Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières, 3 Sep 1978

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

Notes on the cars:

1. March 78B (Jeff Wood): Jeff Wood (Studio City, CA) drove a March 78B for Great Plains Racing in Formula Atlantic in 1978 and raced the same car in New Zealand in December 1978 and January 1979. He moved to a 79B for 1979 and the 78B is believed to have been sold to Greg Sun who ran it (as a 78-79B) in SCCA events in 1979. It was then acquired by Bob Schader and raced on through 1980 and early 1981, including appearances at the Long Beach and Road America pro races in 1980 and at Long Beach again in 1981. Schader then moved into FSV and the 78B was sold to Dorsey Schroeder (Manchester, MO) and used extensively in SCCA in 1981 and 1982.
2. March 76B (Dan Marvin): Dan Marvin (El Sobrante, CA) drove a #59 March 76B in 1977 as part of Jon Norman's Boxtrom-Berglen Norman Racing team. The car was built up using a tub that Norman had fabricated himself, using an unknown number of parts of unknown origin. It was, in effect, a new car. Marvin raced the car in bothPro Formula Atlantic and in SCCA Nationals in 1977 and 1978.
3. March 76B [3] (Jon Norman): Tom Pumpelly (McLean, VA) raced a yellow #34 March 76B, entered by National Tire Wholesale. The only yellow 76B shown in March records was chassis 76B-3. Pumpelly raced the car until it was damaged in a collision with Bancroft at Mosport Park in August, after which it was acquired by Ecurie Canada whose regular driver Gilles Villeneuve had damaged both his cars. It is therefore believed to be the car driven by Villeneuve to win at Trois-Rivières and Road Atlanta in September but this is by no means certain. Then bought by John Lane who rented it back to Pumpelly for the SCCA Run-Offs at Road Atlanta, where Pumpelly crashed it again. Sold to John Norman (Oakland, CA) who raced it as part of a two-car team with Dan Marvin in 1977 and 1978. Norman then sold the car but later bought it back and restored it to Villeneuve's livery.
4. March 77B [29] (Mike Rocke): New Mike Rocke (Livermore, CA), who raced the car through 1977 and 1978 until a serious accident at Trois-Rivières which left Rocke very badly injured and destroyed the 77B.
5. Chevron B45 [45-78-04] (Arturo Merzario): To Fred Opert Racing for North American Formula Atlantic as a second car. Used as a spare by Keke Rosberg and as his race car at Lime Rock. Also raced by Eje Elgh and by Arturo Merzario at Trois-Rivières. Raced by Rosberg at Macau in November 1978. Then sold to Mike Peers and entered in the revived British series for Jim Crawford. Fitted with a BDX engine for 1980 and run by Plygrange Racing for Crawford in the F2 class of the Aurora series. Stayed with Plygrange for 1981 when raced by Vin Malkie (Northwich, Cheshire) in libre racing. Reappeared in 1983 when raced by Duncan Gray in the British Formula Atlantic series. It was entered by Peers himself in libre in 1984. Then to Steve Raine for Sprints, co-driven by Robin Boucher, and then hired to Bob Fearnley's RK Racing for Tiff Needell to drive in a pair of races in India in early 1985. Then reportedly to Stuart Ridge for 1986. To John Lloyd then to Simon Hadfield (Shepshed, Leicestershire) but damaged in an accident at Mallory Park. Restored with original Excita condoms bodywork and sold in 1998 to Jeff Wright, a Scotsman then living in Canada. Still with Wright (Wilmington, NC) in 2014 and raced regularly in vintage racing.
6. March 77B [75B-12] (Giovanni Distasio): A yellow March 75B invoiced by March to Shierson. Unknown in 1975, but logbooked to Giovanni Distasio (Edgewater, NJ) and raced by him in SCCA events. Few of Giovanni Distasio's results in the car have yet been found, but he raced in two Pro events in 1978 with a March "77B" that is assumed to be this same car. The SCCA logbook shows that it went to Chuck Coleman for 1978, then to Darryl Foster in 1979, then Robert W. Kennedy, then Cliff Wheeler in 1987, and Sam Pontier in 1989. It was acquired by Bill Fickling in 2004, restored into Vittorio Brambilla's F2 Beta livery, and raced in US historic racing.
7. March 76B [8?] (Ralph Manaker): Doug Shierson Racing ran a red March 76B for Dale Lang (Wilton, CT) in 1976. The only red 76B in March build records was 76B-8, suggesting this was Lang's car. Lang retained this car for 1977 and then sold it to Ralph Manaker (Erieville, NY) who raced it in 1978. Advertised by Manaker as a 76-77B in October 1978.
8. March 722/77B (Sans Thompson): Tom Crowther (Kentfield, CA, later Novato, CA) raced a March in Formula B/Atlantic from 1974 to 1976 and this is believed to have been the same March 722 throughout. At first the car was entered by "Pollard Racing, a division of Donald Pollard Associates". By the start of 1975, it had Falconer bodywork, but later that season it had acquired 75B bodywork, and was entered as a 75B at the 1975 Run-Offs and at a single Pro appearance in late 1976. Crowther ran the "75B" regularly through 1977, winning the Portland National in September. It was then sold via Pierre Phillips to Nick Lingren and was driven by Sans Thompson at Trois-Rivières in 1978. In February 1979, Pierre Phillips Racing was advertising the "ex-Crowther March" as a rolling chassis. Subsequent history unknown.

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.

North American Formula Atlantic race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Formula and On Track, information drawn from Canadian newspapers and results sheets where available.

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.