Another Chevron one

[Dan Rear]

Anyone remember the much later Atlantic Chevrons, the B53 and B56. I remember Gary Gibson had something called the B53 in Ireland in 1981. Was this a new car, or an update of a previous one, perhaps his B42. I vaguely recall seeing a picture of it at the time in MN or A/Sport, it looked a bit like a B47-B50.

The B56 was driven by Masanori Sekiya in the dying 82 Atlantic series in England. I saw this car, not very fast, and looking much more like an RT4. Again was this a new one, or an update of a previous model ?

Over to you Chris/jeremy/Richard etc !!

Dan

[Timo C]

Re. Chevron Atlantics. yes the B53 and B56 were new cars designed and built by Robin Smith in the Scottish Chevron period. They were actually very tidy cars and were quick in the right hands. The problem was that they arrived as the UK Atlantic scene died. there are still a couple racing in USA.

We had a spare (honeycomb) chassis at Chevron in Winchester for years.....

[Dan Rear]

Timo

Very interesting, do you know how many of each were made, and how well they did in the States ?

Dan

[Peter Mallett]

Welcome Timo.

[Richard Young]

As I recall, Gary Gibson's B53 looked pretty much like a 'smoothed out' B48. Thr B56 was a Ralt lookalike and was driven by Robin Smith at Phoenix Park and (Ithink) by Gary Gibson at Macao in one of the final Atlantic races run there before F3 came along. The B53 subsequently became a hill climber in N.Ireland with Robert McGimpsey (circa 88/89) before going I-know-not-where

[Dan Rear]

Richard, thanks for the update on the B56. I guess it was owned by Robin S, and just rented out to Sekiya. IIRC it had 'Brands Hatch Racing' stickers on it when I saw it, I suppose John Webb was involved in the deal somewhere. How did it go at Phoenix, or Macao for that matter.

separate matter, I remember an excellent Phoenix Park Atlantic race in I think '79. Had all the usual Irish guys, some of the British Hitachi cars, plus a few interlopers like Rothengatter, Eddie J, and possibly Derek Daly. Do you have any details ??

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

separate matter, I remember an excellent Phoenix Park Atlantic race in I think '79. Had all the usual Irish guys, some of the British Hitachi cars, plus a few interlopers like Rothengatter, Eddie J, and possibly Derek Daly. Do you have any details ??

Dan, were you there that year ? I remember going to the race as a 10 year old kid. It was the 50th anniversary of the Phoenix Park races and there was a special souvenir programme [A4 size as opposed to the normal B5 size]. I kept it for a long time afterwards, but its gone awol now. From what I remember, though the grid was excellent, the race didn't live up to it. David Kennedy annihilated the field in the Group Waterworks car... it was kinda like a triumphant homecoming for him having raced overseas that year. I do remember the crowd there to be enormous. It was the heyday of The Park with possibly 50,000 spectators.

All of the above is from a very sketchy childhood memory, so I apologize in advance if I'm incorrect.

[Dunzer]

Dan, the '79 Phoenix Park Atlantic race was won by David Kennedy...not sure if Eddie Jordan was in that one.I do know he was in the 1980 Atlantic race which was won by Alo.Very sketchy details I know,maybe Richard will have some more info.

[Jeremy Jackson]

Eddie Jordan was there, in a works B49 - finished 8th. And it was Dan Daly, not Derek Daly.

I've got the full finishers if you're interested

[Chris Townsend]

Jeremy

Yes please, haven't got a full result for this race in my '79 Atlantic records

Chris

[Jeremy Jackson]

Shellsport Formula Atlantic Trophy, Phoenix Park, 40 laps x 2.125 miles

September 16 1979

1. David Kennedy E. P. Mooney Ltd. RT1 49:36.4 (FL: 1:13.0 (104.79))
2. Alo Lawler L & B T460 49:45.2
3. Jim Crawford B45 50:00.4
4. Richard Parsons B42 50:78.6 (?!)
5. Huub Rothengatter B48
6. David Lambe B27 39 laps
7. Mike Nugent JM5 39 laps
8. Eddie Jordan Derek McMahon Racing B49 39 laps
9. Patsy McGarrity Modus M3 38 laps
10.P.J. Fallon B29 38 laps
11.Tyrrell Arnold M3 37 laps
12.Paddy Farrelly B25 35 laps
13.Ken Fildes B29 32 laps
DNF: Gibson: Black-flagged
DNF: Gowdy at "half-distance"
DNF: Wainwright 24 laps
DNF: Candy On lap 33, Transmission
DNS: Templeton "Out before the start"

Qual:
David Kennedy RT1 1:13.8 (#65)
Alo Lawler T460 1:14.6 (#61)
Jim Crawford B45 1:14.6
Gary Gibson B42 1:14.6
Eddie Jordan B49 1:14.8
Mike Nugent Argo JM5 1:15.2
Huub Rothengatter B48 1:15.4
Wayne Wainwright B42 1:15.4
David Lambe B27 1:16.0
Vivian Candy Marlboro/Capt. America B42 1:16.0
Richard Parsons B42 1:16.2
Trevor Templeton B42 1:16.2
Patsy McGarrity Modus M3 1:16.4
Ken Fildes B29 1:16.6
P.J. Fallon B29 1:16.8 (Candy's usual car)
Bill Gowdy RT1 1:17.0
Dan Daly Crosslé 22F 1:17.8
Tyrrell Arnold Modus M3 1:19.6
Paddy Farrelly B25 1:24.6

Kennedy's RT1 quoted in Autosport as "previously raced by Alan Jones at Macau, and rebuilt after lying idle in the Far East for the last 2 years"

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy

Brilliant and thanks, for some reason this obscure race has always interested me, perhaps becos' Atlantic got a decent grid for one of the very few times that year.

Some intriguing cars/drivers too. What was Parsons B42, I thought he had an ex-McGarrity B34 that year. I'm not sure about EJ's B49, if it was works, I suspect it was the B48 Devaney used at Donington F2 in August that year. AFAIK the only B49 was Jeffreys Hope Scott car. Gibson and Wainwright B42s were I think the ex-Daly F2 ICI cars from 78.

What about the Candy and Templeton B42s, are these genuine or typos or earlier cars 'updated' ? And Gowdy's RT1, new the previous year when I saw him at Donington, or an update. Finally, the Nugent Argo went well didn't it, in good company, also Alo outqualifying Crawford, very surprising, or some 'blarney' at work !!!

Regards

Dan

[Jeremy Jackson]

Dan,

Suspect you're right re Jordan's "B49". Picture in Autosport of the first corner shows the car with a B42-type nose. Text of the report says "F2 B49, a works car running in Atlantic spec"

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy

The car Devaney had at Donington F2 a few weeks before that Phoenix race was a wide-nosed B48, ie like the B42. I think Rothengatter's Docking car had that nose too.

On this point the Gordon book says 8 B48s were made. I reckon 2 were works/Rahal, one each to, Trivellato for Stohr, Docking for Huub, Jochen Dauer (KWS ?), another works one for Gaillard, what about the other 2 ? Any ideas, perhaps the B49 was classed as a B48 in their records, even so that still leaves one. Far East maybe ??

Dan

[Jeremy Jackson]

According to the F1R,

01: Works-Rahal
02: ?? Listed in F1Rs index, but unless I'm going crazy, isn't listed in any race. So asssumed to be Dauer's??)
03: Rothengatter
04: Stohr
05: Listed as Rahal T-car at Thruxton, nothing more
06: RAM for de Dryver (possibly)
07: Listed as Rothengatter T-car at Thruxton, nothing more
08: Works (Gaillard, Devaney)

There was one raced in Japan by Team Phoenix for Fujita (05 or 07?). Dauer has a lot of DNAs up to Pau then disappears from the entries. Did he actually have a B48?

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy

I agree with much of B48 listings, pretty sure Dauer definitely had one, didn't he finish quite well in it at one of the early season German rounds, thats in the top 10 I mean, not any higher !

I'd forgotten about the RAM/de Dryver car, but it does ring bells. Was he entered for one of the F2 races in 79, he did Aurora with RAM that year of course. I must admit when I saw the entry (in a Belgian F2 round??) I suspected it may have been the B42 they had for Regout that year updated, rather than a brand new B48.

The Japanese car may well have existed, it would make the nos add up, since I'm pretty sure Rahal did have 2. I think this 'cos 2 of the 3 that came to Britain in 80 were listed as ex-Rahal, that is the Booth and Baker cars. I think Robinson had '08' which he used from late-79 , the ex-Gaillard/Devaney one that EJ used at Phoenix Park. I suspect we may never the whole truth, I guess the Bolton records were not that important at the time.

Btw where can I get the F1R records, are they on the web anywhere ?

Dan

[Jeremy Jackson]

Robinson definitely had 08, Baker had 05, Booth had 01. I'd forgotten about Baker's car. I guess that wasn't the Japanese car then.

OK, fair enough - Dauer started with a B48 (un-numbered (by F1R) at the Nurburgring in April - crashed after 2 laps.

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy

The race I had in mind for Dauer was at the Ring in 80, when he finished 5th in the B48. Pretty good effort that, though I guess the Ring was always good at throwing up big shocks. I also noted, from the same source, that Robinson also finished 5th at the 81 Silverstone F2 season opener in, it says, the B42, though I wonder if it was his B48. Were you at that race, I wasn't but I recall it was very wet, Thackwell won in the Ralt Honda, there were a few other 'odd' placings that day. I think he (Robinson) converted one of his cars into an Esprit GT car, any memories of this??

Dan

[Jeremy Jackson]

I saw Robinson's Esprit (based on the B48) loads of times, tried to get to as many of those Transnational GTs races as I could. Can't remember when he converted it, i saw it first in 1983. He was in the B42 at Silverstone 1981, the chassis he used for most of the 1979 Aurora series.

F1R has Dauer in (possibly) B48 06 at the 1980 Eifelrennen.

[Bryan Miller]

All.

The Huub Rothengatter car B48-79-07 , with it's Alan Docking modified bodywork was used by Australian Andrew Miedecke at Macau , and had a pretty good accident in Andrews hands.
Car returned to Aust. damaged and bodywork discarded , the rest of the car inclunding Hewland FG are still in this form residing in the Southern Highlands of N.S.W.
Neeeds a new tub, otherwise everything is still there less BDA.

Bryan Miller.

[David McKinney]

07 was the car used by Rothengatter in the (January) 1980 NZ Formula Pacific series

[David McKinney]

Have also just noticed that Steve Jewell was racing a B48/07 in UK late 1980s/early 1990s. He also had 08, but I have a clear mental picture of the two cars parked side by side in the Thruxton paddock
Make of that what you will!

[Chris Townsend]

Chevron B48s

Broadly agree with what's been said about who had what so far, but the description of the Jordan car as a 'B49' might be sort of accurate. F1R is often inaccurate on F2 chassis numbers [witness the Briggs Chevron B42s in 1978].

Jordan's was the car raced by Devaney at the Donington F2 round. It had earlier been raced by Gaillard in Euro F2. It was built as a development car in late 78 as an updated B42. Patrese races it in Macau '78, then it goes to Japan where Rosberg uses it in Japan GP [March 79, entered by Le Mans co]. Then it comes back to Europe.

Brian Robinson owns B48-08 in 1980 and 81, but I'm wondering if that was, indeed, this car, or if it was another B48 that didn't sell.

Chris

[Chris Townsend]

Chevron B49s

Andy Jeffrey has B49-01 [chassis given in Motoring News]
Rothmans Pacific have B49-04 for Graeme Lawrence [chassis given in NZ Motor Action when car is run by Peter Haskett and described as ex Lawrence.]
Monte Tolama has two cars run by Opert in USA
So, at least 4 B49s.

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Chris

Thats very interesting re 4 B49s, I've mentioned on here before that I'd always thought Jeffrey's was the only one. How did the Opert/Tolama cars go in the US, and were they in the main series there ? There's certainly no mention of them in the 79 Autocourse Top 10 results.

I'm pretty certain Robinsons car was -08, he debuted it at Silverstone in Oct 79 Aurora, and it definitely looked like the one I'd seen at Donington with Devaney, and that EJ had at Phoenix.

Should we assi=ume that Huub did have 2 cars in 79, 03 & 07.

David, re the Jewell cars, were they both definitely B48s, or possibly B47s updated somehow. Brian Turner in Monoposto in about 85 had B47-08, I wonder whether there has been some number transposition here, as Bryan has B48-07 in Oz still. Also, we ssem to think Robinsons 08 was converted into a GT Esprit, I accept it could well have been converetd back.

Very very interesting !!!!