BP British Formula 3 Championship Race

Brands Hatch, 11 Sep 1977

All cars are 2-litre F3 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 773 [10] (Brett Riley): According to March records delivered in March 1977 to AFMP Euroracing, and subsequently given to Brett Riley in lieu of his contractual payments when the Euroracing set-up was dissolved. (This does not mean the car was Riley’s early season car in 1977; he used at least two before the team collapsed, neither of which were necessarily this car.) Run by David Price for Riley in the second half of 1977 and used to win the European round at Donington. Chassis number given in Autosport advert late in 1977 by Price. Sold to Roy Kennedy [Motoring News 2 Mar 1978 p15] although Autosport 9 Mar 1978 p41 says the car is ‘ex James King’. (King used a works car - 773-U2 - for most of 1977 but it is possible he had a race in this car early in the season, however his principal car went in 1978 to Ian Flux.) Run by Kennedy for Saed Ali Hodzic until Hodzic was injured in practice at the International Trophy support race; then became a rental car but did very few races. For sale by Kennedy in early 1979, Autosport 22 Feb 1979 p57, but retained and rented to Serge Saulnier for the 1979 race at Monaco.
2. Chevron B38 [38.77.09-2] (Geoff Lees): To Chevron Racing Team for Geoff Lees to race in British F3 in 1977. Rebuilt on new monocoque 38-77-31 in time for Thruxton in June, where it was described as a brand new. Unknown after 1977 but may have gone to Japan where Koichi Sakamoto raced a Chevron B38 for most of 1978.
3. Wheatcroft R18 [006?] (John Bright): Chassis 006 is believed to be the identity of the rebuilt car raced by John Bright (Leicester) in British Formula 3 following his massive accident at Cadwell Park in July 1977. Bright first drove the "rebuilt" car at Donington Park on the last day of July, and continued with it to the end of that season. He raced it again in 1978, but again crashed, at Brands Hatch in July, and this time the car did not reappear. Bright sold the R18 to Rhoddy Harvey-Bailey (Hilton, Derbyshire) and John Colley for 1979, and as part of the deal Bright rebuilt it to Formula Atlantic specification. It was raced by Harvey-Bailey, Colley and Ian Shaw, using Alan Smith BDA engines. It was also raced on one occasion by John Bright. It was advertised by Roger Cowman in September 1979 as "hardly used". Colley sold it to hillclimber Richard Barnes (Lichfield, Staffordshire), who fitted an 1100cc Cosworth BDJ and hillclimbed it for a while. He has retained the car in his collection since then.
4. March 773 [U2] (James King): March works records show this as James King's works car for 1977 built on a lightweight tub AM773-41 with parts from 763-U2. This would be the "ex-King" car sold to Ian Flux early in 1978, and raced by him in the 1978 British F3 series.
5. Chevron B38 [38.77.18] (Thorkild Thyrring): New to Chevron Racing Team for Thorkild Thyrring to race in British F3 in 1977, entered by Marlboro Jockey Todenskjold. Borrowed by Jim Crawford for a race at Mallory Park in September, and by Divina Galica for a race at Thruxton. Raced by Crawford again at the start of 1978 but wrecked in an accident at Thruxton at the end of March. Salageable parts were used in a new Chevron B43.
6. Chevron B38 [38.77.02] (Chris Farrell): New to Chris Farrell for British F3 in 1977. To Barry Green for 1979, and run for him in British F3 by Fred Opert Racing. Last used by Green in July 1978, and then unknown until seen with Mike Brown in Sprints in 1984 …
7. Chevron B38 [38.77.19] (Ian Grob): New to Alan Docking Racing for Ian Grob to race in British F3 in 1977, entered by KVG Racing. Retained by the Docking team for 1978, and probably the car driven by Huub Rothengatter in the last few months of the season. Unknown after 1979 until it reappeared with Jim Yardley in 1984. Later with David Proctor in 1987.
8. Chevron B38 [38.77.24] (Philippe Colonna): New to Alan Docking Racing for Philippe Colonna to race in British F3 in 1977. Retained by the Docking team for 1978, and raced by Philip Bullman and by Colonna in British F3. Unknown in 1979 but purchased by Eddie Heasell in early 1980 for British F3 and libre. Retained for libre in 1981.
9. March 773 [763-9] (Tiff Needell): Shown in March records as sold to Tony Dron 12.1.76. This was the solitary Unipart car in 1976. Although Unipart ran two cars in 1977, they only bought one new car, converting the older car for Needell, the junior driver in the team. Some results credit Needell's car as being a 763.
10. Chevron B38 [37.77.21] (Patrick Gaillard): New to Patrick Gaillard for British F3 in 1977. Sold to Jean-Louis Schlesser for European F3 in 1978, and run by him for KWS Motorsport. Sold to Bernard Birbés for French F3 and French hillclimbs (using a 1600cc Toyota engine) in 1979. To André Argeliès and run in French hillclimbs with a 1300cc Ford engine in 1981 and 1982. By 1987, this car had returned to England as was being raced in TF3 by Ian Jacobs.
11. March 773 [3] (Ian Taylor): March build records show sold to Unipart, 23 December 1976. Only one 773 is consigned to Unipart in the build records. Assumed that Taylor as senior driver would take the new car, a fact borne out by occasional references in 1977 to Needell being in a 763, the team's original car.
12. Ralt RT1/76 [29] (Geoff Brabham): Ralt records show as sold to Geoff Brabham in 1976, probably being delivered in early June. Used by him until the end of 1978 then sold to Ken Thorogood's Hub of the Universe Racing for Osamu Hatagawa to use in British races.
13. March 773 [13] (Aryon Cornelsen Filho): Shown in March records as a works car finished February 1977, on tub AM773-28 for Ayron Cornelson Filho. Also used by David Kennedy in 1977. Sold to John Bright in March 1978 to cover for his damaged Wheatcroft. Damaged badly by Bright and rebuilt on new tub in August. Retained by Bright in 1979 until wrecked at Snetterton.

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.

These British Formula 3 results have been compiled by Chris Townsend using the main British magazines Autosport and Motoring News but also the US magazine On Track which carried surprisingly good coverage of the British series.

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

BARC archives.