OldRacingCars.com

New Zealand Formula Pacific Race

Wigram, 28 Jan 1979

ResultsLapsTime/Speed
1 Dave McMillan Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Hart
#41 (see note 1)
24 28m 34.6s
2 Teo Fabi March 782/79B [15] - Ford BDA Hart
#3 March Racing (see note 2)
24 28m 48.7s
3 Larry Perkins March 77B [30] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#1 Colin Giltrap Racing (see note 3)
24 28m 52.0s
4 Brett Riley March 77B ["763-U3"] - Ford BDA Swindon
#8 (see note 4)
24 28m 52.2s
5 Ken Smith March 76B [20] - Ford BDA Nicholson
#11 La Valise Travel (see note 5)
24 29m 05.8s
6 Eje Elgh March 782 [14] - Ford BDA Swindon
#2 Dick Bennetts Racing (see note 6)
24 29m 14.3s
NC Hugh Owen Ralt RT1/77 [73] - Ford BDA Nicholson
(see note 7)
8
R Steve Millen Chevron B42 [42-78-01] - Ford BDA Hart
#17 Schollum Racing
18 Wing stay
R Jeff Wood March 78B - Ford BDA Willis
#4 Great Plains Racing (see note 8)
11 Rear suspension
R Ross Stone Cuda JR3 - Ford BDA Stone
#22
3 Engine
R John Smith Ralt RT1/77 [91] - Ford BDA Weissner
#7 (see note 9)
0 Accident
DNS Howard Wood Lyncar 010 [010] - Ford BDA
#10
Did not start
(Overheating)
DNS Grant Campbell Chevron B39 - Ford BDA
(see note 10)
Did not start
(Oil pressure)
DNA Norm Lankshear Chevron B34 [34-76-19] - Ford BDA Hart
(see note 11)
Did not arrive
DNA Andrew Miedecke Galloway HG1 - Ford BDA Dewhurst
#9
Did not arrive

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

Qualifying
1 Dave McMillan (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/76 [36] - Ford BDA Hart 1.11.0
2 Teo Fabi (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 782/79B [15] - Ford BDA Hart 1.11.1
3 Larry Perkins (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 77B [30] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.11.6
4 Brett Riley (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 77B ["763-U3"] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.11.9
5 John Smith (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [91] - Ford BDA Weissner 1.12.1
6 Ken Smith (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 76B [20] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.12.1
7 Jeff Wood (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 78B - Ford BDA Willis 1.12.8
8 Eje Elgh (F/Pac) 1.6-litre March 782 [14] - Ford BDA Swindon 1.12.9
9 Steve Millen (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B42 [42-78-01] - Ford BDA Hart 1.13.3
10 Ross Stone (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Cuda JR3 - Ford BDA Stone 1.13.4
11 Hugh Owen (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Ralt RT1/77 [73] - Ford BDA Nicholson 1.14.7
12 Howard Wood * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Lyncar 010 [010] - Ford BDA 1.16.2
13 Grant Campbell * (F/Pac) 1.6-litre Chevron B39 - Ford BDA 1.16.9
 
* Did not start

Notes on the cars:

  1. Ralt RT1/76 [36] (Dave McMillan): To Cavanaugh Racing and run for Kevin Cogan in two late-season 1976 Canadian Formula Atlantic races. Sold to David McMillan and raced in the 1976/77 New Zealand Gold Star season, and in the January 1977 New Zealand International Formula Pacific series. Taken back to Canada for McMillan to race in two Canadian series races in 1977, then back to New Zealand for the 1977/78 Gold Star series and the January 1978 International series. Retained by McMillan for the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons, while also used in a handful of North American races in 1979 and 1980. Rebuilt as a Formula Super Vee for McMillan in 1980. McMillan moved to Ray Lipper’s Centreline Wheels team in 1981 and the old RT1 was raced by Lipper that season. CT
  2. March 782/79B [15] (Teo Fabi): Ricardo Zunino's works car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. Converted to Formula Atlantic for Teo Fabi to race in New Zealand in January 1979 (where it was reported to be wearing plate "782-16", an observation that is now thought to have been incorrect). To Ken Smith (New Zealand) and raced in Formula Pacific in the 1979/80, 1980/81 and 1981/82 seasons. Then to Warren Heron, but not raced until Bay Park in March 1989. Raced twice in 1990, but then stored until two further races, in 1998 and 1999. Sold back to Ken Smith in 2009. To Robert Shaw (UK) in 2010, and restored back to Formula 2 specification. To Marc Devis (Belgium) late 2016.
  3. March 77B [30] (Larry Perkins): Entered by March for Danny Sullivan in the 1978 New Zealand International series. Sold to Colin Giltrap and entered by him for Dave McMillan at Baypark Mar 1978 then for Larry Perkins in the 1978/79 series. Raced by Desiré Wilson in the Jan/Feb 1980 series then John Smith in Jan 1981. Sold to Ray Hanger (Australia) and used in the 1981 AF1 and Pacific series. Also raced at Shah Alam in October 1981.
  4. March 77B ["763-U3"] (Brett Riley): Brett Riley took delivery of a March 77B in December 1977 that is believed to have carried the chassis number 763-U3 when it arrived in New Zealand. Riley raced it in Formula Pacific in 1978, 1979 and 1980 before selling it to Tom Donovan who progressively modified it and ran it in hillclimbs as well as F/Pacific up to 1983. He then won the 1984 and 1985 NZ hillclimb championships running a 1800cc Cosworth engine in the car. It was sold to Stuart McChesney in 1985 and again used in hillclimbs. It then went to Kenny Smith around 1987 and then to John Mackinlay (Christchurch) around 1993 who restored it and raced it in historic racing 1994-1996. It passed to Garry Cliff (Magnum Motors, Christchurch) in November 1996 then Peter Finlay in Australia in August 1998 in exchange for a Reynard Formula Holden. It was sold to Kevin Miller in May 1999. Retained May 2003.
  5. March 76B [20] (Ken Smith): Sold via Doug Shierson to Ken Smith (New Zealand) and debuts in early 1977 New Zealand races. Retained to 1981 then sold to Warren Binning. Returned to Smith in 1982 and retained to at least 2003.
  6. March 782 [14] (Eje Elgh): Eddie Cheever's car at Thruxton 27 Mar 1978 and presumably all season. To Dick Bennetts Racing and converted to Formula Atlantic for Eje Elgh to race in New Zealand in January 1979. Then to Charlie Kirby as a 78B and raced in Atlantic from 1979 to 1981. Offered for sale in On Track in 1981 by Kirby's Transatlantic Racing Services (Norcross, GA). Next seen with Andy Falbo (Detroit, MI) who raced it in US Formula Atlantic in 1983, and again in 1986 and 1988. Retained by Falbo and still owned by him in 2015.
  7. Ralt RT1/77 [73] (Hugh Owen): New to Brian Robertson's Ralt America for Craig Hill to drive in the CASC Formula Atlantic series, backed by Quick-Trans and Castrol. To Hugh Owen in New Zealand for 1978, and raced in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series starting in January 1978. Retained by Owen for the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons. Then sold to Dave McMillan and used as a spare car to his Ralt RT4/81 in the 1980/81 season, McMillan's earlier RT1 having been converted to FSV specification by this time. Fitted with a Nissan LZ14 engine for the 1981/82 and 1982/83 seasons when it was raced by McMillan at some races and also by Ray Lipper. Reappeared at Baypark Raceway in January 1985 when owned by John Crawford. CT
  8. March 78B (Jeff Wood): Jeff Wood (Studio City, CA) had a pair of March 78Bs in 1978, entered by Great Plains Racing in Formula Atlantic in 1978 and he then raced one of them in New Zealand in December 1978 and January 1979. He started the 1979 season with one of the 78Bs at Long Beach, and then had a new 79B at either the second or third race. One of the 78Bs was sold to Greg Sun who ran it (as a 78-79B) in SCCA events in 1979. It was then acquired by Bob Schader (Boulder, CO) and raced by him in 1980 in 79B specification. Retained by Schader in for Long Beach in early 1981. Schader then moved into FSV and the 78B was sold to Dorsey Schroeder (Manchester, MO) and used extensively in SCCA in 1981, when he won Midwest Division Formula Atlantic, and in 1982. Later to John Strickler (St Louis, MO). Subsequent history unknown.
  9. Ralt RT1/77 [91] (John Smith): New to Larry Perkins (Victoria, Australia) for the 1978 New Zealand Formula Pacific series. Then to John Smith (NEW, Australia) and raced in the 1979 New Zealand series. Smith used the car in some Rothmans International and Gold Star races later in 1979, still with its BDA engine, before converting it to single cam ANF2 specification for the Australian ANF2 series. Again raced by Smith in New Zealand in January 1980, then in ANF1 and ANF2 events in Australia. Retained for a third season in 1981, and used in the New Zealand series and in the National Panasonic Formula Pacific series in Australia. Smith then bought a new Ralt RT4/81, but the RT1 was retained as a spare car, and loaned to Brett Fisher for the 1982 Australian GP. Raced by Terry Ryan in ANF2 in 1984.
  10. Chevron B39 (Grant Campbell): John Sisk (Lahaska, PA) raced a Formula B Chevron in a NERRC event at Lime Rock in April 1978. At the end of that season New Zealander Grant Campbell bought a Chevron B39 from the US to use in the New Zealand Formula Pacific from January 1979 onwards. Kiwi journalist David McKinney noted that the car wore the '01' chassis plate and was told by Campbell that it had previously been raced by John Sisk. It was retained by Campbell for the 1979/80 and 1980/81 seasons in New Zealand, then taken to Australia for the National Panasonic Formula Pacific series before the start of the 1981/82 New Zealand season. To Steve Cameron (Auckland) for the 1982/83 season. David McKinney advised that it then went to Charlie Thomasen, who also owned the ex-Dave Oxton B34, and then to John Wigston (Auckland) in 1985.
  11. Chevron B34 [34-76-19] (Norm Lankshear): Tom Bagley (Centre Hall, PA) raced a yellow-and-blue Chevron B34 run by Fred Opert Racing in three IMSA Formula Atlantic races in early 1976, with Kent Oil sponsorship. This car was then raced by Juan Cochésa (Venezuela) in the Players Formula Atlantic series, starting at Edmonton on 16 May. Chris Waddell's report from Edmonton for Autosport described Cochésa's car as "an Opert B34 driven earlier in the year by Tom Bagley". Cochésa then moved to a new car, and the ex-Bagley car was sold to RJ Nelkin (Roslyn, NY/Woodbury, NY), who first raced it in an SCCA National at Summit Point in late June. He then raced it in Pro and SCCA races for the rest of 1976. Nelkin recalls that the car was then returned to Opert to be used as a spare car for Keke Rosberg and Mikko Kozarowitzky to use in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series in January 1977. After the 1977 New Zealand series, the car was sold to Norman Lankshear (Feilding, New Zealand) and raced in the Gold Star series in 1977/78 and 1978/79, and the International series in early 1978 and early 1979. It was then sold to Bryan Hartley (Palmerston) and raced by him in the 1981/82 season. The car was then sold to John Wigston (Auckland), fitted with a Ford crossflow engine and used in hillclimbs in New Zealand in the late 1980s. Wigston was reported to still have the car in October 2016.

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 New Zealand race results have been provided by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK, Motoraction in New Zealand plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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.