OldRacingCars.com

American Road Race of Champions (Formula B class)

Riverside, 24 Nov 1968

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Roger Barr Crosslé 12F [C12F/67/32] - Ford twin cam
#11
20
2 Chuck Dietrich McLaren M4B [200-27B] - Ford twin cam
#17 (see note 1)
20
3 Peter Rehl Cooper T88 [FC-1-68?] - Ford twin cam
#14 (see note 2)
20
4 Ray France Brabham BT21A - Ford twin cam
#2 (see note 3)
19
5 Nick Reynolds Brabham BT21C [2?] - Ford twin cam
#26 (see note 4)
19
6 Gene Forsthofel Lotus 51 - Ford
#21
17
7 James Harris Lotus 51 - Ford
#23
17
8 Peter Darr Lotus 44 [44-F-3?] - Ford twin cam
#27 (see note 5)
15
9 Bob Nichols Lotus 51 - Ford
#24
14
10 John Tremblay Brabham BT21A - Ford twin cam
#16 (see note 6)
15
R Robert Winkelmann Winkelmann WDB1 - Ford twin cam
#31
17
R Sandy Shepard Lotus 41C [41C-FL-38] - Ford twin cam
#59
15
R David Webster Brabham BT23
#29 (see note 7)
0
R Mike Eyerly Brabham BT18 - Ford twin cam
#25 (see note 8)
0
R Bill Gubelmann Brabham BT23F [1] - Ford twin cam
#12 (see note 9)
0
  Carson Baird Chevron B14 - Ford twin cam
#15
On entry list
  Martin Sellers McLaren M4B [200-26B?] - Ford twin cam
#18 (see note 10)
On entry list
  Dan Murphy Winkelmann WDB1 - Ford twin cam
#19
On entry list
  Wes McNay LeGrand Mk 3B - Ford twin cam
#28
On entry list
  Harry Hester McLaren M4B [200-10B] - Ford twin cam
#32 (see note 11)
On entry list
  Jerry Nelson Brabham BT21C - Ford twin cam
#81 (see note 12)
On entry list

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Qualifying
Qualifying information not available

Notes on the cars:

  1. McLaren M4B [200-27B] (Chuck Dietrich): For Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) in Formula B in 1968, replacing the similar 200-10B that he had raced in 1967. Subsequent history unknown until bought from Joe Zuniga (St. Paul, Minnesota) by James Harayda (Bloomington, Minnesota) in April 1978 as a FB car. Harayda raced it in FB in 1978 then converted it to FC for 1979. Traded to Scott Livingston (St Louis, MO) in 1980 then on to Jon Rhodes (Webster Grove, MO) 1981 who converted it to CSR with an Alfa engine and qualified for the Run-Offs in 1982. Sold to Scott Holman (Frederick, MD) July 1983 and continued in CSR until 1989 when sold to Henry Alexander and Wes McNay. Rebuilt with a new Marc Bahner tub which was modelled on Jim Brown's 1967 monocoque. Restored to Formula B specification and sold to Harry Mathews (Arvada, CO) March 1996 for his Mathews Collection of McLarens. Sold to Shigeru Motohashi (Japan) 2004 and raced in the Japanese Interclub Historic Car event at Tsukuba in 2009.
  2. Cooper T88 [FC-1-68?] (Peter Rehl): One of the very last Coopers built was a Formula C car for faithful US customer Peter Rehl (Easton, CT). This T88 was equipped with a 1-litre BRM engine according to Cooper records, presumably one of the 1965-66 Formula 2 P80 engines, and Rehl scored 51 points in NEDiv Formula C, finishing narrowly second to Bill Rutan's Brabham. However, the car also raced as a Formula B car with a standard Ford twin cam, and Rehl managed to finish fourth in FB as well, qualifying for the Run-Offs and finishing third at Riverside as a FB. Rehl bought a new Formula A Cooper T90 for 1969, and the T88 was sold to Ronald L. Stanwicks (Newington, CT). He raced it in 1969 but his son recalls that it was unreliable and did not fit him well. It was sold to Peter Piers in the early 1970s, who stored it for many years. It was eventually sold and is believed to have gone to Italy.
  3. Brabham BT21A (Ray France): Terry Petmecky (Austin, TX) raced a Lotus 22 in SWDiv Formula B in 1967 but met with little success against the dominant Gus Hutchison team of Lotus 41Cs. Right at the end of the year he took delivery of a Brabham BT21A and finished second in the National at Selma in this car. In 1968 he took the Brabham to Bob Winkelmann but was forced to give up racing due to eyesight problems. F1 driver Alan Rees was holidaying in the Las Vegas area in early 1968 when he raced the car for Winkelmann in the SCCA National at Stardust Raceway. Winkelmann also entered it for Tony Settember at the Tuscon National in April 1968 and it is likely to be the car in which Settember scored 6 points in SoPac FB in 1968. Winkelmann advertised the car in CP&A 23 Mar 1968 as a "Winkelmann-Brabham BT21" with Winkspeed engine. To Ray France (Redondo Beach, CA), and raced during 1968 and 1969, entered as #2 by Centaur Racing Associates. This may have become the basis of the blue-and-gold #29 "Centaur Brabham" raced by France in 1970.
  4. Brabham BT21C [2?] (Nick Reynolds): Nick Reynolds (Sausalito, CA), a musician with folk group "The Kingston Trio", bought a new Brabham BT21C for 1968 which he used in SCCA Nationals, finishing second in NorPac Division and fifth at the ARRC. He sold the car to Dr William T Monson (Kent, WA) for 1969, and Monson went one better, taking the red BT21C to the SCCA Northern Pacific Division title and placing well in the 'Pro' series when it visited his home town. It was then sold to Gary Gove (Tacoma, WA) who raced it locally in 1970 and 1971. Gary cannot recall who he sold it to but recalls that it was an early car, either BT21C/2 or BT21C/3.
  5. Lotus 44 [44-F-3?] (Peter Darr): To Ron Harris Team Lotus (RHTL) for 1966 and first raced by Mike Spence at Reims in July. It then became Jim Clark's regular car for the rest of the season, finishing second at Montlhéry in September but it was not competitive against the Brabham BT18s. Advertised in December 1966 and probably the car sold to the US. John Hick (East Orange, NJ) had a Lotus 44 for Formula C in May 1968 but later that season the car had transplanted to the west coast and was raced by Peter Darr (Government Camp, OR) in Formula B. Raced again in FB by Darr in 1969 and advertised in September 1969 as "Clark's own". Sold to Robert "Denny" Ericson (Spokane, WA) of Repco NW in 1970 and then to Don Breidenbach (Oakland, CA) by 1973. Breidenbach raced the car in SCCA Regionals in 1973 before buying himself a brand new March 74B for 1974. Last seen when advertised by Breidenbach in February 1974. Subsequent history unknown. Philipp Buhofer owned a Lotus 44 in 2019 that was said to be 44-F2-3. The car's preparers say that it is the car owned at one time by Cedric Selzer, then sold to Japan. It was later sold by Lutziger Cars to Philipp Buhofer some time before 2014.
  6. Brabham BT21A (John Tremblay): Having started the 1968 season in a Cooper, with which he won the Courtland National in May, 24-year-old John Tremblay (Orlando, FL) moved up to a Brabham BT21A in time for the National at Huntsville Airfield two weeks later, which he again won. He was also second at Savannah International Raceway in July to John Gunn's Lola T140, winning the FB class. He ended the season on 27 points and took second place in the Division behind Hugh Kleinpeter's Beach. He was tenth at the Run-Offs. John recalls that he borrowed this car from Dr John Hood for 1968 but does not know what Hood did with it after he returned it to him.
  7. Brabham BT23 (David Webster): Dave Webster (Newport Beach, CA) raced a Brabham BT23 in Southern Pacific SCCA Formula B 1968. As the BT23F was with Gubelmann, this was presumably a BT23G. Webster had started the season in a LeGrand Mk 6 but swapped it for the "state of the art" Brabham BT23 and finished second in the category, winning the SCCA's "Rookie of the Year Award" for his performance. His last recorded appearance in the car was at the 1968 Run-Offs, where he retired. Subsequent history unknown.
  8. Brabham BT18 (Mike Eyerly): Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) ran a Brabham BT18 with 1.1-litre Cosworth SCC engine in Formula C in 1967, winning seven Nationals and setting lap records right down the east coast. He advertised the car in Autoweek on 18 November 1967 as a late 1966 BT18 chassis with 140bhp Cosworth SCC engine, and it then went to Fred Opert, presumably traded on Gubelmann's new BT23F. From Opert it was sold to Mike Eyerly (Salem, OR) and raced in the Pacific northwest, winning several Regional SCCA events. He kept the orange BT18 when he moved into the SCCA national Formula B series in 1969 and completely dominated the series, winning six of the first nine races and finishing second in another two. Advertised in October 1969. Subsequent history unknown.
  9. Brabham BT23F [1] (Bill Gubelmann): Sold to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) and fitted with a Vegantune Ford twin cam engine for SCCA 'Pro' and NEDiv Formula B. Raced through 1968 and retained for a few races in 1969 as Gubelmann's BT29 was late arriving. Sold to Al Justason (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) who used it in both the Canadian and US Pro series in 1970 and again in the Canadian FB series in 1971. Sold to Michael Houselander who appeared at two Canadian national events in 1972, Later sold to ‘Dino Delousis’ who fitted a turbocharged 2-litre Ford Pinto engine for libre events but found the car to be undrivable and stored it from about 1974 to 2004 when sold to Dave Darrow (Mississauga, Ontario) and fully restored. Retained until 2007 when sold via race-cars.com to Murray Bryden (Melbourne, Australia). Sold to David Kloster (Kinglake, Victoria) September 2011.
  10. McLaren M4B [200-26B?] (Martin Sellers): Sold to Martin Sellers (Columbus, OH) for Formula B in 1968. The sale was arranged by Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) who had run a M4A in 1967 and was now buying a new car for himself as well. Dietrich and Sellers ran together as a team in 1968. Retained by Sellers for 1969 but he had engine troubles through that season and after that only raced the car rarely. In the 1990s, he brought the car out again for historic racing and ran at Sears Point with the SCCA in 1997. More recently a member of the CSRG. Chassis 200-26 is a very rare 1960s racing car that has only had one owner from new.
  11. McLaren M4B [200-10B] (Harry Hester): New to Robert Amey in June 1967 to be driven by Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) in Formula B, winning the FB class in six Central Division SCCA Nationals and also finishing firth in the Pro race at Mont-Tremblant. Dietrich bought a pair of new M4Bs for 1968 and his 1967 car was sold to Henry H. Hester (La Jolla, CA). Hester ran it in SCCA Nationals through 1968 and then sold it to Dow J. Byers II (San Diego, CA) who used it through 1969 and into early 1970. Probably the car of Clifton Wells (Lynwood, CA) at Ontario in July 1971 and Riverside in April 1972. Believed to have gone to Chuck Hayes at some point but history then unknown until owned by Ed Donnelly (Los Angeles, CA) in 1987. Then via Jim Miller and Rob Merrel (both now deceased) to Jim Brown (San Diego, CA) in 1991 who commissioned a complete restoration including a new tub built by Marc Bahner. In 2004, Brown sold the car to Brian Andrews (San Francisco, CA) who raced it in CSRG events in 2005 and 2006. Sold by Andrews via Fantasy Junction (Emeryville, CA) to Bill Hodder (Nagambie, Victoria, Australia) in 2011.
  12. Brabham BT21C (Jerry Nelson): Jerry Nelson (Minneapolis, MN) appeared in CenDiv Formula B in 1968 in a Brabham. He scored 34 points to finish second to Chuck Dietrich's McLaren M4B but did not appear at the Run-Offs, where the entry list identified his car as a BT21C. At the Road America June Sprints in 1968, Nelson's entrant is given as Bert Horton (Jamestown, ND), a local Porsche collector and racer. 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.

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.