 [34-76-30] (Marco de Tomasi): New to Trivellato Racing for customer Marco de Tomasi and raced in Italian F3 in 1976. De Tomasi did not continue in F3 in 1977 and the subsequent history of the Chevron B34 is unknown.
7. March 763 [9] (Tony Dron): Shown in March records as sold to Tony Dron 12.1.76. This was the solitary Unipart car in 1976. Although Unipart ran two cars in 1977, they only bought one new car, converting the older car for Needell, the junior driver in the team. Some results credit Needell's car as being a 763.

Sources

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' original 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.