St Jovite Grand Prix

Mont-Tremblant, 17 Sep 1967

All cars are 3-litre FA unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. Brabham BT21 (Fred Ashplant): Raced by Fred Ashplant (Franklin Lakes, NJ) and first seen at Lime Rock in early July where Racing Magazine called it "his new Brabham FB". Won the SCCA National at Bridgehampton two weeks later and the Pro race at Mont-Tremblant in September. Finished third in the NEDiv FB title. Retained for 1968 but used much less that season. In 1969, Ashplant ordered a Brabham BT29 and sold the BT21A to Pete LoBianco (York, PA). However, the BT21A was in Fred Opert's stock during the summer of 1969 and as the car had last been raced as #47, it seems likely that this was the #47 FB Brabham that Opert raced a couple of times before his BT29 arrived.
2. McLaren M4B [200-10B] (Chuck Dietrich): New to Robert Amey in June 1967 to be driven by Chuck Dietrich (Sandusky, OH) in Formula B, winning the FB class in six Central Division SCCA Nationals and also finishing firth in the Pro race at Mont-Tremblant. Dietrich bought a pair of new M4Bs for 1968 and his 1967 car was sold to Henry H. Hester (La Jolla, CA). Hester ran it in SCCA Nationals through 1968 and then sold it to Dow J. Byers II (San Diego, CA) who used it through 1969 and into early 1970. Probably the car of Clifton Wells (Lynwood, CA) at Ontario in July 1971 and Riverside in April 1972. Believed to have gone to Chuck Hayes at some point but history then unknown until owned by Ed Donnelly (Los Angeles, CA) in 1987. Then via Jim Miller and Rob Merrel (both now deceased) to Jim Brown (San Diego, CA) in 1991 who commissioned a complete restoration including a new tub built by Marc Bahner. In 2004, Brown sold the car to Brian Andrews (San Francisco, CA) who raced it in CSRG events in 2005 and 2006. Sold by Andrews via Fantasy Junction (Emeryville, CA) to Bill Hodder (Nagambie, Victoria, Australia) in 2011.
3. Brabham BT15 (Oliver Grant): Oliver Grant (Norfolk, VA/Wheaton, MD) raced a Brabham in Formula B in late 1967 and the first half of 1968. A Revs Institute photograph shows that it had a 1966 bodywork section but short rear uprights, implying that it was a 1966 Brabham BT15. Nothing more known.
4. Brabham BT6 (Charlie Adams): Charlie Adams (Hermosa Beach, CA) bought a 1963 Formula Junior Brabham from Ian Raby (Brighton) in August 1965, and had it updated to 1965 rear magnesium uprights and driveshafts, and shipped to the US. In correspondence that Adams has retained, Raby described the car as a "practically brand new" Brabham FJ, having been "completely rebuilt, with a new chassis". Adams campaigned the car in Formula B and in Formula C from late 1965 through to early 1968 when he replaced it with a new BT21C. When he advertised the BT6 in March 1968, it had a Hewland Mk 5 gearbox and a Ford twin cam engine prepared by Frank Monise. Subsequent history unknown.
5. Cooper Mk IV 'T51' (Guy Wooley): Guy G. Wooley (Lake Zurich, IL) raced a 1.5-litre Cooper-Climax in Formula A events in 1967. At the end of the season he advertised the car, noting that it was a 1960 model. Although T53s were produced in 1960, it seems much more likely to have been a T51 customer model. Nothing more known.
6. Cooper FJ Mk 3A 'T67' (Ronald Stanwicks): Ronald Stanwicks of Newington, CT, appeared in SCCA events in the late 1960s in a Cooper. The Danvile Bee, Monday of 2 May 1966, quoted on the excellent virhistory.com website, identified this as a "Cooper 67" and it is assumed that Stanwicks used this same ex-Formula Junior car in both FC and FB over the next three seasons. Ronald's son Peter recalls that it was white with a single blue stripe, and "I believe it had a Cosworth Mk XI and a Jack Knight 6 speed gearbox".
7. Brabham BT18 [F2-48-66] (Pierre Phillips): The early history of this car is unknown but its chassis number, recorded in paperwork still owned by Ron Brown, suggests it would have been built very late in 1966, probably after the end of the regular SCCA season. Its first known race was at Mont-Tremblant 17 Sep 1967 where it was driven by well-known west coast racing car dealer Pierre Phillips (Portland, OR). In the summer of 1968, Ron Brown (Portland, OR) bought a Brabham BT18 from Phillips and is sure this would have been his Mont-Tremblant car. Brown shared the drive with Gerry Bruihl (Sausalito, CA) in 1968 and 1969 and ran the car from Bruihl's Competition Motors, a sports car repair shop in NW Portland. In 1970, Brown shared the drive with Russ Harness (also Portland, OR) but then sold the Brabham to John Ransom (also Portland, OR) who Ron believes sold it to someone in Vancouver.
8. Brabham BT21A [4] (Lou Sell): Sold new to Lou Sell (Fullerton, CA) and first seen in the Pro Formula B race at War Bonnet in late June where Sell qualified on pole and finished second. Then raced in SCCA Regionals and occasional Nationals in California, and in the pro races at Mont-Tremblant and Lake Tahoe at the end of the season. Sold to Sell's backer Dick Smothers (Woodland Hills, CA) for 1968, although Sell also raced it in one SoPac National early that year. To Fred Opert late 1968 in part-exchange for a new Chevron and from him on to Ken Duclos (Boxboro, MA) for 1969. Duclos believes he returned it to Opert at the end of 1969 when he acquired his new BT29 and it next turns up in 1971 with John Sorbello (Lafayette, MA) who widened the cockpit section into a two-seater and added a Chevron B16 body. However, it is possible that the dates of this are wrong and that Bob Isnor (Newton, MA) raced it as a FB before it went to Sorbello. Later to John Kauffman who thought he had bought a Chevron and then to Joe Maria (White Plains, NY) in the early 1990s. It was restored by David Irwin to BT21A spec and was still with Maria in 2007. To Bob Lima (Meadowbrook, PA) by October 2009 and later repainted in Sell's colours.
9. Brabham BT21 (Joe Grimaldi): Joe Grimaldi is recorded as driving a Formula C Brabham BT21 in one or two rounds of the SCCA Continental Championship in 1967: at Mont-Tremblant in September and possibly also at War Bonnet in June. Whether this was actually a BT21 is unclear, but it cannot have been the Fred Opert team's usual BT21A fitted with a Cosworth SCA engine for the occasion, as that car appeared in Formula B form in both the races that Grimaldi was said to have raced a Formula C. If this was a BT21, it is unclear where it went for 1968, as the three Formula C BT21s that appeared in the early part of the 1968 season - Bill Rutan's, Opert's, and Wayne Mitchell's - were all described as a BT21Bs. Nothing more known.
10. Brabham BT21A (Peter Gethin): Fred Opert was the main dealer for Brabham on the east coast of the US and imported around seven Formula B BT21As for 1967. Opert himself raced a 'BT21' at War Bonnet in June 1967 but it is not clear whether that was a FB car or a FC. For now, it is assumed to be the first appearance of the Opert team's in-house Formula B BT21A. Joe Grimaldi (Midland Park, NJ) worked for Opert at this time and raced a Brabham BT21A in Formula B events in 1967, scoring 18 pts in NEDiv. In January 1968, Fred Opert advertised the blue-and-yellow "ex-Joe Grimaldi" Brabham BT21A noting that it had only raced eight times and was the car that Peter Gethin drove at the St Jovite Pro FB race where he took pole position. Grimaldi also appeared in Pro Formula events in 1967 but in a Formula C Brabham BT21. It is assumed that Grimaldi was driving Opert's in-house car. Subsequent history unknown.
11. Brabham BT18 (John Hood): Dr John Hood Jr (Orlando, FL) raced a blue Brabham BT18 in Southeast Division SCCA Nationals in 1967, winning at Fernandina Beach, Savannah International Raceway, Courtland, Montgomery, Osceola Field and Palm Beach, as well as the Paul Whiteman Trophy Races at Daytona, an SCCA Regional. He qualified for the Runoffs but retired. Hood's results in 1968 are largely unknown, but he was mentioned in press previews of the races at Fernandina Beach in April and Daytona in August, when he was said to be driving a Brabham in 'Class B'. It is therefore reasonable to assume he kept the BT18 for the whole of that season. Hood acquired a Formula A Lola T140 for 1969, probably the ex-John Gunn car. The subsequent history of the Brabham is unknown.
12. Brabham BT21 (Mike Hiss): To Mike Hiss (Laurel, MD) to replace the earlier Brabham that he "demolished" in practice for the Bridgehampton National in July 1967. He raced the BT21A for the last two Pro races, finished third at Lake Tahoe. Retained for 1968, finishing third at Palm Beach in February and then winning at Marlboro in March. Second in Bridgehampton National and won a Regional at Marlboro but less successful in the Pro series. Last seen when crashed at Lime Rock in September 1968 following a suspension failure. Hiss had by that time moved up to Formula A with a Lola T140 and it is not known whether the Brabham was rebuilt.
13. Cooper T82 [F2-2-66] (Thomas C. Jones): To Jo Bonnier Racing and fitted with a BRM P80 engine for Jo Siffert to race in F2 in 1966; then entered by Ecurie Suisse for Bonnier himself, plus several guest drivers. The car then returned to the factory where it was rebuilt with a 2-litre Coventry Climax FWMV V8 engine and sold to Tom Jones (Eastlake, OH) for use in SCCA Formula A. Jones also secured an entry for the 1967 Canadian GP in this car but was unable to qualify. He was fourth in the SCCA Run-Offs in 1967 and continued to run the car in FA in 1968, then as a FB with a Ford twin cam in 1969. "G. Brown" raced a Cooper T82 in a support race at the Canadian GP in September 1968; presumably this car. It is reported that it was then sold to Rick Kohler (Ohio), presumably the Rick Kohler (Canton, OH) who raced very successfully in FV in Central Division in the mid-1960s, and that he ran it in FB with a BMW engine. Later located in Ft Lauderdale, FL by Paul Busby (Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire) who returned it to the UK and restored it to 1966 specification. Raced by Busby in HSCC Classic Racing Cars Championship events in 2002.
14. Lotus 21 [936] (Chuck Trowbridge): New to Brabham Racing Organisation for Jack Brabham to race in non-championship F1 events in early 1962, until his newer Lotus 24 was delivered. It was reported to have been "destroyed" in a garage fire prior to its first race, but Brabham raced it at Pau and Aintree. Then to Jim Hall and used by him to win the Hoosier Grand Prix Intercontinental race held at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July 1962. Also raced by Hall at the US and Mexican GPs later that year. To J Frank Harrison and his chief mechanic Jerry Eisert, who fitted a Shelby Ford V8 engine for SCCA libre racing. It was raced by Rick Muther for Harrison at two libre races in October 1964. Then used by Al Unser at Pikes Peak in 1965. Later sold to Chuck Trowbridge (Denver, CO) and used in SCCA Formula A with a 3-litre Ford engine in 1967, and then with a 5-litre engine in early 1968. Then to Steven Woods (Farmington, CT) in July 1968, and raced by him in New England for the rest of that season. Next seen when owned by Gil Roth (Pittsburgh, PA) in 1970, then with Jim Corwin (New Buffalo, Michigan) in 1971. 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.

US information has been taken from SCCA results sheets with additional information from Autoweek race reports and from some entry lists. Thanks to David McKinney and Wolfgang Klopfer for providing these. Identifying the classes and model of some entries has proved very difficult so all new information would be welcomed.

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.