Malaysia Grand Prix

Batu Tiga, 15 Apr 1973

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT40 [35] (John Macdonald): New to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) and fitted with a Hart twin cam engine for the Southeast Asian 2-valve 1600cc formula. Macdonald won the 1973 Malaysian Grand Prix, the 1973 Macau Grand Prix, the 1974 Selangor Grand Prix, and Malaysian and Penang Grands Prix in 1975. Driven by José "Pocholo" Ramirez, Macdonald's Rothmans Cathay Pacific team mate at Macau at the end of 1975. Next seen with Jason Ho in 1988, then with Neville McKay in 1992. Still owned by McKay (Mona Vale, NSW, Australia) in December 2004.
2. Brabham BT40 (Albert Poon): New to Albert Poon (Hong Kong) and fitted with a Hart twin cam engine for the Southeast Asian 2-valve 1600cc formula. Raced by Poon in 1973 and 1974 and then, after Poon acquired a newer Chevron B29, the Brabham was raced by Graeme Lawrence in the Malaysian GP in March 1975 and by Kevin Bartlett in the Macau Grand Prix in November 1975. Then raced by Poon's wife, Diana Poon, from 1976 to 1979. At some point, the Brabham was badly damaged, and its tub has been rebuilt by new owner Neville McKay. Reported to be still owned by McKay but in pieces in 2004.
3. Brabham BT40 [13] (Brian Robertson): New for Brian Robertson (Brockville, Ontario) and raced by him in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Batu Tiga in April 1973, but wrecked the following weekend during practice at the Singapore Grand Prix. The car was rebuilt and raced a few times in Canada as part of Fred Opert's team, including by David Fram at Halifax in October 1974, and by Bob Beyea at Trois-Rivières two weeks later. Then sold to Mike Rand (Greenwich, CT) in time for the 1974 SCCA Runoffs, replacing a crashed Rondel M1, after which Rand raced the BT40 in Northeast Division SCCA Formula B in 1975. For 1976, Rand converted the car to Formula C. He bought a Modus for 1977, and the Brabham was sold to Larry Snover (Langsdale, PA) who raced it in FC and then in FB again. He sold it after the 1979 season to someone who planned to add sportscar bodywork for Can-Am. However, this never happened, and the car was offered for sale by Rick Parent (Asheville, NC) in June 2018, still in Snover's livery, noting that "the car has been sitting since 1980".
4. Brabham BT40 (Mike Hall): Mike Hall (Twin Lakes, WI) raced a brand new Brabham BT40 at the SCCA Run-Offs, known then as American Road Race of Champions, at Road Atlanta 25 Nov 1972, the first BT40 to race. Hall then raced this car in Formula B and Formula Atlantic in 1973 and 1974. He replaced it with a Lola T360 for 1975 and the Brabham was then raced by John Elder (Rosemount, Minnesota) in SCCA Nationals in 1975, winning his class at Brainerd in July. Hall had modified his car with a wide nose and a higher and fuller tail, and Elder's car showed the same modifications. The car was then advertised, as "ex-Mike Hall" by Richard Prather's Prather Racing (Wheeling, IL) in November 1976. There is a good chance this was the car raced by Peter Robinson (Madison, Wisc) in 1976 and 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
5. March 722 [1] (Ken Smith): The prototype March 722 was sold to Sports Motors Manchester for Gerry Birrell to race in Formula 2 in 1972. At the end of the season, the car was sold to New Zealander Kenny Smith, and fitted with a 1930cc Cosworth FVC engine for the 1973 Tasman series. He also used it at the April 1973 Singapore Grand Prix using a 1600cc Hart Ford twin-cam. Frank Radisich bought it and bolted on the Repco Holden engine and rear end from his McLaren M10B, but this was wholely unsuccessful, and Radisich later tried a Mazda engine instead, also updating it to 1976 nose and sidepods, but again with no success. In late 1977, it reappeared with Dave Saunders who had fitted a Cosworth BDA engine for Formula Pacific, but the reliability problems persisted. According to Graham Vercoe, Dennis Dunbar later raced it, again with the Mazda engine. In the late 1980s, it was bought less engine from Dunbar by Murray Biddick, who restored the car, fitted a BDA engine and did a couple of club events. It was then sold on his behalf by Charlie Conway to Adrian Whapman. David McKinney reported that Whapman was advertising it in 1994. David also noted that it later went to Australia, where it was owned in 2003 by Kevin Miller, and then returned to NZ and was owned by David Heron. By 2008, Heron had restored it in STP livery, and it was being associated with Niki Lauda.
6. Surtees TS15 [04] (Graeme Lawrence): New to Graeme Lawrence and raced in the 2-litre class of the 1973 Tasman Cup, using a 1.9-litre Hart BDA. Then raced in Southeast Asian events, using a Hart Ford twin cam engine. Retained for Southeast Asian 1600cc events in 1974, but Lawrence used his new F5000 Lola T332 in the Tasman series. Retained again for Southeast Asian 1600cc events in 1975. He still had the car in early 1976 when he was musing whether to convert it to Formula Pacific. Later in 1976 the car was sold to Rex Hart and fitted with a Cosworth BDA for Formula Pacific, and raced in New Zealand from 1977 to 1981. Sold to Ken Smith in 1982, and sold by him to John Wigston (Auckland) in 1984.
7. March 732 (Sonny Rajah): New to Sonny Rajah (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and used in British Formula Atlantic in 1973. In August 1973, it was flown to South East Asia, where it spent the rest of its racing career. However, it is difficult to understand exactly how this car was used, as Rajah also owned a March 712M which was updated to 73B specification, and was also involved with a March 723 which had been converted to the local 1600cc 2-valve formula. At the Selangor Grand Prix at Batu Tiga in early September 1973, it appears that Rajah won using his updated 712M/73B, with the 73B being driven to third place by Percy Chan. Historian Eli Solomon reports that Rajah's 73B was bought by Jan Bussell a couple of weeks before the 1973 Macau GP, so would be the car Bussell drove for Team Rothmans at that race, through 1974, and in early 1975. In May 1975, Bussell left Malaysia for Zaire, and Percy Chan was moved from the team's second car to drive the 73B at the Penang and Selangor Grands Prix later in the year. The 73B's subsequent history remains unresolved, but it is thought to have been the car raced by Brian Tyler from 1976 to 1978.
8. Palliser WDB4 [1] (Jan Bussell): 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.
9. Brabham BT36 [BT30-14] (Chong Boon Seng): Sold new to Ecurie Ecosse and run for Graham Birrell in F2 in 1970. Also raced once by Peter Gethin and by Richard Attwood later in the season. To Peter Westbury early 1971 and raced in several F2 races (also raced once by Dieter Quester) until the team's BT36 was delivered. Sold to Dunnett's Garage, converted to F/Atlantic specification and entered for Ronnie Mackay in libre and F/Atlantic in 1971 and 1972, run by MRE. To Chong Boon Seng for south east Asian racing in 1973 and used by him until 1976. Then to Del Schloemer and raced by him and by Cherie Schloemer in 1977 and 1978. To Wybe Valkema around 1980 and retained to 1982. Then to Australia and with Brian Wilson by 1988. Wilson sold it to Art Valdez (Torrance, CA) and from Valdez it returned to Australia when he sold it to Bob Ilich (Perth, WA) in 2010.
10. Chevron B20 [72-9] (John Green): New to John S Green in Formula B specification but there is no evidence of this car being delivered before the end of 1972. Green ran it in the Gap Hill Climb in January 1973, but only circuit raced it once, in the Singapore Grand Prix in April 1973. Green died in early 1974, and the Chevron was sold to David Schollum for Steve Millen in South-East Asian races that year. Then shipped to New Zealand and fitted with a 1980cc Cosworth FVC engine for the 1975 Tasman series. Used by Millen in 1600cc form at Batu Tiga and Macau later in 1975. Sold to Ian Grey in 1976 and raced with a Cosworth BDM at Macau in 1976 and 1977. Later sold to Dick Ward (Perth, Australia) and George Stacey about the end of 1979, and then to Harry Hickling (ACT, Australia). Sold to David Innes late 2014.

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

Autosport 26 Apr 1973 p17 gave the top six finishers and also mentioned [Graeme] Lawrence, Sonny Rajah, [Leo] Geoghegan, [Mike] Hall, and [Kenny] Smith.