SCCA National (Cal Club Region)

Riverside, 13 Feb 1977

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT1/76 [10?] (Kevin Cogan): New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Craig Hill at Mosport Park in August 1976, a round of the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series. Then used by Kevin Cogan in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in late 1976 and retained as his main car in 1977 when he also had RT1/75-10 as a spare car. Then retained by Cogan as an unused spare car in 1978, and advertised by him in October 1978. Retained again as a spare car in 1979, and still owned by Cogan in early 1980. [CT]
2. Lola T460 [HU7] (Dennis Firestone): 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.
3. March 77B [1] (Jeff Wood): New to Jeff Wood (Studio City, CA) for the 1977 South Pacific Division Formula B season and then the Labatts Formula Atlantic Championship. Entered at different times that season by Great Plains Motor Racing, Steve Jennings Team, Robert Wood and R&R Racing. Sold for 1978 to Allen Karlberg (Seattle, WA). Karlberg recalls selling it to Don Courtion of Seattle, WA, a gentleman racer who never raced the car. Then unknown until 1989, when Nancy James (Fremont, CA) raced it as a C Sports Racer.
4. March 75B/76B (Ron Dykes): Ted Titmas (Van Nuys, CA) registered a Formula B March with the SCCA Cal Club Region in Southern California in June 1977. That SCCA log book gives the chassis number as '722-33', but it is unclear why the car had not already been logbooked by the SCCA before June 1977. However, Titmas had two very similar cars, one red and one orange, and it not yet clear which was the old 722. Titmas ran a March "78B" or "77B" for a number of hire drivers from 1977 onwards. In 1977, he is said to have run it for Dennis Firestone (Los Angeles, CA), but Firestone focused on Formula Ford that season, and it is not clear where he raced the March. In 1978, Titmas ran it for Ben Schilachi (Beverley Hills, CA), at which time it was blue and entered as #22. He retained it for 1979, when it was entered for Dick Gamble at the Long Beach race, and then Titmas sold it to Juan Carlos Bolaños. Bolaños advertised a March 73B in July 1979, which only deepens the mystery of this car. Subsequent history unknown.
5. March 76B (Hugh "Wink" Bancroft): Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (Costa Mesa, CA) had a Fred Opert Racing Chevron B34 for 1976 but wrecked the car in practice at Trois-Rivières in September and borrowed a Shierson March 76B for that race and for the two remaining IMSA races. The identity of the 76B is unknown as several of Shierson's usual drivers were absent from Trois-Rivières so their cars would have been available.
6. March 76B [2] (Cliff Hansen): Cliff Hansen (Laguna Beach, CA) campaigned a blue/red #6 March 76B in 1976 as part of the Doug Shierson Racing operation. Hansen retained the car for the start of the 1977 season, until his new 77B arrived, and then kept the 76B as a spare, needing it at St-Félicien and at Trois-Rivières after crashing the 77B. Its history in 1978 is unknown, but it is believed to be the car raced by Tom Contino (Ontario, CA) between 1979 and 1981, then sold by him in October 1981 to Damon Meek (Los Gatos, CA), who raced the car in SCCA Nationals in 1982 and has identified it as "76B-02" and ex-Cliff Hansen. Meek sold it to Lee Follansbee (San Jose, CA) and it would be the 76B raced by him in the Sears Point Pro race in 1984. Sold by Follansbee to Michael Olsen (Santa Clara, CA) who raced it at Sears Point in October 1988. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Chevron B29 (Gordon Strom): Gordon Strom (Santa Cruz, CA/Sunnyvale, CA) ran a Brabham BT35 in west coast SCCA racing from 1972 to 1975 when he moved up to a nearly-new Chevron B29 for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. The car was yellow with red top bodywork and ran as #9. The identity of the Chevron is not known, but it may be relevant that the car was entered by Fred Opert Racing in Strom's two Pro races at Laguna Seca and Ontario Motor Speedway in May 1976. Strom raced the Chevron until an accident at Laguna Seca in June 1977 in which he suffered massive head injuries. It is likely that the car was destroyed. Strom was hospitalised but his medical insurance "ran out", and a fund was established to help his wife Kay with the overwhelming hospital bills. He died in November 1977 without having regained conciousness.
8. Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] (Jon Norman): New to William Monson (Kent, WA) in February 1971 with pale yellow bodywork according to the Lotus built record. Raced by Monson in the SCCA Continental Championship and SCCA Nationals in 1971 but after only a few races he suffered a major accident at Laguna Seca in June 1971 when he clipped the bridge and was in hospital with significant injuries. He returned to racing but crashed again in an SCCA Regional at Portland in August, seriously damaging the car. This time he retired from racing and sold the wrecked Lotus to Gary Gove (Tacoma, WA). Gove's racing partner Pete Lovely was then in the process of fitting a F1 DFV engine to his 1970 F2 Lotus 69 and Gove was able to use the F2 rear end to repair Monson's car. The result was a very quick car and in 1972 Gove raced it in ICSCC and NW Regional events plus at least one National, the Kent (Seattle) National in September. In 1973, Gove won the NorPac title in the Lotus and then sold it to Jon Norman (Oakland, CA) who won the 1975 NorPac FB title and was second in 1976. Norman also took the car to the SCCA Runoffs in 1975, finishing a remarkable fourth, and raced it in several Pro Formula Atlantic races. Norman raced it at least once in SCCA events in 1977 before replacing it with a much newer March 76B. Subsequent history unknown.
9. March 76B [13] (Steve "Gas" Saleen): Doug Shierson Racing ran a maroon/red #8 March 76B in 1976 for Price Cobb. In early 1977, it was entered by Doug Shierson Racing in SCCA Nationals for Steve "Gas" Saleen (Whitter, CA), but when the Pro series started in May, his entrant was Clayton Racing Team. The car's log book states that it was chassis 76B-13. Run by Clayton Racing for Frank Beetson (San Diego, CA) in 1978, when it was entered as a 77B. Also seen once in mid-1979 with Beetson, and later advertised by him in February 1980. Its history is then unknown until 1983, when it reappeared in the hands of John Herne (Santa Ana, CA). He retained it for WCAR in 1984, then sold it in early 1985 to John Blizzard (Prescott, AZ), who raced it in WCAR that season. Blizzard remembers selling it to someone in Phoenix, AZ. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Chevron B27 (Michael Morris): Mike Morris raced a Chevron in an SCCA National at Riverside in February 1977, which Chris Townsend has identified as a B27. At the equivalent race in February 1978, he entered a yellow Chevron B27 sponsored by Stern's BarbQ and finished fifth, scoring two points in the Southern Pacific Division Formula B table for 1978. Nothing more known.
11. Lola T460 [HU2] (Ken Briggs): New to John David Briggs (Woodside, CA) for 1976, but only used at the start of the season as Briggs focused on Formula 5000. Raced by Ken Briggs (Atherton, CA) in Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals in 1977. Chris Townsend's research places the car with Tom Smith (Redwood City, CA) in June and July 1978, after which it went to Wyatt Gerrells (Campbell, CA) until 1987. When Michael Duncan (Los Altos, CA) bought it from Gerrells some time before 1989 it was still in Kenny Briggs' plain blue colours. Duncan advertised it in The Wheel in May 1993. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Lola T460 (Bob Richardson): Bob Richardson (Colorado Springs, CO) raced a T460 in SCCA Nationals at Riverside, in Texas and in Arizona in early 1977. He scored nine points when he won a Southwest Division National at Greater Southwest Raceway in February, but did not score again in FB in 1977. Later on in the season, he drove a FF1600 Lola T440 in MidWest Division SCCA Nationals at Hutchinson and Mid-America Raceway. In 1978, he started the season in a Formula Ford Crosslé 32F and easily won the MWDiv championship. He even had time to move to a Lola T497 in the C Sports Racing class and won that MWDiv title as well. The fate of the Lola T460 is unknown. Given his move back to FF, it may have been a hire deal. The locations of his races would suggest a Wilbur Bunce Racing car, such as HU19. The Bunce team were at Riverside running Dennis Firestone in HU7, so could gave brought along their second T460 for Richardson.
13. Chevron B34 [34-76-34] (Butch Owsley): New to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the car raced by Alan Jones at Trois-Rivières in early September. To Butch Owsley (Aptos, CA/San Jose, CA) and raced in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in early October. Retained by Owsley for SCCA Nationals and Regionals in 1977. Then raced by Bob Earl (Novato, CA) at a couple of late-season SCCA Regionals. The car was bought by actor James Brolin and run for Earl to drive by Ron Tourte's Tourté Racing in 1978, then Earl raced it in Pro events and SCCA Nationals. Earl did not get the results he expected, and also raced Doug Dreager's March 76B in one race, and ended the season in one of Fred Opert's newer Chevron B39s. The B34 went to Mike Buckenham (Stockton, CA) for 1979 and he raced it in SCCA Nationals until 1982 at least. The car was then taken by Joe Ordoqui (Boeing, CA) in partial payment for his March 80A. Ordoqui recalls that the Chevron sat in his garage for a couple of years but he is not sure where it went. Subsequent history unknown.
14. March 75B [722?] (Frank Monise): Vern Schuppan raced in the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1975 in a March 722 prepared by Rick Shea's Shea Racing. The car was yellow-and-white, in 73B (or 74B) bodywork, and ran as #11 with support from Rapid Movements. Later in the season, the car was raced by Shea himself at Brainerd in September. At the start of the 1976 season, Shea ran the car for Dave Walker. It was now described as a March "72-75" and was black, but still entered as #11. After Walker drove it in the first four races, it was later raced by Bob Beyea, Shea himself, and by Damien Magee at Trois-Rivières in September. The car was then sold to Frank Monise (Pasadena, CA), so is presumably the blue-and-white #25 March "75B" that he raced in southern Californian SCCA Nationals in 1977 and 1978. Advertised by Monise in September 1978 as a March "72 updated to 76" with "fresh CRW BDD". It was traded by Monise to Pierre Phillips in part-exchange on one of Rahal's Ralts in 1979.
15. March 75B [722] (Tom Crowther): Tom Crowther (Kentfield, CA, later Novato, CA) raced a March in Formula B/Atlantic from 1974 to 1976 and this is believed to have been the same March 722 throughout. At first the car was entered by "Pollard Racing, a division of Donald Pollard Associates". By the start of 1975, it had Falconer bodywork, but later that season it was rebuilt by Mark Blaze to 75B specification. It was entered as a 75B at the 1975 Run-Offs and at a single Pro appearance in late 1976. Crowther ran the "75B" regularly through 1977, winning the Portland National in September, and also lending it to fellow Huffaker employee Terry Visger for the Halifax round of the Labatts series in August. It was then sold via Pierre Phillips to Nick Lingren and was driven by Sans Thompson at Trois-Rivières in 1978. In February 1979, Pierre Phillips Racing was advertising the "ex-Crowther March" as a rolling chassis. Subsequent history unknown.
16. Lola T332 [HU42] (Mike Roche): See full history: Lola T332 HU42.
17. 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.
18. March (Wally Farrell): Wally Farrell (San Bernardino, CA) raced a Formula B March in SCCA events in California in 1977, and appeared on entry lists at least in 1978. The car was black, wore #95, had 75B-ish sidepods, and a cockpit surround that appears the same as the one created by Richard Paul for his 73B-derived March bitza in 1975. The front of Farrell's tub shows that it had a 1973 or 1974 monocoque. The nose appears to be a works F2 742 nose. This may be the "742" that Ozzie Pohl ran in late 1975 and early 1976, which Paul believes he may have sold to Pohl. Subsequent history unknown.
19. Lola T192 (Leland Sheldon): Leland Sheldon (Reno, NV) drove a T192 in SCCA South Pacific Division events. Leland recalls buying the car as a rolling chassis in Sacramento, CA, from a racing car dealer, trading a Lotus 20 Formula C and cash for the Lola. The Lola was blue with polished aluminum tub and wings. The rear wing had Sahara Tahoe written on it and the front wings had Daycoa Lighting. He fitted a 305 ci Chevrolet and raced it for two seasons in West Coast SCCA events until a race at Laguna Seca where a rear tyre blow, spinning the Lola into the rail and damaging the rear suspension. Somebody in the Midwest made him an offer for the car which he readily accepted. He cannot remember the buyer.
20. Lola T460 [HU3] (Steve Jizmagian): New to Steve Jizmagian (San Francisco, CA) and raced in SCCA Nationals and IMSA Formula Atlantic races in 1976. Retained for 1977 for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained again for 1978, again for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained by Jizmagian for 1979, but destroyed in an accident at Westwood in June 1979. What was left was broken for spares.
21. Surtees TS8 (Kenneth Rich Amick): Rich Amick (La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego, CA) entered an orange Surtees TS8 for the Riverside SCCA National in February 1976. He that raced a Formula A Surtees at Holtville Aerodrome in March 1976, and Kenneth R Amick (Spring Valley, CA) raced a Surtees TS8 at the SCCA National at Riverside in February 1977. Rich Amick also raced it at Phoenix two weeks later. Amick then advertised the car in Autoweek 23 Apr 1977, mentioning that the "spares include tubs", and later in the season raced a FSV Lola. The two most likely sources for Amick's car are TS8/006, last seen with Dick Ferguson, just up the coast in Los Angeles, or TS8/008, last seen with Stuart Forbes-Robinson in Huntington Beach, CA, also in Greater Los Angeles, at the end of 1974. The Ferguson car seems most likely, as that had other tubs with it when acquired by Chuck Haines in 1990. However, this could also be the car that went to Dale Mahar in the Los Angeles area later in 1977, in which case it was the mystery chassis TS8/010.
22. 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.
23. Lola T300 [HU6] (John McDonald): See full history: Lola T300 HU6.
24. Lola T300 [HU17] (Ray Stephens): See full history: Lola T300 HU17.

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

Formula April 1977 pp50-51