OldRacingCars.com

Aurora AFX Championship Round

Pukekohe, 3 Feb 1980

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Andrea de Cesaris March 792 [19] - Ford BDA
#2 March Cars - Marlboro (see note 1)
30 29m 45.1s
2 Dave McMillan Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Hart
#1 (see note 2)
30 29m 48.9s
3 David Oxton Chevron B34 - Ford BDA Hart
#18 (see note 3)
30 29m 51.9s
4 Larry Perkins Chevron B39 [39-77-02] - Ford BDA
#4 (see note 4)
30 30m 00.2s
5 Brett Riley March 77B ["763-U3"] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#10 (see note 5)
30 30m 00.9s
6 Mike Thackwell March 792 [32] - Ford BDA
#3 March Cars - Marlboro (see note 6)
30 30m 05.6s
7 Grant Campbell Chevron B39 - Ford BDA
(see note 7)
30 30m 33.4s
R Desiré Wilson March 77B [30] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#9 (see note 8)
18 Transmission
R Ian Flux Ehrlich RP5 [1] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#5
15 Clutch
R Ken Smith March 782/79B [15] - Ford BDA
(see note 9)
11 Engine

All cars are 1.6-litre F/Pac unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Dave McMillan (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Hart 0.58.3
2 Andrea de Cesaris (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 792 [19] - Ford BDA 0.58.6
3 David Oxton (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 - Ford BDA Hart 0.58.7
4 Ian Flux (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ehrlich RP5 [1] - Ford BDA Nicholson 0.58.8
5 Desiré Wilson (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 77B [30] - Ford BDA Nicholson 0.58.8
6 Larry Perkins (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B39 [39-77-02] - Ford BDA 0.58.9
7 Brett Riley (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 77B ["763-U3"] - Ford BDA Nicholson 0.59.2
8 Mike Thackwell (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 792 [32] - Ford BDA 0.59.6
9 Ken Smith (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 782/79B [15] - Ford BDA 0.59.7
10 Grant Campbell (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B39 - Ford BDA 1.00.0

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 792 [19] (Andrea de Cesaris): New to Bob Salisbury Racing for Juan Traverso to drive in F2 in 1979, using Hart engines. Then converted to Formula Pacific specification for Andrea de Cesaris to race as a Marlboro-backed March Cars entry in the 1980 New Zealand Formula Pacific series.
  2. Ralt RT1/76 [36] (Dave McMillan): To Cavanaugh Racing and run for Kevin Cogan in two late-season 1976 Canadian Formula Atlantic races. Sold to David McMillan and raced in the 1976/77 New Zealand Gold Star season, and in the January 1977 New Zealand International Formula Pacific series. Taken back to Canada for McMillan to race in two Canadian series races in 1977, then back to New Zealand for the 1977/78 Gold Star series and the January 1978 International series. Retained by McMillan for the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons, while also used in a handful of North American races in 1979 and 1980. Rebuilt as a Formula Super Vee for McMillan in 1980. McMillan moved to Ray Lipper’s Centreline Wheels team in 1981 and the old RT1 was raced by Lipper that season. [CT]
  3. Chevron B34 (David Oxton): A car built by David Oxton using a spare monocoque acquired from the Opert team. Raced by Oxton in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1978, then in the 1977/78 Gold Star, and also in the January 1979 and January 1980 Internationals. Next seen in 1984 Internationals, when it was raced by Charlie Thomasen, and then in several more seasons by Heather Spurle. It is reported that this car then went via Kenny Smith to John Wigston for his daughter Joanna to race.
  4. Chevron B39 [39-77-02] (Larry Perkins): New to Tony Martin (Durban, South Africa) and raced in the 1977 South African series. Retained for 1978 as a spare car to Martin's new B45, and and upgraded to B45 specification. Sold for 1979 to Paul England for Peter Larner to race in the early 1979 Australian Internationals. Larry Perkins took over the drive later in 1979, and also drove the car in the Aurora AFX Formula Pacific Championship in New Zealand in early 1980 and the Australian National Panasonic Formula Pacific series in 1981. Some time about 1985 or 1986, the car was sold to Norm Carr (Victoria) who raced it once or twice before damaging one corner at Calder. When Carr acquired it the chassis plate was missing so he had a new one issued by Roger Andreason at Chevron which read "39-77-B-02". It was still owned by Carr in 2003.
  5. March 77B ["763-U3"] (Brett Riley): Brett Riley took delivery of a March 77B in December 1977 that is believed to have carried the chassis number 763-U3 when it arrived in New Zealand. Riley raced it in Formula Pacific in 1978, 1979 and 1980 before selling it to Tom Donovan who progressively modified it and ran it in hillclimbs as well as F/Pacific up to 1983. He then won the 1984 and 1985 NZ hillclimb championships running a 1800cc Cosworth engine in the car. It was sold to Stuart McChesney in 1985 and again used in hillclimbs. It then went to Kenny Smith around 1987 and then to John Mackinlay (Christchurch) around 1993 who restored it and raced it in historic racing 1994-1996. It passed to Garry Cliff (Magnum Motors, Christchurch) in November 1996 then Peter Finlay in Australia in August 1998 in exchange for a Reynard Formula Holden. It was sold to Kevin Miller in May 1999. Retained May 2003.
  6. March 792 [32] (Mike Thackwell): A Marlboro Team Harper car for Derek Daly to drive at the Macau GP in November 1979, backed by Marlboro. Then for Mike Thackwell as a March Cars - Marlboro entry in the 1980 New Zealand Formula Pacific series.
  7. Chevron B39 (Grant Campbell): John Sisk (Lahaska, PA) raced a Formula B Chevron in a NERRC event at Lime Rock in April 1978. At the end of that season New Zealander Grant Campbell bought a Chevron B39 from the US to use in the New Zealand Formula Pacific from January 1979 onwards. Kiwi journalist David McKinney noted that the car wore the '01' chassis plate and was told by Campbell that it had previously been raced by John Sisk. It was retained by Campbell for the 1979/80 and 1980/81 seasons in New Zealand, then taken to Australia for the National Panasonic Formula Pacific series before the start of the 1981/82 New Zealand season. To Steve Cameron (Auckland) for the 1982/83 season. David McKinney advised that it then went to Charlie Thomasen, who also owned the ex-Dave Oxton B34, and then to John Wigston (Auckland) in 1985.
  8. March 77B [30] (Desiré Wilson): Entered by March for Danny Sullivan in the 1978 New Zealand International series. Sold to Colin Giltrap and entered by him for Dave McMillan at Baypark Mar 1978 then for Larry Perkins in the 1978/79 series. Raced by Desiré Wilson in the Jan/Feb 1980 series then John Smith in Jan 1981. Sold to Ray Hanger (Australia) and used in the 1981 AF1 and Pacific series. Also raced at Shah Alam in October 1981.
  9. March 782/79B [15] (Ken Smith): Ricardo Zunino's works car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. Converted to Formula Atlantic for Teo Fabi to race in New Zealand in January 1979 (where it was reported to be wearing plate "782-16", an observation that is now thought to have been incorrect). To Ken Smith (New Zealand) and raced in Formula Pacific in the 1979/80, 1980/81 and 1981/82 seasons. Then to Warren Heron, but not raced until Bay Park in March 1989. Raced twice in 1990, but then stored until two further races, in 1998 and 1999. Sold back to Ken Smith in 2009. To Robert Shaw (UK) in 2010, and restored back to Formula 2 specification. To Marc Devis (Belgium) late 2016.

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.

The New Zealand race results have been provided by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK, Motoraction in New Zealand plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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.