Uncola Nationals (Land O'Lakes Region SCCA National)

Brainerd, 10 Jul 1977

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T460 [HU6?] (Jerry Hansen): New to Tom Klausler (Palatine, IL) and raced in IMSA and Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1976, entered by Traylor Engineering. Then to Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) in 1977, who borrowed it when his new Lola T560 was later being delivered. This would then be the "ex-Haas/Klausler" Lola T460 raced with great success by Paul Romine (Indianapolis, IN) in SCCA Regionals from March to May 1978, winning races at Texas World Speedway and at North Carolina Motor Speedway in March. Paul Romine later found greater success in IHRA. It was bought from Romine by Ed Midgley (Geneva, IL) later in 1978, then sold to Niki Karabetsos (Chicago, IL) for Central Division Formula Atlantic in 1979. From him it went to Sebastian Puleo (Chicago, IL) for SCCA drivers school and Regionals from 1982 to 1984. In 2005, it was acquired in Detroit by Derek Harling (Windsor Ontario), and retained by him as a source of spares for his T460 HU11. Harling sold both his T460s around 2017 to Joe Bunton (Fort Collins, CO).
2. Lola T460 [HU5] (Frank Mahaney III): New to Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) for SCCA Central Division Formula B during 1976, and first appeared at the Road America June Sprints. Finished second at the 1976 Runoffs to Bobby Brown's March 76B. Sold to Frank Mahaney III (Wayzata, MN) for 1977, but Hansen confusingly acquired a different T460, the ex-Tom Klausler car, to run himself that year, as his 1977 Lola T560 was late to arrive. HU5 was sold to Steve Overton (Belleville, IL), a member of St Louis Region, for 1978 and is probably the car raced by Ernst Schneider (St Louis, MO) in 1979 and 1980. Then unknown until bought from Californian Paul Schafer by Cy Moreland (Trainer, PA) in 1997. Sold to Colin Haste (Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia) in 2003 as a "basket case" with a new tub fabricated by Marc Bahner. Restored to Jerry Hansen's livery.
3. Lola T360 [HU8] (J Robert Young): New via North American agent Carl Haas to Robert Young (Snowmass Resort, CO) to replace Young's earlier Lola T242, but apparently not raced until 1975, having sat in stock in late 1974. Young used the car mainly in SCCA Midwest Division Formula B, winning the Division in 1975, 1976 and 1977. It was retained by Young until just after he won the Lake Afton GP in August 1978, then sold to Ron Clawson (Canon City, CO) who raced it at La Junta in early September. The car's SCCA Logbook shows further ownership changes were to Jerry King 4 Sep 1982, Kenny Dahlmann 3 Oct 1988, Keith Young Jan 1990, Steve Torrance 18 Apr 1990, Randy Johnson (Dallas, TX) 28 Mar 1992 and then Cecil Boyd, by which time the car had been fitted with a replacement Marc Bahner monocoque. For a time this car was claimed to be the ex-Bobby Rahal car, a confusion that has now been resolved. Sold to Russell Sewell (Australia) 2008 and then to Leigh Turner (Western Australia) 2009. History then unknown until a car with this chassis number raced in the Formula Atlantic class of the HSCC Formula 2 series by Nick Pink in 2017 and 2018.
4. March 75B (Thomas Sokoly): For 1976, Thomas and Theodore Sokoly acquired a March 75B from Doug Shierson Racing. The car was blue when they first acquired it, and they were told that it had been raced by a Canadian hire driver at Trois-Rivières, who had damaged the engine during practice. This would seem to be a reference to Marcel Talbot, as he was the only Canadian to drive for DSR at that race, and he failed to start the race. With Tom Sokoly (Mayville, WI) driving, and brother Ted as chief mechanic, they raced the March 75B in Formula Atlantic in 1976, including one IMSA round, two Players rounds, plus SCCA Nationals. Tom did not score any points in Central Division in 1976, but scored three points in 1977. For 1978, the car was sold to Frank Scott (Racine, WI), a local Assistant District Attorney. He scored only three points in CenDiv FB in 1978, and took part in the Labatts Championship Series race at Road America in July 1978. Advertised by Scott in throughout 1979 as a 75B/77B with a choice of BDD and BDN engines. Subsequent history unknown.
5. Elden Mk12B [122/12003/73] (James Oppermann): New to Tom Pumpelly (Washington, DC/McLean, VA) and fitted with a Hart Ford twin cam engine for SCCA Formula B in 1973. He won a SCCA Regional at Summit Point in September and a National at the same track two weeks later. He qualified for the Runoffs but retired. Despite entering it as a "Mk11" and a "Mk10", Pumpelly advertised the car more correctly as a 1973 Mk12B in August 1974. It was sold to James Oppermann (Buffalo Grove, IL/Chicago, IL) who drove it in SCCA Formula B from 1975 to 1978. Over those four seasons, he won two SCCA Nationals at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, one in August 1977 and a second in April 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Chevron B27 [27-74-02] (Frank Scott): Chevron build record says sold via Fred Opert to Freeman Racing (Yellow Springs, OH). However, either never delivered or bought back by Opert in 1974 and used by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Trois Rivieres and Richard Melville at Watkins Glen. Advertised by Opert in April 1975 as "ex-Jaussaud", "only two races". Retained by the Opert team for 1975, and used twice by Tom Bagley at Halifax and Trois Rivieres, where his car is described as "ex Jaussaud". Believed to be Michael Landrum's B27 at Road Atlanta in April 1976 in the IMSA series and at Gimli in the Players series in June. Advertised by Pierre Phillips in July 1976 as 'ex Bagley', then to Frank Scott (Racine, WI) who raced it at Blackhawk Farms in August and Brainerd in September, and then advertised it in October 1976 as 'ex Jaussaud, 8 races from new'. He advertised the car again in March 1978. Sold to Richard Ellingson and used in Mid West SCCA until 1980. Then to an autocrosser and subsequently to Paul Berg (Chippewa Falls, WI), who won the MCSCC F/Atlantic series in 1982 with the car. Owned by Bob Dupré (Glenview, IL) 1985 and heavily damaged at Road America that year. Around 2020, Art Hebert contacted Dupré, and Dupré informed him that he had sold the damaged car to J. David Kopf (Tujungam, CA). It was bought from Kopf by Johnnie Crean (Kamuela, Hawaii) in 1998. According to a later advert, Kopf had owned it for over ten years, but had not raced it. Kopf died in 2004. The Chevron was rebuilt for Crean by Graham Collins using a new monocoque fabricated by Marc Bahner. This car sold to Philippe Reyns (Chandler, AZ) in October 2008, and raced in historic events up to 2016. It was sold to Todd Willing (Melbourne, Australia) in December 2019 to race in US historic events, and then bought from WIlling as "27-74-15 ex Jean Pierre Jaussaud" by Alex Dodd (San Francisco, CA) in 2022. It was sold again in early 2023 to Tony Smith in Wisconsin.
7. Lola T360 [HU12] (Rick Koehler): Sold via North American agent Carl Haas to Tom Klausler (Palatine, IL) and run for him by Traylor Engineering in the Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1975, replacing the earlier T360 HU2 he drove in 1974. Sold to James Cushing and Tom Price (Mt Prospect, IL), who raced it during 1976, Cushing in an IMSA race and at the Road America June Sprints, and Price in Midwest Council races, tying for the FB title that year. In August 1976, Price advertised the Lola T360 which he described as being "ex Klausler". As Klausler's 1974 T360 HU2 was still with Mike Hall at this time, this must have been Klausler's 1975 HU12, as must Rick Koehler's "ex-Klausler" car in 1977. Rick Koehler (Mequon, WI) raced the Lola in Central Division Formula B in 1977, winning the division with 43 points, one ahead of Jerry Hansen's newer Lola. The car was described at some races as an "Excalibur EE1B", including at the Runoffs, but this is believed to be the same car. Koehler converted the car to Formula C specification for 1978, and Pat Buckley set the lap record at PBIR on its only outing of 1978. Koehler advertised the car in August 1979, saying that it was "ex-Klausler", had not raced in 1979, had only been raced once in 1978, and reiterating the lap record holder at PBIR. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Leda LT27 [002] (Jim Sechser): Built as Leda LT27-002 for the 1972 season. To Evan Noyes (Cedarville, MI) and raced in UK and US series in 1972, then Tasman 1973, then US series 1973. Via Roy Campbell, "Race Car Drivers Institute" and a bankrupcy auction to Jim Sechser (St Louis Park, MN) by 1975, and used in SCCA racing and a single Pro race in 1976 and 1977. Crashed heavily in 1977, but rebuilt and raced again in 1979. To Fred Schilpin (St Cloud, MN) 1979 or later, and used in minor racing; then retained until 1996. To Roger Williams (Auckland, New Zealand) 1996. Raced by Williams in Australian historic racing from 2001 onwards, and in the F5000 Tasman Revival series from 2003 to 2006. To Alastair Russell (Auckland, New Zealand) and raced in Tasman Revival series from 2006 onwards. More information about Leda LT27-002/McRae GM1-002
9. Brabham BT40 (Peter Robinson): Peter Robinson (Madison, Wisc) raced a Brabham in Formula B at the Indianapolis Raceway Park SCCA National in September 1975. In 1976, Robinson raced a Brabham BT40 at Brainerd in September 1976, and it seems likely this was the same car. He made further appearances in an FB Brabham in 1976 and 1977, before acquiring a newer Chevron B39 for 1978. 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 77-N-45S. Entry list annotated with finishing positions provided by Todd Peterson.