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Midwest Division SCCA Formula B 1977

Bob Young won the division again in his Lola T360, pursued by Gary Robinson in his ex-F2 March 712M, and Dorsey Schroeder, who had replaced his old Brabham BT35 with an ex-Ecurie Canada March 75B. James Maetzold also returned with his Lola T360, Bill Nees with his March 73B, and Tim Cooper who had procured a brand new March 77B. Cooper took second place in the season opener at Mid-America Raceway but did not reappear. Ken Keifer Jr again scored points in his Crosslé 31F, which was running a 2-litre Ford ohc engine, but generally stuck to Regionals, winning the MiDiv Regional FB title that year. Arkansas Region had transferred from Midwest to Southwest Division, taking with it the Stuttgart National, as well as three former FB regulars, Porter Brownlee, Barry Findley and David Pence.

Of the newcomers, Bob Richardson scored nine points when he won a SWDiv race at Greater Southwest Raceway in February in a Lola T460, and Matt Berryhill scored points in his newly-acquired Chevron B27 at the late-season "Party Prix" at Hallett, behind Northern Californian raider Dick Zibert.

Jim Bergey had a very old Lotus 41 and scored four points for being the last finisher at Pueblo in May. Denver residents George Gettel and Ron Doyle shared a car entered simply as a "Prototype" but rarely strayed outside Colorado. Doyle picked up two points at the Pueblo National in July.

After James King's appearance in the 1976 season, MWDiv had now become almost entirely separated from the professional Formula Atlantic scene, with none of the Pros appearing at a National, and nearly all of MWDiv's cars being three years old or more.

Final standings

1. J Robert YoungLola [T360]Colorado38 pts 
2. Gary RobinsonMarch [712M]NEOkla33 pts 
3. Dorsey SchroederMarch [75B]St Louis31 pts 
4. James MaetzoldLola [T360]Wichita22 pts 
5. Bob RichardsonLola [T460]Colorado9 pts 
6. Bill NeesMarch 74BKansas City8 pts 
7. Tim CooperMarch "772" [77B]Kansas City6 pts 
8. Matt BerryhillChevron [B27]NEOkla6 pts 
9. Jim BergeyLola [41]Colorado4 pts 
10. George Gettel"Proto"Colorado4 pts 
11. Ron Doyle"Proto"Colorado2 pts 
12. Ken KeiferCrossle [31F]Kansas City2 pts 

Formula C

Two of MWDiv's FC cars this season were converted Formula Ford cars, Gerry Hudson's Merlyn Mk 20 and Dick Johnson's Lola T342, but Jim Liska very nearly beat Johnson to the title with a very rare machine, a Delta IRF4. The IRF4 had been commisioned in England by Low Cost Racing for Formula 4, which was a very similar category to the SCCA's FC.

Final standings

1. Richard JohnsonLola [T342 - BDJ]Wichita17 pts 
2. Jim LiskaDelta IRF4BNebraska16 pts 
3. Gerald E HudsonMerlyn [Mk 20A]Wichita15 pts 
4. Terry McKennaBrabham [-Kawasaki]St Louis6 pts 

Midwest Division SCCA Nationals in 1977

08 May 1977Mid-America RacewaySt Louis Region
15 May 1977Pueblo Motorsports ParkRio Grande Region
29 May 1977Hutchinson Naval Air StationWichita Region
12 Jun 1977Mid-America RacewayKansas & Kansas City Regions
03 Jul 1977Ponca CityOklahoma Region
17 Jul 1977Pueblo Motorsports ParkColorado Region
07 Aug 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitOklahoma & NE Oklahoma Regions
21 Aug 1977Lake AftonWichita Region
04 Sep 1977La Junta Municipal AirportColorado Region
11 Sep 1977Mid-America RacewayDes Moines Valley Region
18 Sep 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitNE Oklahoma Region

Midwest Division SCCA Regionals in 1977

27 Mar 1977Mid-America RacewaySt Louis Region
03 Apr 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitNE Oklahoma Region
24 Apr 1977La Junta Municipal AirportColorado Region
01 May 1977Hutchinson Naval Air StationWichita Region
07 May 1977Mid-America RacewaySt Louis Region
22 May 1977Roswell Municipal AirportRio Grande Region
28 May 1977Hutchinson Naval Air StationWichita Region
05 Jun 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitNE Oklahoma Region
11 Jun 1977Mid-America RacewayKansas & Kansas City Regions
19 Jun 1977Pueblo Motorsports ParkColorado Region
26 Jun 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitNE Oklahoma Region
02 Jul 1977Ponca CityOklahoma Region
16 Jul 1977Pueblo Motorsports ParkColorado Region
07 Aug 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitOklahoma Region
14 Aug 1977Mid-America RacewaySt Louis Region
21 Aug 1977Lake AftonWichita Region
03 Sep 1977La Junta Municipal AirportColorado Region
10 Sep 1977Mid-America RacewayDes Moines Valley Region
17 Sep 1977Hallett Motor Racing Circuit
02 Oct 1977Hallett Motor Racing CircuitOklahoma Region
09 Oct 1977Mid-America RacewayDes Moines Valley Region

Midwest Division sources

Race results for Midwest Division Nationals from 1970 to 1978 have been kindly provided by veteran MiDiv historian Rocky Entriken. We also have some background information from Competition Press up to about 1973, when its interest in such events waned considerably, but we know little of the goings-on away from these events and are are keen to acquire or borrow 1960s, 1970s and 1980s copies of SCCA regional publications from this Division. The key ones are:

  • Checkpoint (Kansas City Region)
  • Course Record (Arkansas Region)
  • The Echo (Southern Illinois Region)
  • Exhaust Notes (Nebraska) - full archive available at nrsccahistory.com.
  • Gasket Gazette (Oklahoma Region)
  • Neokla Observer (NE Oklahoma Region), renamed Sports Car Observer in 1980
  • The Offside Undo (Kansas Region)
  • Redline (Colorado Region)
  • Steerin’ Column (Mid-South Region)
  • Wheelspin (St. Louis Region)
  • Witches Wail (Wichita Region)

We are also keen to get scans of entry lists from SCCA Nationals for this division.