March 722 - 732 - 742 - 752

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by Bryan Miller

Steve,

This is a long shot , however I have seen two March 74Bs with another number stamped on the right hand front magnesium bulkhead on the top plane with something like 74B xxx , this number seems to be a continuation number , anything on yours ?? it may be something that March only did for a short time , who knows.

Thank you Bryan, unless I can find a photo, the answer is I don't know. I don't currently have the car. I'd like to know where it went, and probably its owner would like to fill out the day one forward competition history if he/she doesn't already know where the car started out. Definitely a long shot, but then again that's what I thought about the Lola T-62, and that pretty likely is the #8 car Lawrence has in Spokane, WA. Not bulletproof by any measure, but very likely.

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Formula A was the original name of F5000. The British called it F5000 when we adopted it in 1969 and then the US started to use that name for the pro series from 1971-ish. The SCCA continued to use the term Formula A but there was no difference. Formula 5000 stopped in the US at the end of 1976 and morphed into Can-Am. The SCCA Formula A was accordingly merged with the ASR class two or three years later.

Yes, you need to dig out a Rose Cup start sheet because I have no idea how we'll find out Monte Shelton's car otherwise

Full entry list please!

The attached was the car I mentioned from the feature article, not the one I thought, but I will definitely check the programs and start sheets.

Thank you also for the quick education in the derivation of Forumla A, I always wondered after seeing F5000 races what the difference was, if any. Should have known it started with the British, those we such impressive cars to see as a kid.

[driftwood]

off topic but what lola T292/4/6 car is that in the photo
in the article does it mention who owns it/ who ran in period

[Chris Townsend]

Originally Posted by SteveTracy

Ok, will see what I have. Mom sent me all her PIR Rose Cup programs, hopefully '71 has the start sheet (they were inserts) or '72 has results, Shelton was featured pretty prominently in the various series he ran as hometown favorite. One of his former open wheel cars was owned by a couple in Seattle, I have to go find that photo. My mother knew the owners when I asked about the car. I think most of his cars carried #57, it may have been a feature in Sports Car International 5-10 years ago.

Steve, Really looking forward to seeing those scans!
The one you sent from the 80s was worthwhile, so goodness knows what FB goodies await in the 1970s

Hey, my 2000th post!

Chris

[SteveTracy]

I just sent Allen '76 because Shelton was running an A/SR Lola in '70, '72, but in '76 shows up in a FA car "Eagle Chev/Red" which may be related. Also shows the FB March entries, etc. from same SCCA National entry list group.

Have the scanner hooked up and slowly working through these

Steve

[MarcoEOC]

Hello, I am looking for the rear dumpers of a March 742 upgraded in a March 752. Does anyone knows where i can buy them? I think the are Koni 2812, it's true? It is not easy finding this pieces as second-hand...

[driftwood]

i have some all depends on what length you need
i think march used 8 9 10 inch long units open length

[dr46rossi]

rear dampers should be Koni 1180B with 8" 350lb spring.
Koni in Germany is still working, i have sent a set of dampers to them and they made them like new, but i think a new set were same expencieve as the rebuilt

[SteveTracy]

Well, I have a pretty good idea why my Dad jumped out of the Atlantic series in '77, despite a recent investment in the second March chassis. I remember his complaining about the motor costs but here's a bit I've never heard before - surely would have driven some privateers right off the grid. Since you needed the 16V BDA motor in '74 and even if you ran mostly SCCA regional and National points races, you'd have to buy into new motors fairly regularly to stay competitive. I can recall at least two spectacular motor failures in 75-76 season on my father's car, one a sheared cam pulley bolt and another a main rod bearing failure (at >9000 rpm, spectacular hole through the block).

Nice move to double the cost to provide prize money at the front of the field at the expense of the rest of the field...you could argue I suppose it kept it alive as a pro series but sure killed off the small operators.

Looking back, it's incredible that the only reason the Atlantic series survived through this epochal period was because the competitors paid to underwrite the costs of running the series through a surcharge on engines. The 'self-financing' program was created and put into action in 1977 by Ecurie Canada boss Kris Harrison and Doug Shierson who was the US importer for March racing cars at the time. Shierson was a great supporter of the Atlantic series for many years, running as many as five cars in the mid-seventies. Shierson's team won the Atlantic championship in 1978 with Howdy Holmes and with Jacques Villeneuve Sr in 1980 and '81, and Doug was the effective godfather of the series through these years.

The Harrison and Shierson plan made the dominant Cosworth BDA the series spec engine and doubled the retail cost of each engine. The prize money for each race was paid from these extra costs and Harrison sold Labatt's brewery on sponsoring the series to replace the departed Player's.

Source: The Way It Is/ Ode to an orphan--Formula Atlantic's wayward story
Auto Racing ~ Gordon Kirby Copyright 2008 ~ All Rights Reserved

Btw, Allen, Chris, hoping to get more of my programs to you in the next few weeks. My track season is done now until Spring Driftwood, haven't forgotten your question on the Lola just having difficulty locating that issue.

[MarcoEOC]

Originally Posted by driftwood

i have some all depends on what length you need
i think march used 8 9 10 inch long units open length

I think they are koni 8212 1133B. The length from the eye of te uniball and the body of the dumper is 200 mm, from the eye of the uniball and the end of the stem in quite 320 mm when the dumper is all opened.

[driftwood]

i have 2 at 310/20 eye to eye and 2 at 280 ish eye to eye of uniball
i think u can run shorter damper a syou do not need so much droop on suspension these days

[MarcoEOC]

Originally Posted by driftwood

i have 2 at 310/20 eye to eye and 2 at 280 ish eye to eye of uniball
i think u can run shorter damper a syou do not need so much droop on suspension these days

Ok, I think the could interest to me. Now i had to know their price just to decide what to do If you give to me your private mail we can continue this discussion in private.

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by driftwood

i have 2 at 310/20 eye to eye and 2 at 280 ish eye to eye of uniball
i think u can run shorter damper a syou do not need so much droop on suspension these days

Ha ha, not like "back in the day"...I think he has as much "droop-drop" as my 1991 Nissan track car. Not so many tracks with Flugplatz anymore. Might be optical illusion, but it almost looks like the tub is bowed behind the driver.

[driftwood]

yes no more flugen platz except Cadwell park on the mountain

just think how many motors over revved like this!

[SteveTracy]

Interesting discussion my brother had recently re:722

Dad though was very nice to talk to and I was thankful for the uninterrupted time on Wednesday. He was really glad to know that you had a chance to race cars and I know you would have really liked to be there when the conversation turned toward the three cars he had. Really loved the 722 and still laments selling it. He was really fast in that car and set unofficial track records at PIR more than once. In races, though he could out race anyone in the turns, he'd lose it back on the long straights. The car was heavy for B class which made it stick in the turns but a little slow down the straight, hence the move to a car with better aerodynamics and if I remember correctly, a little longer wheel base. The motor was never as good in that car.

The second car is the 74B I've referred to earlier. I didn't know the 722 might be considered "heavy" - I can only think possibly relative to its Lola counterpart at the time which did pretty well local regional races...

If I had remembered I would have asked who he sold the Lola to, might have helped establish better paper trail. And same for 722...but Dad has been very ill and opportunities to talk to him are few.

[SteveTracy]

Paul Bonner photo from a post by Carl Jarrett. Mission Raceway, Vancouver, B.C.

[pantah]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

A story in Autosport 6 May 1976 p56 says Ken Gibson of Measham Car Auctions has bought "the ex-Ronnie Peterson" March 722 for Robin Darlington to drive. It will have a BRM twin-cam in it.

However ... Peterson's car was 722-17 according to F1R and we have that car in South Africa through 1976.

Allen

The March 722-17 is now for sale in Denmark: (see link)

http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listin...Formula_2.html

Can we shed any light on this chassis. What engine / gearbox would it have originally have run - surely not that Cosworth/Chevvy EAA 2 -litre?

Thanks.

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by pantah

The March 722-17 is now for sale in Denmark: (see link)

http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listin...Formula_2.html

Can we shed any light on this chassis. What engine / gearbox would it have originally have run - surely not that Cosworth/Chevvy EAA 2 -litre?

Thanks.

Same car that was up for sale a few years back on racecars.com. I think the owner maybe misstating the exact current configuration, I'd ask about the engine for clarification. 2 liter Cosworth more likely previously, IIRC.

See this thread, same car:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...ghlight=722-17


Off topic a little but also noticed 752-17, one of my personal favorites is on the block on the same site, as of late June:

http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listin...52_F2_BMW.html

This is the Team Warnsteiner car I've probably posted earlier in this thread racing mostly hill climbs in the Czech Republic. NICE car, should be though for 75k...

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by SteveTracy

heres another "75B" which is really 712-18, races hillclimbs in the Czech republic...

....

My mistake, this 752 is definitely 752-11 based on newer info...

[SteveTracy]

Originally Posted by pantah

The March 722-17 is now for sale in Denmark: (see link)

http://www.racecarsdirect.com/listin...Formula_2.html

Can we shed any light on this chassis. What engine / gearbox would it have originally have run - surely not that Cosworth/Chevvy EAA 2 -litre?

Thanks.

Thought it looked familiar -
http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/ma...18564737ss.htm

[Chris Townsend]

If that car in Denmark really is 722-17, buy it, at that price and with the real noted history of 722-17 it's a bargain

[HAMMILL]

Jim Buick? Been working on the modern race cars. contacts on Jim???
Want to see if he can explain log books

[pantah]

Does anyone know if ANY 722 ran a Cosworth EAA (Chevvy Vega block) in period?

The one advertised in Denmark has one fitted, but I know that particular chassis never ran with an EAA.

Thanks.

[Chris Townsend]

Originally Posted by pantah

Does anyone know if ANY 722 ran a Cosworth EAA (Chevvy Vega block) in period?

The one advertised in Denmark has one fitted, but I know that particular chassis never ran with an EAA.

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure not, I'm afraid! I don't think a Vega engine was fitted to an F2 car before 1976 with John Nicholson, and by then the 722 was long gone from F2. I don't know about on the mountains in Europe - Allen would know from his copious collection of Echappement

Chris

[pantah]

I think we've made the decision to go with a BDG. The BDA it ran with was apparently either 1840 or 1875cc on injection, but looks like late season it got the full 2.0 litre BDG.

Car due to arrive here in UK in next couple of weeks. I'll put some decent photos of it up.