JAF Grand Prix

Fuji, 3 May 1973

All cars are 2-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 722 (Motoharu Kurosawa): 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.
2. Brabham BT38 [‘33’] (Brian Robertson): A "new chassis" replacing the ASCA team's Brabham BT38 wrecked by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Rouen. It was raced by teammate Adam Potocki at Imola, where Potocki failed to qualify, and was then Jaussaud's car for the rest of the season. ASCA entered Jaussaud in the Brazilian F2 Torneio, but he was involved in the startline accident at the second Interlagos race, and the Brabham was badly damaged. According to Chris Townsend's research, this car was acquired by Fred Opert Racing and raced by Héctor Rebaque in the Caracas Formula B race in March 1973, then by Brian Robertson in the JAF Grand Prix in May 1973. It is not clear what else Opert used it for in 1973, but in January 1974, he sold it to John Bernadine (Tulsa, OK) for SCCA Formula B. Then to Warren Pauge (Hacienda Heights, CA) in August 1975, replacing his well-used Brabham BT21. Pauge retained the BT38 for many years, even running it as a Can-Am car once in 1982. After he finally stopped racing it in 1988, he sold it to Marc Bahner, then it went to George Steven in 1992, Tom Stapleton about 2008, and Paul Skilowitz (Stuart, FL) in 2016.
3. Surtees TS15 [04] (Graeme Lawrence): New to Graeme Lawrence and raced in the 2-litre class of the 1973 Tasman Cup, using a 1.9-litre Hart BDA. Then raced in Southeast Asian events, using a Hart Ford twin cam engine. Retained for Southeast Asian 1600cc events in 1974, but Lawrence used his new F5000 Lola T332 in the Tasman series. Retained again for Southeast Asian 1600cc events in 1975. He still had the car in early 1976 when he was musing whether to convert it to Formula Pacific. Later in 1976 the car was sold to Rex Hart and fitted with a Cosworth BDA for Formula Pacific, and raced in New Zealand from 1977 to 1981. Sold to Ken Smith in 1982, and sold by him to John Wigston (Auckland) in 1984.
4. March 732 (Hiromu Tanaka): Heroes Racing Corporation ran a March 732 in the Japanese Formula 2 series in 1973, raced by Hiromu Tanaka. Tetsu Ikuzawa raced the car in early 1974, and it is then highly likely to have been the 732 entered by Niscait Racing for Fukumi Koutake in November 1974. By the same logic, as it was the only 732 known to have gone to Japan, it was presumably the BDA-engined 732 raced by Tomohiko Tsutsumi in 1975. Subsequent history unknown.
5. Brabham BT40 (Mike Hall): Mike Hall (Twin Lakes, WI) raced a brand new Brabham BT40 at the SCCA Run-Offs, known then as American Road Race of Champions, at Road Atlanta 25 Nov 1972, the first BT40 to race. Hall then raced this car in Formula B and Formula Atlantic in 1973 and 1974. He replaced it with a Lola T360 for 1975 and the Brabham was then raced by John Elder (Rosemount, Minnesota) in SCCA Nationals in 1975, winning his class at Brainerd in July. Hall had modified his car with a wide nose and a higher and fuller tail, and Elder's car showed the same modifications. The car was then advertised, as "ex-Mike Hall" by Richard Prather's Prather Racing (Wheeling, IL) in November 1976. There is a good chance this was the car raced by Peter Robinson (Madison, Wisc) in 1976 and 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
6. Brabham BT36 (Kuniomi Nagamatsu): Noritake Takahara raced his BT36 with a Mitsubishi Colt R39B engine in 1972, but changed to a Cosworth BDA for 1973. However, also in 1973, another BT36 appeared as a Bellco Racing Team entry with Mitsubishi Colt R39B engine for Kuniomi Nagamatsu. Yoshimasa Kawaguchi and Tomohiko Tsutsumi then had BT36-BDAs in 1974, but it is likely that one of these is an older BT30 updated. Kenzou Muromachi then drove this "extra" BT36 in 1975 and 1976. Subsequent history unknown.
7. 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.
8. March 722 Falconer [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.

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.