Yellow Pages Trophy Race

Brands Hatch, 21 Oct 1972

All cars are 1.6-litre F/Atl unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Royale RP12 [1] (Tom Pryce): New for Ray Allen to drive as a works entry in the 1972 British Formula Atlantic series. He failed to start at Brands Hatch in mid-April (engine mount) or at Snetterton in May (misfire), after which Allen focused on his F5000 drive. In July, the car returned with Tom Pryce as the driver, and he won the Yellow Pages Trophy race at Brands Hatch in October. The car was updated to RP12A specification for 1973 with new bodywork, and Pryce was a leading contender in the series, with three pole positions and three wins by early May. Pryce then left the team to move into F2, and the RP12A was taken over by FF driver David Barden, who entered it intermittently over the next two years. Subsequent history unknown but reported to have been destroyed in a fire at some point.
2. Brabham BT35 [43] (Bob Salisbury): New to Bob Gerard in late 1971 and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine for Bob Salisbury to race in British Formula Atlantic from October 1971 to April 1973. Then sold to Harry Gilbert (Aberdeen, Scotland), and raced by Gilbert and Ronnie Mackay in libre racing. It was advertised by Johnny Blades in October 1973, and by Bob Howlings' R.D.H. Racing (Bollington, Cheshire) in August 1974 when it was identified as the ex-Bob Salisbury car and was available complete except for engine. It was next seen three months later when John Wingfield raced it in the Boxing Day libre race at Brands Hatch, fitted with a 1.8-litre Cosworth FVC. He retained the FVC engine and ran the car with huge success in libre racing through 1975. In September 1975, it was sold to dealer Bobby Howlings, who raced it a couple of times and then sold it to John Thistlewaite, who entered it for Tim Wood in libre in 1976. By 1978, it was owned by Joe Applegarth, still with the FVC engine in it, and it next appeared in 1986 when Nick Overall used it in the HSCC Pre '71 series. Overall was given an HVIF for this car as BT35-43 in 1988, and many years later, in May 2006, it was advertised on race-cars.com from the UK still with this HVIF. In 2009, it was reported to be with Tim Kuchel in Australia.
3. March 722 Falconer [722-40] (Vern Schuppan): New to Australian Vern Schuppan to drive in the British Formula Atlantic championship. Fitted with a BRM Ford twin cam engine, and first seen in practice at Mallory Park in late March, but Schuppan left before the race to catch a flight to the Singapore GP. Schuppan finished second in Singapore, and third in the Malaysian GP a week later. Then returned to the British series, now with a BDA, and won four rounds. The car was then fitted with Falconer bodywork and an Amon-Woods engine rebuilt by Geoff Richardson, and raced in the Rothmans 50,000 and in two late-season F2 races. After a single F2 race in 1973 fitted with a Richardon BDG, the car went to Southeast Asia, winning the Singapore GP with a Ford twin cam fitted, then competed in the JAF Grand Prix at Fuji with the BDG, and back to the 'twink' for Macau. He raced the car in British Formula Atlantic briefly in early 1974, then sent it back to Asia where he won the Macau GP in November, by which time it had been fitted with 732 bodywork and a Lola T360 rear wing. It then became a fixture at Macau up to 1977, being driven by Alan Jones and Derek Daly. Patrick Tambay also raced for Theodore Racing in the Malaysian and Penang Grands Prix in 1977, where it was still in 732 form but was billed as a 752. It reappeared at Macau for Schuppan in 1979, now in 76B bodywork. After one more race in the hands of Roberto Moreno, the car was retained by Yip and placed in the Macau Grand Prix Museum.
4. Chevron B18C [18.A.71.1] (Bev Bond): New to Graham Eden and delivered just in time for the Oulton Park Formula Atlantic race on 21 March 1971, the second round of the British series. Eden retired from driving shortly after and recruited Cyd Williams to drive the car. Williams won seven championship rounds and finished second in the 1971 championship. Eden ordered Ensigns for 1972 but cancelled the order and bought March 722s instead. Williams continued to drive the Chevron until his 722 arrived and won three of the first six rounds of the 1972 series. The car was later displayed at the London Racing Car show, where it was bought by Canadian Bob Armstrong (Winnipeg, Manitoba) for the Canadian Formula B series in 1973. Armstrong appeared in the early rounds of the series but made little impact and wasn't seen after June. Subsequent history unknown.
5. GRD 272 [016-F2] (Roger Williamson): New for 1972, and entered in F2 by GRS International for a variety of drivers, including Reine Wisell, Tom Walkinshaw and Alan Jones. Rented to Wheatcroft Racing for Roger Williamson to drive in Formula Atlantic at the end of the season. Subsequent history unknown.
6. GRD B72 [272 012-F2] (Martin Watson): New to Martin Watson (Lowestoft, Suffolk) and used in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. Watson's yellow GRD was described as a 272, 372 and B72 that season. Retained for 1973, when Watson raced in Formula Atlantic and in Formule Libre. He used the car again in libre and F/Atlantic in 1974, but only appeared at a handful of events. Not seen in 1975 or 1976, but Watson returned to libre racing at Mallory Park and Cadwell Park in 1977, competing in the "King of Cadwell" libre series and the BRSCC Midland Centre libre championship. He returned again for a handful of libre races in 1978, and at least one race in 1979. Subsequent history unknown.
7. March 722 [29] (John Calvert): New to John Calvert (Seaham, County Durham), and raced in Formula Atlantic and libre racing in 1972. The car regularly wore #77, and was described as white or blue. Sold to Mike Mather (St Helens, Merseyside) and used by him, and once by brother Kim Mather, in Formula Atlantic and libre in early 1973. Sold to John Kitchen in mid-season, and used by him in sprints and hillclimbs in late 1973, 1974, 1975 and early 1976, using a BDA engine. Then to Peter Riley (Crosby, Liverpool), again for sprints and hillclimbs. At first it was said to have a Cosworth FVA engine, but it had a Richardson BDA in 1977. Riley was still using the 722 in speed events as late as 1984. According to speed event historian Steve Wilkinson, Riley retained the car, complete but dismantled, and stored in his garage. Riley died in 2011, and the car passed to Paul Gardner and Alan Newton, and Gardner started the restoration. When Newton died, the car was sold to Chris Simpson in 2014, but he did not use it. It went to Ashley Hodge in 2016, and then to Daniel Clayfield in 2017.
8. March 722 [39] (Cyd Williams): New to Graham Eden Racing in April 1972 for Cyd Williams (Sandbach, Cheshire) to drive in British Formula Atlantic. It replaced the Chevron B18 which had taken Williams to two wins earlier in the season. Once he had the car to his liking, Williams won six out of the next nine races, but narrowly lost the championship to Bill Gubelmann. Run by Graham Eden Racing for Ken Bailey (Stretford, Greater Manchester) in 1973, and fitted with Falconer bodywork in May. The car was sold to Philip Dowell (Ombersley, Worcestershire) for 1974, but during pre-season testing at Silverstone, he hit the bank heavily at Woodcote corner and died later in hospital. It is assumed that the March was destroyed in the accident.
9. March 722 [24] (Bill Gubelmann): New to Bill Gubelmann (Oyster Bay, NY) to use in the 1972 Yellow Pages Formula Atlantic championship. The car was blue and yellow, and wore #16 all season. Gubelmann won six races and narrowly pipped Cyd Williams to the championship title. The car was sold to fellow American Jas Patterson (Rosslyn Heights, NY) for 1973, repainted red and white, and entered for him by Texaco Team Racing/RIR in the 1973 British season. Patterson crashed heavily at Oulton Park in May 1973, and although the car was rebuilt, he appeared a few races later in what appears to be a new 73B. Patterson raced the 73B for the remainder of 1973 and through 1974, but the 722 reappeared in early November 1974 when an ex-Patterson "722/73B" was acquired by Roy Baker (Ferndown, Dorset) and raced regularly by him through the 1975 season. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Lotus 69 [71/69.10.FB] (Ian Mawby): Built for stock with red bodywork according to the Lotus built record, but still unsold at the end of 1971. Not one of the cars advertised by Lotus Cars Ltd after the closure of Lotus Components so this must be the car raced by Ian Mawby (Cambridge) in Formula Atlantic and formule libre in 1972. Wrecked in Mawby's crash at Brands Hatch in November 1972 and Mawby bought the ex-Reine Wisell sister car to replace it.
11. Brabham BT38 [28] (Chris Meek): New to Tate of Leeds (Racing) and driven by Chris Meek in British Formula Atlantic in 1972. To Bobby Howlings and raced briefly in libre in 1973, then on to Richard Shardlow (Baslow, Derbyshire) and raced in British hillclimbs from June onwards, fitted with a Rondel Cosworth BDE. To Alister Douglas-Osborn (West Hagley, Worcestershire) for 1974 and hillclimbed again, now with a 2.0 Hart Cosworth BDG. Retained by "ADO" for 1975 but modified by Pilbeam (as the 'R15') and raced with a 2.2-litre BDG, winning one British championship hillclimb and also two RAC sprint events at the end of the season. Modified further by Pilbeam for 1976 as the R22, and fitted with a F1 Cosworth DFV V8 engine. In this form it won six RAC British championship rounds in 1976, as well as winning the Guyson BARC series. Used again in this form in 1977, winning seven RAC rounds and both the RAC and BARC titles, but the car was written off in a crash at Doune in September. What was salvageable was used in the construction of a new Pilbeam MP22 for Malcolm Dungworth for 1978.
12. Brabham BT38 [19] (Tom Belsø): Brand new for Tom Belsø at Oulton Park at the end of March 1972, entered by Team Viking. Raced by Belsø in F2 all season, then converted to Formula Atlantic for a couple of races late in the year. For sale during much of 1973, then to Tom Foster (Modesto, CA) for SCCA Formula B and ICSCC events from 1974 to 1977. Ron Householder (Portland, OR) then bought it for the engine, and sold the car in July 1978 to Kevin Skinner (Langley, BC, Canada). He won the ICSCC Formula B class in 1979, winning his class in seven races. In 2013, he still owned the car.

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.

The British race results have been compiled by Chris Townsend based on material in Autosport and Motoring News reports in the UK plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors.

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

Programme AF, Organiser's qualifying time sheet [PS], Organiser's result sheet [PS], MN 26 Oct 1972 p14. A Yellow Pages Formula Atlantic Trophy Race.