Chevron B26

[John Burton]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Thanks John fo rthe info
any idea which Italians ran the B26
looking at some website result pages many B26 cars went to Italy a sthey had a domestic Group 6 series and also raced them on the mountains ( we call it hillclimbing!! ) for many years as well as some drivers contesting Interserie and some Group 6 WCM type races
so you have had the car since 74?
would you have been racing thecar in the Euro and Uk 2 litre sports carraces then?
i have seen yr results in the 2 litre B19/21 cars and the french euro sports car racing book has a few fotos of you racing the Canon car
Ed Swart in usa is he the Canon team boss form thoses days and i assume his B19 is the car he had from those days?

regarding chassis# 9 B26 cars where built but probably all 12 exist today!!
i know a few are in USA now

The previous Italian owners were :- Eris Tondelli, Gili Berti, Giancarlo Gagliardi,
Sandro Cinotti, Claudio Francisco and R.Zorzi .

I apologise for misleading you - didn't have time to check what I had written ! I bought the car in 1995 after Vin Malkie had totally rebuilt it, not 1974, which of course was when the car was originally built.

Ed Swart and his family used to be the main importers of Fiat cars into Italy.
He became very successful racing various Fiat/Abarth saloon cars, which culminated in him becoming European Touring car champion. We met when he was racing his Abarth 2 litre sports racing car and have remained good friends ever since. He secured sponsorship from Canon and asked me to join their team. I am not sure if his B19 is the original car. He emigrated to California around twenty years ago with his English wife Sally and runs a series for Historic race cars at various tracks on the West side of the U.S.A.

The B26 will be out at Dijon in October for the final Orwell round of 2006.

[John Burton]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Warm welcome, John. The information is entirely apposite, since it is deals with both the history and the current state of chassis 5, which is exactly what we are after. Here is a (slightly out of focus!) picture taken at the Silverstone Classic which also appears in the thread covering that meeting in our 'Historic Racing Today' forum:-


Incidentally, whilst noting that the car is indeed rather quick, I think many of us would attribute a substantial element of driver input to that!

Thanks for the welcome John ! I appreciate your nice comments.
I keep telling my wife that it's important for us guys not to grow up . She says that in my case there's no possible danger of that whatsoever !

Incidently, I still do race modern cars from time to time, having done the Daytona 24hrs three times in the last seven years.

I am away for the next couple of weeks.

[chunterer]

Woah!

A sportscar legend adding his input!!

Thanks John, I second John T's sentiments.

[driftwood]

Thanks for the Itailan driver info
i noticed in the race results that afew b26 cars ran in italy over the years now i can eliminate yr car form the list of cars that ran there
yr wife must be related to my mrs has the same thought about growing up!
interesting info on Ed swart

[murray.smith]

I have been reading the BT26 thread and am delighted to add to it in that I am the current keeper of BT 26 2 which went to South Africa for the Sprinbok series driven by John Watson and Ian Schecter. We have restored the car having found it in a somewhat unraceworthy state in Ohio a year or two ago. It is now in the Gunston colours that it appeared in in South Africa and goes rather well. We took a hit in the left front at Sebring in early December but damage was light and we will be out at the HSR event at Sebring in March

[allenbrown]

Hi Murray

Do you have any history on the car between 1974 and when you found it? Given where you found it, it could have been one of the cars that appeared in Can-Am in the late 1970s.

Allen

[murray.smith]

I will dig out the information on owqnership which I have back into the eighties. But it was still in the UK then from memory so it is unlikely that it was a Can Am car in the interim. I am moving house right now so I can't lay my hands on the file till tomorrow.

[murray.smith]

Regarding further history on my B26 02.
According to FIA Papers filed by Jim Evans in the UK in 1994 the owership
history is as follows.
1973/4 Springbok Series works car driven by Watson and Ian Schecter
1974 John Lepp
1974/78 Bob Marsland
1978/85 Richard Simms ( often entered as B36 )
1985/87 Duncan Bain
1987/89 Lief Lindstrom
1989 Robin Smith
March 1990 Richard Simms and Jim Evans
Then restored and sold to Jack Russeli in June 1997.
I bought the car from Russeli in Ohio last year and have raced it at Mont Tremblant, Lime Rock and Sebring last year and this. It has been completely prpped by John Rogers, engine by Wenz, and is currently undergoing some fettling after minro accident damage at Sebring a couple of weeks ago.

[driftwood]

this is the car raced by Jims son Richard in Thundersports and Orwell type races in the mid 90`s
if Simms owned the car it may have also had the skoda body fitted for special saloon racing maybe with GA motor?

Duncan Bain would have raced the car in Thundersports

[murray.smith]

It was already here in the US by the mid 90s so is unlikely to have
been the Skoda bodied car. It was certainly raced in the 80s in Thundersports as I have photos and results sheets from that period. According to the FIA papers mentioned above it was restored completely
as a B26 in the early 90s
It was also driven by Warren Booth with Simms.

[driftwood]

skoda car would have raced mid 70s then converted to sports car for thundersports

[murray.smith]

I guess that is possible. but i see no reference to that part of the histrory in the files I have. I guess Marsland or early in the Simms ownership mebbe?

[Dan Rear]

Simms definitely raced a car called a B23 in Northern Libre late 70s, I think it was this that was under a Skoda. I presume this was a different car to this
B26??

[driftwood]

B23 is tube frame car B26 is 1st monocoque sports car
look the same with bodywork fitted though

[allenbrown]

Not sure how this helps, but at Ampus 15/16 March 1975, the first event of the French and European hillclimbing season, Eris Tondelli had a Chevron B26S with a Cosworth DFV engine. Was this B26-05 or a different (later) car?

[driftwood]

I have a photo of the car in my Mauro Nesti book Im sure he is the driver I will check later tonight

[driftwood]

nesti is in B23 DFV car at 2 events in 1976 when he would normally drive lola
t292 bmw
he ran b23 at Ascoli san marco & Trofeo valcamonica

[John Burton]

Originally Posted by murray.smith

I guess that is possible. but i see no reference to that part of the histrory in the files I have. I guess Marsland or early in the Simms ownership mebbe?

Hi Murray
I was interested to read that you bought yourself a Chevron B26 - If you are prepared to spend a little time and effort, you could have yourself a rather quick car.
We just came back from Mugello after this weekend's opening Orwell Supersport round and finished 2nd overall both days with our B26 to a well driven Mclaren M8F 8.8litre, but beat all other Can-Ams and of course 2litre sports. We also got fastest lap overall of the weekend. We were only passed on the long pit straight - our 163mph to their 190 !
Stronger monocoque, much stiffer springs than in 74 is way to go - I guess you knew this, but if you need any tips, let me know.
Whilst in Mugello, I took the opportunity with my wife and a couple of Swedish friends to drive around the fantastic 48km road circuit that ran through the mountains and villages and which I competed in 1970 in a Chevron B16. It was my first visit back in 1970 and Ed Swart and I kept trying to learn it in Sally's ( Ed's wife ) little Fiat. During the race, I managed to forget that the left hander I was trying to take flat in the process of overtaking another car, was not flat, but required a serious so called confidence lift! Fortunately, although well off the road in a field, not too much damage was done apart from too my pride. However, on getting out of the car, I and the car were surrounded by spectators who proceeded to start tearing bits off the damaged fibre-glass as souvenirs ! Fortunately, the carabinieri arrived and put an end to that game.
I was running 5th at the time, behind Merzario who won and Vic Elford, Leo Kinnunen etc. and the only one of the leaders who didn't know the circuit well.
It really was a most fantastic road and I really wish it could still be used.
Regards
John Burton

[driftwood]

John there is a retro revival Mugello road rally in may? i saw the man at the historic race car show promoting the event
cars are pre 71
protos can run with saloon gt cars
i have some where his details ( he even gave me a vidoe of the early day events)
If yr interested let me know and i can hook em out

[John Burton]

Thanks for the info, but I don't think we shall be going - expense, time etc. However, if they ever decide to have another race round the old road that would be a different matter! It would have to be a little shorter, since there is now a reservoir where the old road used to go near the town of Scarperia.

[murray.smith]

Hi John
Delighted to see you note on Mugello etc.
Raced the Chevron last wekend at Mnt Tremblant,
and it went well but broke a brand new front wishbone at the weld. Lovely!
It will be out again at Lime Rock in early September. I plan to bring it to Europe for next season.
Will you be at Silverstone this weekend for the classic? If so I will look you up
as I will be driving a couple of cars there.
It would be very interesting to talk set up with you although redoing the chasssis to make it stiffer seems to be a little extreme!

[driftwood]

orwell sports cars are not at silverstone this weekend next race is nurburging in august

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by murray.smith

It was already here in the US by the mid 90s so is unlikely to have
been the Skoda bodied car. It was certainly raced in the 80s in Thundersports as I have photos and results sheets from that period. According to the FIA papers mentioned above it was restored completely
as a B26 in the early 90s
It was also driven by Warren Booth with Simms.

I met my new friend Warren B again this morning, he had loads of pics of him driving the Simms B26. Mainly taken at the British GP 1984 T'sports race,he said it was a lovely car to drive. Also one of him (in the Scott) chasing Laurence Jacbosens Cuthbertsons B23 around Longridge. He said the B23 was too wide for him to pass on that track!!

[driftwood]

Not really a B26 topic more a PM to John Burton re b19 21 cars
If your looking John can you check the PM i have sent to you

[AMICALEMANS]

Only one B26 in Le Mans !

24 Heures 1976 - Circuit de 13.64 km
Chevron B26 N°33Georges Schafer
Technique :Catégorie : Gr VI < 2000
Moteur : L4 Ford Cosworth FVC 1786 cm3

Pilotes :Georges Schafer
Ricardo Albanesi
Jean Pierre Adatte

Résultats :Course : Abandon
7ème heure
Moteur Qualifications : 45ème
Temps : 4'28"600
Moyenne : 182,815 km/h

PM for driftwwood : i dont forget you...