OldRacingCars.com

ShellSPORT 5000 European Championship race

Snetterton, 28 Mar 1976

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Damien Magee (F5000) 3.4-litre March 75A [1] - Ford GAA V6
#3 Hexagon of Highgate (see note 1)
40 40m 52.6s
111.55 mph
2 Bill Gubelmann (F2) 2-litre March 732/752 [732-11] - Ford BDG
#6 Bill Gubelmann (see note 2)
39
3 Tony Rouff (F2) 2-litre Boxer PR276 [001] - Ford BDX Swindon
#30 Netherton and Worth-Boxer Cars
39
4 David Purley (F5000) 3.4-litre Chevron B30 [30-75-01] - Ford GAA V6
#7 LEC Refrigeration Racing (see note 3)
38 engine
5 Emilio de Villota (F1) 3-litre Lyncar 006 - Cosworth DFV V8
#32
38
6 Divina Galica (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS16-4 [05] - Cosworth DFV V8
#13 ShellSPORT
38
7 Brian Robinson (F2) 2-litre Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDG Close
#4 Brian Robinson (see note 4)
35
8 Chris Featherstone McRae GM1 [015] - Chevrolet Morand V8
(see note 5)
35
9 Richard Scott (F1) 3-litre Shadow DN1 [6A] - Cosworth DFV V8
Team P.R.Reilly
30 not classified
10 John Cannon March 73A/751 ["75AM"] - Chevrolet V8
#99 Richard Oaten Racing with John Lane
21 clutch
11 Brian McGuire (F1) 3-litre Williams FW04 [1] - Cosworth DFV V8
#21 Brian McGuire
11 clutch
12 Val Musetti (F2) 2-litre March "752" ['B'] - Ford BDX Swindon
#15 Valentino Musetti
9 oil leak
DNS Ray Mallock (F2) 2-litre March 75B [U1] - Ford BDX Swindon
(see note 6)
Did not start
(crank shaft)
DNA Luigi "Mimmo" Cevasco (F1) 3-litre Brabham BT42 [6] - Cosworth DFV V8
#11 Jolly Club/Luigi Cervasco
Did not arrive
  Livio Panzone Dywa - Chevrolet V8
#17 Livio Ponzone
On entry list
  Rikky Pierce (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS16 - Cosworth DFV V8
#31 Rikky Pierce
On entry list

All cars are 5-litre F5000 unless noted.

Qualifying
1 John Cannon (F5000) 5-litre March 73A/751 ["75AM"] - Chevrolet V8 0.59.3
2 David Purley (F5000) 3.4-litre Chevron B30 [30-75-01] - Ford GAA V6 0.59.8
3 Damien Magee (F5000) 3.4-litre March 75A [1] - Ford GAA V6 1.00.0
4 Brian McGuire (F1) 3-litre Williams FW04 [1] - Cosworth DFV V8 1.00.6
5 Richard Scott (F1) 3-litre Shadow DN1 [6A] - Cosworth DFV V8
6 Val Musetti (F2) 2-litre March "752" ['B'] - Ford BDX Swindon 1.01.3
7 Bill Gubelmann (F2) 2-litre March 732/752 [732-11] - Ford BDG 1.02.7
8 Ray Mallock * (F2) 2-litre March 75B [U1] - Ford BDX Swindon
9 Tony Rouff (F2) 2-litre Boxer PR276 [001] - Ford BDX Swindon 1.04.4
10 Emilio de Villota (F1) 3-litre Lyncar 006 - Cosworth DFV V8 1.04.4
11 Divina Galica (F1) 3-litre Surtees TS16-4 [05] - Cosworth DFV V8 1.04.5
12 Brian Robinson (F2) 2-litre Lola T360 [HU5] - Ford BDG Close
13 Chris Featherstone (F5000) 5-litre McRae GM1 [015] - Chevrolet Morand V8
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 75A [1] (Damien Magee): John MacDonald (RAM Racing) 1975. Raced in UK 1975: driven by Alan Jones (3rd BARC Thruxton 17 Aug 1975) - Hexagon Garage for Damien Magee UK 1976 - Guy Edwards UK 1977; rebuilt on a March 761 monocoque, and then converted to DFV power for last few races of 1977. Edwards UK 1978 (first two races); then for Bruce Allison (five races). Also used by Desire Wilson in a test session prior to the British GP. To Terry Smith (Felton, Somerset), fitted with a 5-litre Repco engine, and used in the British Sprint Championship 1979, 1980 and 1981. Used by Smith and John Meredith British Sprint Championship 1982. To Ray Rowan 1983, and retained by him until about 1987 when the Repco engine was sold to Australia and the rolling chassis was sold via a dealer to Italy. Reemerged four years later when sold by Andrea Frasson (Rosà, Vicenza, Italy) to Daniel Pouteau (Paris, France) in December 1991. Retained by Pouteau, still apart and in still Terry Smith's livery, until sold via Bernard De Dryver to Paul Grant (Brussels, Belgium) in April 2013. Rebuilt for Masters F1 in 2015, and debut at the Spa 6 Hours in September 2015.
  2. March 732/752 [732-11] (Bill Gubelmann): New to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) for F2 in 1973 and retained for 1974 when run by Brian Lewis Racing. Clay Regazzoni was due to drive the car at Vallelunga in October, but did not arrive, so a deal was done for Gabrielle Serblin to drive after he damaged his usual 742 in practice. Not seen in 1975, when the intention had been to sell the car to Stuart Chubb Racing, but Gubelmann returned for the 1976 Shellsport G8 series with the car updated to 752 specification, fitted with a Hart BDG, and run by Bob Gerard. Gubelmann also appeared in a handful of F2 races in 1976, but after failing to qualify for the Rouen race, quickly moved to Mallory Park in time to qualify for the Shellsport race. He was involved in a nasty accident in the race when he clipped the rear of Mike Wilds' F1 Shadow, rode up over its back wheel and hit the bank at the Esses very hard. He was taken to hospital with head injuries. The March is believed to have been destroyed.
  3. Chevron B30 [30-75-01] (David Purley): See full history: Chevron B30.
  4. Lola T360 [HU5] (Brian Robinson): New to Nigel Clarkson (Cirencester, Gloucestershire) and raced by him and by Richard Scott (London) in British Formula Atlantic, backed by Hurford Jones Ltd. To Nick May (Sutton, Surrey) for the 1975 British series, entered as a T360B with Strakers of Wimbledon Ltd sponsorship and run by Dave Price Racing. To Brian Robinson (Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham) and fitted with a 2-litre Cosworth BDG engine for Shellsport Group 8 races in 1976. To John Brown for John Morrison (Warwick) to drive in Shellsport G8 and libre racing in 1977, then to Kevin Bowditch (Maidenhead) for a few race appearances in 1978. It was sold to Martin Mansell (Middlesex), who raced it as a Lola "FA79" with Winchmore Hill Garage sponsorship in Formula Atlantic in 1979. Mansell crashed heavily at Brands Hatch in April 1979, and did not appear again. It was next seen in 1990 when it was bought by Robert McGimpsey (Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland) from a dealer somewhere in the English midlands. It was then fitted with a 3-litre Weslake engine, and McGimpsey used it for one season in hillclimbing before the engine and chassis were sold separately. It was bought by two friends in 1993 or 1994, and in 2012 they still had it.
  5. McRae GM1 [015] (Chris Featherstone): Longer wheelbase car built for Graham McRae and raced in the 1973 British season. To Ian Ward Racing early 1974 and modified as "Ward KS1" but not raced in this form. It was then sold to Chris Featherstone and raced by him once at the end of 1974, then through the 1975 and 1976 seasons. After a single race at the start of 1977, the car was raced by Keith Holland in four races later in the year, and then by Featherstone in the Australian Rothmans series in February 1978. To Gary Dumbrell (Australia) 1978, then to Bob Tomlinson 1978, and then to Salt Walther 1979 for the 1979 Rothmans series, but it may be that Lee Seaton of Thomson Motor Auctions owned it though this period. Sold to Ray Gibbs (Australia) September 1979 and kept by him until sold to Stuart Lush (Auckland, New Zealand) 2000, and raced at Historic Sandown that year and in 2001. Lush raced it in the Tasman Cup Revival series from 2003 to 2015, during which time it was also raced by Chris Hyde in the 2009/10 season and by Greg Thornton in the 2012/13 season. Lush also raced the car in England during the Kiwis' visits to the UK in 2005 and 2008, and at Road America in 2014. Lush sold it to its former driver Garry Dumbrell in 2016, and after Dumbrell died in October 2021, it was sold to Peter Brennan (Melbourne, Australia) in December 2021. More information about McRae GM1-015
  6. March 75B [U1] (Ray Mallock): An unnumbered March 75B built for Ray Mallock (Roade, Northamptonshire) and run for him in British Formula Atlantic and some F2 races by Ardmore Racing in 1975. It replaced the second-hand March 742 that Mallock wrecked in the Thruxton Formula 2 race in March, but it is possible that the 75B was still used the chassis plate of the old 742 during this time, as it was listed by Motoring News as "742/12" twice in 1975 and was also described as a 742 by Motoring News at Hockenheim in September 1976. Mallock raced the car in F2 for the last four races of 1975. For 1976, Ardmore Racing bought a Lola T450 for Mallock, but when that proved a flop, fitted the March with a Swindon BDX engine and Mallock raced that car in Formula 2 specification in the European F2 series and in the Shellsport Group 8 series. During the season it was further modified with wider sidepods and its main radiator moved to the front, and from Pau onwards used the nose from one of Ray Mallock's father's Mallock U2s. Ardmore boss Creighton Brown also raced it in a libre race at Oulton Park in October. It was last raced by Mallock at Brands Hatch on 7 November 1976. This is likely to be the 75B advertised by MRE (Bourne End, Bucks) in Autosport four days later, described as "Updated to full F2 spec" with FG gearbox and "2 litre alloy engine". In the same edition of Autosport, Lucien Lampach (Wiltz, Luxembourg) was seeking a F2 car, and photographs indicate that he acquired the modified Mallock 75B and ran it as a March 742 in European hillclimbs in 1977. 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.

1969-1976 UK results have been researched and collated by Chris Townsend based primarily on material in Autosport and Motoring News. Information has been added from the growing collection of entry lists from programs.

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.