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Aberdeen & District MC Hill Climb

Fintray, 18 Jun 1978

ResultsTime 
1 Martyn Griffiths 2.2-litre Pilbeam-March G78 [74B-7] - Hart 422R
Severn Advertising (see note 1)
28.88s 1st in class
2 Alister Douglas-Osborn 3-litre Pilbeam MP31 [2] - Cosworth DFV V8
Waring & Gillow Racing
28.97s
3 Rob Turnbull 2-litre Ralt RT1/77 [71?] - Hart 420R
B & W Motors (see note 2)
29.14s
4 Jim Campbell (1600cc racing car) 1.6-litre Brabham BT35 [44] - Ford BDA
John Young (see note 3)
29.37s
5 Jimmy Jack 2-litre March 772 [3] - BMW M12/7
Jack Crane Hire (see note 4)
30.01s
6 Charlie Munro 2-litre March 772 [3] - BMW M12/7
Jack Crane Hire (see note 5)
31.18s
7 Norrie Galbraith (clubmans) Mallock U2 Mk 8B/16
31.45s 1st in class
8 Bill Lord 2-litre Chevron B20 [72-4] - Cosworth FVC
(see note 6)
31.86s
9 Jim Sword Jasag
32.09s
10 Eryl Davies (1100cc racing car) 1.1-litre March "73D" (733/75) - Cosworth BDJ
(see note 7)
32.28s 1st in class
Qualifying
Qualifying information not available

Notes on the cars:

  1. Pilbeam-March G78 [74B-7] (Martyn Griffiths): A lightweight car sold to Chris Cramer (Stroud, Gloucestershire), and fitted with a Cosworth BDG engine for British hillclimbs. Retained for 1975, when fitted with a 2.2-litre Hart 422R engine. Then to Martyn Griffiths (Arley, Worcestershire) for 1976, still with the same Hart engine. For 1977, Griffiths too the car to Mike Pilbeam, and he revamped it as the Pilbeam R28, although it still looked much like a 74B and was entered as a March "74P". He won five of the first eight rounds of the British series, and finished second overall. It was completely revamped again by Pilbeam for 1978, now dubbed the "Pilbeam G78", with new side panels, nose and rear wing, and Griffiths again won five rounds. To John Barratt (Garstang, Lancashire), who fitted a 1600cc Cosworth FVA and entered it as the Pilbeam R28. To Alan Newton (Clitheroe, Lancashire) in 1982, when it was described as a Pilbeam MP28, then to Martin Brockhouse (Leeds, West Yorkshire) to use in sprints in 1983. It then appears to have returned to Newton, and was raced by him in 1984 and 1985, but in either 1985 or 1986, Newton crashed it into a tree at Doune. The car was rebuilt by Newton using a set of plans provided by Mike Pilbeam, and was sold by him to Peter Varley in 1987. By this time the car was almost unrecognisable as a 74B, and Varley says there was little of the original car left. Varley later fitted a 2000cc Ford YB engine, and ran the car until he retired. It was then bought back by Alan Newton once again, and has been retained by his sons.
  2. Ralt RT1/77 [71?] (Rob Turnbull): New to Rob Turnbull (Walmley, West Midlands) and fitted with a 2-litre Ford BDG engine for British hillclimbs, sponsored by B. & W. Motors Ltd of Sutton Coldfield. Turnbull was a regular Top 10 finisher in the RAC championship, with a best result of fifth at Shelsley Walsh, Doune and Gurston Down. He ended the season eight in the championship. He also used the car in the British Sprint Championship and in the BARC Hill Climb Championship. He fitted the Ralt with a Hart 420R F2 engine for 1978, and improved, finishing third in the Wiscombe Park RAC round in April, winning a round of the Scottish Hillclimb Championship at Rumster in May, and finishing second in a British Sprint round at Curborough a week later. He crashed the car heavily at Le Val des Terres in July where it was reported that he wrote off the near side suspension and damaged the monocoque. He replaced it with a March 762, and the fate of the Ralt is unclear. It is widely believed to have been repaired and sold to Mike Catlow, but no actual evidence of this can be found. There are also suggestions that it moved into French hillclimbs.
  3. Brabham BT35 [44] (Jim Campbell): Husband-and-wife hillclimbers Gray and Agnes Mickel (Glasgow, Scotland) bought a new Brabham BT35 for hillclimbs in 1972. It was fitted with a Hart twin-cam and first appeared at the Kinkell Braes hill climb in March 1972. Retained by the Mickels for 1973 and used in British and Scottish championship hillclimbs, acquiring a Hart BDA engine some time during that year. The car was advertised by the Mickels in November 1973 and was bought by Jim Campbell (Bothwell, Scotland) 1974 who raced it until 1978. It was then used by Chris Dowson (Pershore, Worcestershire) in hillclimbs in 1979 and 1980. Fred Edwards (Warboys, Cambridgeshire) bought it in 1985 and used it in Monoposto and HSCC events until 1991 but it was then unused until bought by David Irwin (Evergreen, Colorado) in 2001. Irwin still had it in 2004. It was restored by J&L restorations and had moved to Don Roose (Bainbridge Island, Washington) by 2005. Advertised by Roose in 2007. Sold to Allen Nicholas (California) in December 2009 and used in west coast historic events. Sold by Nicholas to Peter McLaughlin (New Hampshire) in December 2014 but not raced. Sold to David Smoker (South Australia) in April 2016.
  4. March 772 [3] (Jimmy Jack): New to Norman Dickson, and raced in F2, Shellsport G8 and libre racing in 1977. To Jimmy Jack for 1978, and used in libre, sprints and hillclimbs, when it was also raced by Charlie Munro, and by Eddie Cheever in an Ingliston libre race. Retained for 1979, when driven by Jack and Munro in speed events again, and also by Andy Barton and Bill Lord on occasion, and used by Jack more rarely in 1980. It was then sold to Tony Brown in Gloucestershire for hillclimbs, but by mid-1981, he had sold it to Stuart Lawson (Kirkliston, Scotland), taking Lawson's ex-Bernard Hunter March 80/81A in trade. Lawson used the 772 in libre racing with a Hart 420R engine at Ingliston in 1981, sharing it with Ted Dzierzek, who drove it in Knockhill events in 1981 and 1982. Subsequent history unknown until it was raced by Christian Fischer in Historic F2 in 2003, when it had been reunited with its BMW engine. Fischer drove it until 2005, when it temporarily disappeared into Switzerland before being bought by Ted Walker and Matthew Watts (both Dursley, Gloucestershire) in 2007. It was raced by Watts in HSCC Historic F2 from 2009 to 2019.
  5. March 772 [3] (Charlie Munro): New to Norman Dickson, and raced in F2, Shellsport G8 and libre racing in 1977. To Jimmy Jack for 1978, and used in libre, sprints and hillclimbs, when it was also raced by Charlie Munro, and by Eddie Cheever in an Ingliston libre race. Retained for 1979, when driven by Jack and Munro in speed events again, and also by Andy Barton and Bill Lord on occasion, and used by Jack more rarely in 1980. It was then sold to Tony Brown in Gloucestershire for hillclimbs, but by mid-1981, he had sold it to Stuart Lawson (Kirkliston, Scotland), taking Lawson's ex-Bernard Hunter March 80/81A in trade. Lawson used the 772 in libre racing with a Hart 420R engine at Ingliston in 1981, sharing it with Ted Dzierzek, who drove it in Knockhill events in 1981 and 1982. Subsequent history unknown until it was raced by Christian Fischer in Historic F2 in 2003, when it had been reunited with its BMW engine. Fischer drove it until 2005, when it temporarily disappeared into Switzerland before being bought by Ted Walker and Matthew Watts (both Dursley, Gloucestershire) in 2007. It was raced by Watts in HSCC Historic F2 from 2009 to 2019.
  6. Chevron B20 [72-4] (Bill Lord): To Bob Howlings Racing Team for John Lepp (Altrincham, Cheshire) to race in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. Won at Croft in August and had several other good placings. Last seen in the UK at Oulton Park on 30 September 1972, and then unknown until early 1974 when sold by Howlings to Nelson Todd (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), and raced in Irish Formula Atlantic, winning at Kirkistown in October 1974. To Jim Sherry (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) for a couple of races at Mondello Park in 1975. This must be the "little used" Chevron B20 advertised by Gerry Kinnane in Belfast in June 1976. Raced by Mike Nugent (Cookstown, County Tyrone) a couple of times later that year. Then to Dick Parsons (Dundonald, County Down, Northern Ireland) for 1977, when it was described as a ex-Kinnane. Sold to Tom McMillan in Scotland, then on to Bill Lord for 1978 and used in Scottish hillclimbs, reputedly with a Hart 420R Formula 2 engine, but this seems unlikely. Retained for 1979 and presumably the Chevron B20 with Cosworth FVC engine advertised from Dunfermline, Fife in November 1979.
  7. March "73D" (733/75) (Eryl Davies): In 1976, Eryl Davies (Watford, later Keithley, West Yorkshire) appeared in hillclimbing with a March 713M fitted with a 1100cc Cosworth BDJ engine. The car was updated for 1977, when Davies called it a March 73D. He raced the car again in 1978, before buying a more modern Anson F3 car and transferring his engine into that. 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.