SCCA National (Cincinnati Region)

Mid-Ohio, 1 Sep 1974

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT38 [15?] (Chuck Dietrich): New for Motul Rondel Racing at Hockenheim in mid-April 1972, and raced all season by Bob Wolleck. Raced once by Carlos Reutemann at Enna. Sold to Bill O'Connor (Highland Park, IL) for Formula B for 1973. To Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) for 1974, then fitted with a Cosworth BDA for 1975, 1976 and 1977. He continued to race it in 1978, but at the age of 53 was appearing less often. This was presumably the Brabham he drove in 1979, but by 1980 he had replaced it with a Lola T460. The subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.
2. Lola T192 [HU19] (Larry McNeil): New to Roger Penske for Mark Donohue to drive in the 1970 US series, starting at Mosport 13 Sep 1970. To Competition Research & Development (Pomona, CA) for Brett Lunger US 1971, then to Larry McNeil US 1972, US 1973 and then in SCCA Nationals from 1974 to 1978. Via Alan Marvin to Gordon Close (Hinsdale, IL) 1979, and used it for 1979 SCCA drivers school and Regionals. To former racer Don O'Sullivan (Perth, Western Australia) in 1983 but not run by him and sold to Bob Harborow (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia) in 1989. Restored and used in historic racing in Australia, including VHRR Historic Sandown and Phillip Island Classic 1999-2013, and the Australian GP support races in 2009 and 2010. Reappeared in October 2015, when run by Kieran Patel (Victoria, Australia) at the Baskerville Historics. More information about Lola T192 HU19
3. Brabham BT40 (Dan Carmichael): Dan Carmichael (Columbus, OH) raced a #74 Brabham BT40 in Central Division SCCA Formula B in 1973. He raced the car in Formula B again in 1974, qualifying for the SCCA Runoffs, and again in 1975, when he won the CenDiv FB title. Carmichael acquired a March 75B for 1976, and the subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.
4. March 74B [743-1] (Tom Outcault): Built up as a 743 for Tom Outcault (Cranford, NJ) to race in NEDiv SCCA Formula B and at the Pro FB race at Road America in August. Rebuilt to 75B specification for 1975 and raced in the Pro series and in CenDiv FB (after Outcault moved to Middletown, OH). Advertised by Joe Grimaldi's The Race Shop (Adrian, MI) as a 74B in February 1976. Sold to Barry Findley (Little Rock, AR) for 1976, and run in MidWest Div FB and then in Southwest Div in 1977 after Findley moved to Texas. Possibly the only FB car to race in four different Divisions in four years. Sold in 1977 to James Allan 'Al' Michelet (New Orleans, Louisiana) and raced in SCCA in 1977 and 1978 - and, possibly, in 1979. Barry Findley's son Brian recalls that Michelet wrote off the car at Texas World Speedway. However, Michelet continued to score points in Southwest Division Formula Atlantic in 1979, 1980 and 1981 in a March, and it is unclear when the 743/74B was wrecked and when he bought his newer March 80A. Michelet died in 2011.
5. Chevron B18 (Malcolm MacLeod): Malcolm MacLeod (Vandalia, Ohio) raced a Chevron B18 in Central Division Formula B in 1974, scoring 19 points and finishing fifth in the division. Macleod was the host of "Clubhouse 22" a children's TV programme on channel WKEF-TV in Dayton, Ohio, and some of his early racing exploits were covered by the Dayton Daily News. He raced for Fastrack Operations Inc in Dayton, Ohio, who also had a Chevron Formula B car on their books in 1973 which was raced by Chip Mead. Nothing more known.
6. March 712M [20?] (Bruce Cambern): Bruce Cambern (Dearborn, Michigan) bought an "ex-Pace" March 712M from Fred Opert, but the deal was brokered by Doug Shierson (Adrian, Michigan). Pace had raced several 712Ms as part of Williams' F2 team but this was the only one to move to the US, and a later advert for 712M-20 suggests it was that one. The F2 FVA engine was kept by Opert, and Cambern acquired a tired Vegantune twin cam. He raced the car in Central Division Formula B in 1973, when he scored eight points in SCCA Nationals, and may have had it earlier that that. Cambern recalls that the car was sold to a 'Gary' from Oklahoma, which is very likely to be Gary Robinson (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) who raced a "March 712" in Southwest Division Formula Atlantic in 1976, 1977 and 1978. Robinson later acqured a March 75B, but exactly when he moved over to the newer car is unclear. Then unknown for ten years. In September 1989, Michael Duncan (Los Altos, CA) advertised a March 712, giving its chassis number as #20 and saying it had three owners from new, suggesting he had acquired it directly from Robinson. It then had a "fresh" Bahner tub and 77B bodywork, but the 1971 bodywork was with it. In 1990 or 1991, so possibly in response to these adverts, Simon Hadfield and Tony Thompson bought a March 712M from the US that still had its original HSCC logbooks. They sold it unrestored to Alain Filhol in France. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Brabham BT35 [41] (Thomas Gloviak): Unknown in 1971 and 1972. This car was logbooked by Chicago Region in March 1973, but the logbook number shows that this was not the car's first logbook, and it was originally logbooked before August 1972. Its first known race was at the St Louis Regional at Mid-America Raceway later in March 1973, but its first known results were when it was raced by David Ralston (Elmhurst, IL) in the latter part of 1973. To John Gloviak (Chicago, IL) for 1974 (raced at least three times by his brother Thomas Gloviak), and used in SCCA Nationals and some Pro events from 1974 to 1978. The Gloviaks continued to race the car up to 1982. They planned some suspension changes, but these were never made, and the car was sold to Gene Frings (Mayville, WI) who stored it for some years. Sold in 2002 to restorer David Irwin Evergreen, CO), at which time it had a BDD and FT200 gearbox. Sold to Lee Brahin (Philadelphia, PA) in 2004 or 2005, and raced in SVRA events.
8. Brabham BT21B (Russell Freed): Russell Freed (McKees Rock, PA) raced a Brabham in SCCA Formula C from 1970 to 1975. In 1972, he had moved to Coraopolis, PA and was entered by Bonnie Freed. He qualified for the Runoffs in 1970, where his car was identified on the entry list as a Brabham BT21B.
9. Lola T240 [HU12] (Carmon Solomone): Identified as the #8 Lola T240 raced by Quin Calhoun (Chicago, IL) in CenDiv FB events in 1971, scoring 16 points in FB that season. Retained and raced again in CenDiv in 1972 but only scored 1 point. To Carmon Solomone (Woodridge, IL) for 1973 and raced in Pro and CenDiv events over the next two seasons. History then unknown until 1981, when it was bought from somebody in Chicago by Dan Walker (Oyster Bay, NY). He autocrossed it for a couple of years, advertising it in December 1983, then sold it to somebody in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Again its history is then unknown, but it is said to have been bought by an unknown owner c1991 and owned for 20 years before being advertised c2011. Mentioned by Kim Baker of vintageracecarsales.com as traded to him around July 2013. A car with this number advertised by Greg Jacobs of Ignite Performance in January 2014.
10. Chevron B25 [25-73-15] (Paul Henry): Sold to Geoffrey Freeman (Yellow Springs, OH) of Freeman Racing Enterprises for SCCA Formula B. Ostensibly for Bobby Brown to use in late season Atlantic races. Brown was entered in a blue B25 at Watkins Glen but did not appear. He may have used the car at Trois Rivieres but was not on the entry list at Elkhart Lake. Brown does not remember driving a B25. Then sold by Freeman to Paul Henry (Clyde, OH) at some point during 1974 and converted to FC spec with a BDJ engine. Run for many years in SCCA class FC in Central Division and Henry qualified for the SCCA Runoffs in 1974 and 1975 in this car, before changing to a newer Chevron B34. Retained by the Henry family until sold to David Gathercole in 2008 and restored for UK historic racing. Raced by Gathercole and Steve Allen in HSCC racing in 2012 and 2014. Sold to Jamie Brashaw in 2014, and raced in HSCC events in 2015.
11. Chevron B17 (Guy Revesz): Guy Revesz (Des Plaines, IL) ran a 1098cc Chevron B17 in SCCA Formula C from 1973 to 1975, scoring just six points in a Chevron CenDiv FC in 1973, then finishing fifth in the Division in a Chevron B17 in 1974, and second in 1975. This cannot be 70-04 as its ownership by Bill Anspach and Sandy Brandt overlaps with Revesz' ownership and as 70-04 is the only B17 known to have gone to the US, it seems more likely that this was a former FB Chevron B17b. Photographs show the car had B17 bodywork but that does not eliminate the possibility of it being an updated B15b. It is worth noting that Jim Temme also lived in Des Plaines and had B17 bodywork on his B15, but Revesz and Temme once appeared in the same race, Temme in FB and Revesz in FC, so this cannot have been the same car. Revesz moved into Formula Super Vee for 1976, and his B17 may be the car raced by Barry Geng in FC from 1976 onwards.
12. McLaren M4B (Dick Drexler): Dick Drexler (Pewaukee, WI) had a red/grey McLaren M4A which he entered in local SCCA Formula B events from 1969 to 1972, usually as #5 or #51. A one-time Regional Executive of the SCCA Milwaukee Region, Richard W Drexler was president of Milwaukee-based oil refiner Lubricant, Inc. Records of him actually starting a race are rare but he was a regular entry at his local Road America and Blackhawk Farms circuits or even as far afield as Brainerd. He returned in 1973 with the car now fitted with a 997cc HRE engine for Formula C, qualifying for the Run-Offs that year. He then bought a 1066cc Cosworth SCA engine (bored out for SCC pistons) from Al Essig, who had used it in a Brabham BT15. Drexler is believed to have used that engine in the McLaren in 1974, 1975 and 1976. The car was acquired in 1987 by Dave Hammers (Sea Cliff, NY), restored, and put on display.
13. March 722 (Cliff L. Phillips): Jim Sarich (McLean, VA) raced a midnight blue/white #67 or #56 March 722 in SCCA Nationals and Pro Formula B in 1972, entered by Quicksilver Racing Enterprises, Inc of Rockville, Maryland. Jim finished eighth in the Southeast Division FB championship. Sarich and his team moved into Formula 5000 for 1973, and in the summer of 1973 it was sold to an owner in Atlanta, GA. He had also bought a FSV Zeitler from Ted Roman (Pleasantville, NY), and for 1973 they ran as a team in SCCA Nationals, with Roman driving the March 722 and the car owner driving the Zeitler. The 722 was entered as #63, and Roman, who had moved to Atlanta, scored 12 points in SEDiv as a member of Atlanta Region. Don Becker recalls that the car was traded at the end of that season to Lola agent Carl Haas (Highland Park, IL) against two Lola T340s. The March was evidently then sold to Cliff L. Phillips (Palos Park, IL), who entered a blue March 722 in Central Division SCCA Nationals in 1974 but rarely appeared. He entered two races at Road America in 1974, apparantly without appearing at either, and was then a non-starter at Mid-Ohio on 1 September. He was entered again at Road America in June 1975. In January 1976, Phillips advertised his car, saying that it was metallic blue, had a new "banana" wing and 1975 nose, and was a "former Quicksilver championship car". As Steve Jizmagian's red 722 that was described more clearly as the Chuck Sarich car, it fits that Philips' car would have been the Jim Sarich car. Phillips raced a Lola T242 in 1973 so would already have been a customer of Haas. The history of the March after January 1976 is unknown.
14. Lola T242 (Joe Hill): Joe Hill (Westerville, OH) scored two points in Central Division Formula B in 1974 in a Lola. In February 1975, Hill advertised a Lola T242 with fresh Hart twin cam engine. Nothing more known.

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.

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

SCCA Sanction 74-N-55S. Official results from SCCA records at the IMRRC. Also reported in Competition Press & Autoweek 21 Sep 1974 p27.