Formula Atlantic Database

[Dan Rear]

Rob, I presume the Lawrence B48 was actually one of the v rare B49s, as mentioned on the "Other Chevrons" thread ?

[Chris Townsend]

Dan

Indeed the Lawrence B48 is B49 chassis 4.

[Chris Townsend]

Adding a little more on S.E. Asian races

Macau GP 16.11.75

1 John McDonald Ralt RT1 [5]-Hart 420R 40 laps
2 Kevin Bartlett Brabham BT40-BDA 38
3 Steve Millen Chevron B20 [20.72.09]-BDA
4 Ken Shirvington March 732 [9]-BDA
5 Kiyoshi Misaki
UNK Theodore Yip Elfin
UNK David Purley Modus M3-BDA Team Harper [described as 'ex Brise' was this the car that went to the Domingo brothers in early 1976 or the car used by
Nicholson in South Africa? Took pole


R Vern Schuppan March 722 [40]-BDA 33 Engine
DNS Vern Schuppan Ralt RT1 [9]-Hart 420R Engine
DNS Max Stewart

[Bryan Miller]

Chris,

We now resume the great Modus debate.

Purley's car is as far as I can figure the late season car as used by Brise from the British G.P. and onwards and also by Tim Brise once / twice and possibly Danny Sullivan .
This is the replacement for 022 which went to John Nicholson for late 1975 Southern Organ's rounds and then to New Zealand for the 1977 series , not to be confused with the Domingo car in Sth Africa which supposedly was built up incorporating parts of 022 as well .
The fact still remains that my brother has 022 with it's chassis plate intact, which takes me back to my belief that Brise had 3 cars in 1975.

Bryan.

[Bryan Miller]

Chris,

Further to this , what is your source for B20-72-09.
This is the car now owned by Harry Hickling from Canberra, and is definately ex Millen , but as far as I can remember we could get no further than either chassis 8 or 9 .???

Bryan.

[Chris Townsend]

Bryan

What is the evidence for the Macau car being 022 rather than 020?
I agree that Brise might well have used three cars in 1975.
009 written off after Brands accident 13.7.75
020 Gygax new at British GP, perhaps destroyed by Danny Sullivan in practice at Oulton Park 4.10.75 and used by Brise in interim.
022 Brise new at British GP, then to Nicholson. Rebuilt after Nicholson's accident at Oulton 4.10.75. After 4.10.75 it seems as though Modus have no intact FAt monocoques. However, a week later Nicholson and Richard Parsons appear at Thruxton. It's at this point, I'd suggest, that 022 gets a new tub and the other "022" [what becomes the Domingo car] gets built for Parsons using the ex Brise running gear from 009 plus bits of 020 and 022 [Nicholson]
Am going to do a full breakdown on Modus Atlantic cars soon and post on Racing a la mode.

Chris

[Bryan Miller]

Chris,

We have crossed lines, I believe the Macau car is ex Brise , however not 022 , but a car built up as per Autosport report and just finished in time to get to the British G.P.for Brise to enter but not race due to his accident in the Hill F1 car , however at the same meeting Gygax is in the ex Brise Atlantic car. Which may/may not well be an amalgam of the Gygax/ Sullivan Monaco cars from one week earlier , at which meeting Brise's converted Atlantic to F3 car was also damaged.

I have never been able to ascribe a number to the Purley car.

Bryan. Sincerly hoping everyone that is on this Forum is O.K.

[Dan Rear]

I met Adam F last night for first time, he promises to look into some 'mystery' Atlantics for me/us, eg the Goodwin Racing Argo JM9 from 1981, and some 782/79Bs.

[Neptune]

Chris, If you are compiling Modus Atl data, I should advise you that I have found 041 still with the original owner, who quit racing at the end of the '76 season, went back to school and got a real job that he has become absorbed into. As far as I know, it is not for sale. I have asked for some photos and they were promised but never materialised.

I've never been able to find any race history w/ SCCA, and that may be because it raced professionally that one year, end of story. The car is still in the USA.

Roger

[Dan Rear]

Reading thru' some 1978 A/sports, the Bowtell and Rhoddy Harvey-Baillie Marches crop up.

Was Bowtell's an original 74B, I have my doubts, and if not, anyone know any history here. Bowtell later got what he called a 77B, which I think was different to the '74B', it looked a bit like the de Dryver '778' from 1977. The latter seemed to disappear after 77, anyone any clues.

The RHB car was described as a 712/76B, again anyone know anything on its provenance ??

[Chris Townsend]

Dan

The Bowtell 77B car may have been a real 77B - ex Patsy McGarrity.
Harvey-Bailey's 712 presumably ex F2 car, but there are plenty of candidates.

Regarding Argos, believe David Sears may have the sales records
The Goodwin Racing car is the least of the mysteries. There's the new car used
by Nick May at the end of 1979 - which is not the ex Kennedy F3 car used earlier
by Rick Gorne; then there's the car advertised at the begining of 1980 by Dave
Rackham, which seems to have been bought new for that year but never raced.
What ever became of that?

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Chris I reckon there was only ever 1 JM5 Atlantic car. I suspect it was used by the works/May as a test at the end of 79, then sold to Mike Nugent who had it in ireland for a year or 2.

Don't think Rackham ever raced it, though I recall the MN/AS reports that he was going to. Rackham, IIRC, was a karter then FF man, of whom great things were expected. He started 79 in F At with the Druid, got an old B29, then the ex-Keke B42 if memory serves, never really shone in any of them.

The Argos that more interest me are the 2 JM9s from 1981, the Goodwin car, and the Tyrrell Arnold Irish one.

[Bryan Miller]

Dan,

Given his purchases of other cars out of Ireland and Scotland , Graeme Brown who bought over here my car and 73B-8 , also bought into Western Australia in the early 1980's an Argo , which I believe was a JM9 , didn't last long and reportedly destroyed not long after. May be one of your cars.

Bryan.

[Dan Rear]

In my Argo excitement, I forgot the Bowtell '77B' matter ! Chris, which 77B that Patsy M had do you think could be this car. The only March I remember him in was the ex-Surer 772P in '78, which later went to Kim M for Aurora in 79.

After this was bashed up in a Libre race by David Ward in mid-79, it was rebuilt into a 782/79B and used by Kim (I believe its now in the US). So I don't see how it could be the car that Bowtell had in 1980-81, which had the 'classic March' nose and rounded sides. A similar mystery March, to me at least, is the red Martin Watson '77B'.

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by Bryan Miller

Dan,

Given his purchases of other cars out of Ireland and Scotland , Graeme Brown who bought over here my car and 73B-8 , also bought into Western Australia in the early 1980's an Argo , which I believe was a JM9 , didn't last long and reportedly destroyed not long after. May be one of your cars.

Bryan.

Bryan, it could well have been, maybe the Goodwin one, as I think the Arnold car raced in Ireland after its 'debut year', 1981. Though at least one 1981 Argo went onto the Hills here, i'm pretty sure this was a JM8 F3 car. Did one also get a Rover V8 in too, I'm dredging the memory here!

[Chris Townsend]

The records for the 1971 Atlantic season in the UK are pretty much ready to post, but there is one race in particular which is causing grief as it's so poorly documented in comparison to the others.
this is the round at Oulton on 28 August 1971, and unusually run as two heats with
an aggregate result. The race reports are more cursory than usual. [A shame as this race was won by Peter Wardle, his only win in Atlantic I think]
Does anyone have a programme? Even better, results sheets?

Chris

[Peter Wardle]

Hi Chris, It wasnt actually my only win as we did ok with the Surtees TS15 subsequently, but it was the only time I won in my Lotus. I not only have the programme from that event but also the results sheets from both the races. It was a two race event with aggregate result. I finished thrid in the first part having had to make a pit stop to secure a loose rollover bar stay, some 55 seconds behind Vern Schuppan, bit it poured in the second race and I not only pulled back the deficit but went on the win by a minute and 8 seconds from Peter Hull (driving an F3 car on skinny tyres) and Vern a further 17 seconds back, so overall I won by about 30 seconds from Vern. A fun race!
Best regards,
Peter

[allenbrown]

Fantastic!!

[Chris Townsend]

Peter

Hi. I didn't realise you looked in on this forum.
Getting the record straight I realised that I missed your win in the Surtees at Brands
in August 73, and a pretty impressive run of placings with the car over several years.

I've sent you a private message about the Oulton Park race, but it's great to have someone who took part in so many Atlantic races contributing to the debate. By my estimate only Ray Mallock, Alo Lawler, Cyd Williams and Vern Schuppan did more, worldwide.

Chris

[Peter Wardle]

Hi Chris,
It would be interesting to check those totals. I did virtually every race from when it started to the end of 1975, then ran Steve Carvill in 1976 as I couldnt figure out how to run the Series and drive at the same time dammit! I just did some Aurora races, often beating F2/F5000/and even the odd F1 car with my Atlantic spec TS15 which was fun. Incidentally one of the Surtees I owned is now running in the historic F2 category by John Elliott, repainted in Matchbox colours. I dont know what happened to the other two.
Atlantic restarted of course a couple of years later and ran into the 1980's but I dont think it ever again had the illustrious range of named drivers as it had in 1974/5!
Best regards,
Peter

[jamesl]

I think John Elliot has a spare chassis as well.

[Chris Townsend]

Can anyone help with race reports for the following?

Oulton Park 4 May 74. I need the Autosport report from 9 May 74 [have MN]

Montreal 12 June 82
Mid Ohio 27 June 82
Mosport 12 Sept 82
Any of the inaugural WCAR series rounds of 1983 and the race at Lime Rock 4 July 83

Adelaide 3 November 85 [support race to the Australian GP]

To date all the US results have come from On Track/Formula/Race Car
If anyone can help with race reports from Road and Track [if they did any], Competition Press/Autoweek from the early 70s on, and from any Canadian magazines after 1975 they'd be much appreciated.
The adverts for formula cars from the same magazines are also invaluable

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Can anyone help with race reports for the following?

Oulton Park 4 May 74. I need the Autosport report from 9 May 74 [have MN]

Montreal 12 June 82
Mid Ohio 27 June 82
Mosport 12 Sept 82
Any of the inaugural WCAR series rounds of 1983 and the race at Lime Rock 4 July 83

Adelaide 3 November 85 [support race to the Australian GP]

To date all the US results have come from On Track/Formula/Race Car
If anyone can help with race reports from Road and Track [if they did any], Competition Press/Autoweek from the early 70s on, and from any Canadian magazines after 1975 they'd be much appreciated.
The adverts for formula cars from the same magazines are also invaluable

Chris

Chris, I have on loan from Roger Clark, that May 74 A/S. PM me your home address, I'll post a copy to you.

Dan

[Neptune]

Chris,

I was a guest of Nissan at the Mid-Ohio CanAm race late June/ early July IIRC, so was probably same meeting as the Atlantic race you need info on. I may have some photos, as I should have had a good 200mm lens by then. But the highlite of the weekend was seeing the 1st ever SVRA vintage race at Mid-Ohio, which became an annual stand-alone affair later. This was a pivotal weekend in my life, as I pretty much at that point, decided to retire again from stage rallies and move on to vintage circuit racing.

I probably have a program and entry list, but where is another matter. The photos may be a lot easier to find. Only problem is we only went on Sunday, and often the support races are on Saturday.

[Ol'_Motorhead]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Can anyone help with race reports for the following?


Montreal 12 June 82
Mid Ohio 27 June 82
Mosport 12 Sept 82

... and from any Canadian magazines after 1975 they'd be much appreciated.

The adverts for formula cars from the same magazines are also invaluable

Chris

Chris:
I have Montreal, Mid-Ohio & Mosport in ASC - patchy but winners were Tim CoConis, Dave McMillan and Whitney Ganz respectively. I'll scan them and send them "across the Pond".
Cheers.