Macau Grand Prix

Macau, 22 Nov 1979

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

Notes on the cars:

1. Ralt RT1/75 [9] (Geoff Lees): New to Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing Team and fitted with a Hart 420R for Vern Schuppan to race at the JAF Grand Prix in November 1975. Then converted to Formula Atlantic specification for the Macau Grand Prix but vital parts did not arrive in time for Schuppan to use it. It was next raced at the Macau GP a year later, when Schuppan won the race. Yip himself drove it at the Malaysia Grand Prix meeting in April 1977, but did not start the race. It was then driven by Alan Jones at Macau in November 1977 but he retired. After that, it sat idle for nearly two years until it was taken to Ireland for the Phoenix Park Formula Atlantic race in September 1979, where it won in the hands of David Kennedy. It then returned to Macau for the 1979 race, when Geoff Lees took over the drive and won. Lees took the Ralt to its third Macau GP victory in 1980, in only its sixth known race start. It was then sold to Richard Hawkins, who drove it in the British Formula Atlantic championship in 1981. He sold it to dealer Roger Cowman who ran it for Vivian Candy at Phoenix Park in August and at Mondello Park in September. It stayed in Ireland and in late 1983 was sold by Jim Flynn to Tony Skinner.
2. March 792 [23] (Riccardo Patrese): A Marlboro Team Harper car for Riccardo Patrese to drive at the Macau GP in November 1979, backed by Marlboro. Also seen as a spare car for Andrea de Cesaris in the 1980 New Zealand Formula Pacific series.
3. March 792 [32] (Derek Daly): A Marlboro Team Harper car for Derek Daly to drive at the Macau GP in November 1979, backed by Marlboro. Then for Mike Thackwell as a March Cars - Marlboro entry in the 1980 New Zealand Formula Pacific series.
4. Chevron B40 [40-77-07] (Satoru Nakajima): Shown in Chevron records as sold to Le Mans Co for Tetsu Ikuzawa. Raced by Ikuzawa in Japanese Formula 2 in 1977, using BMW engines. Used again by Ikuzawa for one race at the beginning of 1978. This is almost certainly the car converted to Formula Pacific specification and raced by Satoru Nakajima in the Japanese Formula Pacific series in 1980 and early 1981 using Toyota engines. Subsequent history unknown, but in 2014 a Chevron B40 was acquired from "a guy who used to work at Kojima" by Warwick Mortimer in New Zealand. This car had the chassis plate "40-77-07" but was said to be "ex-Hasemi" and had been Nissan-powered and then BMW-powered.
5. Ralt RT1/78 [136] (Skeeter McKitterick): A white and blue Ralt RT1/78 invoiced to Ralt importer Brian Robertson in August 1978. To AME Racing for Skeeter McKitterick (San Diego, CA/Woodland Hills, CA), debuting at Trois-Rivières in early September. Also raced by McKitterick at the Macau Grand Prix in November as part of the Flying Tigers team. Retained by McKitterick for 1979, when he had sponsorship from CAM 2 Motor Oil. Raced in the North American series and again in Macau, entered by Flying Tigers Dunhill Racing Team. Entered a few times in 1980, but rarely seen. Sold to Kyle Buxton (Trabuco, CA) who raced it in Formula Atlantic in 1981 and 1982, then fitted a sports car body for Can-Am racing later in 1982, using a Ford BDP engine. To Dennis Brisken, and used in ASR class racing in 1984, but later wrecked at Sears Point. Sold to Carl Olsson (San Diego, CA) and rebuilt as a FC, and later as a CSR. Then to Tom Nelson (San Francisco area, CA) who rebuilt it again as an improved CSR. [CT]
6. Chevron B34 [34-76-21] (José "Pocholo" Ramirez): New to Fred Opert Racing for Jim Crawley in the IMSA Formula Atlantic series, appearing at Road Atlanta in April and Laguna Seca in May. He then missed the Ontario Motor Speedway as the car was reported to have been "destroyed" in a testing crash at Willow Springs. It was evidently rebuilt in time to be rented by Ric Forest at Edmonton in May. Crawley raced it again at Westwood, when it was pale blue and entered by Opert as #52. This is presumably the car then entered for Lloyd Callaway (Chicago, IL) to drive at Mont-Tremblant, Halifax and Mosport Park in July and August 1976, as his car was also pale blue and entered by Opert as #52. Like RJ Nelkin's similarly semi-private car, it evidently returned to Fred Opert Racing after these three races. It may then have been one of the cars hired from Opert for the SCCA Runoffs by Bill Anspach and Bill Kneeland. It is then thought to be the car used by Eddie Marcello at the Philippines GP in December. In January 1977, Opert took a team out to the New Zealand Formula Pacific series, and chassis 76-21 was identified as the car raced there by Keke Rosberg, winning three of the five races and taking four pole positions. It was then sold to Pocolo Ramirez (Philippines) and raced by him in southeast Asian races from 1977 to 1982. It is believed to have been imported into New Zealand from Asia by Graham Simms. It was then sold to Ken Smith and then Andy Higgins in New Zealand, then acquired by David Gathercole in 2009. He fully rebuilt it to Formula Atlantic specification by June 2011 for Rod Stead, who raced it at HSCC Donington Park in May 2012. Bought from Stead in November 2012 by Andy Huxtable. Raced by Huxtable in HSCC Derek Bell Trophy races in 2013.
7. March 76B [14] (Tiff Needell): An orange March 76B invoiced to Shierson in March 1976. Believed to be the orange #4 March 76B entered by Doug Shierson Racing for Marty Loft (Olympia, WA) until Mosport Park in August when Loft crashed, but this is still uncertain. Then the black #91 car for guest driver Vittorio Brambilla at Trois-Rivières two weeks later. Sold to Richard Melville and used by him in New Zealand racing in 1977 and 1978, where David McKinney noted that it was "ex-Brambilla" and that it carried chassis plate 76B-14. Sold to Unipart for Tiff Needell to use in the 1979 Macau GP, then sold to Sonny Rajah in time for the 1980 Malaysian GP.
8. March 792 [11] (Rupert Keegan): New to Theodore Racing for Derek Warwick to drive in F2 in 1979, using Hart engines. Either this or 792/30 was converted to Formula Pacific specification for Rupert Keegan to drive at Macau but crashed during the race.
9. Chevron B40 [40-77-09] (Masahiro Hasemi): Shown in Chevron records as sold to Le Mans Co in Japan with a Nissan engine. This must be the car run by Kojima Engineering for Masahiro Hasemi in Formula Pacific specification with Nissan LZ14 engines in late 1977. Retained by Hasemi for the Formula Pacific series in 1978 and 1979. Used again for a couple of races at the beginning of 1980, when Hasemi was struggling to develop his new March 802, and then raced by Kazuyoshi Hoshino in one race at the end of the season. Subsequent history unknown.
10. Brabham BT40 (Albert Poon): New to Albert Poon (Hong Kong) and fitted with a Hart twin cam engine for the Southeast Asian 2-valve 1600cc formula. Raced by Poon in 1973 and 1974 and then, after Poon acquired a newer Chevron B29, the Brabham was raced by Graeme Lawrence in the Malaysian GP in March 1975 and by Kevin Bartlett in the Macau Grand Prix in November 1975. Then raced by Poon's wife, Diana Poon, from 1976 to 1979. At some point, the Brabham was badly damaged, and its tub has been rebuilt by new owner Neville McKay. Reported to be still owned by McKay but in pieces in 2004.
11. Chevron B40 (Kazuyoshi Hoshino): Kazuyoshi Hoshino raced a Chevron B40 with Nissan LZ14 engine in four rounds of the 1979 JAF Formula Pacific series, winning two of them, and at the Macau Grand Prix in November that year.
12. Ralt RT1/75 [5] (Peter Marshall): New to John Macdonald (Hong Kong) and delivered with a Cosworth BDM engine. Macdonald and his mechanic Angus Lamont built their own Ford twin cam engines and Macdonald raced it in Southeast Asian 1600cc 2-valve category racing in 1975, when he won the Penang, Selangor and Macau Grands Prix. Retained for 1976 when 4-valve engines were allowed, so Macdonald bought two new Cosworth FVA engines, built by Cosworth on FVC blocks. With these engines, he won the Selangor and Indonesia Grands Prix in 1976. He ran it again in 1977, and it was also raced by Vern Schuppan at Macau that year. Macdonald then refitted with BDM engine and sold the Ralt to Peter Marshall, who raced it in Formula Pacific in 1978 and 1979, latterly with a Cosworth BDD. It was still in Marshall's ownership when raced by Sonny Rajah in 1980 and 1981. The car was then stored at Rajah's father's house in Kuala Lumpur until 1990, when Marshall retrieved the car and had it shipped to Sydney, Australia. The following year it was taken to Ralt importer Graham Watson to be rebuilt to original specification. It was sold in early 1999 to Peter Mohr (Sydney, Australia) who took it with him to the US when he moved there, and raced it in US historic racing in 2000 and 2001. It was then sold to Dennis D'Angelo and remained with him until 2006. It was then bought by Don Sandy and Art Hebert and raced on the west coast in 2006. In 2012, it was acquired by Harindra de Silva and raced by Timothy de Silva (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) in west coast historic events. Sold in 2021 to Éric Verdin (Mill Valley, CA), who has continued to race it in historic events.
13. Chevron B39/B40 (Andrew Miedecke): LC Kwan (Hong Kong), owner of the Equipe 66 garage, bought a Chevron B39 in late 1977 from Fred Opert for Albert Poon (Hong Kong) to drive in Formula Pacific in Southeast Asia. The car was in the UK, not the US, for reasons still to be determined, and before it was shipped to Asia, it was borrowed by Ardmore Racing for Divina Galica to race in the Donington Park F2 event in October 1977, using a Swindon BDX engine. It was described as a brand new B40, and had been fitted with a set of Ardmore's blue, white and red bodywork to which Olympus signwriting had been applied. It was then shipped to Hong Kong in time for the Macau Grand Prix a month later. Although Poon entered his car as a B40, an article in the Malaysia Grand Prix race programme in May 1978 described the car as a "new car which he has just bought in the US". Also raced by Kevin Bartlett at Macau in 1978 and by Andrew Miedecke at Macau in 1979. Then raced by Poon at Macau in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Retained by Kwan in Hong Kong until 1989 when it was sold to Gordon Norris and returned to the UK. Sold in 2022 to Bruce Balchin (Southampton).
14. Ralt RT1/78 [146] (Bob Earl): A white Ralt RT1/78 invoiced to Ralt importer Brian Robertson in early December 1978. To Bob Earl (Novato, CA) ad raced at a SCCA National at Riverside in February 1979, where it was described as new. However, when Earl raced it at Long Beach in April, it was called "ex-Cogan". Raced by Earl in the 1979 North American series, sponsored by National Treaty Services and entered by NTS Racing. Raced by Earl at Macau in November 1979. Retained for the 1980 North American series, when it was entered by Earl Motor Racing, and again raced at Macau as part of the Flying Tigers Racing Team. Towards the end of 1980, it was again described as a ex-Cogan. Sold to Andy Mahood (Vancouver, BC) and raced in ICSCC and SCCA events in 1981 and 1982. Sold to Martin Pang (Seattle, WA) and raced in WCAR events in 1984, 1985 and 1986. [CT]
15. Chevron B34 [34-76-25] (Narcisco de la Merced): Invoiced to Fred Opert Racing and believed to be the "brand new" pale blue #75 Chevron B34 raced by Opert's customer Gordon Smiley at Mosport Park in late August 1976. Then raced by Patrick Tambay at Trois-Rivières two weeks later, and by Elliot Forbes-Robinson in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in early October. It was one of three B34s taken to New Zealand for the Formula Pacific series in January 1977, and was Mikko Kozarowitzky's regular car. After the series, it was sold to Narcisco de la Merced and raced by him in Southeast Asian races from 1977 to 1982. Then to Luis Camus for 1983. Subsequent history unknown.
16. March 73B (Sonny Rajah): Sonny Rajah (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) raced a March in Southeast Asian 4-valve formula racing in 1976, then in Formula Pacific from 1977 to 1981, but it is not yet clear whether this was his updated March 712M or his March 73B.
17. March 79B (Takao Wada): Takao Wada drove a March 79B in Japanese Formula Pacific in 1979, entered by Tomei Jidousha. The car replaced a Falcon 78A that Wada had raced earlier in the season, and both cars were fitted with Nissan LZ14 engines. Wada retained the 79B for the early part of 1980, and then swapped to a Hayashi 80P. Kenji Takahashi then raced a 79B for Tomei Jidousha for the remainer of the 1980 season, so it is likely that this was the ex-Wada car. Raced again by Takahashi in 1981 and in 1982. Later in 1982, Akira Hagiwara raced a 79B entered by Tomei Jidousha and this is assumed to be the same car. Subsequent history unknown.

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 results of the Formula Pacific races in South East Asian at Macau, Penang, Selangor and Shah Alam were originally provided by Chris Townsend based on the short reports in Autosport and Motoring News plus the information supplied by a wide range of contributors. These have been developed further by Andrew Horrox using material in New Zealand Motoraction. For the Macau Grand Prix, further data comes from Philip Newsome's book 'Color and Noise: 40 Years of the Macau Grand Prix' (Studio Publications Ltd, 1993).

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

'Colour and Noise: 40 Years of the Macau Grand Prix' (Philip Newsome, Studio Publications Limited, 1993).