March 76B car-by-car histories
Price Cobb and Seb Barone in their March 76Bs braking for Turn 1 at Atlantic Motorsport Park, Halifax, in 1976. Copyright Dave Munroe 2021. Used with permission.
The March 76B was the dominant Formula Atlantic car of 1976, winning the Canadian, IMSA, and South African championships. Gilles Villeneuve, Ian Scheckter, Graeme Lawrence, Bobby Rahal, Dave Charlton and Price Cobb all won races in their examples.
The new March 76B was revealed to the press in December 1975, together with the Formula 2 and 3 cars. The 76B shared a monocoque with the F3 763. Designer Robin Herd had tidied up the 1975 car, with the oil tank moved to between the chassis and engine, a single-pillar rear wing mount, electrical extinguisher system and a narrow front track. Doug Shierson continued as US agent, and sold 17 March 76Bs, all but one of them intended for North America. Gilles Villeneuve was the dominant driver of 1976 in his March 76B, and March's 'share of grid' remained stable at 34.7% (35.5% in 1975). Chevron caught up, taking 31.9% of the grids, and Ralt emerged as a new competitor, Bertil Roos looking particularly impressive in his Ralt RT1/76.
Only four March 76Bs did not go to North America: 76B/1 to Ian Scheckter for the new South African Formula Atlantic series, 76B/17 to Sonny Rajah who ran it for Graeme Lawrence in South East Asia, 76B/19 to Dave Charlton in South Africa in mid-season, and 76B/20 via Doug Shierson to Ken Smith in New Zealand. Scheckter was dominant in South Africa, winning seven races, and Charlton also won one race of that series when his car was belatedly delivered. Lawrence won the Penang and Metro Manila Grands Prix in Rajah's example to top a very successful season for the March 76B.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
Len Booysen in the Golden-Flo March 76B at Kyalami in 1977. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
Vernon Bricknell in his ex-DAW March 77B at Kyalami in early 1981. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
New to Ian Scheckter for South African Formula Atlantic in 1976. Sold to Len Booysen for the 1977 season, then loaned by Booysen to Dave Charlton to drive. During this time it was bought from Booysen by Ken Gillibrand, who then loaned it to DAW for Bernard Tilanus to drive in April and May 1978. It was unused in 1979, and advertised by Gillibrand in August. Sold later in 1979 to Soon Weeks who fitted the 2-litre BMW engine from Dave Hart's March 77B and raced it in this form in early 1980. Then swapped with Bernard Tilanus and the DAW team for DAW's Wheatcroft R18, and fitted with a Mazda engine. Raced several times by Tilanus but he then left the team after a disagreement with Jeff Waberski and was replaced by Trevor van Rooyen, who raced the 76B for the rest of 1980. It was sold to Vernon Bricknell at the end of that season, and raced by him in early 1981 until his new Maurer MM80 arrived. The 76B was then sold yet again, this time to the Pretoria Brick team for Wayne Taylor to drive, until Hekro's March 802 was acquired for him. Pretoria Brick retained the 76B for 1982, when it was raced by Basil Mann, Kevin Heath and Roy Carr. It was sold to Alan Dunlop for 1983, and he raced it until 1985. It then passed to Neville Riddell and most of its components were used in a sports car built for Riddell by Lew Baker. All that was left was the tub, and this was sold to Fred Goddard who is believed to have stripped it to keep the bulkheads as spares. At this point the 76B no longer existed.
Driven by: Ian Scheckter, Len Booysen, Dave Charlton, Basil van Rooyen, Bernard Tilanus, Trevor van Rooyen, Vernon Bricknell, Wayne Taylor, Basil Mann, Kevin Heath, Roy Carr and Allan Dunlop. First race: Killarney (R1), 24 Jan 1976. Total of 44 recorded races.
Cliff Hansen in his March 76B during the 1977 season. Copyright Scott Hansen 2011. Used with permission.
Cliff Hansen (Laguna Beach, CA) campaigned a blue/red #6 March 76B in 1976 as part of the Doug Shierson Racing operation. Hansen retained the car for the start of the 1977 season, until his new 77B arrived, and then kept the 76B as a spare, needing it at St-Félicien and at Trois-Rivières after crashing the 77B. Its history in 1978 is unknown, but it is believed to be the car raced by Tom Contino (Ontario, CA) between 1979 and 1981, then sold by him in October 1981 to Damon Meek (Los Gatos, CA), who raced the car in SCCA Nationals in 1982 and has identified it as "76B-02" and ex-Cliff Hansen. Meek sold it to Lee Follansbee (San Jose, CA) and it would be the 76B raced by him in the Sears Point Pro race in 1984. Sold by Follansbee to Michael Olsen (Santa Clara, CA) who raced it at Sears Point in October 1988. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Cliff Hansen, Tom Contino, Damon Meek, Lee Follansbee and Michael Olsen. First race: Riverside, 1 Feb 1976. Total of 21 recorded races.
Tom Pumpelly in his March 76B at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Tom Pumpelly (McLean, VA) raced a yellow #34 March 76B, entered by National Tire Wholesale. The only yellow 76B shown in March records was chassis 76B-3. Pumpelly raced the car until it was wrecked in a collision with Bancroft at Mosport Park in August, after which Pumpelly borrowed the ex-Gilles Villeneuve car from Doug Shierson to compete in the Runoffs. The subsequent history of his wrecked Mosport Park car is unknown.
Driven by: Tom Pumpelly. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 8 recorded races.
The Doug Shierson Racing March 76B of Bobby Rahal at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Doug Shierson Racing ran an orange #9 March 76B in 1976 for Bobby Rahal (Glen Ellyn, IL). There were four orange March 76Bs according to March records but only one was built as part of the first batch of cars, 76B-4, strongly suggesting this was Rahal's car. The subsequent history of this car is not known until it was advertised in 1985 as "ex-Villeneuve".
Driven by: Bobby Rahal. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 12 recorded races.
A green March 76B invoiced to Shierson in February 1976. This is likely to be the James King car.
Tom Outcault in his March 76B/77B at the Watkins Glen SCCA National in 1980. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2011. Used with permission.
Tom Outcault (Middletown, OH or Cranford, NJ) raced a blue #31 March 76B in 1976, entered by Tom Outcault Racing. The colour suggests that this was 76B-6, the only blue car in March records for which an owner is not known. Outcault appears to have retained the car for SCCA racing in 1977, but is thought to have acquired a 77B later that season. Outcault was still racing a 76B or 77B as late as 1980. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Tom Outcault. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 14 recorded races.
John Mortensen in his March 76B at the SCCA Runoffs in 1976. Copyright R. Allen Olmstead 2011. Used with permission.
John Mortensen (New York, NY/Weston, CT) raced a March 76B in SCCA events in 1976, entered by Karaba Racing Ent. The livery of his car, Midnight blue with red stripe on each side, exactly matches the description given in March records for 76B-7. Raced by Mortensen in Northeast Division SCCA Nationals in 1976, winning at Lime Rock in late July and at Summit Point on 22 August. He qualified for the Runoffs, where he finished fourth. Mortensen was on the entry list for the Pocono SCCA National in May 1977 and he scored two points in Northeast Division somewhere that season, but no results have been found for him. Mortensen progressed to a March 78B for 1978, but the subsequent history of his 76B is unknown.
Driven by: John Mortensen. First race: Lime Rock, 24 Apr 1976. Total of 15 recorded races.
Doug Shierson Racing ran a red March 76B for Dale Lang (Wilton, CT) in 1976. The only red 76B in March build records was 76B-8, suggesting this was Lang's car. Lang retained this car for 1977 and then sold it to Ralph Manaker (Erieville, NY) who raced it in 1978. Advertised by Manaker as a 76-77B in October 1978. According to Chris Townsend, the car was then sold to Steve Alexander (Columbus, OH) who raced it in SCCA Formula Atlantic in 1979, 1980 and 1981. It was then stored until bought from Alexander in the early 1990s by Tim Damm, who restored it for historic racing with a Bahner tub. It was sold to Michael Taradisch in 1997, then to Joel Finn in 2006. After Finns's death, it was sold by his estate to Ted and Tom Sokoly in 2017. Still with Tom Sokoly (Geneva, IL) in January 2019.
Driven by: Dale Lang, Ralph Manaker and Steve Alexander. First race: Laguna Seca (R2), 2 May 1976. Total of 12 recorded races.
New to Don Breidenbach (Oakland, CA) and raced in SCCA Nationals, IMSA Formula Atlantic and the Players series in 1976 with support from Roots Footwear. The history of this car is then unknown until it was sold by Chuck Billington (Modesto, CA) as a CSR sports car to Chuck McCain (Tuscon, AZ). Retained by the McCain family after his death in 2010. Sold in August 2013 to Ian Ashdown (San Clemente, CA). Despite the gap in this car's history, the tub number is correct for 76B-9 and the SCCA number stamped on the rollhoop was registered to Breidenbach in 1976. Still owned by Ashdown in July 2022.
Driven by: Don Breidenbach. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 6 recorded races.
A leaf green March 76B invoiced to Shierson in March 1976. The colour suggests it was one of the Ecurie Canada cars for Gilles Villeneuve; see the Gilles Villeneuve main car and the Gilles Villeneuve spare car. As this is the first of two leaf green March 76Bs, it is likely to be the main car, not the spare car which was on loan to Ecurie Canada from Shierson.
New to Isola Racing for Seb Barone (Portland, CT or Dilliner, PA) to drive as the team's #28 entry in 1976, but run by Doug Shierson Racing. Barone crashed the car at Trois-Rivières in September and was not seen in it again. According to former Ecurie Canada/James Morgan mechanic Graham Scott, this car was rebuilt, updated to Ecurie Canada specification and sold to James Morgan for the 1977 season, together with the ex-Gilles Villeneuve spare car. Exactly how these two cars were used is unknown, but it is assumed here that Morgan himself raced the ex-Villeneuve car in early 1977 SCCA Nationals, entered as #56, and the ex-Barone car was fielded as the #65 for Bill Prout to use at first, then taken over by Bobby Rahal. Rahal then took over the #56 car for the Pro series, leaving the ex-Barone car as a spare car, presumably the one raced by Terry Visger at Halifax in August (#55) and by Morgan at Lime Rock in September (#65). This car is unknown in 1978 and 1979, but was acquired in 1980 by Ron Levanduski (Elmira, NY), who drove a March "773" in SCCA Regional and National Formula Atlantic races at his local Watkins Glen in 1980. He retained the car for 1981, when he also used the "76B/77B" in the CASC Formula Atlantic series race at Montréal in September. He appeared in it again a few times in 1982. An advert described the car as being both ex-Villeneuve and ex-Rahal, indicating it was one of the James Morgan team cars in 1977, but it was also described in a press report as the car used by James Hunt at Trois-Rivières. In June 1988, Levanduski mentioned in his 'Trackside' column in the Elmire Star-Gazette that the ex-Villeneuve 76B, which he still owned, had been restored to its 1976 Direct Film livery and was due to go on display at the Gilles Villeneuve Museum which was opening on 24 June. In May 2012, Levanduski mentioned the car again in his column, saying he had owned it since 1980, that it was chassis 11, and that Villeneuve had driven it just once in a race, at Westwood in 1976. In 2014, a feature on Levanduski mentioned that he had once a race at Watkins Glen in a 76B that was "later driven by James Hunt of the move 'Rush' fame to a third place finish at Trois-Rivières"! The chassis plate on the car in the museum confirms that it is chassis 76B-11, so the ex-Barone car.
Driven by: Seb Barone, James King, William Prout Jr, James Morgan, Bobby Rahal, Terry Visger and Ron Levanduski. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 20 recorded races.
Herman Gugliotta in his Isola Racing March 76B at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
New to Isola Racing for Herman Gugliotta (Dilliner, PA) to drive as the team's #33 entry in 1976, but run by Doug Shierson Racing. Unknown in 1977 and for most of 1978, but Gugliotta returned in late 1978, in a Formula Atlantic March that was later identified as an updated 76B, presumably the car he had owned from new. Gugliotta won the 1979 NE Div title in this car, and scored points again in NEDiv in 1980. The car passed to Lyle Heck (Reading, PA) who scored points in it in NEDiv in 1981, and still owned it in 1982. Advertised by Heck in June and July 1982. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Herman Gugliotta. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 11 recorded races.
Price Cobb in his March 76B at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Doug Shierson Racing ran a maroon/red #8 March 76B in 1976 for Price Cobb. In early 1977, it was entered by Doug Shierson Racing in SCCA Nationals for Steve "Gas" Saleen (Whitter, CA), but when the Pro series started in May, his entrant was Clayton Racing Team. The car's log book states that it was chassis 76B-13. Run by Clayton Racing for Frank Beetson (San Diego, CA) in 1978, when it was entered as a 77B. Also seen once in mid-1979 with Beetson, and later advertised by him in February 1980. Its history is then unknown until 1983, when it reappeared in the hands of John Herne (Santa Ana, CA). He retained it for WCAR in 1984, then sold it in early 1985 to John Blizzard (Prescott, AZ), who raced it in WCAR that season. Blizzard remembers selling it to someone in Phoenix, AZ. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Price Cobb, Steve "Gas" Saleen, Frank Beetson, John Herne and John Blizzard. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 41 recorded races.
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.
Driven by: Vittorio Brambilla, Richard Melville and Tiff Needell. First race: Trois-Rivières, 5 Sep 1976. Total of 26 recorded races.
A leaf green March 76B invoiced to Shierson in March 1976. The colour suggests it was one of the Ecurie Canada cars for Gilles Villeneuve; see the Gilles Villeneuve main car and the Gilles Villeneuve spare car. As this is the second of two leaf green March 76Bs, it is likely to be the spare car, which was on loan to Ecurie Canada from Shierson.
An orange March 76B invoiced to Shierson in April 1976. This may have been the Bobby Rahal spare car, which was on loan to Rahal from Shierson.
New to Sonny Rajah with a fuel-injected Hart engine, and run for Graeme Lawrence in South East Asia, under the Team Rothmans banner. Raced by Lawrence in the Penang, Selangor, Indonesia, Macau and Metro Manila Grands Prix in 1976, winning at Penang. Retained for 1977, when he again won the Penang race. Converted to Formula Pacific specification for 1978 and raced by Lawrence in New Zealand early in the year, then at the Penang, Malaysia, Selangor and Macau Grands Prix. To Romeo David, and raced in events at Shah Alam in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Also raced during David's ownership by Pocholo Ramirez in 1981 and Luis Camus in 1982. Subsequent history unknown, but a car in Lawrence's Rothmans livery was raced by Laurent Vallery-Masson as a 2-litre "Formula 2" March 77B from 2019 to 2023.
Driven by: Graeme Lawrence, Romeo David, José "Pocholo" Ramirez and Luis Camus. First race: Penang (R2), 2 May 1976. Total of 21 recorded races.
Bobby Brown in his Audiovox March 76B at the SCCA Runoff in 1976. Copyright Peter Watson 2023. Used with permission.
Jack Woodruff's March 76B in June 2020. Copyright Jack Woodruff 2020. Used with permission.
New to Bobby Brown (Hicksville, NY) to replace a Chevron B34 and raced in Pro events and in SCCA NEDiv FB in 1976, winning the 1976 Run-Offs. Brown won an early-season SCCA National at Charlotte in April 1977 before moving into Can-Am with a March 77S. The 76B was advertised in Road Racers Magazine in November 1977, so Brown must have kept it through the 1977 season. The car is then unknown for the next three seasons, returning to view when it was sold by fabricator Marc Bahner (Santa Ana, CA) to Chris Bender (Reno, NV) at the end of 1980. This is presumably the car Bender used to finish third in Northern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic in 1981. Bender later sold it to Ric Shaw (Santa Rosa, CA) who ran it as a CSR in NPDiv from 1982 to 1985, and then as a Formula Atlantic. Subsequent history unknown, until sold by Mark Rincon (Redding, CA) to Ken Stone (Redding, CA) some time before 2010, then sold to Jack Woodruff (Vail, Colorado) in 2013. It was restored from CSR to Formula Atlantic spec by Bahner but Woodruff wrecked the car at Laguna Seca when the front suspenson collapsed. It returned to Bahner again for a new chassis, and was racing again by 2020.
Driven by: Bobby Brown and Ric Shaw. First race: Lime Rock, 5 Jul 1976. Total of 14 recorded races.
Dave Charlton in the Scribante/Lucky Strike Racing March 76B at Roy Hesketh in 1977. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
Mike Domingo in his March 76B at Welkom in 1981. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
Sold to Dave Charlton in July 1976 for to drive for the Scribante team in South African Formula Atlantic, sponsored by United Tobacco through its Lucky Strike brand. The March replaced Charlton's existing Modus M3, debuting at the Rand Winter Trophy in August 1976 Charlton raced the March again in 1977, and at the start of 1978, at which point Lucky Strike withdrew Charlton's sponsorship, moving it to Tony Martin. The March 76B reverted to Alex Blignaut, who retained United Tobacco sponsorship through the Benson & Hedges brand. The 76B was kept as a spare car to the March 77B he ran for Nols Neiman until the end of the short 1978 season, when the engine and gearbox were sold to Andrew Thompson. The 76B was retained by Blignaut's team in 1979 but not used that season. It was then sold to the Domingo brothers (who also owned a bitza 76B built using a spare 76B monocoque) and fitted with a Mazda engine for Roy Klomfass to race in Formula South Africa in 1980. After Klomfass turned down the drive, Domingo drove it instead. The car was driven Dave Charlton at Kyalami in August 1980 as Domingo was observing Ramadan, but failed to start after being injured in practice for the saloon car race. Domingo continued to drive the car until early 1981, when it was sold to Ivano Moavero and raced by him in 1981 and part of 1982. Then in mid-1982, Moavero bought the highly-developed ex-Duxbury 77B, and sold the 76B to Michele ('Mike') Peters who raced it through to July 1985. Peters sold the car to Terry Moss, to replace the 77B that Moss had wrecked. However, instead of racing the 76B, Moss stripped the car and used its components to build up a March 782. The 76B tub was put aside until 2010, when it was acquired from a friend of Moss by Bernard Tilanus. The tub number showed that it was the original monocoque from 76B/19, so it was reunited with its original chassis plate (which had been kept by Brian Raubenheimer) and fully rebuilt. It was later sold by Tilanus to the Scribante family. In early 2022, the Scribante family sold the 76B and their March 782 to Mark Charteris in the UK. He kept the 782 but sold the 76B to Paul Nightingale in Derbyshire. Restored by Nightingale and tested briefly at Anglesey. It was due to be run by Tim Gray in an HSCC race at Croft in August 2024 until the race was cancelled.
Driven by: Dave Charlton, Mike Domingo, Ivano Moavero, Michele Peter and Terry Moss. First race: Kyalami (R7), 7 Aug 1976. Total of 41 recorded races.
Sold via Doug Shierson to Ken Smith (New Zealand) and debuts in early 1977 New Zealand races. Retained to 1981 then sold to Warren Binning. Returned to Smith in 1982 and retained to at least 2003. Advertised by Andy Higgins of Classic Revival Ltd for Smith in April 2021.
Driven by: Ken Smith and Warwick Binning. First race: Baypark Raceway (R1), 3 Jan 1977. Total of 26 recorded races.
March 76Bs in 1976
According to March records, 17 March 76Bs were sold via Doug Shierson: 76B/2 (pale blue), 76B/3 (yellow), 76B/4 (orange), 76B/5 (green), 76B/6 (blue), 76B/7 (midnight blue with red stripes), 76B/8 (red), 76B/9 (white), 76B/10 (leaf green), 76B/11 (white), 76B/12 (white), 76B/13 (orange), 76B/14 (orange), 76B/15 (leaf green), 76B/16 (orange), 76B/18 (white) and 76B/20 (blue). Of these, 76B/20 was for Ken Smith in New Zealand, so was not a North American car, the colours of 76B/7 exactly identify it as the car of John Mortensen, and we can be confident that the leaf green cars (76B/10 and 76B/15) were for Skiroule-sponsored Gilles Villeneuve. Some of the colours were unique, so the yellow 76B/3 is presumably Tom Pumpelly's car, the green 76B/5 presumably James King's darker green car, the blue 76B/6 presumably Tom Outcault's, and the red 76B/8 Dale Lang's. Additionally, the pale blue 76B/2 has been identified as Cliff Hansen's from its original invoice and the white 76B/9 has been identified as Don Breidenbach's car from its Cal Club rollhoop stamping. That leaves seven to identity: the four orange cars (76B/4, 76B/13, 76B/14 and 76B/16) and three of the four white cars (76B/11, 76B/12 and 76B/18). Later information from SCCA log books tells us that Steve Saleen's car in 1977 was 76B/13, and his car was reported to be the 1976 car of Price Cobb, which was reported to be maroon. The other three orange cars (76B/4, 76B/14 and 76B/16) would be the car of Marty Loft (thought to be 76B/14), and the main car and spare car of Bobby Rahal.
That leaves three white cars (76B/11, 76B/12 and 76B/18), which would be the early-season cars raced by Seb Barone and Herman Gugliotta, plus the late-season car of Bobby Brown. As 76B/18 was not invoiced until June, we can be confident it was Brown's car, which debuted in July, so that leaves 76B/11 and 76B/12 to be the two Isola Racing cars for Barone and Gugliotta. Tracking the route of Barone's 76B through later owners James Morgan and Ron Levanduski established that it was 76B/11, leaving Gugliotta with 76B/12.
Some Shierson hire or loan deals may have ended after the final CASC round at Mosport Park on 22 August. Tom Pumpelly (76B/3?) crashed at Mosport and his car was "written off"; Marty Loft (76B/14?) also stopped after an accident at Mosport; Herman Gugliotta (76B/12) stopped after Mosport, only to reappear two years later in a "77B" that might or might not be the same car; and Bobby Rahal's spare car (76B/16?) might have been reclaimed after Mosport. Of the others, James King (76B/5?) and Seb Barone (76B/11) both continued to Trois-Rivières and both crashed in that race; Gilles Villeneuve's main and spare cars (76B/10 and 76B/15) both continued to Road Atlanta in mid-September; Bobby Rahal (76B/4?), Dale Lang (76B/8?), Don Breidenbach (76B/9) and Price Cobb (76B/13) all continued to the end of the IMSA season in October at least; Cliff Hansen (76B/2?), John Mortensen (76B/7) and Bobby Brown (76B/18) all continued to the Runoffs; and Tom Outcault (76B/6?) continued into 1977.
So Shierson had up to four cars available for hire deals at Trois-Rivières and later in the season: the Marty Loft car (76B/14?) assuming it was rebuilt, Bobby Rahal's spare car (76B/16?) assuming it was reclaimed, Tom Pumpelly's (76B/3) assuming it was rebuilt, and Herman Gugliotta's (76B/12) assuming he did not retained it unused for two years). Two new drivers appeared in Shierson 76Bs at Trois-Rivières: Wink Bancroft who hired a March after wrecked his Chevron in practice; and guest driver Vittorio Brambilla. Brambilla's car was later (in New Zealand) identified as 76B/14, a car delivered in orange gel coat but black when Brambilla drove it, and therefore most likely to have been the ex-Loft car. The most likely car for Bancroft to have hired is Bobby Rahal's spare car, but we cannot rule out Tom Pumpelly's 76B/3 or Herman Gugliotta's 76B/12.
James King in his March 76B at Road America in 1976. Copyright Jeff Luebker 2021. Used with permission.
James King (East St Louis, IL) had a #47 March 76B in 1976, entered by his own Raggedy Ann Motorsport but run by Doug Shierson Racing. The car was dark green, so is likely to have been chassis 76B/5. King crashed the car at Trois-Rivières in September while trying to pass Tambay and it was not seen again.
King went to England for 1977, to race a works March in Formula 3. The wrecked 76B is likely to have ended up with Shierson, so is likely to have been repaired and sold. Subsequent history unknown but see the Charles Nearburg car in 1978, which is said to have been the King car rebuilt on a new chassis.
Driven by: James King. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 5 recorded races.
Ecurie Canada ran a pair of green #69 March 76Bs in 1976 for Gilles Villeneuve (Lasalle, Quebec) with support from Skiroulle. Skiroule's signature green colour suggests they were the two cars listed in March records as being "leaf green", 76B-10 and 76B-15. According to Ecurie Canada mechanic Graham Scott, Villeneuve used his main car for all his wins, only racing his spare car at Westwood. At the end of the season, Villeneuve's main car was returned to Shierson, who rented it to Tom Pumpelly for the SCCA Run-Offs at Road Atlanta, where Pumpelly crashed it. John Norman (Oakland, CA) bought the remains of the Road Atlanta wreck and rebuilt it, then racing it as part of a two-car team with Dan Marvin in 1977 and 1978. Norman sold the car around 1984 to Graham Scott, but he lacked the finance to restore it. He sold it back to Norman, in partnership with Paul Pfanner, and it was restored to Villeneuve's livery by Norman, Dan Marvin, and others.
Driven by: Gilles Villeneuve, Tom Pumpelly, Jon Norman and Dan Marvin. First race: Road Atlanta (R1), 11 Apr 1976. Total of 28 recorded races.
Marty Loft's Hanna Car Washes March 76B at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Marty Loft (Olympia, WA) hired a March 76B from Doug Shierson Racing for the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series. The car was orange and entered as #4 with support from Hanna Car Washes, who had sponsored Loft during his very successful Formula Ford season in 1975. Loft won at Westwood, but crashed in the final series round at Mosport in August. Subsequent history unknown, but this may have been the car that was repainted black for Vittorio Brambilla to drive at Trois-Rivières in September with Sony backing.
Driven by: Marty Loft. First race: Edmonton (R1), 16 May 1976. Total of 6 recorded races.
Bobby Rahal had a spare March 76B for the 1976 Formula Atlantic season, which he recalls was on loan from Doug Shierson. He raced this car at Westwood in late May, but is believed to have used his main car at all other races. Shierson loaned this car to Tom Pumpelly to race at Mont-Tremblant on 11 July, after Pumpelly had wrecked his usual car in practice. This car is likely to have returned to Shierson, either after the CASC season completed on 22 August or after the IMSA season concluded in early October. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Bobby Rahal and Tom Pumpelly. First race: Westwood (R2), 30 May 1976. Total of 2 recorded races.
James Hunt awaiting the start in the Remada Inns Ecurie Canada March 76B at the 1976 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières Grand Prix. Copyright Paul Nemy 2020. Used with permission.
Ecurie Canada ran a pair of green #69 March 76Bs in 1976 for Gilles Villeneuve (Lasalle, Quebec) with support from Skiroulle. Skiroule's signature green colour suggests they were the two cars listed in March records as being "leaf green", 76B-10 and 76B-15. The main car was owned by Ecurie Canada, but the spare car was on loan from March importer Doug Shierson. According to Graham Scott, who worked for Ecurie Canada in 1976 and then for James Morgan in 1977, Villeneuve's spare car was only raced once, at Westwood at the end of May. Villeneuve then crashed it in testing at St Jovite (Mont-Tremblant) in July, and it had to be rebuilt on a new monocoque. It was repainted in red Ramada livery and used by F1 star James Hunt at Trois-Rivières in September, and then by Howdy Holmes at Road Atlanta, where he wrecked it. Scott recalls that it was rebuilt on another new monocoque and sold to James Morgan, who ran a two-car team in 1977, his other car being the ex Seb Barone 76B. Morgan raced them in early 1977 SCCA races alongside Bobby Rahal (Glen Ellyn, IL) and then entered them for Rahal in the 1977 Pro series with sponsorship from Red Roof Inns. Rahal is also reported to have had a 77B which was crashed at the opening race. The ex-Barone 76B then went to Ron Levanduski (Elmira, NY) in 1980, but it is not known where the ex-Villeneuve car went.
Driven by: Gilles Villeneuve, James Hunt, Howdy Holmes, James Morgan and Bobby Rahal. First race: Westwood (R2), 30 May 1976. Total of 15 recorded races.
Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (Costa Mesa, CA) had a Fred Opert Racing Chevron B34 for 1976 but wrecked the car in practice at Trois-Rivières in September and borrowed a Shierson March 76B for that race and for the two remaining IMSA races. The identity of the 76B is unknown as several of Shierson's usual drivers were absent from Trois-Rivières so their cars would have been available.
Driven by: Hugh "Wink" Bancroft. First race: Trois-Rivières, 5 Sep 1976. Total of 6 recorded races.
March 76Bs in 1977
There had been 16 March 76Bs sold for North American racing: 76B/2 (Cliff Hansen?), 76B/3 (Tom Pumpelly?), 76B/4 (Bobby Rahal?), 76B/5 (James King?), 76B/6 (Tom Outcault?), 76B/7 (John Mortensen), 76B/8 (Dale Lang?), 76B/9 (Don Breidenbach), 76B/10 (Gilles Villeneuve), 76B/11 (Seb Barone), 76B/12 (Herman Gugliotta), 76B/13 (Price Cobb), 76B/14 (Marty Loft?), 76B/15 (Gilles Villeneuve), 76B/16 (Bobby Rahal T car?), and 76B/18 (Bobby Brown).
We can account for 12 of these 16 in 1977: Cliff Hansen's 76B/2 was retained as a spare car for 1977; Tom Pumpelly's 76B/3(?) had last been seen when wrecked by Pumpelly in 1976; Bobby Rahal's 76B/4? went to Burt Ballard and Doug Dreager; Tom Outcault appears to have retained 76B/6(?) for use in SCCA Nationals, but it was rebuilt with a 1977 monocoque at some stage; Dale Lang's 76B/8 appears to have been retained for 1977, but data is lacking on that; Villeneuve's main car (76B/10 or 76B/15, probably the former) went to Jon Norman; Villeneuve's spare car (76B/10 or 76B/15, probably the latter) went to Jim Morgan; Seb Barone's 76B/11 was also sold to Morgan; Herman Gugliotta retained his 76B/12; Price Cobb's 76B/13 went to Steve Saleen; 76B/14 went to Richard Melville in New Zealand; and Bobby Brown retained his 76B/18, advertising it in November 1977.
That leaves four: 76B/5 (James King?), 76B/7 (John Mortensen), 76B/9 (Don Breidenbach) and 76B/16 (Bobby Rahal spare car?), which are all unknown in 1977. The Rahal spare car is the most likely to have gone to Wink Bancroft, but that car is unknown after a race in early 1977, and the Mortensen car is thought to have gone to Rick Shea for Tom Gloy to drive. That still leaves two 76Bs that seem to have disappeared after the 1976 season. King's car was crashed at its last known race, and King then went to Europe for a season of Formula 3, so it is likely that his car ended up back with Shierson. Ted Walker reports that King's car was rebuilt on a new monocoque and sold to Chuck Nearburg. There is a little sign of Mortensen in 1977, but he did score two points in NEDiv FB, so that suggests he retained his car for at least part of the season. Breidenbach moved into SCCA Formula A and Can-Am for 1977, so his March 76B is likely to have been sold at the end of 1976. One of the Shierson 76Bs appears to have been retained by DSR as a spare for Bill Brack, which could explain the ex-King car (76B/5) or the former Rahal spare car (76B/16?) in 1977.
Also in 1977, some older Marches started to appear on the west coast of the US that had been updated to 76B specification by the Newman-Dreager combine, which operated the ex-Bobby Rahal 76B. One such car was Jimmy Santos's March 722.
The list below shows the new and unexplained 77B drivers in 1977. Mike Domingo in South Africa was driving a 76B newly built up from a monocoque crashed by Ian Scheckter. Dan Marvin's was also new, built up from a monocoque that Norman had fabricated himself. The other two still need to be identified: Burt Ballard and Doug Dreager had one of Bobby Rahal's two cars, but we don't know which; and Tom Gloy's car would have been either Mortensen's 76B/7 or Breidenbach's 76B/9.
Mike Domingo in his March 76B at Welkom in 1977. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
Mike Domingo in his March 76B at Kyalami in 1979. Copyright David Pearson (motoprint.co.za) 2024. Used with permission.
A car built up by Mike Domingo at the start of 1977 using a monocoque that Ian Scheckter had damaged when testing 76B/1 after the race at Aldo Scribante in March 1976. Domingo's car is usually referred to as "76B/1 (A)" as it built around the first tub from 76B/1. It was raced by Mike Domingo through 1977, 1978 and 1979, still with its BDA engine. It was then rebuilt with a Mazda engine for 1980, but was damaged at Kyalami in January. The car was rebuilt, but the Domingos also acquired Alex Blignaut's 76B/19 which was built up for Roy Klomfass to drive. When Klomfass declined the drive, Mike Domingo moved to the ex-Blignaut car, leaving his original car redundant. The ex-Scheckter tub and associated spares were sold in mid-1980 to Vernon Bricknell as spares for the March 76B-1 he had just acquired from the DAW Supplies team. When Bricknell sold 76B-1 to the Pretoria Brick Racing Team in early 1981, the remains of the Domingo car remained with Bricknell until damaged when the building in which they were being stored collapsed. The tub was scrapped and the remaining parts sold to Trevor Trautmann for a sports car project. At this stage, the Domingo 76B had effectively ceased to exist.
Driven by: Mike Domingo, Joe Domingo, Yunus Domingo and Roy Klomfass. First race: Roy Hesketh (R1), 15 Jan 1977. Total of 30 recorded races.
At the end of the 1976 season, Burt Ballard bought Bobby Rahal's March 76B, travelling up to Bobby's parents house to collect it. It was tested for Ballard by Doug Dreager, and raced by Dreager at Riverside, Laguna Seca, and Sears Point. Then sold to Claren Lucini and Tim Fortner, and raced for them by Bob Earl (Claremont, CA/Orinda, CA/Novato, CA) to win an SCCA National at Sears Point in April 1978. Earl had started the 1978 season driving a late-1976 Chevron B34 for Tourte Racing, managed by Ron Tourte and owned by actor James Brolin. The March joined the team and was raced by Earl in the Labatts race at Westwood on 23 April, but the engine seized and Earl moved back to Brolin's Chevron B34. Butch Owsley (Aptos, CA/San Jose, CA), the previous driver of Brolin's Chevron, then took over the March 76B and raced it in SCCA events in California from June to November 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Doug Dreager, Bob Earl and Butch Owsley. First race: Sears Point, 3 Apr 1977. Total of 9 recorded races.
Rick Shea Racing Team ran a #11 March 76B in 1977 for Tom Gloy (Lafayette, CA) but the origins of the car are unclear. Shea's recollection is that this car was John Mortensen's which can be identified with confidence as 76B-7. Shea and Gloy retained the car for 1978, when it was run as #38 and had a front-mounted radiator. Gloy last raced it at Hamilton in August, after which it was advertised by Bud Rude (Spanaway, WA) in September, noting that it had a new monocoque. It was then sold, still yellow and with its front radiator, to Gary Fernandez for 1979, who painted it red. Fernandez crashed the car in April 1979, and it was repaired by Arnie Loyning, who ended up owning it, and raced it a couple of times. It was subsequently traded (for a Sports 2000) to Bob Lesnett (Berkeley, CA), owner of Pfieffer Ridge Racing, so would be the "77B" he raced in SCCA Nationals in 1982, and during his ownership the tub was rebuilt by Marc Bahner.
An "ex-Gloy" March was later advertised by Pfeiffer Ridge Racing in nearby Richmond, CA, in January 1984. Subsequent history unknown, but see the Mike Fazzi car, which appeared out of Sebastopol, CA, in 1998, just 50 miles from Berkeley and Richmond.
Driven by: Tom Gloy, Rick Shea, Gary Fernandez, Arnstein 'Arnie' Loyning and Bob Lesnett. First race: Mosport Park (R1), 22 May 1977. Total of 19 recorded races.
Dan Marvin (El Sobrante, CA) drove a #59 March 76B in 1977 as part of Jon Norman's Boxtrom-Berglen Norman Racing team. The car was built up using a tub that Norman had fabricated himself, using an unknown number of parts of unknown origin. It was, in effect, a new car. Marvin raced the car in both Pro Formula Atlantic and in SCCA Nationals in 1977 and 1978.
Driven by: Dan Marvin. First race: Laguna Seca, 26 Jun 1977. Total of 10 recorded races.
March 76Bs in 1978
Richard W. Bradley (Sunnyvale, CA/Mountain View, CA) raced a #53 March 76B/77B in a couple of races at the start of the 1978 season, but did not arrive for the second Pro race of the season and was not seen again. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Rich Bradley. First race: Long Beach (R1), 1 Apr 1978. Total of 2 recorded races.
Dick Ferguson in his March 77B at Long Beach in April 1978. Copyright John Lehmann 2021. Used with permission.
Dick Ferguson (Los Angeles, CA) raced a #44 March 76B/77B at Long Beach at the start of the 1978 Pro season, and made a couple of entries at races later in the season. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Dick Ferguson. First race: Long Beach (R1), 1 Apr 1978. Only one recorded race.
Charles Nearburg in his Formula A March 76B/77B at the SCCA Runoffs at Road Atlanta in 1978. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Charles Nearburg (Dallas, TX) raced a March in SCCA Southwest Division Formula B in 1978, scoring 51 points. In an advert in October 1978, Nearburg revealed that this car was a 76B/77B, with a "complete Shierson update" and "new tub". Together with the dark green bodywork, this is consistent with it having been the James King car in 1976, believed to have been chassis 76B/5.
At the end of the season, he bought one of Price Cobb's two March 78Bs, and raced that in the SCCA Runoffs. However, Nearburg had also qualified for the Runoffs in Formula A, so fitted the older 76B/77B with an oversized FB engine and ran it in the FA Runoffs. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Charles Nearburg. First race: Texas World Speedway (R2), 30 Apr 1978. Total of 4 recorded races.
The late 1978 March 76Bs
Two or three March 76Bs appeared at the end of 1978, all in the same area of southern California. Frank Bramante, Mark Moore and Ray Downing all lived south of Los Angeles and all drove March 76Bs numbered #5 or #15 starting in October 1978. Bramante progressed to a March 78B in 1979, but Dowing appeared again in early 1979 and Moore later in the season. It's not logistically possible for them all to have shared a single March 76B, but there may have been some sharing involved.
Frank Bramante (Orange, CA, but a member of SCCA San Francisco Region) raced a #5 March 76B in a late-season SCCA Regional at Laguna Seca on 22 Oct 1978. He finished seventh in class (12th overall). It is worth noting that #5 is the number used by Ray Downing (Dana Point, CA, in Orange County), on the March 76B that he raced in the final Regional of the SFR season at Sears Point on 12 November. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Frank Bramante. First race: Laguna Seca, 22 Oct 1978. Only one recorded race.
Mark Moore (Irvine, CA) appeared in a March 76B in a San Francisco Region SCCA Regional at Laguna Seca in October 1978. He appeared several more times in the car in 1979, scoring nine points in SCCA Formula Atlantic that season. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Mark Moore. First race: Laguna Seca, 22 Oct 1978. Only one recorded race.
Ray Downing (Dana Point, CA) raced a March "76B" in a SCCA San Francisco Regional Championship race at Sears Point in November 1978. He retained the car for 1979, appearing in three Riverside races early in the season and then at Hallett in July. He was entered at #15 at the Riverside races, the same number used by Mark Moore (Irvine, CA, just 20 miles from Dana Point) on his March 76B at Willow Springs in April, and in two races at Riverside in May. It is possible that Downing and Moore were sharing the car. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Ray Downing. First race: Sears Point, 12 Nov 1978. Total of 2 recorded races.
Modern March 76Bs
Some of the March 76Bs currently running in historic racing are not fully understood.
Larry Savage's 1977-tubbed March 76B in 2019. Copyright Larry Savage 2019. Used with permission.
Mike Fazzi (Costa Mesa, CA) owned a March 76B between 1998 and 2002. Prior to Fazzi, it had been at a shop in Sebastopol, CA. He sold it via Graham Collins to David Kane, who sold it on in 2006. Kane crashed the car at some point, and sold it in 2011 to Larry Savage, who still owned it in 2019. At that point it had a SCCA log book 19-1758 made out for a "March 76" with identifier "773:20", which indicates a March 77B monocoque. The log book is dated 10 February 1979, and has a first event of the Riverside National. The car had a reproduction "76B-9" chassis plate with an incorrect sequence number and monocoque '773:61', a 1977 monocoque but with a different number to the log book. It was then in yellow Tom Gloy/Shea Racing livery. In 2019, the car was sold via Rick Larner to Dwight Matheson (Meadow Vista, CA).
Ian Rimmer's March 76B at Silverstone in July 2006. Copyright Allen Brown 2006. Used with permission.
Frazer Gibney in his March 76B at Thruxton in April 2014. Copyright Keith Lewcock 2014. Used with permission.
Ian Rimmer raced a March 76B in the HSCC's Derek Bell Trophy in 2006. He mentioned on 10 Tenths that it had come from Canada. The car spent some time in Sweden before returning to the UK in 2011. At that time the car reportedly still had a Canadian logbook, and this is said to have described it as chassis 76B/12 and to have listed owner "Aluhein" (Mark Akerstream?) in 1980 and "Russell Thompson" (Russ Thomson?) in 1981. To Frazer Gibney (London) and raced in HSCC F2 from 2012 to 2014. Seen again with Gibney in 2016 and 2018. By 2019, the car had been acquired by Peter Micklewright (Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire), who raced it in HSCC Historic Formula 2, still in green-and-orange James King livery. Raced by Micklewright at Silverstone in May 2021.
In either 2007 or 2011, Barry Singleton (Croftby, Queensland, Australia) acquired a March "76B" from "John Dorricott Racing" in the USA. Barry and Craig Singleton raced a #18 March 76B or 77B from 2006 to 2009. Craig drove it at Historic Warwick in April 2006, and at Queensland Raceway in November and December 2007. Craig Singleton drove it at Queensland Raceway in 2008 and 2009, then Barry again at Cootha Classic in June 2009. Then at Warwick in July 2009, Barry had a #18 March 77B for himself and a #20 March 76B driven by Craig. No further record can be found of the car racing in Australia, but Craig drove a #118 "77B" at the NZ Festival of Motor Racing at Hampton Downs in January 2010. In 2023, Barry Singleton advertised a March as "76B-6", with a photograph showing it wearing #18.
In addition to the above, unknown March 76Bs were driven by John (Ron) Payne, Ron Le Page, Milan Garrett, Doug Krause and Danny Thompson.
Sources
See Autosport 1 Jan 1976 p7 for a brief description of the new March range.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Chris Townsend for his extensive work on this subject, and to Ian Hebblethwaite for deciphering the histories of the South African cars. Thanks also to Doug Dreager, ex-Ecurie Canada/James Morgan mechanic Graham Scott, Cliff Hansen’s nephew Scott Hansen, Tom Schultz, Simon Hadfield, Alan Brown, Steve Wilkinson, Steve Bay, Tony Nicholson, Alan Morgan, Jack Woodruff, Ian Ashdown, John Blizzard, John Sexton, Ken Stone and Larry Savage. Also to Peter Viccary, David Pearson, Peter Watson, R. Allen Olmstead, Dave Munroe, Paul Nemy, Scott Hansen, John Lehmann, Keith Lewcock, Jack Woodruff and Jeff Luebker for allowing the use of their photographs.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
These histories last updated on .