SCCA National (Fort Wayne Region)

Mid-Ohio, 17 Jul 1977

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. 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.
2. March 75B (Dan Carmichael): Dan Carmichael (Columbus, OH), a 56-year-old veteran of SCCA racing, raced a #74 March 75B in SCCA Central Division Formula Atlantic in 1976. The car was in very similar livery to the Interscope March 75B: black with an orange stripe. He retained the car for 1977, scoring 14 points in the Division, although his car was described at the end of that season as a "Mascot". John Gloviak used this car at the 1977 Runoffs, but Gloviak returned to his Brabham BT35 in 1978, so may have just hired the March for this one event. For 1979, Carmichael acquired a brand new March 79B, but it is not clear whether he had also bought a newer car for 1978. Carmichael, who was 60 when the 1979 season started, was an architect from Columbus and had focused on his golf in 1978, winning the Ohio Senior Golf Championship, so may not have raced that season. The subsequent history of the 75B is unproven, but if this was the ex-Interscope car, then it went to Steve Bonney in late 1977 or early 1978.
3. March 75B (Wayne Dassinger): Brothers Gary and Wayne Dassinger (Cincinnati, OH) shared a March 75B in Central Division Formula B in 1977, each scoring three points in Nationals. Both brothers were reported to be driving a March in FB in the Fort Wayne Region SCCA National at Mid-Ohio in July 1977, indicating that they had a second car. Both brothers scored points again in a March in 1978, Wayne scoring 15 and Gary four. The brothers moved to Sebring, FL in 1979, and Wayne again scored points in 1980 as a member of Central Florida Region. Nothing more known.
4. Chevron B24 [24-73-05B] (Ed Kasprowicz): Built for 1974 season. James Dunkel: raced in US 1974, US 1975 (1 race + 1 DNS) - Ed Kaprowicz August 1976: raced in US 1976 (1 race), SCCA FA 1977, SCCA FA 1978 - Steve Bollinger January 1982 - Randy Reso April 1982 - Rupert Bragg-Smith December 1982: raced in Can-Am 1983 (2 races), Can-Am 1984 (2 races), Can-Am 1985 (1 race) - Jack Boxstrom December 1987 - Dick Leppla December 1992: raced at HSR Mid-Ohio July 1994 - Jack Boxstrom (again) of RM Auctions, Inc. (Canada) February 1997 - Albert Way (Oceanview, NJ) Feb 2001 - Philip Jewell (Rushcutters Bay, NSW, Australia) May 2012 - Dean Camm (Melbourne, Australia) December 2016.
5. Brabham BT40 [18] (Ned Clark): New to Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) for 1973, and used in SCCA Formula B in 1973. Dietrich bought a third-hand ex-F2 Brabham BT38 for 1974, and whether the BT40 was used at all that season is not known. In 1975, the BT40 reappeared, raced by David Ralston (Elmhurst, IL) in Central Division SCCA Nationals. Its next owner was Ned Clark (Dayton, OH), who is believed to have raced it from 1976 until 1989. It was next seen in 2006, when bought from the Westerburg Collection in the USA by South Australian Tim Kuchel. By 2011, it had been acquired by Bryan Miller (Kiama, NSW).
6. Chevron B34 [34.76.35?] (Paul Henry): New to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the car raced by José Dolhem at Trois-Rivières in early September. Then to Paul Henry (Clyde, OH), and believed to be the car he drove in Formula Atlantic specification at Indianapolis Raceway Park two weeks later. Converted to Formula C specification with a Cosworth BDJ engine and raced by Henry at the SCCA Runoffs in October. Retained by Henry for 1977 and used in SCCA Nationals in Formula Atlantic spec. In 1978, Henry ran 76-35 in SCCA Formula A specification, still with the same engine but adding 100 lbs of weight, and won a Regional F5000 series based at Nelson Ledges. Henry retained the car until 2006, when he advertised his three Chevrons. All three cars were acquired by David Gathercole in 2008 and returned to England. Sold to Ken Thorogood, and raced by John Finch in HSCC events in 2013 and 2014. Crashed by Finch at Donington Park in 2015, and rebuilt by Thorogood over the next four years, reappearing when raced by Clive Wood at the Oulton Park Gold Cup in September 2019.
7. Lola T360 [HU3] (John Kowalski): Sold via North American agent Carl Haas to Bill O'Connor (Highland Park, IL) and run for him by Traylor Engineering in the Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1974. O'Connor won the US GP support race in this car in October 1974. Retained for 1975, when it was used in the Canadian series and at least once in SCCA Nationals, entered by United Racing Ltd. To John Kowalski (Berea, OH), who won Central Division Formula B in 1976 in the car, qualifying for the Runoffs. Kowalski only scored nine points in a Lola in Central Division FB in 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
8. Chevron B27 [27-74-15?] (Tom Cooney): Tom Cooney (Indianapolis, IN) ran a Chevron B27 in Central Div SCCA from 1977 to 1982 or later. He scored six points in CenDiv FB in 1977, then five points in 1978. He did not score in the first season of the renamed Formula Atlantic category in 1979, but scored two points in 1980 and then 13 points in 1981. Nothing more known.
9. Chevron B34 [34-76-04] (Bill Anspach): New to Bill Anspach (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) in SCCA Formula C specification with a 1.1-litre Cosworth BDJ engine. Anspach finished second in the SCCA Runoffs in this car in 1976, and won the Runoffs with it in 1977. It was sold to Mort Haaz (Santa Monica, CA) for 1978 and raced in Formula C for four seasons. In 1982 Haaz converted the car to C Sports Racing using Tiga bodywork and with the BDJ engine stretched to 1270cc by Steve Jennings. Haaz raced it in 1983 as the "DRR-2". He traded it to Carlos Bobeda (Northridge, CA) for a Lola T540, and Bobeda sold it to Stan Goldstein in 1985. Goldstein raced it in 1987 and in Solo in early 1988 before it was "transformed back to F3" configuration. It is then unknown until around 1999, when it was bought from an advert by Charlie Falcone in the Los Angeles area by Todd Gerstenberger (Gardena, CA). Gerstenberger advertised it In January 2019, when the car still had its sports car bodywork and the 1270cc Jennings BDJ engine, but now had a Bahner monocoque. Sold to Tony Garmey (Seattle, WA) in January 2022.
10. Chevron B34 [34-76-09] (Patrick Garmyn): New to Bill Scott Racing, intended to be raced by Howdy Holmes in the IMSA and Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic series in 1976. Holmes raced the car at Road Atlanta in April but it was "burnt to the ground while testing" before the second race at Laguna Seca. A new car, chassis 76-26, was built for Holmes to drive for the rest of the season, but 76-09 was evidently rebuilt at some point and was sold to Patrick Garmyn (Archbold, OH) for Formula B in 1977. Garmyn retained the car for 1978 but only raced it three times in 1978 as he "lost the engine and did not have the funds to replace it". He sold it to Kit Henry, younger brother of Paul Henry, who converted it to Formula C specification and raced it in SCCA Formula Continental in 1979. The Henrys retained the car until 2006, when they advertised their three Chevrons, with this FC car advertised as "Chassis #9". All three cars were acquired by David Gathercole in 2008 and returned to England. The ex-Garmyn car was restored in bright orange bodywork and raced by Clive Wood and Andy Huxtable in 2008, then driven by Paul Allen at Monza in 2009. It was then sold to Phil Gladman who raced it as a B34 in HSCC events in 2011, and then as a "B34D" in 2012 and 2013 when it was fitted with a Gathercole BDG engine. It was bought from Gathercole by Andrew Storer in 2018, and raced by him for the first time in HSCC Aurora Trophy races in 2021, now as a B34 but still in the Formula 2 class.
11. March 77B [76B-6?] (Tom Outcault): Tom Outcault (Middletown, OH or Cranford, NJ) raced a blue #31 March 76B in 1976, entered by Tom Outcault Racing. The colour suggests that this was 76B-6, the only blue car in March records for which an owner is not known. Outcault appears to have retained the car for SCCA racing in 1977, but is thought to have acquired a 77B later that season. Outcault was still racing a 76B or 77B as late as 1980. Subsequent history unknown.
12. 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.
13. Brabham BT40 [11] (Gary Wallace): This would have logically been the first car delivered, but how it was used in the early part of the season is unclear. Bob Kime (Hallstead, PA) acquired the car in the summer of 1973 and raced it for the first time at the Bryar National in early September but crashed it. It was rebuilt by Fran Larkin and loaned the Bertil Roos, who used it to win the Columbo Yogurt Formula B race at the US GP meeting, so it is probably the BT40 that Roos had used on the two weekend before Kime's debut, at Mosport Park and Road America. Kime retained the car for 1974, but having found Formula B a bit quick, opted to convert it to Formula C using a 1000cc Cosworth BDA. Kime accumulated 32 points in Northeast Division FC and finishing second at the Runoffs. The car was converted back for the Watkins Glen GP support race in 1974 but Kime failed to qualify, so the car was raced by Peter Moodie. In early 1975, it was bought by Gary Wallace (Hebron, IN), and raced by him in SCCA Formula B until 1979. Wallace then retained it until the spring of 1990, when he sold it to Cameron MacArthur (Loveland, CO) who used it in RMVR events in the Colorado area. It went to Terry Allard in 2000 or 2001, then Bill Swope (Albuquerque, NM) in 2004, and then to Phil Franzone (Perth, Australia) in April 2010.
14. March 75B (Glenn Guerra): Chip Mead (Dayton, OH) raced a red #17 March 75B as part of the Doug Shierson Racing team in the Players Canadian series 1975 with backing from Zonin wines. He also raced the car in CenDiv Formula B, finishing in a tie for second place for the title. H. T. Mead Jr, who was 25 years old and worked for his father's investment company, had previously raced for Doug Shierson Racing in 1974 in a Chevron B27. Advertised by Chip Mead with a Nicholson/McLaren BDA in December 1975 and January 1976. This car was raced by Ted Johnson (Arlington Heights, IL) in an SCCA National at Mid-America Raceway in May 1976, when a photograph shows that it was still in Mead's distinctive livery. Sold soon after to Glenn Guerra (Barrington, IL) who raced it in Midwest Council and SCCA Central Division Formula B in 1976, winning the MCSCC event at Blackhawk Farms in late May, and scoring scoring three points for his fifth place finish (fourth in the FB class) at Indianapolis Raceway Park in June. Guerra scored three points again in the SCCA division in 1977, and competed in Midwest Council events at Blackhawk Farms, winning two races. He also appeared at least once in MCSCC events in 1978, and scored three points in SCCA CenDiv in 1979. 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.

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-38S. Results transcribed by Chris Townsend from the SCCA Archive at the IMRRC. Entry List kindly provided by Fred Amey. The IMRRC has no holding of Fort Wayne Region's "Four Wheel Drift" newsletter for 1977.