Lombard North Central Formula Three Championship

Snetterton, 13 May 1973

All cars are 1.6-litre F3 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 733 [13] (Leonel Friedrich): New to Brazilian driver Leonel Friedrich (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and run for him by Peter Bloore Racing in the 1973 British Formula 3 season. Friedrich had not sat in a single-seater racing car before, but was the 1972 1600cc class Brazilian Touring Car Champion. For a novice, he was impressively quick straight away, eighth fastest in practice at his first race, and finishing second four times in his first dozen F3 races. His March was fitted with Holbay engines except for a brief mid-season flirtation with Novamotors. The car was then hired to another young Brazilian Alex Dias Ribeiro, and run for him by Angeleri March Racing Brazil in two races at the very end of the season. Subsequent history unknown.
2. GRD 372 [022-F3] (Neil Ginn): Entered by GRS International for Scottish Formula Ford champion Neil Ginn and raced extensively in British F3 in 1972, using Novamotor engines. It was sponsored by Lyle & Scott's 'Y-front' underwear range. Retained for Ginn for 1973. The car had to be rebuilt on a borrowed tub after his accident in practice at Oulton Park on Good Friday. Ginn's last race was at Oulton Park at the end of May. In January 1974, Ginn advertised his "1973 GRD model" which came with "brand new tub and new bodywork" as well as a Novamotor engine and Hewland Mk 8 gearbox.
3. 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.
4. GRD 372 [021-F3] (Pedro Passadore): Entered by GRS International for Pierre-François Rousselot and raced extensively in British F3 in 1972, using Novamotor and later Holbay engines, and sponsored by Gitanes. Raced by Neil Ginn at one early-1973 race, then entered by DART Racing with GRD for Pedro Passadore, who raced it in Britain from April to June 1973, when he moved to a newer GRD 373. The subsequent history of the 372 is unknown.
5. Royale RP11 [5] (Simon Sherman): New to Simon Sherman and raced in British F3 in 1972. Retained for 1973, but did not start many races. Sherman entered the car for a few races in 1974 but only started one race. Subsequent history unknown.
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. 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. GRD 372 [025-F3] (John MacDonald): New to Reystan Racing Ltd for Masami Kuwashima to drive in British F3 in 1972, using Holbay engines. To John MacDonald for British F3 in 1973, when it was described as being the remains of Kuwashima's 1972 car built up around a new tub. Raced until October 1973, when it was said to have been sold to Ireland. Subsequent history unknown.
9. Brabham BT35 [4] (Andy MacGregor): New to Canadian Chris O'Brien and used in British F3 in 1971, sponsored by Diner's Club. Retained by O'Brien for a couple of races early in 1972, while waiting for his Brabham BT38C to arrive, but he did not race it. Then sold to Andy McGregor but he failed to arrive for his first few races, then couldn't qualify for a few more, so did not start a race in 1972. Retained by McGregor for 1973, and used most of the season.
10. Merlyn Mk 21 [445/F3/73] (Bernard Vermillio): New to Bernard Vermillio for British F3 in 1973, but he failed to arrive for most of his races and had a poor season. The car was acquired from from Vermilio by Gordon Smiley (Mirriam, Kansas) who had come to England to race a works Merlyn Mk 25 in Formula Ford, and the Mk 21 was converted for him to also race in the Formula Atlantic series. His only race in the Mk 21 was in the Brands Hatch race in mid-March supporting the Race of Champions. He crashed during the very wet race and according to Clive Hayward, he "stuffed it pretty thoroughly". Smiley moved to the Elden F3 team.
11. GRD 372 (S.N. (Norman) Moffett): After struggling with his March 723 in British F3 early in 1973, Roger Williamson swapped to a GRD 372 in mid-April. The car was provided by his sponsor Tom Wheatcroft, and the car he first raced was described as the development model when Williamson tested it briefly at Snetterton. Autosport said he drove the development car on his GRD debut at Silverstone's International Trophy, but Motoring News noticed that GRD had managed to produce his new car ahead of schedule. With mechanics Eric Hassel and Nick Jordan, and using Holbay engines, Williamson won on his debut in the car. He also raced the new car at Monaco, but flew back to race the "original GRD prototype previously raced by Sutcliffe" at Silverstone the next day. At Oulton Park in August he had a huge accident in practice, so the team built up the ex-Sutcliffe prototype for him to race. Presumably he raced the prototype at the next two races, over that same Bank Holiday weekend, before returning to his regular car for the races in September and October. He won ten races in total to take the BRSCC/Shell F3 title. The car was then sold to Norman Moffett (Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) who raced it in British F3 through 1973. It was advertised by Moffets Car Sales (Belfast, Northern Ireland) in December 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Brabham BT38C [19] (Jimmy Fuller): New to Canadian driver Chris O'Brien and raced in British F3 in 1972 using Holbay engines. To Jimmy Fuller for 1973, again in British F3 and again using Holbay engines. Advertised by Fuller from Sunbury-on-Thames as a "BT38/41" with two rebuilt Novamotor twin-cams, a spare monocoque and bodywork for £2,250 in November 1973. Formula 3 changed to 2000cc for 1974, and the BT38C was sold to David Taylor (Formy, Lancashire, later Merseyside) for Kim Mather to race in British Formula Atlantic in 1974. When the car first appeared, it had a RES BDA engine and still used F3 wheels, Mather recalling that he "just dropped a BDA in it". By the end of May it had a Richardson BDA and wider wheels, but it was still far off the pace of the leading cars, and this turned out to be its last Atlantic race. Taylor also used the car in sprints at Longridge, and Mather won two libre races at Aintree. Taylor advertised the car in September, complete with Richardson BDA, for £2,200 and sold it to Ted Payne (Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham). Payne had raced a BT38 earlier in the season with a Vegantune engine, but it appears he had sold that car and had bought Taylor's very similar one with its Richardson engine. Payne continued to race the car in 1975, and entry lists show that it was black with a Richardson engine, and generally entered as a BT38-40. It was advertised by Payne in November 1975 as a BT38/40 with a recently rebuilt Cosworth BDA engine, and with a spare monocoque. It was bought by Andrew Wareing (Kirkham, Fylde, Lancashire), whose recollection is that it came from Joe Applegarth, but Applegarth says he never owned a BT38. Wareing used it in sprints and libre in 1976. He advertised it in September 1976 as a BT38/40 with BDA engine, 10" and 14" wheels and a spare tub, and recalls that it went to a family of hillclimbers, father and sons. This must be John Hart (East Dulwich, London), who after hillclimbing a Brabham BT18 in 1976, transferred its Cosworth FVA engine into a Brabham BT38 for 1977. Hart recalls buying the BT38 in the Isle of Man, but it is quite plausible that the car had acquired an Isle of Man event sticker if Wareing had competed in one of the Longton & DCC events on the island. Hart raced this car in hillclimbs and sprints through 1977, being joined by his son Greg later that season. The pair retained the BT38 for 1978 but Greg wrecked it in a major accident at Shelsley Walsh in August, which he was lucky to escape. The car was briskly rebuilt using a BT40 monocoque acquired from MRD and raced again at Gurston Down just two weeks later. The car was renamed 'Hart JG79' for 1979, fitted with a 1600cc Richardson FVA and raced by Greg and John in 1979 and 1980. Doug Hart recalls that the BT40 was sold to Paul Squires, "who sadly died at a young age and before he finished the car". Subsequent history unknown.

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.