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Central Division SCCA Formula B 1976

John Kowalski won the Divisional title in Bill O'Connor's old Lola T360, from veteran Chuck Dietrich, who was in his third season with another ex-O'Connor car, his ex-F2 Brabham BT38. Jerry Hansen had a brand new Lola T460 but he raced his Formula A Lola T330 instead at several Nationals. Tom Outcault and Dale Lang both had brand new March 76Bs but were focused mainly on the Pro series, as was Chip Mead in his new Ralt RT1. Also very competitive were Keith Feldott who retained his ex-Chip Mead Chevron B27, Vince Muzzin who had kept the March 75B he'd driven in the Pro series in 1975, and Dean Lundgreen who had acquired an ex-F2 Rondel M1.

Older equipment was fielded by Thomas Christ in a 1974 Chevron B27, Steve Fossett with a 1972 Brabham BT38B, and Gary Robinson the ex-Bruce Cambern 1971 March 712M. Back for more in their usual cars were Tom Mangan in his Crosslé 28F, Bruce Kramer and James Opperman in their Eldens, and Peter Robinson in his Brabham BT40.

Less is known of two Chicago Region drivers who had March 75Bs: Ted Johnson who picked up three points at Mid-America Raceway in May, and Glenn Guerra, who also picked up three points at Indianapolis Raceway Park in June. Paul Henry raced a Chevron B25 in FC for most of the season, but scored up a couple of FB points for eighth place at the September IRP race in an unidentified Chevron.

Final standings

1. John KowalskiLola T360NEOhio48 pts
2. Chuck DietrichBrabham BT38NEOhio37 pts
3. Keith FeldottChevron B27Chicago37 pts
4. Jerry HansenLola [T460]Land O'Lakes28 pts
5. Tom OutcaultMarch 76BCentral Illinois13 pts
6. Peter RobinsonBrabham [BT40]Milwaukee12 pts
7. Vince MuzzinMarch 75BDetroit9 pts
8. Tom ManganCrossle [28F]Golden Triangle8 pts
9. Dean LundgreenRondel Mk 1Milwaukee8 pts
10. Tom ChristChevron B27Milwaukee7 pts
11. Bruce KramerElden PH75-BBlackhawk Valley7 pts
12. James OppermannElden Mk 12BChicago6 pts
13. Dale LangMarch 76BLand O'Lakes5 pts
14. Chip MeadRalt RT1Western Ohio4 pts
15. Glenn GuerraMarch 75BChicago3 pts
16. Ted JohnsonMarch 75BChicago3 pts
17. Steve FossettBrabham [BT38B]Chicago3 pts
18. Paul HenryChevronNEOhio2 pts
19. Gary RobinsonMarch 712Northeast Michigan1 pt
20. Tom CooneyMarchIndianapolis1 pt

Central Division sources

Most of our knowledge of CenDiv racing comes from the SCCA's Sports Car magazine and from Competition Press & Autoweek. We are very keen to acquire, borrow or receive copies of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s SCCA regional publications from this Division. There were many such newsletters in this Division, including:

  • Auto-Graph (Indiana Northwest Region)
  • Blower (Northeast Ohio Region)
  • Class Q and later CinChronizer (Cincinnati Region)
  • Clutch Chatter (Indianapolis Region)
  • Clutch Chatter (Northwestern Ohio Region)
  • Crashbox (Golden Triangle Region)
  • Down Shift (Central Illinois Region)
  • Downshift (Kentucky Region)
  • The Drift (Milwaukee Region)
  • Drifting (Des Moines Valley Region)
  • The Fifth Wheel (Northeastern Michigan Region)
  • The Four Wheel Drift (Fort Wayne Region)
  • Iowa Regional News (Iowa Region)
  • Newsletter (Central Kentucky Region)
  • Newsletter (Central Western Michigan)
  • Ohio Valley Regional News and Observers Stand (Ohio Valley Region)
  • Open Exhaust (Detroit Region)
  • Piston Patter (Chicago Region)
  • Pit Board (South Bend Region)
  • The Pit Stop (Southern Indiana Region)
  • The Racket (Tennessee Valley Region)
  • Recaps (Eastern Tennessee Region)
  • Rev Record (Western Ohio Region)
  • S.I.R. SCCA Newsletter (Southern Indiana Region)
  • Smoke Signals (Blackhawk Valley Region)
  • The Tonneau (Land O'Lakes Region)

Also relevant are some non-SCCA publications, notably that of the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MCSCC), based in the Chicago area:

  • Klaxon (Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs)

We are also keen to get scans of entry lists from SCCA Nationals in this Division.