OldRacingCars.com

British Formula Atlantic Championship Race

Brands Hatch, 15 Mar 1981

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Ray Mallock Ralt RT4/81 [218] - Ford BDA Swindon
#6 Cliff Smith Racing/Chemtex
42 39m 22.77s
77.02 mph
2 Alo Lawler Ralt RT4/80 [199] - Ford BDA Smith
#1 L&B Excavations
42 39m 39.81s
3 Ian Taylor Tiga FA81 [164] - Ford BDA Nelson
#3 Queensgate Racing
41
4 Mike Catlow Ralt RT1/77 [71?] - Ford BDA Hart
#17
41
5 Colin Lees Argo JM9 [057-FA] - Ford BDA Smith
#7 Goodwin Racing (see note 1)
41
6 Richard Piper Wimhurst - Ford BDA Norvic
38
7 Carlos Ulibarri March 80A [18] - Ford BDA Swindon
#19 Neil Edwards Racing

8 Geoff Byman Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith
#9
35 Split fuel tank
9 Phil Dowsett March 81A [15] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#5 Pinch Plant (see note 2)
26 Spun
10 David Duffield Ralt RT4/80 [185] - Ford BDA Swindon
#20 Caledon Coal Company
25 Visibility
11 Richard Hawkins Ralt RT1/75 [9] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#22 The Lep Group of Companies (see note 3)
23 Spun
12 Ian Flux Ehrlich RP5B [1] - Ford BDA Ehrlich
#15
23 Engine
13 Mark Thatcher Ehrlich RP5A [RP4] - Ford BDA Ehrlich
#16
22 Wet electrics
14 David Mercer Chevron B42 [42-78-15] - Ford BDA Smith
8 Visibility

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

Qualifying
1 Ray Mallock (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT4/81 [218] - Ford BDA Swindon 0.51.69
2 David Duffield (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT4/80 [185] - Ford BDA Swindon 0.51.74
3 Alo Lawler (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT4/80 [199] - Ford BDA Smith 0.52.18
4 Mike Catlow (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [71?] - Ford BDA Hart 0.52.39
5 Ian Flux (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ehrlich RP5B [1] - Ford BDA Ehrlich 0.52.73
6 Mark Thatcher (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ehrlich RP5A [RP4] - Ford BDA Ehrlich 0.53.88
7 Ian Taylor (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Tiga FA81 [164] - Ford BDA Nelson 0.54.32
8 Phil Dowsett (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 81A [15] - Ford BDA Nicholson 0.54.86
9 Colin Lees (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Argo JM9 [057-FA] - Ford BDA Smith 0.56.41
10 Richard Hawkins (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/75 [9] - Ford BDA Nicholson 0.56.88
11 David Mercer (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-15] - Ford BDA Smith 0.57.24
12 Richard Piper (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Wimhurst - Ford BDA Norvic 0.57.99
13 Carlos Ulibarri (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 80A [18] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.02.05
14 Geoff Byman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T760 [HU1] - Ford BDA Smith No time

Notes on the cars:

  1. Argo JM9 [057-FA] (Colin Lees): New to Colin Lees (Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) and raced in the British Formula Atlantic series, run by Ivor Goodwin's Goodwin Racing with backing from Carcover. After Lees left the team, it was raced later in the season by Desiré Wilson and John Lewis. It was next seen in sprints and hillclimbs, driven by Neil White in 1987 and 1988, when it used a 2-litre BD-series engine. Then to Barry Goode (Malvern, Worcestershire) for 1989 and 1990, and sold by him to Simon Frost (Brechin), who raced it in 1994 and 1995 with a Vauxhall engine and with the sidepods removed. Then run by Mick Lancashire (Jersey) between 1996 and 1998 in the 1600cc class. Then hillclimbed by Laurie Ritchie (Studley, Warwickshire) between 2000 and 2013 using a QED-built 2-litre Vauxhall engine. Advertised by Ritchie in December 2013 and January 2014.
  2. March 81A [15] (Phil Dowsett): New to Phil Dowsett (Chelmsford, Essex) and raced in the British Formula Atlantic championshipmin 1981, with sponsorship from Pinch Plant and Industrial Control Services. Dowsett won two races and finished third in the championship. Sold to Theodore Racing and raced by Vern Schuppan at the Macau GP in November. Then sold to Graham Brown in Western Australia in April 1982 and raced in Australian Formula Pacific. To Michael Moylan in March 1985, then to Jeremy Kenyon (NSW) in January 1991. Sold to Clive Osborne (NSW) in August 1996 and raced by him in 2000, then to Robert Foster (NSW) by 2007 and raced by him from 2007 to 2019. To Barry Wise (QLD) in 2020, and raced by him in 2021 and 2022.
  3. Ralt RT1/75 [9] (Richard Hawkins): New to Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing Team and fitted with a Hart 420R for Vern Schuppan to race at the JAF Grand Prix in November 1975. Then converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the Macau Grand Prix but vital parts did not arrive in time for Schuppan to use it. It was next raced at the Macau GP a year later, when Schuppan won the race. Yip himself drove it at the Malaysia Grand Prix meeting in April 1977, but did not start the race. It was then driven by Alan Jones at Macau in November 1977 but he retired. After that, it sat idle for nearly two years until it was taken to Ireland for the Phoenix Park Formula Atlantic race in September 1979, where it won in the hands of David Kennedy. It then returned to Macau for the 1979 race, when Geoff Lees took over the drive and won. Lees took the Ralt to its third Macau GP victory in 1980, in only its sixth known race start. It was then sold to Richard Hawkins, who drove it in the British Formula Atlantic championship in 1981. He sold it to dealer Roger Cowman who ran it for Vivian Candy at Phoenix Park in August and at Mondello Park in September. It stayed in Ireland and in late 1983 was sold by Jim Flynn to Tony Skinner.

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 British race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK 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.