Indian Summer Nationals (Arizona Region SCCA National)

Phoenix International Raceway, 11 Sep 1977

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T460 [HU7] (Sam Nicolosi): New to Wilbur Bunce Racing (Anaheim, CA), and raced by Richard Melville and Dennis Firestone in IMSA and Canadian Formula Atlantic in the first half of 1976. Reappeared in early 1977 for Dennis Firestone in an SCCA National, then to Sam Nicolosi (San Diego) for the rest of the year. Retained by Nicolosi for 1978 for SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Advertised by Nicolosi in September 1978. Subsequent history unknown, but Nicolosi recalls that he sold it to "a racer in SCCA North Western region". See 'the Chris Speilberg car', which appeared in 1979 and was based in Eugene, Oregon.
2. March 77B (Ken Briggs): Ken Briggs (Atherton, CA) bought a March 77B for SCCA Nationals in 1977, replacing a Lola T460 that he had used in the first half of the season. He won the Sears Point National in August in this car and comfortably won the Northern Pacific Division title, qualifying for the Runoffs where he finished fifth. Briggs acquired a new March 78B for the start of the 1978 SCCA season, so the March 77B is likely to have been traded back to March importer Doug Shierson.
3. Brabham BT38 [‘33’] (Warren "Bud" Pauge): A "new chassis" replacing the ASCA team's Brabham BT38 wrecked by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Rouen. It was raced by teammate Adam Potocki at Imola, where Potocki failed to qualify, and was then Jaussaud's car for the rest of the season. ASCA entered Jaussaud in the Brazilian F2 Torneio, but he was involved in the startline accident at the second Interlagos race, and the Brabham was badly damaged. According to Chris Townsend's research, this car was acquired by Fred Opert Racing and raced by Héctor Rebaque in the Caracas Formula B race in March 1973, then by Brian Robertson in the JAF Grand Prix in May 1973. It is not clear what else Opert used it for in 1973, but in January 1974, he sold it to John Bernadine (Tulsa, OK) for SCCA Formula B. Then to Warren Pauge (Hacienda Heights, CA) in August 1975, replacing his well-used Brabham BT21. Pauge retained the BT38 for many years, even running it as a Can-Am car once in 1982. After he finally stopped racing it in 1988, he sold it to Marc Bahner, then it went to George Steven in 1992, Tom Stapleton about 2008, and Paul Skilowitz (Stuart, FL) in 2016.
4. Brabham BT40 [33] (John Angus): New to Ted Titmas (Van Nuys, CA) for the British Formula Atlantic series in 1973, but not raced until late in the season. This is presumably the "brand new", "never used" BT40 advertised from Reigate and London numbers in June 1973. Titmas ran the car in September and October, and Cyd Williams used it for one race in October. Titmas reappeared with the car briefly at the end of the 1974 season. He then took the car to the US, and entered it for Ron Dykes to drive in Californian Formula Atlantic races in 1976. To John Angus for 1977 (or to Wilbur Bunce and run by him for Angus). Then to Marc Bahner 1978, who restored it with a stock nose and sold it to George Seydel. In early 1980 it was sold to Finish Line editor Bob Schilling. Later owners have been given as Ken Patch, Perry Sands, Kevin Roggenbuck, who raced it in the 2011 Pacific Northwest Historics, and then David Rugh. Rugh sold it to Chris Rose (Mill Valley, CA) in 2018.
5. Brabham BT38 [19] (Tom Foster): Brand new for Tom Belsø at Oulton Park at the end of March 1972, entered by Team Viking. Raced by Belsø in F2 all season, then converted to Formula Atlantic for a couple of races late in the year. For sale during much of 1973, then to Tom Foster (Modesto, CA) for SCCA Formula B and ICSCC events from 1974 to 1977. Ron Householder (Portland, OR) then bought it for the engine, and sold the car in July 1978 to Kevin Skinner (Langley, BC, Canada). He won the ICSCC Formula B class in 1979, winning his class in seven races. He raced the car in ICSCC events in 1980 and 1981. In 1985, he loaned the car to Marty Knoll (Delta, BC/N Vancouver, BC) in return for Knoll refurbishing it. Knoll raced it in SCCA Nationals and in the WCAR event at Westwood in July 1985. Skinner still owned the Brabham in 2013.
6. Lola T330 [HU19] (Gerre Payvis): See full history: Lola T330 HU19.
7. March 71BM/76B [3] (Jim van Horn): New to Chuck Willis's CRW Racing (Anaheim, CA) and leased to Jean de la Bruyere (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) for Max Mizejewski (Woodland Hills, CA) to race in SCCA Formula B in 1971 as "The Edmonton Flyer". De la Bruyere then split from CRW and Ron Dykes (Marina del Rey, CA) then took over the 71Bm for Pro Formula B races and SCCA Nationals for the rest of 1971. Sold to Bob Newton (Cupertino, CA) and run in Pro FB and SCCA Nationals in 1972, 1973 and 1974. It was also raced by Craig Fraser (Santa Cruz, CA) in 1973 and 1974 before Newton's last known appearance in it in late 1974. To Jim Van Horn (Orange, CA) and raced in Cal Club Regionals in late 1975. Van Horn bought a newer Chevron B27 for 1976, but returned to the March for 1977, which was rebuilt to 76B specification by Marc Bahner and fitted with a BDA engine. The car was registered with the SCCA in September 1977, but curiously used the chassis number of a March 722, 722-38. Van Horn raced this car up to 1980. To Bill Hill (Olympia, WA) in 1981, fitted with a Mazda engine and a sports car body and raced the car in SCCA ASR and in Can-Am as the "Marzda" or the "Banana Crate". Crashed in an SCCA Regional (NW Region) at Olympia Airport in September 1986. Hill then bought a Lola T360 and the March chassis stayed in the rafters of his garage for many years. After Hill died, the car was sold to Phil Creighton (Georgia) in mid-2017, and then by him to Kevan McLurg (Brighton, UK) in 2018. Sold to Bruce Balchin (Southampton) in July 2019.
8. March 722 (Marc Bahner): A new March 722 bought by Russ Mayberry (Woodland Hills, CA) from Max Mizejewski's MRE in the spring of 1972, but only given its maiden outing at Willow Springs in November. Mayberry was a Scottish-born TV director who had made his reputation on Ironside and would move onto many other TV cop dramas such as Kojak, The Rockford Files and Magnum, PI. The car was maintained for him by Jim Hall (Costa Mesa, CA), who was working at Ken Swanson's Swanson Motor Racing, and Hall had regular races in the car as well, Hall typically racing it in the Sunday National after Mayberry drove it in the Saturday Regional. The car was orange and was raced by Mayberry and Hall entered as #90 in southern Californian Formula B up to mid-1975. Hall qualified for the Run-Offs in 1974, finishing 10th at Road Atlanta. Mayberry bought a BDA engine for it for 1975. For 1976, Mayberry bought Bud Turner's A Sedan Camaro, and the 722 was sold to Mark Bahner. Bahner sold it to Kenny Hedman of Hedman Hedders, but got the car back after it was wrecked, rebuilt it and sold it on again. This is presumably the March that Bahner raced in SCCA Formula B in 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
9. Lola T192 (Al Stanchfield): Al Stanchfield (Fresno, CA) raced a Lola T192 in SCCA Formula A events at Riverside and Phoenix from 1974 to 1978. Steve Smith, who crewed for Stanchfield and raced the car once in an ASRA event in Phoenix, recalls that Stanchfield sold the engine and later sold the car separately in the early 1980s. 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-62N. Official results from SCCA records at the IMRRC.