Players (Canadian) Formula B Series Race

Sanair, 17 Jun 1973

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 73B (Roy Folland): Roy Folland (Montréal, Quebec) had a purple #6 March 73B for 1973 but crashed at Trois-Rivières in Sept and after being repaired, the 73B was sold to Ecurie Canada for guest driver Eppie Wietzes to race at the Watkins Glen Pro FB race five weeks later. Then sold to Tim Cooper (Kansas City, MO) who raced the "ex-Ecurie Canada" 73B at a Willow Springs Regional in December 1973. Raced extensively in SCCA racing early in 1974 and then in the Pro F/Atlantic series, prepared by Charlie Williams Racing. Cooper hired a new 75B and ran as part of Doug Shierson Racing in 1975, and the subsequent history of the 73B is unknown.
2. Brabham BT38 [14] (John Powell): Brand new for Motul Rondel Racing at Oulton Park at the end of March 1972, and raced there by Tim Schenken, who finished second. For Schenken again at Thruxton a few days later, then for Derek Bell at Nürburgring at the end of April, by Jean Max at Pau, and by Jean-Pierre Beltoise at Crystal Palace and Rouen. Schenken used the car for the rest of the season, winning at Hockenheim in October. Sold to John Powell (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) for Formula B in 1973. Sold to Bob Schutt (Kirkwood, MO) at Watkins Glen at the end of 1973, and used by him in Mid West Division FB racing. In the early 1980s, Schutt sold the car to Bob Willis (St Louis, MO), who is believed to still own it in 2019.
3. March 71BM [1] (Reg Scullion): Gordie Dewar was appointed March importer into Canada for 1971 and his first purchase, chassis 71BM-1, went to Delta Racing Developments for Ian Coristine (Montréal, Quebec) to race in the Players FB series. Coristine finished the season fifth in the red #50 March but crashed in practice for the final race, at Circuit Ste-Croix in October. The car went to Reg Scullion (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Montréal, Quebec) for 1972 and it was entered for him by Kris Harrison's Ecurie Canada, and prepared by Andy Roe and Tom Greatorex. Ecurie Canada had also bought Wilson Southam's engine manufacturing business, acquiring Greatorex with it, and were preparing the engines in Scullion's car. Scullion started the season racing in Nationals in Texas before returning to Canada for the Players season. He ended the Canadian season in ninth place but then returned to the US to finish second in the SCCA Run-Offs. He retained the car for 1973 as a Scullion-Donolo Racing entry, and it was raced by partner Louis "Lou" Donolo (Montréal, Quebec) once or twice. Subsequent history unknown.
4. March 71BM [15] (Charles T. Gibson): New to US dealer Joe Grimaldi and supplied in red bodywork. New to Mike Rand (Greenwich, CT) in time for the SCCA Runoffs, where he crashed in practice. Raced in Pro FB and SCCA Nationals in 1972. Sold to Charlie Gibson (Poughkeepsie, NY) for 1973, and again raced in Pro FB and in SCCA Nationals. Retained again for 1974, when it was run in the Canadian series in 73B specification. Also raced more rarely in 1975, before Gibson advertised it in early 1976. According to current owner Simon Perkins, it was sold for 1976 to "Eric Schneider who only did a few events and then neglected the car when he went off to college". In 1989, Charlie Gibson reacquired the car and resold it to Chris Smith, who had it refurbished by Derek Matthews at Ark Racing in 1989/1990. After racing it occasionally, Smith sold it to Perkins (North Newington, Oxfordshire) who did a few US Vintage races in 2002 and 2003 before bringing the car back to the UK in 2004. He has since raced it in HSCC and European F2 races.
5. March 73B [12] (Frank Del Vecchio): New to Frank DelVecchio (Trumbull, CT) and raced in SCCA Formula B and in rounds of the Players (Canadian) Formula B series in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. When Formula B changed in 1975 to accept the BDA engine, Frank continued with a fuel-injected Ford twin cam engine. He recalls that he sold the car to Peter Neumahr, who had raced a 71BM/733 in 1976 and would progress to a new 77B in 1977, but is thought to have raced this 73B briefly in late 1976 and early 1977. Neumahr sold the car to Jack Deaso (New York, NY), who DelVecchio recalls crashing it at Lime Rock first time out. Subsequent history unknown.
6. March 722 (Seb Barone): Sebastiano 'Seb' Barone (Portland, CT) raced a red-and-white #28 March 722 in Formula B in 1972, entered by J.C. Competition Eng.of Southington, CT. He first appeared at the Bogotá races, but was a non-starter. The car was also used by Bobby Brown, fitted with a Cosworth BDA and running as a Formula A in the Lime Rock Grand Prix in September. Barone finished second in NEDiv FB in 1972. He retained the car for SCCA Nationals in 1973, qualifying for the Runoffs. Then sold to Rich Bradley (Sunnyvale, CA), who raced it in Formula B in 1974 and 1975. Bradley advertised the car in Formula in October 1975 as a March 722 with Falconer body. The advert was repeated in April 1976, noting a new Falconer body, F1 brakes and a Lamar wing. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Chevron B20 [72-7] (Peter Ferguson): Sold via Fred Opert to Ferguson/Wilson Racing Team for 1973, when it was described as brand new. Raced by Peter Ferguson (Toronto, Ontario) in the Canadian FB series, but then "wiped out" in practice at Trois-Rivières in September. Ferguson then took over the team's second B20, and it is likely that was the car he drove in 1974. According to documentation later submitted to CAMS, his original car was owned by Players from 1974 to 1978, then was in storage from 1978 to 1984. It was owned by Alex Polsinello from 1984, then George McLean in 1991, then Russell Sewell in 2010. It was bought by Martin Bullock (Western Australia) in 2011.
8. Lotus 59 [59-F2/XB-41] (Max Nerrière): New to Craig Hill (Mississauga, Ontario) and run in the Canadian Road Racing Championship and the SCCA Continental Championship for Formula B, entered by Bill Brack Racing Enterprises. Hill ran in a team with Brack's Formula 5000 Lotus 70, with both cars in marching Castrol GTX livery. Unlike the two JRDS cars, which were entered as Lotus 69Bs, Hill's car first raced in Lotus 59 bodywork and was generally billed through the season as the "Castrol GTX Lotus 59". For 1971, the car was sold to Max Nerrière (Toronto, Ontario), who raced it in the Players Canadian Formula B series. Retained by Nerrière for 1972 and for 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
9. Lotus 69B (Ted Coconis): Ted Coconis (Weston, CT) bought a 1971 Formula B Lotus 69, chassis 71/69.7.FB and raced it in SCCA Pro and SCCA Nationals in 1971 and 1972, but at some point he acquired this second Lotus 69. In 1973, he and son Tim raced a pair of Lotus 69s, sponsored by Ted's company Graphics International Racing, but exactly how the second care was used during this time is unclear. The main car was typically entered as #88, with white numbers on a black background, so it only required a few pieces of black tape to change this into #83, #68 or #89, as required. Both cars are thought to have looked the same, but until a picture is found of them alongside each other, this cannot be confirmed. The Coconises were not seen in 1974, and when Tim returned in 1975, he used his father's original car. The subsequent history of the second car used in 1973 remains a mystery.
10. Brabham BT35 [19] (Hugh Cree): New to Maurice McCaig (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), and raced in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971 and 1972. To Hugh Cree (Georgetown, Ontario) for Canadian FB in 1973, and then for Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1974. Advertised by Cree in November 1974, when it had a 1972 big valve Hart. History then unknown until it was advertised in Victory Lane August 1990 by Bill Schley (Hartland, WI), who described it as a "very original car in excellent condition" with a Hart BDA and FT200. Oddly, in the same edition of Victory Lane, Bob Hildreth and Ken Petrie from a Denver, Colorado number advertised a BT35 with the same "# 35-19" serial number, which was "original unrestored" and "in storage for 12 years".
11. March 722 [23] (Bruce Jensen): Roy Folland (Montréal, Quebec) raced a blue March 722 in the early rounds of the British Formula Atlantic series in 1972, before taking the car to Canada and running in the Players Canadian Formula B series. Sold for 1973 to Bruce Jensen (Kitchener, Ontario) and raced in the Players Canadian series. Sold to Edmond Villa (Clark, NJ), and raced in a New England Region SCCA Regional at Lime Rock in April 1974. In January 1976, he advertised a 722 in Competition Press & Autoweek from Port St Lucie, FL. Ed sold it to Folis Jones (Chesapeake, VA), who raced a March in SEDiv events in 1976 and 1977, and in SCCA Regionals at Summit Point in 1978 and 1979. This would be the March 722 with '77 bodywork advertised by Jones in December 1978 and February 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Brabham BT40 (Craig Hill): Craig Hill (Missassagua, Ontario, Canada) raced a white #2 Brabham BT40 in the Players Canadian Formula B series in 1973, entered by Fother Hill Ltd with sponsorship from Castrol GTX. Retained by Hill for 1974 and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine for the new Formula Atlantic series, when it ran as #4. Unknown in 1975. It was bought from Opert Racing's Brian Robertson by Howard Kelly (Kingston, Ontario), and raced at the IMSA Formula Atlantic race at Road Atlanta in April 1976, then at a couple of later Players rounds in Canada. Kelly traded it to Jerry Jolly (Denver, CO) for a Lola T322/4 Formula Super Vee. Owners after Jolly are believed to have been George Gettel (Denver, CO) - so it would be the Brabham he raced in 1979 - then Sherry M Fagans in 1981, then Jim Christiansen and then Ron Doyle, who had been Fagans' mechanic at one stage. It was then owned by a man named Forrest Grove (Denver, CO) in 1984, and raced by him with a Mazda engine in ASR in 1985 and 1986. Grove won the MiDiv Regional title in ASR in this car in 1986. After Grove's death, it was acquired from his son by John Streeter (Ford Collins, CO) in 2009.
13. Chevron B20 [20.72.05] (Linda Wilson): Sold via Fred Opert and entered for Brian Robertson (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) in Formula B in 1972. To Ferguson/Wilson Racing Team for 1973 and raced by former Miss Canada pageant finalist Linda Wilson in Canadian Formula B. Due to be driven by Ric Forest at Trois-Rivières in September but teammate Peter Ferguson "wiped out" the sister car on the Saturday so took over Wilson's car for the race. Only one of the B20s was seen in 1974, driven by Ferguson, and it seems likely it was the ex-Wilson car. Advertised by Fred Opert in June 1975, suggesting it had returned to Opert in part exchange for Ferguson's new Chevron B29. Advertised again by Opert in early November 1975. Subsequent history unknown until bought as a rolling chassis by Ed Swart from somebody on the east coast who had been trying to restore it. It was black at that stage, and Ed repainted it to orange, the Dutch racing colours, and fitted a BDA engine as he completed the restoration. Raced by Swart from 1989 to February 1993, winning VARA's historic Formula Atlantic West coast title in 1992. Swart then acquired a Chevron B45, and the B20 was sold to Richard Morrison in Tennessee in February 1996.
14. March 732 [73B-3] (Mike Rand): New to Mike Rand (Riverside, CT/Greenwich, CT/Amherst, Mass) and raced in SCCA Nationals, but also taking in Pro races at Sanair and Watkins Glen. To Fred Opert in part-exchange for a Rondel and traded to Joe Grimaldi, who sold it to E. Jay Erickson (Stevens Point, WI) in July 1974. Raced by Erickson at Blackhawk Farms in September 1974 and at Watkins Glen three weeks later. He fitted it with a BDA engine for 1975 and raced it in Canadian Formula Atlantic. Advertised by Erickson in late 1975 and sold to Bill Nees (Lenexa, Kansas) in May 1976. Nees crashed at Mid-America Raceway in just a few weeks after acquiring the car and the tub was returned to England for repairs. He then drove it three times in Midwest Division SCCA Regionals and Nationals in 1977, and at Hallett in April 1978. The car's SCCA logbook records that it was sold to "John Iiams" in January 1981, but it was Roger Riekenberg that raced the car in 1981, appearing four times until an engine failure in August 1981. It was sold in September 1981 to Wayne Horst (Wichita, KS), who raced it three times in 1982. Then to Mike Hays in August 1983 who did not race it, and then in August 1986 to Derek Fox, who used it for a Drivers School and one other event in 1987. Brian Haupt (Kansas City, MO) bought the car in March 1988 and used it in SCCA C Sports Racing in 1988, 1989 and 1990, qualifying for the Runoffs in all three seasons. He then returned the car to Formula Atlantic specification and raced it in 1991 and 1993. During 2023, Haupt was restoring and upgrading the car.
15. March 71BM [8?] (Patricia Smith): Wilson Southam acquired two red March 71BMs for Canadian Formula B in 1971, one for Randy Fraser and one for himself. Fraser's was the first to appear, running as the #54 Tartan Fraser entry and is most likely to have been 71BM-8. In early 1972, the car was sold to Gilles Léger (Lachute, Quebec) and updated to 722 specification by Tom Greatorex, who also prepared the car for Léger. Then to Patricia Smith (Montréal, Quebec) in 1973 entered as #51 by P.S. Translations. Subsequent history unknown.
16. Chevron B18 [18.71.1] (Paul Wheatley): A new car built for Brian Redman after he wrecked the development B18 while testing in South Africa. Fitted with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC engine and raced by Redman in two races in South Africa in January 1971. This car returned to Bolton and became the works entry in F2 for Chris Craft during the 1971 F2 season. It was then sold to Canadian John Powell and rebuilt to Formula B specification. Powell raced it in the Brands Hatch Boxing Day meeting at the end of 1971 and then loaned it to Brian Robertson to race in the two Bogotá FB races in February and March 1972. Raced by Powell (Ottawa, Ontario) in the Canadian FB series in 1972, Sold to Paul Wheatley (Montréal, Quebec) and raced in the Canadian series in 1973. Wheatley appeared on a couple of early-1974 entry lists but the car was not seen again until he advertised it in April 1975.
17. Brabham BT35 [10] (Al Justason): New to Brian Robertson (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) and raced by him in the Canadian Formula B series in 1971, entered by Fred Opert Racing. To Al Justason (Toronto, Ontario) for Canadian FB in 1972 and 1973. To Fred Beyer (Ottawa, Ontario) for the Players (Canadian) Formula Atlantic series in 1974 and 1975. History then unknown until it was acquired from Bobby Brown in November 2006 by Kent Copeland (Dallas, TX). Brown is believed to have acquired it from Frank Costey in 2004. Copeland commented that it had been owned in Colorado in 1988, and its last races were believed to have been in 1986. It was red when acquired, but restored to a blue colour. Copeland died in July 2014 and, in May 2015, Todd Upp was advertising the car on behalf of his wife Holly. Sold in August 2022 to Stephen Temple (Santa Cruz, CA).
18. Brabham BT40 [24] (Allan Lader): New to Bill Eagles (Lasalle, Montréal, Quebec, Canada), and raced in the Players Canadian Formula B series in 1973, entered by Tex-Made Racing, Ville La Salle. Also driven by Allan Lader at Sanair in June. Retained by Eagles for 1974, again entered at #46, and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine after the opening round. Eagles did not continue in Formula Atlantic after 1974, but in 1975 his car appeared at a race at Bushy Park, Barbados. It was still in Eagles' green/yellow #46 livery but it is not clear who was driving it that day. It was later owned and raced by David Kerr in Jamaica, and then sold by him to Richard Knox (Trinidad). Some time later, Knox sold both his Brabhams to UK dealer Bobby Howlings. The movements of the car are then unknown, but by 2005 it was in Tommy Reid's collection, still with Knox's name on the side.
19. Brabham BT40 (Gilles Léger): Gilles Léger (Lachute, Quebec, Canada) raced a white/blue #72 Brabham BT40 in the 1973 Players Canadian Formula B series, entered by Giles Léger Racing Team. Léger bought a new March 74B for 1974, and the Brabham was next seen at Trois-Rivières in September 1974 when it was entered by Fred Opert Racing for Chris Gleason (Johnstown, PA) to drive. It was now in Formula Atlantic specification. Gleason also drove it at Watkins Glen in October 1974. Subsequent history unknown.
20. March 73B (Gary Magwood): New to Gary Magwood (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and raced in the Players Canadian series. Magwood was increasingly absorbed with his racing school at Mosport Park, and the March 73B was raced once by Luke de Sadeleer in 1974 before Magwood had his first race of the year in it at Sanair in July. After qualifying third, he hit the pit wall during the race, and wiped out the left side of the car. Magwood acquired a new Lola T360, but the March was eventually repaired and was advertised by Magwood in June and December 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
21. March 73B [7] (Ron Cohn): New to Ron Cohn (Modena, NY), and run as a two-car team with Bruce MacInnes in 1973, entered by DRC Formula Racing Inc in Players Canadian and SCCA Formula B races, running as #56. Retained for 1974, running in the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series and in the US GP support race at Watkins Glen in October. To Eric Kerman (Hempstead, NY/Glen Cove, NY) for 1975 and updated with new orange bodywork, entered as #81 or #87, and running as a 75B. Raced by Kerman in SCCA Nationals from 1975 to 1979. Later to Oran Bushey (Huntingdon, NY) and raced until 1982. Subsequent history unknown, but this is a leading candidate for the car used by Cory Mayo with a Chevrolet V6 engine in the RCCA series in the 1980s. .
22. March 71BM [10?] (Ian Coristine): The talented but cash-strapped Ian Coristine (Montréal, Quebec) had run his own March 71BM in 1971, but for 1972 rented an updated car from Ecurie Canada. The 71BM, probably Wilson Southam's old car, was updated to side-radiator 722 specification by team mechanic Tom Greatorex. Coristine stayed with the team for 1973 but the car was put back to 71BM specification. The team almost ran out of money mid-summer, but were rescued by a sponsorship deal with Schweppes. The 71BM was then sold to Mauro Lanaro (Montréal, Quebec) and used in Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1974. Coristine recalls that this car was destroyed in a transporter fire on its way to a race at Debert, but the exact date of this has yet to be determined. Lanaro then bought another 71BM to replace it.
23. March 73B (Tom Outcault): New to Tom Outcault (Cranford, NJ, later Middletown, OH) and entered for him by Troco Racing (Cranford, NJ, later Carlisle, OH) in the Players Canadian Formula B series and in SCCA Nationals. At Mosport in August 1973, Outcault went off at corner 3 and collided heavily with Al Lader's abandoned Brabham BT40. The March was "written off" and Outcault was hospitalised with ankle injuries. Outcault acquired a March 743 tub and rebuilt his car on that, so the history of the 73B effectively ends at that point.
24. March 722 Falconer (Charles "Chuck" Hansen): Charles Hansen (Tenafly, NJ) raced a yellow #75 March 722 with Falconer bodywork at a few SCCA Northeast Division Nationals and in the Pro races at Sanair and Trois-Rivières in 1973. He ended the season with 13 points in NEDiv. The 722 was then sold to Jim Modrall (Westport, CT), who had been driving Hansen's previous Brabham BT29 for Erv Falk (Westport, CT) in 1973. Modrall raced the March in a New England Region SCCA Regional at Lime Rock in April 1974, finishing second, and was also entered in it by Falk Racing Inc for the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic race at Mosport in July. After Modrall left the team, the car was also used in practice sessions at Lime Rock by Jeff Gay (Norwalk, CT), but he preferred to race his Brabham BT29. Subsequent history unknown.
25. Brabham BT40 [24] (Bill Eagles): New to Bill Eagles (Lasalle, Montréal, Quebec, Canada), and raced in the Players Canadian Formula B series in 1973, entered by Tex-Made Racing, Ville La Salle. Also driven by Allan Lader at Sanair in June. Retained by Eagles for 1974, again entered at #46, and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine after the opening round. Eagles did not continue in Formula Atlantic after 1974, but in 1975 his car appeared at a race at Bushy Park, Barbados. It was still in Eagles' green/yellow #46 livery but it is not clear who was driving it that day. It was later owned and raced by David Kerr in Jamaica, and then sold by him to Richard Knox (Trinidad). Some time later, Knox sold both his Brabhams to UK dealer Bobby Howlings. The movements of the car are then unknown, but by 2005 it was in Tommy Reid's collection, still with Knox's name on the side.
26. Brabham BT38B [13] (Peter Overing): New to Eligio Siconolfi (Montréal, Quebec, Canada), who raced in the Canadian FB series in 1972, sponsored by Downtown Datsun Ltd. To Peter Overing (Montreal, Quebec) for 1973, but only seen at Sanair in June. Entered by Overing for Reg Scullion (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Montréal, Quebec) in the Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1974, but still with a Ford twin cam engine. Overing then acquired a March 74B for Scullion, and the Brabham was sold to Cliff Dawson (Mount Royal, Quebec), who fitted a BDA engine and raced it in Formula Atlantic in 1975, 1976 and 1977. After racing it in Regionals in the late 1970, Dawson converted the car to Can-Am specification with a body built in Montreal by Francis Cordolle and ran it in this form in Can-Am from 1980 to 1983, still with the 1600cc Cosworth BDA engine. According to Doug Waters, it was "sold in July 1984 to Martin Handforth in Ottawa, who soon sold it to Pennsylvania". (Note that Handforth had owned and raced a different BT38 in Quebec events in 1981.) Subsequent history unknown.
27. Brabham BT40 (Allan Lader): Al Lader (Gresham, Oregon) raced a #75 Brabham BT40 in the first two races of the 1973 Players Canadian Formula B series, winning both. He then wrecked the car in practice for the third round at Sanair. Lader quickly acquired a new car to replace it.

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 1971-1973 Canadian Formula B race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Canadian Motorsport Bulletin, results sheets where available and from information drawn from Canadian newspapers.

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.