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Bernard Tilanus in the Rack-Rite Ralt RT2 at Kyalami in 1981. Copyright motoprint.co.za/David Pearson 2024. Used with permission.

Formula South Africa 1981

The South African series was revitalised for 1981, with an injection of sponsorship from the Sigma Motor Corporation, the Pretoria-based motor vehicle assembler and distributor whose Mazda powerplant was now the engine of choice. The series was known as 'the Sigma Series' from this point on.

The power of the engines was such that F2 cars were seen as more suitable than Formula Atlantic chassis, so the leading drivers were equipped with one-year-old F2 cars for 1981. Reigning champion Tony Martin ordered a Maurer MM80, DAW Supplies and Hekro Engineering both bought F2 March 802s for their drivers, Trevor van Rooyen and Dave Hart, while Mel Lahner's Rack-Rite team bought a slightly older Ralt RT2/79 for Bernard Tilanus to drive. The only other full ground-effect car was the ex-Ian Scheckter March 79A, now owned by Tommy Dunn.

There was so much concern about the influx of these ground-effect cars that the minimum weight for these was increased to 510 kg, with the older cars being allowed to run at 480 kg. As skirts had already been banned a year earlier, this weight penalty proved too much for the ground-effect cars and the best option in 1981 proved to be a pre-ground-effects March 77B. Bernard Tilanus abandoned his Ralt for Rack-Rite's older 77B, then moved to DAW, taking over their 77B and pipped Martin to the title by a single point. Graham Duxbury was their closest competitor in another 77B. Trevor van Rooyen also moved team, leaving the DAW March 802 behind for Rack-Rite's 77B. Wayne Taylor, after being bumped from that Rack-Rite 77B, acquired a March 76B and ended the season with the Pretoria Brick team.

The title race went down to the last event, with Martin eleven points ahead of Tilanus as they arrived at Kyalami. Martin was running in a safe fourth place in the race, with the title nearly in his grasp, but suffered a puncture and finished a lap behind. Tilanus coasted home in second place to take the title by a single point.

The races

24 Jan 1981 > Kyalami

28 Feb 1981 > Welkom

28 Mar 1981 > Kyalami

18 Apr 1981 > Roy Hesketh

02 May 1981 > Killarney

09 May 1981 > Kyalami

30 May 1981 > Welkom

27 Jun 1981 > Kyalami

25 Jul 1981 > Aldo Scribante

08 Aug 1981 > Kyalami

29 Aug 1981 > Killarney

05 Sep 1981 > Port Elizabeth

12 Sep 1981 > Kyalami

1981 South African Sigma Series for Formula Atlantic table

1	Bernard Tilanus	Ralt RT2/79 - Mazda 12A March 77B - Mazda 12A	122 pts
2	Tony Martin	Maurer MM80 - Mazda 12A	121 pts
3	Graham Duxbury	March 77B - Mazda 12A	109 pts
4	Trevor van Rooyen	March 802 - Mazda 12A March 722 - Mazda 12A March 77B - Mazda 12A	69 pts
5	Wayne Taylor	March 77B - Mazda 12A March 76B - Mazda 12A March 802 - Mazda 12A	43 pts
6	Vernon Bricknell	March 76B - Mazda 12A Maurer MM80 - Mazda 12A	26 pts
7	Roy Klomfass	Ralt RT2/79 - Mazda 12A	24 pts
8	Peter Haller	Chevron B34 - Mazda 12A Haller Special - Mazda 12A	17 pts
9	Dave Hart	March 802 - Mazda 12A March 722 - Mazda 12A	14 pts
10	Brian Ferris	March 77B - Mazda 12A	11 pts

Previous: the 1980 season

Next: the 1982 season

Formula South Africa seasons

1979 (Ian Scheckter)
1980 (Tony Martin)
1981 (Bernard Tilanus)
1982 (Graham Duxbury)
1983 (Ian Scheckter)
1984 (Ian Scheckter)
1985 (Trevor van Rooyen)
1986 (Wayne Taylor)

Data still needed for 1981

Entry lists from event programmes are needed for Goldfields/Welkom 28 February, Aldo Scribante 25 July and Port Elizabeth on 5 September. Full results sheets are needed for all events except Kyalami 24 January, Kyalami 28 March and Kyalami 12 September. Data is especially limited for Aldo Scribante 25 July, Killarney 29 August and Port Elizabeth on 5 September where even a newspaper report of the first six finishers would be helpful.

The research

The 1979 to 1986 Formula SA results have been compiled with the generous assistance of Ian Hebblethwaite. The main sources used include Autosport and Motoring News until their reports stopped in 1979, and South African newspapers, The Rand Daily Mail, The Citizen and The Star. Ian has provided race results sheets for a number of races, but in most cases we do not have these.

A great deal of information has come from race programmes, and we are most grateful to Ian Hebblethwaite, Stuart Thompson, Bernard Tilanus, Tony Kent, Marius Matthee, Doug Brown, David Pearson and Rennie Mackrory for providing programme entry lists for 63 of the 87 races so far. We still need most of the Goldfields/Welkom programmes, all the Aldo Scribante circuit programmes, six of the Kyalami programmes and both programes for the one-off races at Port Elizabeth and East London. Please get in touch if you can help us with information from the programmes we still need.

My thanks also to Ian Hebblethwaite and Stuart Thompson for generously sponsoring the purchase of many of David Pearson's excellent photographs from motoprint.co.za used on these pages and across the relevant model histories.

Email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) with any further additions, corrections or comments.