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Champion Spark Plug Road Racing Classic (Formula B class)

Road Atlanta, 31 Oct 1976

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Bobby Brown (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale
#79 (see note 1)
18
2 Jerry Hansen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU5] - Ford BDA
#48 (see note 2)
18
3 Ken Duclos (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-01] - Ford BDA
#34 (see note 3)
18
4 John Mortensen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [7] - Ford BDA
#39 (see note 4)
18
5 Jon Norman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] - Ford BDA
#5 (see note 5)
18
6 Dorsey Schroeder (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B - Ford BDA
#42 (see note 6)
18
7 Dan Marvin (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU4] - Ford BDA
#35 (see note 7)
18
8 Dennis Firestone (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722/76B [722-33] - Ford BDA Cosworth
[Bunce?] (see note 8)
18
9 Keith Feldott (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B27 [27-74-03] - Ford BDA
#91 (see note 9)
18
10 Bill Anspach (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 - Ford BDA Hart
18
11 William Kneeland (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34? - Ford BDA
17
12 Barry Findley (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 74B [743-1] - Ford BDA
(see note 10)
17
13 Max Sebba (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 - Ford BDA
(see note 11)
16
14 Charlie Derbes III (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT29 [33] - Ford twin cam
(see note 12)
16
15 Steve Jizmagian (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU3] - Ford BDA
#4 (see note 13)
12
R Cliff Hansen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [2] - Ford BDA
(see note 14)
8
R John Kowalski (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU3] - Ford BDA
(see note 15)
7
R Tom Pumpelly (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [3?] - Ford BDA
#84 (see note 16)
6
R J Robert Young (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU8] - Ford BDA Smith
(see note 17)
3
DNS Warren "Bud" Pauge (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT38 [‘33’] - Ford BDA
(see note 18)
Did not start
DNQ Rick Bell (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-18] - Ford BDA Hart
(see note 19)
Did not qualify

All cars are 1.6-litre FB unless noted.

Qualifying
1 Jerry Hansen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU5] - Ford BDA 1m 22.051s
2 Ken Duclos (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 [34-76-01] - Ford BDA 1m 22.119s
3 Bobby Brown (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [18] - Ford BDA Cicale 1m 22.463s
4 Dorsey Schroeder (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 75B - Ford BDA 1m 22.540s
5 Tom Pumpelly (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [3?] - Ford BDA 1m 22.950s
6 Jon Norman (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] - Ford BDA 1m 23.510s
7 Cliff Hansen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [2] - Ford BDA 1m 23.581s
8 Dan Marvin (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU4] - Ford BDA 1m 23.765s
9 Dennis Firestone (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 722/76B [722-33] - Ford BDA Cosworth 1m 23.893s
10 John Mortensen (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 76B [7] - Ford BDA 1m 24.113s
11 Bill Anspach (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34 - Ford BDA Hart 1m 25.900s
12 J Robert Young (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU8] - Ford BDA Smith 1m 26.860s
13 Warren "Bud" Pauge * (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT38 [‘33’] - Ford BDA 1m 26.920s
14 Steve Jizmagian (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T460 [HU3] - Ford BDA 1m 27.087s
15 John Kowalski (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Lola T360 [HU3] - Ford BDA 1m 27.109s
16 Keith Feldott (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B27 [27-74-03] - Ford BDA 1m 27.550s
17 William Kneeland (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B34? - Ford BDA 1m 28.090s
18 Max Sebba (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Chevron B29 - Ford BDA 1m 32.796s
19 Barry Findley (F/Atl) 1.6-litre March 74B [743-1] - Ford BDA 1m 33.390s
20 Charlie Derbes III (F/Atl) 1.6-litre Brabham BT29 [33] - Ford twin cam 1m 35.162s
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. March 76B [18] (Bobby Brown): New to Bobby Brown (Hicksville, NY) to replace a Chevron B34 and raced in Pro events and in SCCA NEDiv FB in 1976, winning the 1976 Run-Offs. Brown won an early-season SCCA National at Charlotte in April 1977 before moving into Can-Am with a March 77S. The 76B was advertised in Road Racers Magazine in November 1977, so Brown must have kept it through the 1977 season. The car is then unknown for the next three seasons, returning to view when it was sold by fabricator Marc Bahner (Santa Ana, CA) to Chris Bender (Reno, NV) at the end of 1980. This is presumably the car Bender used to finish third in Northern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic in 1981. Bender later sold it to Ric Shaw (Santa Rosa, CA) who ran it as a CSR in NPDiv from 1982 to 1985, and then as a Formula Atlantic. Subsequent history unknown, until sold by Mark Rincon (Redding, CA) to Ken Stone (Redding, CA) some time before 2010, then sold to Jack Woodruff (Vail, Colorado) in 2013. It was restored from CSR to Formula Atlantic spec by Bahner but Woodruff wrecked the car at Laguna Seca when the front suspenson collapsed. It returned to Bahner again for a new chassis, and was racing again by 2020.
  2. Lola T460 [HU5] (Jerry Hansen): New to Jerry Hansen (Long Lake, MN) for SCCA Central Division Formula B during 1976, and first appeared at the Road America June Sprints. Finished second at the 1976 Runoffs to Bobby Brown's March 76B. Sold to Frank Mahaney III (Wayzata, MN) for 1977, but Hansen confusingly acquired a different T460, the ex-Tom Klausler car, to run himself that year, as his 1977 Lola T560 was late to arrive. HU5 was sold to Steve Overton (Belleville, IL), a member of St Louis Region, for 1978 and is probably the car raced by Ernst Schneider (St Louis, MO) in 1979 and 1980. Then unknown until bought from Californian Paul Schafer by Cy Moreland (Trainer, PA) in 1997. Sold to Colin Haste (Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia) in 2003 as a "basket case" with a new tub fabricated by Marc Bahner. Restored to Jerry Hansen's livery.
  3. Chevron B34 [34-76-01] (Ken Duclos): New to Ken Duclos (Boxboro, MA) and used in Northeast Division Formula B, entered by Kay-Dee Automotive and sponsored by Trojan Tools. He won the NEDiv Formula B title with a maximum possible score of 54 points and qualified for the Runoffs, where he qualified second and finished third. Sold to Bill Marlowe (Martinsville, VA) for SCCA Regionals in 1977. Marlow retained the Chevron for 1978, tying for second place in Southeast Division behind Bill Anspach with 31 points and qualifying for the SCCA Runoffs. He had already arranged to buy Anspach's March 77B and recalls that he sold the Chevron as a rolling chassis at the Runoffs. Subsequent history unknown.
  4. March 76B [7] (John Mortensen): John Mortensen (New York, NY/Weston, CT) raced a March 76B in SCCA events in 1976 and the livery - Midnight blue with red stripe on each side - exactly matches that given in March records for 76B-7.
  5. Lotus 69 [71/69.2.FB] (Jon Norman): New to William Monson (Kent, WA) in February 1971 with pale yellow bodywork according to the Lotus built record. Raced by Monson in the SCCA Continental Championship and SCCA Nationals in 1971 but after only a few races he suffered a major accident at Laguna Seca in June 1971 when he clipped the bridge and was in hospital with significant injuries. He returned to racing but crashed again in an SCCA Regional at Portland in August, seriously damaging the car. This time he retired from racing and sold the wrecked Lotus to Gary Gove (Tacoma, WA). Gove's racing partner Pete Lovely was then in the process of fitting a F1 DFV engine to his 1970 F2 Lotus 69 and Gove was able to use the F2 rear end to repair Monson's car. The result was a very quick car and in 1972 Gove raced it in ICSCC and NW Regional events plus at least one National, the Kent (Seattle) National in September. In 1973, Gove won the NorPac title in the Lotus and then sold it to Jon Norman (Oakland, CA) who won the 1975 NorPac FB title and was second in 1976. Norman also took the car to the SCCA Runoffs in 1975, finishing a remarkable fourth, and raced it in several Pro Formula Atlantic races. Norman raced it at least once in SCCA events in 1977 before replacing it with a much newer March 76B. Subsequent history unknown.
  6. March 75B (Dorsey Schroeder): Dorsey Schroeder (Manchester, MO) bought a March 75B from Ecurie Canada after the Trois-Rivières race in September 1976. At the time, the car was described as being the car James Hunt had raced at Trois-Rivières, but Schroeder has also stated that he bought an Ecurie Canada show car. Schroeder first raced it at the SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta at the end of October, and then raced it in SCCA Nationals in 1977, winning twice at Mid-America Raceway and one race at Hutchinson. He then transferred to B Sedan racing and sold the March to an unknown owner. It is believed to be the March raced in an SCCA Regionals by John Arvanis (Moline, IL) in 1978. Next seen when advertised by Arvanis (Port Byron, IL) in 1982. It was bought by Ben Treadway (Roswell, GA), who sold it to Kenneth Cotterell (Decatur, GA), who sold it to dealer Chuck Haines (Manchester, MO) in January 1989. The car is then missing until bought some time before 1996 by Mike Sauce (Arlington, TX), who was told it was the Gilles Villeneuve car in 1975, and then the James Hunt car in 1976. It came with both 75B and 76B bodywork sets. Sauce sold it to Cy Moreland (Trainer, PA) in 1996 or 1997, and it was sold via Fred Ashplant to Joe Hish (Hinsdale, IL) in 1997. Hish later sold it to Jim Oppenheimer (Chicago, IL) who sold it to Murray Smith (Washington, CT) in late 2005/early 2006. Smith sold it to Gordon Medenica (Pelham, NY) in 2014 or 2015. The car had been in Villeneuve's Skiroule livery for much of this time. The log book with the car establishes that it is the ex-Schroeder car, but whether it is also the Villeneuve car remains uncertain.
  7. Lola T360 [HU4] (Dan Marvin): Sold to North American agent Carl Haas, where it is almost certainly the car acquired by preparer Dan Fodge. Said to have been run by Fodge for Kenny Briggs, but Briggs did not appear in Pro Formula Atlantic and there is no mention of him in the SCCA's Finish Line or The Wheel magazines covering SCCA racing in California. Then said to have gone to Jon Norman (Oakland, CA) for 1975, but Norman raced an older Lotus in 1975, winning Northern Pacific Division, and no Lola was mentioned at the time. Its first known usage is 1976, when Norman ran it for Dan Marvin (El Sobrante, CA) in Pro Formula Atlantic and in SCCA FB. Sold at the end of 1976 to Cal Huartson (Bellingham, WA), who used in in Regional Formula B in 1977. This is presumably the T360 used by Bruce Yeo (Burnaby, BC, Canada) in ICSCC in 1978, then by Bruce Shaughnessy (Maple Ridge, BC/Coquitlam, BC) in 1979 and 1981 and, in the Formula Libre class, in 1982 and 1983. Shaughnessy advertised the car in 1993, and this is then reported to be the T360 raced by Udo Pietsch between 1996 and 2003. Subsequent history unknown.
  8. March 722/76B [722-33] (Dennis Firestone): New to Dick Doherty (Hollywood, CA) and raced in Pro FB in 1972, as well as Cal Club SCCA events. Retained for Cal Club events in 1973, 1974 and 1975. Rebuilt by Wilbur Bunce to 75B specification for 1976, and run by him in Californian SCCA races for Dennis Firestone to drive, and later in Pro Formula Atlantic races in California for Ron Dykes, Rocky Moran, and Bob Lazier. It was red, and wore #10, #70 and #87 during the season. Sold to Ted Titmas (Van Nuys, CA) in early 1977, and run by him as a hire car in 1977, but Titmas had two cars in 1977, one red and one orange, and it is unclear which was which. Subsequent history unknown.
  9. Chevron B27 [27-74-03] (Keith Feldott): New to Doug Shierson Racing via Fred Opert for Chip Mead (Dayton, OH) to race in Formula Atlantic, initially in the opening races of the British series, then in North America. The car was blue and ran in North America as #23. Sold to Keith Feldott (LaGrange, IL) and raced in SCCA Central Division Formula B in 1975, scoring 11 points to finish ninth in the division. Retained for 1976, when Feldott finished second at Mid-America Raceway and at Grattan Raceway in May, and again at Grattan in July to finish the season on 37 points, tied for second in the division, and racing at the Runoffs. Retained again for 1977, but seen more rarely as Feldott moved into Trans-Am. Subsequent history unknown.
  10. March 74B [743-1] (Barry Findley): Built up as a 743 for Tom Outcault (Cranford, NJ) to race in NEDiv SCCA Formula B and at the Pro FB race at Road America in August. Rebuilt to 75B specification for 1975 and raced in the Pro series and in CenDiv FB (after Outcault moved to Middletown, OH). Advertised by Joe Grimaldi's The Race Shop (Adrian, MI) as a 74B in February 1976. Sold to Barry Findley (Little Rock, AR) for 1976, and run in MidWest Div FB and then in Southwest Div in 1977 after Findley moved to Texas. Possibly the only FB car to race in four different Divisions in four years. Sold in 1977 to James Allan 'Al' Michelet (New Orleans, Louisiana) and raced in SCCA in 1977 and 1978 - and, possibly, in 1979. Barry Findley's son Brian recalls that Michelet wrote off the car at Texas World Speedway. However, Michelet continued to score points in Southwest Division Formula Atlantic in 1979, 1980 and 1981 in a March, and it is unclear when the 743/74B was wrecked and when he bought his newer March 80A. Michelet died in 2011.
  11. Chevron B29 (Max Sebba): Bill Kneeland (Franklin, NH) bought a pale blue Chevron B29 from Fred Opert for the 1976 season. He raced it in several Pro races as well as a program of SCCA racing in 1976 with support from Real Estatement Marketing. Photographs show that Kneeland's B29 was driven by Max Sebba (Sandy Springs, GA) at the SCCA Runoffs, instead of the much older March 722 he had used in SCCA Nationals. Kneeland did race at the Runoffs, so it seems likely he had hired a new car, so a B34, from Opert. Kneeland acquired the first of the Chevron B39s for 1977, but the Runoffs at the end of October 1976 is too early for it to have been that car. The B29 went back to Fred Opert as a trade on the new car. Subsequent history unknown.
  12. Brabham BT29 [33] (Charlie Derbes III): This Brabham BT29, believed to be chassis BT29-33, was bought new by Michael F. Hall (Chicago, IL) and used in SCCA racing where Hall won the 1970 CenDiv FB title. He also raced it in the Pro series in the latter half of the season. Hall retained the red-and-yellow BT29 for the first half of 1971 but replaced it with a new BT35 in August and sold the BT29 to Phil Geraldi (Valley Stream, NY), who had previously raced a LeGrand in NEDiv FB. Geraldi raced it for the rest of 1971 and in 1972 then sold it to Charles J. Derbes III (Metairie, LA) in the spring of 1973. Derbes won the SWDiv Formula B title in this car in 1974 and attended the Run-Offs, finishing 12th. He was second in the Division in 1975 and tied with Warren Pauge for the 1976 title. Chaz Derbes has retained the BT29 ever since, still owning it in 2012.
  13. Lola T460 [HU3] (Steve Jizmagian): New to Steve Jizmagian (San Francisco, CA) and raced in SCCA Nationals and IMSA Formula Atlantic races in 1976. Retained for 1977 for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained again for 1978, again for Californian SCCA Nationals and Regionals. Retained by Jizmagian for 1979, but destroyed in an accident at Westwood in June 1979. What was left was broken for spares.
  14. March 76B [2] (Cliff Hansen): Cliff Hansen (Laguna Beach, CA) campaigned a blue/red #6 March 76B in 1976 as part of the Doug Shierson Racing operation. Hansen retained the car for the start of the 1977 season, until his new 77B arrived, and then kept the 76B as a spare, needing it at St-Félicien and at Trois-Rivières after crashing the 77B. Its history in 1978 is unknown, but it is believed to be the car raced by Tom Contino (Ontario, CA) between 1979 and 1981, then sold by him in October 1981 to Damon Meek (Los Gatos, CA), who raced the car in SCCA Nationals in 1982 and has identified it as "76B-02" and ex-Cliff Hansen. Meek sold it to Lee Follansbee (San Jose, CA) and it would be the 76B raced by him in the Sears Point Pro race in 1984. Sold by Follansbee to Michael Olsen (Santa Clara, CA) who raced it at Sears Point in October 1988. Subsequent history unknown.
  15. Lola T360 [HU3] (John Kowalski): Sold via North American agent Carl Haas to Bill O'Connor (Highland Park, IL) and run for him by Traylor Engineering in the Canadian Formula Atlantic series in 1974. O'Connor won the US GP support race in this car in October 1974. Retained for 1975, when it was used in the Canadian series and at least once in SCCA Nationals, entered by United Racing Ltd. To John Kowalski (Berea, OH), who won Central Division Formula B in 1976 in the car, qualifying for the Runoffs. Kowalski only scored nine points in a Lola in Central Division FB in 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
  16. March 76B [3?] (Tom Pumpelly): 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.
  17. Lola T360 [HU8] (J Robert Young): New via North American agent Carl Haas to Robert Young (Snowmass Resort, CO) to replace Young's earlier Lola T242, but apparently not raced until 1975, having sat in stock in late 1974. Young used the car mainly in SCCA Midwest Division Formula B, winning the Division in 1975, 1976 and 1977. It was retained by Young until just after he won the Lake Afton GP in August 1978, then sold to Ron Clawson (Canon City, CO) who raced it at La Junta in early September. The car's SCCA Logbook shows further ownership changes were to Jerry King 4 Sep 1982, Kenny Dahlmann 3 Oct 1988, Keith Young Jan 1990, Steve Torrance 18 Apr 1990, Randy Johnson (Dallas, TX) 28 Mar 1992 and then Cecil Boyd, by which time the car had been fitted with a replacement Marc Bahner monocoque. For a time this car was claimed to be the ex-Bobby Rahal car, a confusion that has now been resolved. Sold to Russell Sewell (Australia) 2008 and then to Leigh Turner (Western Australia) 2009. History then unknown until a car with this chassis number raced in the Formula Atlantic class of the HSCC Formula 2 series by Nick Pink in 2017 and 2018.
  18. Brabham BT38 [‘33’] (Warren "Bud" Pauge): 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.
  19. Chevron B34 [34-76-18] (Rick Bell): To Rick Bell (Lakeville, CT) and used in Northeast Division Formula B, entered by Bell Racing. Also raced in two Pro races in Canada in July and August. Retained for 1977 again for NEDiv FB, but also taking in two Pro races at Trois-Rivières and Québec City. 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.