Lombard North Central Formula Three Championship

Brands Hatch, 4 Mar 1973

All cars are 1.6-litre F3 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 733 [3] (Russell Wood): New to Russell Wood and run for him in the British F3 series by Peter Bloore Racing with backing from The Chequered Flag. Wood won three early round of the championship but had a heavy accident at Zandvoort in May and did not win again. Sold to Australian Ian Douglass for 1974 and rebuilt for Australian F2, using various 742 bits. The car was involved in a fire during private testing at Oran Park after the Lakeside race in December 1974 and was completely burnt to the ground.
2. Palliser WD32 [2] (Damien Magee): New to Peter Lamplough for British F3 in 1971, fitted with a BRM-tuned Ford twin cam engine and entered by Alan McKechnie Racing. On his debut at Mallory Park on Easter Monday he was up to fourth place in his heat before experiencing gear selection problems. In the second heat the car turned left abruptly at the Esses and went up the bank, but the driver was unhurt. He returned for the Silverstone race in early May, but had engine problems. After swapping to Holbay engines, he had a better run of results, finishing fourth a couple of times in September, and taking third place at Brands Hatch on 24 October. The car was refurbished for Damien Magee to drive in 1972, entered by Palliser Racing Design Ltd and using Rowland and Novamotor engines. He finished second at two races that season. Magee ordered a new Brabham BT41 for 1973, but raced the Palliser until it was delivered. He finished second again at Brands Hatch in March, but then suffered a massive accident at Thruxton three weeks later, where the car rolled three times and was effectively destroyed.
3. GRD 372 [035-F3] (Tony Brise): New to Tony Brise and raced in British F3 from late August 1972, using Holbay engines and sponsored by Montesa Motorcycles. Retained as a spare car by Brise in early 1973 and raced a few times in preference to his new 373, entered by Team Kent Messenger Racing. After the Monaco GP, Brise bought a March 733 and both his GRDs were retired. Tony's 372 would be the GRD 372 raced by his father John Brise in a libre race at Snetterton in September 1973. This must be the "Tony Brise's 372 GRD-Holbay" that was "rebuilt "after recent shunt" advertised from Swanley in Kent in November 1973. It must also be the GRD 372 "as raced by Tony Brise" advertised by Tony Brise (Swanley, Kent) in February 1974. It was next seen when raced by Gavin Hooper in Formula 4 in April 1974, when it was described as "ex-Tony Brise". It won that first race, at Llandow, but was not seen often after that. It was advertised in December 1974 saying that it was built "last winter" as the Low Cost Racing works F4 car. Raced by Ronnie and Dave Griffiths in F4 in 1975 and 1976. To Keith Hatton for F4 in 1977. However, when Dave Anderson had the "ex-Keith Hatton" GRD 372 in 1978, it was said to be ex-Tim, not ex-Tony. Subsequent history unknown.
4. GRD 372 [030-F3] (Masami Kuwashima): Entered by GRS International for Ian Taylor and Barrie Maskell in British F3 in late 1972, using Holbay and Vegantune engines. To Reystan Racing for Masami Kuwashima for a few races in early 1973 until Kuwashima acquired a March 733, but this 1973 car has also been identified as chassis 033. Then entered by Reystan partner John Stanton for Richard Knight to drive (as a 373) for two races in May 1973. Then to Rod Smith and entered for him by ADM Business Systems Ltd from September onwards, but "totalled" in an accident during practice for the race at Brands Hatch in early November 1973.
5. Royale RP11 [2] (Val Musetti): New for Val Musetti (Twickenham, West London) and raced in British F3 in 1972. Retained for 1973 until "written off" in an accident the week before the race at Oulton Park 20 April 1973. Musetti then took over the Reystan Racing Royale RP11A from Andy Sutcliffe, and future references to an ex-Musetti Royale would be to that car.
6. Royale RP11 [3] (John Sheldon): New to The Chequered Flag for Ian Ashley in British F3 in 1972. The team were a frequent non-arrival from July onwards, even when Brian McGuire replaced Ian Ashley as the nominated driver. Sold to John Sheldon (Surbiton, Surrey) for 1973 and raced in the British F3 series. Last seen at Mallory Park in August 1973. Bought from Sheldon by Ken Davies (Kittle, Swansea, South Wales) with two Vegantune twin cam engines, and used by him in the 1600cc class of hillclimbs and sprints in 1974. Then sold to Kaj Madsen (Denmark) for Jan K Pedersen to race in F3 in 1975 and 1976. At some point the car returned to England and was offered by Roger Orgee (Bristol) to Ken Davies, in case he wanted to buy it back. Subsequent history unknown.
7. GRD 372 [024-F3] (Roger Craven): Entered by GRS International for Andy Sutcliffe for a few races in British F3 in April 1972, using Holbay engines. Then entered for young Portuguese driver Jorge Pinhol for the rest of the season, but he often failed to appear and may have only been at eight races, starting as few as three. Pinhol's car had been announced in early February, but he did not appear until the end of April. His last definite appearance was at Thruxon on 6 August but his entries continued until the start of October. The car was then run for Formula Ford star Johnny Gerber as an Ippokampos Racing entry but run by GRS International at Brands Hatch on 22 October 1972. The ex-Pinhol car went to Roger Craven (Lincoln) for British F3 in 1973, using RES and Vegantune engines. Also used by Craven very successfully in libre racing that season. It was advertised by Craven's entrant, L & K Racing Team (Lincoln) with a Neil Brown engine in November 1973 and from the same Lincoln telephone numbers in February 1974. Subsequent history unknown.
8. March 713M [8] (Nick Crossley): New for James Hunt, replacing the 713S he had raced earlier in the season. The 713M was run as part of a newly constituted team run by Chris Marshall, based at his Sloan Marshall Garages in London and entered as Team Rose Bearings with Baty Group. Hunt won first time out, at Crystal Palace in June, and also at Brands Hatch in August, but the car was heavily damaged in a crash during practice at Snetterton in October. Repaired and used by Bob Evans in the Boxing Day meeting at Brands. Bought from the March factory by Anthony Binnington and raced in F3 through 1972. Then to Nick Crossley for one race early in 1973 before his new 733 was ready. To Peter Stahl (Ascot, Berkshire) and raced in the 1600cc class in hillclimbs in 1973. Stahl later went abroad on business and his wife sold the March to Geoff Deakin (Penrith, later Carlisle) who hillclimbed it between 1975 and 1977. It was in 742 bodywork by 1977, and Deakin called it a "742X". Deakin recalls selling the car to a fellow hillclimber who crashed it badly the following year, taking out one side of the monocoque. Photographs show that Deakin's car exactly matches the "742X" hillclimbed by Ken Ayers (Twyford, Berkshire) in 1978 and crashed by him at some point. After this accident, the car was rebuilt on another 1971 March tub, and run with 1975 bodywork until a second accident at Le Val des Terres in July 1979. The car was then rebuilt using a 1975 March monocoque and 76B bodywork, effectively ending its link to the original 713M.
9. Brabham BT41 [11] (Tony Trimmer): Initially a Motor Racing Developments entry for Tony Trimmer for the opening race of 1973, then becoming an Ippokampos Racing entry for Johnny Gerber until August 1973. Last seen when Gerber retired with clutch trouble at Brands Hatch on 19 August 1973. Not seen again.
10. Royale RP11 [8] (Martyn Howse): New to Martyn Howse and raced in British F3 from August 1972 onwards. Howse had previously raced in Formula 4 in a Vixen VB4. Retained for 1973 but crashed at Brands Hatch at the start of the season and not seen again until Castle Combe in August where he did not start. He continued into 1974, when the engine capacity for F3 had increased to 2000cc by enlarging his Vegantune engine to 1850cc. He appeared in libre at Llandow that year and in a couple of F3 races in August 1974 but did not finish either. This is likely to be the "Royale RP11/A F3" advertised by ex-Cooper, ex-McLaren, ex-Brabham mechanic Mike Barney's Alta Car & Engineering Co (Epsom, Surrey) from September to November 1974, which was said to have had "very little use" with "only 2 races since major overhaul". Subsequent history unknown.
11. Alexis Mk20 ['1'] (Alan Edgar): New to Team Alexis and entered for Allan Taylor and Allan McCully to drive in Formula 3 races in August, September and October 1971, using Vegatune twin cam engines. The car was then sold to Alan Edgar (Birmingham) and converted to Formula Atlantic specification, still using Vegatune twin cam engines. Edgar made a lot of entries during 1971 but rarely appeared, and when he did practice, it is unclear whether he started. His only definite race in the Alexis was at Silverstone on 28 August 1972, where he was penalised 10 seconds for not recording a practice time and then retired from the race. He advertised it in September that year, describing it as a "unique F/Atlantic rolling chassis" with a Hewland Mk 8 gearbox. It did not sell, and Edgar continued to enter it again in 1973, this time for a series of Formula 3 races, without making any known appearance. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Brabham BT41 [16] (Randy Lewis): New to American Randy Lewis for British and European Formula 3 in 1973, entered by Wrangler Racing. The subsequent history of the car is unknown, but at some point Lewis sold it in the US, and by 1976 it was owned by Reg Reis (Madison, WI), and was converted to Formula B specification with the same type of 1600cc Ford twin cam that it would have used in 1973. Reis advertised it in 1976, saying then that it had only been raced for one season, but retained the car for 1977. This is presumably the Brabham Reis raced in Midwest Council and SCCA events at Blackhawk Farms in 1976 and 1977. It was for sale again in 1979 from Middleton, WI with a Cosworth BDD engine. Then sold to Tex Arnold (Aurora, CO), and advertised by him in August 1980. Later sold to Jerry Peattie, and with Jon Anderson at Sears Point by 2020.
13. GRD 372 [032-F3] (Larry Perkins): Entered by GRS International for Keiichi Tahara at two races in June and July 1972. To Team Cowangie for Larry Perkins to drive in British and French F3 in 1973 but although the car was identified as chassis 032, it was once referred to as "ex-Jones" [his own chassis 033-F3 or the ex-Sutcliffe GRS car] and also once as ex-Rousselot [the GRS chassis 021]. Jones had retained 033 for the start of 1973 and the ex-Rousselot 021-F3 was driven in 1973 by Pedro Passadore, so neither are likely. Perkins badly damaged the car in practice at Paul Ricard on 1 July 1973. When he returned to racing, he first borrowed the works Ensign and then acquired a Brabham BT41, indicating that the GRD was not repaired.

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 British Formula 3 results have been compiled by Chris Townsend using the main British magazines Autosport and Motoring News but also the US magazine On Track which carried surprisingly good coverage of the British series.

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.

Individual sources for this event

Autosport 8 Mar 1973 p36, Motoring News 8 Mar 1973 p5; Organisers race documents; BARC programme and notes.