How appropriate can it be that Bill Brack, the 1974-75 Formula Atlantic champion is forming the Historic Formula Atlantic Association? Preserving the series that epitomized his own career, Brack's efforts to launch an organization that celebrates the storied series that produced champions at the highest level of open wheel and sports car competition have been in place since last summer. The objective of this group is to ensure that the unique history of Formula Atlantic racing in North America will be preserved and celebrated - the latter on a regular basis. The Historic Formula Atlantic Association will have open membership, so that people who appreciate the formula yet don't have an historic Atlantic car of their own can participate. "Car owners, drivers, crew members, series officials past and present, as well as fans that have made this race series as popular today as it was 30 years ago" are all welcome to become members of the Association, Brack stated. Canadian Brack stated the goals of the Association: "It is our intention to create a Formula Atlantic car registry, a web site that would have car and driver biographies as well as an area for member input, old newspaper and magazine articles, a photograph gallery and, hopefully someday an archive for memorabilia." Even more important, Brack wants to see the same kind of spectacular racing that brought Formula Atlantic its reputation - over the past 30 years - as being the top North American ladder series. To that end, the Historic Formula Atlantic Association has received an invitation to hold its initial competitive event at the 35th anniversary of the Grand Prix du Trois-Rivieres on August 1st of this year, the seminal race in a racing-crazy town between Montreal and Quebec, Canada. "There are enough vintage race organizations in North America already holding races for Formula Atlantic cars and we are not interested in organizing any races that would take place at vintage events that would detract from any of those organizations," Brack explained. "We would be more interested in taking historic and vintage Formula Atlantic cars to contemporary race venues - such as Trois-Rivieres - where the race fans are more likely to see the cars run for the first time," he continued. "At Trois-Rivieres we will be running on the same race program with contemporary race cars, such as the Canadian formula Ford 1600 championship and the [Motorock] Trans-Am Series cars." Among the careers launched by Formula Atlantic since the mid-1970s are those of father and son Gilles and Jacques Villeneuve, KeKe Rosberg, Bertil Roos, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Price Cobb, Howdy Holmes, Alex Barron and Buddy Rice, to name just a few. The impact of Formula Atlantic racing in North America "should be recorded properly and made available to the race fans, journalists and historians, all under one collective resource," Brack declared. Parties interested in becoming members, aiding the organization with sponsorship and those interested in any active role may contact Bill Brack at:
HistoricAtlantic@sympatico.ca.