JAF Grand Prix

Fuji, 3 May 1972

All cars are 2-litre FJ2000 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Surtees TS10 [02?] (John Surtees): New for John Surtees to race as a works entry in the 1972 F2 series, first appearing at Oulton Park at the end of March. After Thruxton on Easter Monday, the car was taken out the Fuji for the JAF Grand Prix, which Surtees won, using Brian Hart's new alloy block engine. Raced by Surtees in the F2 races at Crystal Palace, Rouen and Imola, winning the latter. A new car was then built up to replace TS10/02, and the original car remained in Surtees' hands thereafter. The car was on display at a Henry Surtees fund raising day at Buckmore Park in July 2010, and at the 2010 Goodwood Revival.
2. March 722 (Hiromu Tanaka): Heroes Racing Corporation run a brand new red March 722 for Hiromu Tanaka in Japanese F2 in 1972 (with a Mitsubishi Colt R39B engine) and then for Motoharu Kurosawa (with a BMW engine) in 1973. The car returned to the team in 1975 and 1976 for Naoki Nagasaka.
3. Brabham BT30 (Hiroshi Fushida): At the Japanese Grand Prix on 3 May 1971, Hiroshi Kazato raced a Brabham BT30 fitted with a Mitsubishi Colt R39B 2-litre 4-cylinder engine. The identity of the BT30 has not been determined. Two years later, at the Singapore Grand Prix on 22 Apr 1973, Kiyoshi Misaki raced the "ex-Kazato" Brabham now powered by a Toyota Celica twin-cam engine, and was a regular entry in Southeast Asian events through 1973 and 1974, up to Macau in November 1974. Misaki appeared at Macau in 1975 in what was described as a BT40, but could well be the same car. He then raced a BT36 at events in Japan in 1976 and 1977, and it is again possible that this BT36 was his old BT30. Subsequent history unknown.
4. Lotus 69 [69.F2.2] (Norimitsu Urushihara): New to Tetsu Ikuzawa and raced in F2 in 1970. What happened to this car in 1971 is something of a puzzle. In January, it was advertised by Jim Gleave's MRE (Bourne End, Bucks) and in March 1971, Ikuzawa was said by Autosport to have "sold his 69 of last year to an Irishman and replaced it with a new one". The first F2 report said his 1970 car had gone to John Pollock, and he did race a Lotus 69 in 1971, but it was said to be a 1971 car, and a later advert revealed that it was the ex-Rollinson 1971 car. Ikuzawa actually sold his 1970 Lotus 69 to Norimitsu Urushihara, who raced an "ex-Ikuzawa" Lotus 69 in Japan in 1971 and 1972. The car was later found in storage by Ikuzawa, who had the car immaculately restored. It is on display in his magnificent collection of racing cars in Japan.
5. Chevron B18 (Nick Craw): At the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji in May 1972, Fred Opert entered a Chevron B18 with 1600cc Cosworth FVA engine for Nick Craw to drive. The choice of the Cosworth FVA is curious, as 2000cc engines were allowed at this race, and teammate Bobby Brown used an 1800cc Cosworth FVC in his Chevron B20. Nothing more known.
6. Chevron B20 (Bobby Brown): At the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji on 3 May 1972, Bobby Brown raced a Chevron B20 with a Cosworth FVC engine. There was not time to get this car back to the US for the Laguna Seca Formula B race the following weekend, so this must have been a different B20. Nothing more known.
7. Mildren 'Mono' (Bob Muir): Designed by Len Bailey and built by Alan Mann Racing for Alec Mildren Racing in Australia in late 1968, when it was raced by Frank Gardner using one of 2.5-litre Alfa T33 V8 engines from the team's Brabham BT23D. Raced by Gardner in the 1969 Tasman series, then by Kevin Bartlett in the 1969 Gold Star series. Later in 1969 it was fitted a Waggott TC4V engine, and Bartlett used it in this form in the 1970 Tasman and the 1970 Gold Star. It was sold to Bob Muir at the end of 1970 and raced by him through 1971 and early 1972, both with his 2-litre Waggott engine and with a Ford twin cam engine for Southeast Asian events. Then to Ray Winter and used in ANF2 in 1973 and 1974. Winter used the car again on occasion in 1975 and 1976. Later on, when the new single-cam Australian F2 was introduced, the old Mildren was raced in that category by Greg Ferrall. Then unknown until acquired by Lionel Ayres and restored. The car was retained by Bruce Ayres after his father Lionel's death in 2013.
8. Elfin 600B/E [7122] (Leo Geoghegan): New in January 1971 to Garry Campbell (Sydney, New South Wales) and raced in Australian F2 in 1971, using a Ford twin cam engine. For the Tasman series in early 1972, the car was fitted with a 2-litre Waggott TC4V engine which had been acquired from the estate of Glyn Scott. It was then taken to Japan for the JAF GP in May 1972, where it was fitted with Leo Geoghegan's Waggott engine and was raced that weekend by Geoghegan. It was then returned to F2 specification and raced by Larry Perkins in the 1972 F2 series. The Elfin Register records this car going to Damon Beck in NSW for 1973, and later owned by Bob Muir and Peter Clark. By 2002, it was with Peter Clark, and was sold by him via Barry Johnson to Geoff Russell. In 2023, Russell was restoring the car to Ford twin cam form.
9. Brabham BT36 [12] (Noritake Takahara): New to Noritake Takahara for Japanese racing, first appearing at the JAF Grand Prix in May 1972, when it was fitted with a 2-litre Mitsubishi Colt R39B engine. Raced by Takahara with a 1800cc Cosworth FVC in the 1973 Tasman series, then in a series of Japanese raced for 2000cc cars, when it was said to have a 2-litre Hart BDA. Later to Shigeaki Asaoka in 1975, then Kiyoshi Misaki in 1976 and 1977. From 1978 to 1985, it was owned by a Mr Tomita. To Shigeaki Koshiba in 1986, then to Hashime Tanaka in 1997, then Tom Smith (CA, USA) in 2006.

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.

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.