Trofeo Ignazio Giunti

Misano, 6 May 1973

Notes on the cars:

1. Lola T292 [HU55] (Chris Craft): Originally sold to Martin Birrane's Crowne Racing for Chris Craft to run in the 1973 European 2-litre Sports Car championship. The car was fitted with the new Cosworth BDG engine and the team was managed by Keith Greene. Craft won at Misano and Imola and took two further second places to win the championship. In 1974, the car was due to be fitted with the new Tecno P82 flat-8 engine but the project ran late and Birrane eventually sold the car in frustration to the Pederzani brothers. When the Lola-Tecno did finally appear, at Misano in July, it was driven by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud but retired with overheating problems. According to later sale descriptions, HU55 was then sold to well-known Sicilian hillclimb specialist Angelo Giliberti, continuing to Giuseppe Tornatore (Sardinia) in 1980, to Gianpaolo Casazza (Florence) in 2000 and then to Pietro Silva (San Marino) soon after. It returned to England in 2009 and was offered for sale by Maxted-Page in 2011.
2. Chevron B23 [73-12] (John Lepp): The second Red Rose Racing Chevron was driven by John Lepp in 1973 and he was allocated chassis B23-73-12. The B23 was advertised by Red Rose at the end of the season and bought by Bob Howlings in March 1974 who intended to race it. However, the car is not seen again and is believed to have been sold by Howlings to a Japanese customer.
3. Chevron B23 [73-09] (José Maria Juncadella): Acquired by Roger Hire a few races into the 1973 season and quickly completed using some B21 parts to run as part of the Hire International/Scuderia Montjuich team. Raced by José Juncadella, Javier Juncadella, Jorge de Bagration and Tim Schenken in European 2-litre events in 1973. Maybe the car raced by Rafael Barrios at Paul Ricard in April 1974 for Hire's Forge Mill Racing. Also appeared at Jarama 20 Oct 1974 for De Bagration. Advertised by Hire at the end of 1974 but not known in 1975 and 1976. With Laurence Jacobsen 1977 and with Tony Sugden for libre racing late 1978. Rebodied as a Skoda Super Saloon for 1979 and raced until at least 1981. Advertised by Malcolm Johnstone 1983. Reported to be with Mike Burtt 1988.
4. Lola T290 [HU5] (Fred Stalder): This car was acquired by Ecurie Bonnier and run for customer Claude Swietlik throughout 1972, also being raced by Mario Cabral, Gilbert Salles and Hervé Bayard on occasion. In 1973 it was sold to Fred Stalder who founded Racing Organisation Course (ROC) and was used throughout the season in both European 2-litre racing and in French hillclimbs. Based on photographic evidence, this car was retained by ROC for 1974 as a backup for for hire purposes. It appears to be the car used by Albert Dufrêne in French hillclimbs in 1974 and is then believed to have passed to Christian Riehl around 1976.
5. Lola T292 [HU40] (Guy Edwards): Described consistently as the "prototype" T292, HU40 first appeared at Jarama 5 Nov 1972 where it was raced by Richard Scott. It was then Guy Edwards' works car throughout 1973 after which it was updated to T294 specification and sold by Lola to Martin Raymond for 1974. It went to Stewart Chubb for 1975 and continued to race in the European series. In 1976, Chubb sold the car to Steven Payne-Herbert and it was used in Can-Am and SCCA BSR racing until 1980. Payne-Herbert kept the car until 1989 when it was sold for vintage racing and, three owners later, it was being offered for sale by Grand Prix Classics in February 2011.
6. Chevron B21/B23 [72-20] (Jorge de Bagration): Bought by Roger Hire for Peter Hanson to drive in European sports car events in 1972, at first with a 2-litre BRM V8 engine, until changing to a normal FVC. Raced in the Springbok series at the end of the year. The car was upgraded to B23 specification for 1973 and joined Roger Hire's new B23 in the Hire International/Scuderia Montjuich team. Raced by both Javier and José Juncadella. This may be the "bitza" Chevron built up for Frank Sytner to drive at the start of the 1974 season. Presumably one of the two "B23s" advertised by Roger Hire in May 1975. Subsequent history unknown.
7. Chevron B23 [73-08] (John Burton): John Burton joined Red Rose Racing for 1973 and drove a new Chevron B23, chassis 73-08. The car was advertised in October 1973 and was sold to young Scottish hillclimber (and future double British Touring Car Champion) John Cleland for British hillclimbs. He used a 1930cc Alan Smith engine and fitted a Chevron B26 rear end to the car. John recalls selling the car to Roger Nathan and delivering it to London but the movement of the car are unknown for the rest of 1975. It was run in French courses de côte by Jean Pierre Lecomte in 1976 and 1977, by Jacques Heuclin from 1978 to 1980 and by Gérard Ferré in 1982. The car was then rebodied as the Sthémo and ran like this from 1985 to 1991.
8. Lola T292 [HU51] (Jim Busby): SCCA driver Jim Busby bought a new Lola T292 for 1973 and competed in the European championship as part of Guy Edwards' semi-works Barclays International Racing team. He departed for his native California after the September Nürburgring race, leaving him time to secure the SCCA Southern Pacific Division BSR title. He was second in the Run-Offs to Jerry Hansen's sister car, HU60. For 1974, the car was sold to Noah Lacona (W. Des Moines, IA) who ran it in SCCA MidWest Division BSR racing for many years, finishing third at the Run-Offs as late as 1983. In 1977, HU51 was raced by Bobby Rahal at the Road America Can-Am. The car was later sold by Lacona to Joe Buzzetta (St James, NY) who also retained it for many years. He sold it to Larry Connor (Centerville, OH) who sold it to Greg Galdi (Lloyd Harbor NY) in February 2011. Since 1994, it has been looked after by Mark Wehrmann of Wehrmann Engineering (Hauppauge, NY).
9. Lola T290 [HU14] (Jacques Henry): Raced by Nello Chelli in 1972 in French hillclimbs, winning the G5-7 class at Neufchatel-en-Bray (11 May) and at Glouneaux (25 Jun) and winning overall at Abreshwiler (14 May) and at Angouleme (21 May). Also used in some circuit racing. Sold to Jacques Henry for 1973, and run alongside Fred Stalder's T290 HU5 in European 2-litre racing, at Le Mans and in French hillclimbs. Unknown in 1974 but identified by Philippe Rafesthain as the 1600cc car of André Chevalley in Swiss events in 1975. Unknown again in 1976, but reappeared in French hillclimbs in 1977, driven by Bernard Verdier, who was noted to be one of Fred Stalder's clients. This would then be the "ex-Verdier" car raced by Serge Vidal in the early weeks of the 1981 season. A car bearing this number was later bought by Matt Slinn from France in 1999. It was restored by Tollbar Racing in Matlock, fitted with a BDG engine and subsequently sold to Richard Hope. Retained by Hope in 2007.
10. Chevron B23 (Stefano Buonapace): Stefano Buonapace raced one or more Chevrons from 1971 to 1973 but it currently appears that all were based on his original B19. His 1971 car was described as having either a 1600cc Alfa Romeo or 2-litre Abarth engine but over the next two seasons he generally ran in the 1300cc class in Italian domestic races. His "B21" or "B23" in 1973 ran with a Armaroli-tuned Ford 1300cc engine. The subsequent history of Buonapace's car is not yet known.
11. Alpine A440 [4400] (Jean-Pierre Jabouille): The first Alpine A440, which had the slightly confusing chassis number 4400, was Jean-Pierre Jabouille's car until September and then became the team mule. After winter testing, the car vanished but is believed to have gone to Equipe Archambeaud as a source of spares for their sister A440, chassis 4401. The fate of the two A440s is not yet clear but they are believed to have gone from Larrousse's team to a Frenchman called Barbier and then 4400 is believed to have gone to Jean-Marie Jung for hillclimbs. Jung did not have an engine for the car and is reported to have used a 1600cc Gordini engine. (This may be the Alpine A440 1600 raced by Volet in 1980.) Jung raced the car from about 1982 onwards and was reported to still have the car, fully restored, near Angouleme in 2009.
12. GRD S73 [055] (Jörg Obermoser): Jorg Obermoser ran a pair of GRD S73s during 1973 and his own car was identified by Sport Auto at Clermont-Ferrand in June as chassis 055. It is assumed that he ran the same car all season. In 1974, the two GRDs were extensively modified by Obermoser's TOJ company and entered as Toj SS02s. The individual history of the two SS02s has not yet been determined.
13. Chevron B21 (Michel Dupont): Swiss driver Michel Dupont drove a B16 in 1971 until a crash at Imola. He reappeared at the Nürburgring 500 km in September with a B19 of unknown origin and continued to run this car through 1972, including sharing it at Le Mans with Pierre Bodin and Pierre Blancpain. Dupont continued to drive a Chevron sports car until the end of the 1974 season. It was described as a B21 at Imola 17 Sep 1972, a B23 in 1973, a B23/26 in 1974, a B26 on two occasions and then back to a B23 at the end of 1974.
14. Chevron B23 [73-14] (Mauricio Marcotulli): Veteran Mauricio Marcotulli raced a new Chevron B23 at Paul Ricard at the start of 1973, finishing fifth. He then took the car back to his native Venezuela but found few opportunities to use it. It was still in Venezuela in 2005 with Felix Varona. Marcotulli's car has been identified as chassis B23-73-14. Note that a different B23 was advertised from England in 2004 with the AM number "73-14" with a reported Italian-Belgian-French history.

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 10 May 1973 pp14-15, Motoring News 17 May 1973 p11, Autosprint 7-14 Maggio 1973 pp32-34.