Singapore Grand Prix for Cars

Singapore, 11 Apr 1971

All cars are 1.6-litre 1.6 2v unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT30 [BT29/23] (Graeme Lawrence): Entered by Fred Opert Racing for Evan Noyes (Cedarville, MI) in the 1971 Tasman series, where it was fitted with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC. This was not the same BT29 that Noyes had used in Formula B in 1970, as that car was later advertised by Opert in the US. Sold to Graeme Lawrence (New Zealand) after the Tasman series, fitted with a Hart twin cam and used in races in South East Asia in early 1971, then with the FVC again for races in New Zealand and Australia. To Leo Geoghegan for SE Asian races in 1972, then to Ken Smith in New Zealand. Next seen when advertised by Bill David (Taupo, New Zealand) in June 1974, still with its FVC and twin cam engines. Raced by Frank Bray and entered by David in 1975, then to Peter Hughes and fitted with a Fiat engine for 1976, then a BDA for 1977. Observed by David McKinney in 1977 to be chassis BT29/23.
2. Mildren 'Mono' (Bob Muir): Designed by Len Bailey and built by Alan Mann Racing for Alec Mildren Racing in Australia in late 1968, when it was raced by Frank Gardner using one of 2.5-litre Alfa T33 V8 engines from the team's Brabham BT23D. Raced by Gardner in the 1969 Tasman series, then by Kevin Bartlett in the 1969 Gold Star series. Later in 1969 it was fitted a Waggott TC4V engine, and Bartlett used it in this form in the 1970 Tasman and the 1970 Gold Star. It was sold to Bob Muir at the end of 1970 and raced by him through 1971 and early 1972, both with his 2-litre Waggott engine and with a Ford twin cam engine for Southeast Asian events. Then to Ray Winter and used in ANF2 in 1973 and 1974. Winter used the car again on occasion in 1975 and 1976. Later on, when the new single-cam Australian F2 was introduced, the old Mildren was raced in that category by Greg Ferrall. Then unknown until acquired by Lionel Ayres and restored. The car was retained by Bruce Ayres after his father Lionel's death in 2013.
3. Brabham BT10 [F2-12-64] (John Macdonald): Mike Costin of Cosworth Engineering bought this car later in the 1964 season and raced it a handful of times with its usual Cosworth SCA engine. It appeared in a libre race with a 1500cc Cosworth prototype engine at Silverstone in June 1965 and then in F3 spec with Cosworth's new MAE engine in September 1965. In August 1966, it appeared again with the prototype FVA F2 engine and was Cosworth's test car for the FVA in 1967. In 1968 it was sold to Bill Jones who entered it in F2 for Chris Meek. It then went to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) for 1969 and was raced across for the next three seasons, firstly with the FVA engine and later with a Ford twin cam when four-valve engines were banned. Retained by Macdonald until 2007 when he advertised it.
4. Brabham BT21 (Cary Taylor): Bert Hawthorne worked at MRD during 1967 and in his spare time built up his own car using BT21 components. He fitted this with a twin-cam engine and took it to his native New Zealand for the 1967/68 Gold Star series. The car did not arrive in time for the Internationals and Hawthorne made his debut in the car at Timaru in February 1968. He drove it again the following season, from October 1968 to February 1969. Cary Taylor (Amberley, NZ) bought it for the 1969/70 season and he also drove it in the Singapore GP in April 1971. It 1973, it was bought by Frank Bray and used by him to create the Bray SMP2 sports car. Other components of the car were used to build a Formula Ford.
5. Brabham BT18 [F2-40-66(II)] (Lee Han Seng): One of two Brabham BT18s to wear the identity F2-40-66, this car was sold new by MRD to Lee Han Seng in Malaysia in July 1966, fitted with a Ford twin cam engine. His first race in the car was when he won the Fifth Tunku Abdul Rahman Circuit Races at Sungei Renggam in September 1966, the last Formula Libre street race held in Selangor before the new Batu Tiga Circuit was opened. He then won again at the Old Upper Thomson Road Sprint in September but retired from the Macau Grand Prix in November. In 1967, he won the Dunlop Gap Hill Climb, Boon Lay Sprint and Old Upper Thomson Road Sprint. In September he finished second to Rodney Seow in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Trophy at Batu Tiga and then beat Seow to win the Johore Grand Prix a week later. He raced a couple of times in 1968 but withdrew from racing that year and advertised the car. He returned in 1971, but by this time the BT18 was no longer competitive. It was stored after its retirement and was sold to George Derry in Australia in 1988. Derry restored it and raced it in historic events; it was also driven by Peter Macrow, Mark Potter and Ian Wells during this time. It was sold to Peter Larner in 1998 and raced by his son Jamie up to 2007 when it was sold to Max Lane. (History by Denis Lupton.)
6. Lotus 59/69 [F3-2] (Ken Smith): Entered by Michael Spence Ltd for Tetsu Ikuzawa in F3 in 1969. Autosport noted that he was "giving his 59 its first outing" at Silverstone on 17 May 1969 and Motoring News called it "c/n 2". In September, it was reported that the car had been sold to Eddie Jacobsson, but Izukawa continued with it through October. Then entered by Mike Ticehurst's Motor Racing Enterprises for James Hunt at Thruxon in November. To Mike Stow for 1970 and, after a single F3 race, converted to Formula 2 for David Cole to drive at Crystal Palace in May, where he failed to qualify. Raced by Stow in a libre at Silverstone and then sold to New Zealander Ken Smith who entered it for Gold Star races from October onwards. Raced by Smith in the 1971 Tasman series as a Lotus 69, as the car now had 69-style bodywork, and using a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC. Retained for Gold Star and International races in 1972, and also used at races in Singapore and at Batu Tiga with a Ford twin cam engine. According to Graeme Vercoe, the car was later owned by Simon Seagrave, Malcolm Webb and Steve Bullot as a Formula Ford car. Vercoe adds that it went via David Manton (Tauranga) to Allan Cattle (Auckland) in 1989. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Lotus 59/69 [F3-11?] (Sonny Rajah): A new Lotus 59 raced by James Hunt in F3 in 1970 with Holbay engine and was modified with the 69-style bodywork of the 59A spec during the season. Then believed to be the Lotus 59/69 raced by Sonny Rajah in South East Asian racing in 1971. Retained by Rajah who refers to it as "the ex-James Hunt Lotus 69". Still with Rajah in 2010.
8. Brabham BT21 (Albert Poon): Albert Poon of Hong Kong acquired a Brabham BT21A (or possibly a BT21) towards the end of 1967 for racing in South East Asia. The car may have been equipped with a standard Ford twin-cam when it raced at Macau in November 1967 but it was more normally used with an Alfa Romeo engine over the next two years, before Poon replaced it with a Formula 2 BT30. Poon is believed to have used it again at the Singapore GP in April 1971 which was held to the 1600cc 2-valve formula for which his BT30-FVA wouldn't have been eligible. The later history of the BT21A is not yet known.
9. Palliser WDB4 [1] (Hengkie Iriawan): New for Vern Schuppan to drive as the Palliser Racing entry in the British Formula Atlantic series in early 1971. Taken out to Singapore in April 1971 and sold there to Hengkie Iriawan, who raced it in Southeast Asian events in 1971 and early 1972, still fitted with its BRM Ford twin cam engine. Iriawan died on 23 April 1972 in a go-kart crash at Ipoh in Malaysia, and the Palliser was sold to Jan Bussell (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), who raced it in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Brabham [BT14/BT15 "FJB2"?] (Jan Bussell): Jan Bussell bought a twin-cam Brabham from Howden Ganley which was always described as a BT14. The car is said by John Blanden to be AM88, by Bryan Miller to be AM66 and is recorded by Ted Walker as F2-4-66. It is also said that Ganley had built up an unused F3 chassis, quite probably a BT15, while working at MRD and sold it to Bussell with a Ford twin-cam engine supplied by Red Rose Motors. As a BT15 with a twin-cam was virtually identical to a BT14, the description would make sense. According to Ted Walker again, it later went to P Chan (i.e. Percy Chan) in 1972 and then to Bruce Winder in New Zealand in 1973. It was not raced in NZ and is unknown until (according to John Blanden) it was bought by John Dymond in NZ in 1999. It was restored in NZ and raced in historics in 2000 before moving to Dymond's native Australia. Owned by Dymond until his death in 2006, then with his family as part of Team Penrite. Raced by Keith Simpson for the team in 2010 and 2011.

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.

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.

Individual sources for this event

Motoring News 13 May 1971 p17. Some details from Ray Bell's post on TNF (http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=63709&st=0&p=1482235&#entry1482235). Full finishing order from formula2.net.