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Macau Grand Prix

Macau, 16 Nov 1980

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Geoff Lees Ralt RT1/75 [9] - Ford BDA Smith
#1 Marlboro Theodore Racing Team
40 1h 35m 27.94s
95.53 mph
2 Masahiro Hasemi March 79B [792?] - Nissan LZ14
#11 Team Honest Datsun
40 1h 36m 02.27s
3 Tom Gloy Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA
#72 Flying Tigers Racing Team
40 1h 36m 36.94s
4 Steve Millen Ralt RT1/77 [88] - Ford BDA
#7 Schollum Racing (see note 1)
40 1h 36m 45.79s
5 Vern Schuppan March 722/76B [722-40] - Ford BDA
#2 Marlboro Theodore Racing Team
(see note 2)
39
6 Desiré Wilson Ralt RT1/77 [72?] - Ford BDA
#5 Theodore Racing Team
39
7 Albert Poon Chevron B39/B40 - Ford BDA
#66 Equipe 66 (see note 3)
39
R Sonny Rajah Ralt RT1/75 [5] - Ford BDA Cosworth
#21 Peter Marshall (see note 4)

R Bob Earl Ralt RT1/78 [142] - Ford BDA
#74 Flying Tigers Racing Team
34
R Jeff Wood Ralt RT4/80 [162] - Ford BDA
#78 Flying Tigers Racing Team

R Takeshi Iida Falcon 78A - Ford BDD Swindon
#10 Falcon Racing Team

R Huub Rothengatter Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - Nissan LZ14
#9 Team Honest Datsun

R Kiyoshi Misaki Chevron B40 - Toyota 2T-G Toda
#12 Kiyoshi Misaki (see note 5)

R Naohiro Fujita March 782 - Toyota 2T-G Tom's
#15 Naohiro Fujita

R Kevin Cogan Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA
#3 Marlboro Theodore Racing Team

DNS Fumio Muto Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - Nissan LZ14
#20 Team Honest Datsun
Did not start
(car raced by Rothengatter)
DNS Peter Marshall Ralt RT1/75 [5] - Ford BDA Cosworth
#21 Peter Marshall (see note 6)
Did not start
(car raced by Rajah)
DNSC Howdy Holmes Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA
#76 Flying Tigers Racing Team
Did not start (crashed)
DNSC Andrew Miedecke Chevron B48 [48-79-07] - Ford BDA
#16 Andrew Miedecke
Did not start (crashed)
T/C Huub Rothengatter March 802 [792?] - Nissan LZ14
(Crashed in practice)
DNA Danny Sullivan Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA
#6 Marlboro Theodore Racing Team
Did not arrive

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

Qualifying
1 Geoff Lees (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/75 [9] - Ford BDA Smith 2m 20.14s
2 Masahiro Hasemi (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 79B [792?] - Nissan LZ14 2m 20.75s
3 Tom Gloy (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA 2m 21.80s
4 Bob Earl (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/78 [142] - Ford BDA 2m 22.26s
5 Jeff Wood (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT4/80 [162] - Ford BDA 2m 23.66s
6 Andrew Miedecke * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B48 [48-79-07] - Ford BDA 2m 23.78s
7 Desiré Wilson (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [72?] - Ford BDA 2m 23.78s
8 Steve Millen (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [88] - Ford BDA 2m 23.80s
9 Howdy Holmes * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA 2m 24.20s
10 Huub Rothengatter (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - Nissan LZ14 2m 24.49s
11 Kevin Cogan (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1 - Ford BDA 2m 24.77s
12 Vern Schuppan (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 722/76B [722-40] - Ford BDA 2m 27.86s
13 Naohiro Fujita (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 782 - Toyota 2T-G Tom's 2m 28.24s
14 Kiyoshi Misaki (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B40 - Toyota 2T-G Toda 2m 28.41s
15 Albert Poon (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B39/B40 - Ford BDA 2m 29.51s
16 Fumio Muto * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-20?] - Nissan LZ14 2m 32.02s
17 Sonny Rajah (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/75 [5] - Ford BDA Cosworth 2m 32.61s
18 Takeshi Iida (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Falcon 78A - Ford BDD Swindon 2m 37.83s
19 Peter Marshall * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/75 [5] - Ford BDA Cosworth 2m 44.60s
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Ralt RT1/77 [88] (Steve Millen): New to Brian Robertson's Ralt America as a late-season car for the CASC Formula Atlantic series, probably intended for Eddie Cheever to drive at Trois Rivieres, but he did not appear. To Larry Bergman (Los Gatos, CA) for SCCA Formula B in California. Bergman retained the car for 1979, winning the Northern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic title but also competing in most rounds of the North American Formula Atlantic series. Then to Steve Millen in New Zealand, and raced in the Aurora AFX New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1980, then in the 1980/81 season. To Eric Morgan for the 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84 seasons. CT
  2. March 722/76B [722-40] (Vern Schuppan): New to Australian Vern Schuppan to drive in the British Formula Atlantic championship. Fitted with a BRM Ford twin cam engine, and first seen in practice at Mallory Park in late March, but Schuppan left before the race to catch a flight to the Singapore GP. Schuppan finished second in Singapore, and third in the Malaysian GP a week later. Then returned to the British series, now with a BDA, and won four rounds. The car was then fitted with Falconer bodywork and an Amon-Woods engine rebuilt by Geoff Richardson, and raced in the Rothmans 50,000 and in two late-season F2 races. After a single F2 race in 1973 fitted with a Richardon BDG, the car went to Southeast Asia, winning the Singapore GP with a Ford twin cam fitted, then competed in the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji with the BDG, and back to the 'twink' for Macau. He raced the car in British Formula Atlantic briefly in early 1974, then sent it back to Asia where he won the Macau GP in November, by which time it had been fitted with 732 bodywork and a Lola T360 rear wing. It then became a fixture at Macau up to 1977, being driven by Alan Jones and Derek Daly. Patrick Tambay also raced for Theodore Racing in the Malaysian and Penang Grands Prix in 1977, where it was still in 732 form but was billed as a 752. It reappeared at Macau for Schuppan in 1979, now in 76B bodywork. After one more race in the hands of Roberto Moreno, the car was retained by Yip and placed in the Macau Grand Prix Museum.
  3. Chevron B39/B40 (Albert Poon): LC Kwan (Hong Kong), owner of the Equipe 66 garage, bought a Chevron B39 in late 1977 from Fred Opert for Albert Poon (Hong Kong) to drive in Formula Pacific in Southeast Asia. The car was in the UK, not the US, for reasons still to be determined, and before it was shipped to Asia, it was borrowed by Ardmore Racing for Divina Galica to race in the Donington Park F2 event in October 1977, using a Swindon BDX engine. It was described as a brand new B40, and had been fitted with a set of Ardmore's blue, white and red bodywork to which Olympus signwriting had been applied. It was then shipped to Hong Kong in time for the Macau Grand Prix a month later. Although Poon entered his car as a B40, an article in the Malaysia Grand Prix race programme in May 1978 described the car as a "new car which he has just bought in the US". Also raced by Kevin Bartlett at Macau in 1978 and by Andrew Miedecke at Macau in 1979. Then raced by Poon at Macau in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Retained by Kwan in Hong Kong until 1989 when it was sold to Gordon Norris and returned to the UK. Sold in 2022 to Bruce Balchin (Southampton).
  4. Ralt RT1/75 [5] (Sonny Rajah): New to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) and raced in Sotheast Asian 1600cc 2-valve category racing in 1975, then in the Formula Atlantic and 1600cc 4-valve category in 1976 and 1977. It was also raced by Vern Schuppan at Macau in 1977. Macdonald then sold it to Peter Marshall, who raced it in 1978 and 1979. It was still in Marshall's ownership when raced by Sonny Rajah in 1980 and 1981. It is understood to have been wrecked by Rajah at the Shah Alam GP in 1981.
  5. Chevron B40 (Kiyoshi Misaki): Masao Segawa raced a Chevron B40 at the JAF Suzuka Grand Prix at the beginning of November 1978, using a BMW engine. Raced by Segawa through the 1979 Japanese F2 season. Then to Kiyoshi Misaki and rebuilt for Formula Pacific with a Toyota engine. Misaki only appeared three times in the Japanese series, but then raced the car in the Macau and Selangor Grands Prix in November. Subsequent history unknown.
  6. Ralt RT1/75 [5] (Peter Marshall): New to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) and raced in Sotheast Asian 1600cc 2-valve category racing in 1975, then in the Formula Atlantic and 1600cc 4-valve category in 1976 and 1977. It was also raced by Vern Schuppan at Macau in 1977. Macdonald then sold it to Peter Marshall, who raced it in 1978 and 1979. It was still in Marshall's ownership when raced by Sonny Rajah in 1980 and 1981. It is understood to have been wrecked by Rajah at the Shah Alam GP in 1981.

Sources

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' original results.

The results of the Formula Pacific races in South East Asian at Macau, Penang, Selangor and Shah Alam were originally provided by Chris Townsend based on the short reports in Autosport and Motoring News plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors. These have been developed further by Andrew Horrox using material in New Zealand Motoraction. For the Macau Grand Prix, further data comes from Philip Newsome's book 'Color and Noise: 40 Years of the Macau Grand Prix' (Studio Publications Ltd, 1993).

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

'Colour and Noise: 40 Years of the Macau Grand Prix' (Philip Newsome, Studio Publications Limited, 1993).