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Grand Primo de Juarez

Juárez, 7 Nov 1965

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Karl Knapp (FC) 1.1-litre LeGrand - Ford
[works]

2 Clint Cavin (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 18 - Ford twin cam

3 Charlie Adams (FB) 1.6-litre Brabham BT6 - Ford twin cam
(see note 1)

4 Stuart Wright (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 20 - Ford twin cam

5 Harry McIntosh (FA) 2.7-litre Elva 300 [300-05] - Chevrolet Corvair f6

6 Bill Elder (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 20 - Ford twin cam

7 John Moisson (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 18 - Ford twin cam

8 Carl Gruber (FB) 1.6-litre LeGrand

9 Ramon Stewart (FB) 1.6-litre Formcar

10 Chuck Trowbridge (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 22 - Ford twin cam

C G Mason O'Keiff (FB) 1.6-litre Lotus 27 [27-FM-8] - Ford twin cam
(see note 2)

C Bruce Eglinton (FB) 1.6-litre LeGrand Mk 3B [001] - Alfa Romeo
[works]

UNK Earl Jones (FB) 1.6-litre Brabham BT2 [FJ-7-62?] - Ford twin cam
(see note 3)
accident (in practice or in race)

All cars are 3-litre FA unless noted.

Heat 1 Laps Time Speed
1G Mason O'Keiff
2Bruce Eglinton
Qualifying
Qualifying information not available

Notes on the cars:

  1. Brabham BT6 (Charlie Adams): Charlie Adams (Hermosa Beach, CA) bought a 1963 Formula Junior Brabham from Ian Raby (Brighton) in August 1965, and had it updated to 1965 rear magnesium uprights and driveshafts, and shipped to the US. In correspondence that Adams has retained, Raby described the car as a "practically brand new" Brabham FJ, having been "completely rebuilt, with a new chassis". Adams campaigned the car in Formula B and in Formula C from late 1965 through to early 1968 when he replaced it with a new BT21C. When he advertised the BT6 in March 1968, it had a Hewland Mk 5 gearbox and a Ford twin cam engine prepared by Frank Monise. Subsequent history unknown.
  2. Lotus 27 [27-FM-8] (G Mason O'Keiff): One of the first Lotus 27s to enter the US was chassis 27/FM/8, ordered by Lotus Southwest to be fitted with Lotus-Ford twin-cam engine for regular customer G. Mason O'Keiff (Houston, TX) to race in the SCCA's new libre category in 1964. O'Keiff scored 9 points in SWDiv and qualified for the Run-Offs, where he finished third. His car was then classified as Formula B in 1965 and O'Keiff used it in pro events. His last known appearance in the car was at the Las Vegas race in April 1966.
  3. Brabham BT2 [FJ-7-62?] (Earl Jones): Believed to be the car sold to Hap Sharp (Midland, TX), and entered for the Road America June Sprints. Sharp's car was also driven by Jim Hall (Abilene, TX) at Continental Divide in September 1962. Likely to be the car of Howard S Cole (Houston, TX) although this identity remains unproven. Cole's first known race in the car was in November 1962. Cole's home town of Houston is just 500 miles from Sharp's base in Midland, a mere stone's throw by the standards of a Texan road racer. Cole raced the car through 1963, then sold it to Ken Leith (Houston, TX), who raced it in an event at Stuttgart Airport late in November 1963. During 1964, the only mentions of Leith's Brabham were in The Shreveport (Louisiana) Times previews of SCCA Divisional races at Mansfield's De Soto Airport in June and at Hilltop Raceway in September, when it was said that Leith would run his Brabham. Leith moved to a Lotus 23B for 1965. An "ex-Hap Sharp" Brabham was then raced by Earl Jones (Los Angeles, CA) in Formula B in 1965. In August 1967, the disassembled "ex-Earl Jones" Brabham was advertised by Richard Timan (San Francisco, CA). It was acquired by David Jaques (Claremont, CA) and was rebuilt as the Mattel Special for Formula B. After racing it as the Mattel in 1970, Jaques updated the car with BT15, BT18 and BT21 bits by the time he advertised it in 1972, it was a "BT18/21". Believed to have gone to an SCCA racer in 1973 who raced it until 1978, and retained it to 1985. He sold the car in November 1985 to the son of a local engine builder. 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.

US information has been taken from SCCA results sheets with additional information from Autoweek race reports and from some entry lists. Thanks to David McKinney and Wolfgang Klopfer for providing these. Identifying the classes and model of some entries has proved very difficult so all new information would be welcomed.

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

Competition Press & Autoweek 4 Dec 1965 p6. The GP itself may have been the sports car race as the "open wheel event" was called the "El Camino Real".