The Brands Hatch Rothmans 50,000

[Andrew Kitson]

Did anyone go to the Rothmans 50,000 at Brands Hatch? I did not go myself but remember watching on TV but did see some of the testing beforehand.
It was planned as a battle of the world's different formulas as a 312 mile, 118 lap race of the Brands GP circuit on the August bank holiday 1972 and was opened to almost any type of racing car. Many cars were adapted with much larger fuel tanks to last the distance. Others such as David Prophets F5000 McLaren sprouted a huge wide rear wing.
The prospects when it was announced were mouth watering - most F1 teams said they would enter along with Le Mans, F2, F5000, Indy USAC, Can Am and even NASCAR teams.
At the end of the day, political squabbling and date clashes meant that only a few F1 teams attended and few sportscars. Only 2 CanAm cars, both regulars on the UK club racing scene were entered but failed to qualify. However, all of the top F5000 and F2 drivers of the day turned up along with a few F.Atlantics. Disappointingly, no USAC or NASCARs made the trip due to races in the USA.
The prize fund was £50,000. Quite significant when a GP grid cost promotors only 35,000 in 1972.
Emerson Fittipaldi's JPS Lotus 72 won from start to finish, claiming the £10,000 first prize from Brian Redman's works M19C McLaren. Pescarolo was 3rd in the Frank Williams March. The first F2 car home was Gerry Birrell's March in 4th place ahead of James Hunt. Alan Rollinson's Lola T300 was 7th, the first F5000 car home.
Only one sportscar qualified for the 30 car grid - Mario Casoni's 2 litre Lola T280 that finished 12th.
Significant non qualifiers from the 59 car entry included David Piper's Porsche 917, Tony Dean's Porsche 908 and Brian Husband's U2 special.
Imagine today the likes of Schumacher, Montoya etc against F3000, IRL, CART and the Le Mans prototypes?
A bizarre idea but it nearly worked back in 72 but for the politics.
Now where are those photos?

[Chris Townsend]

Information on this race is surprisingly hard to come by, and photos and information about it would be really valued. I'm trying to get 1972 UK F5000 races together for Allen Brown, and the Rothmans is proving rather intractable in terms of detail concerning the lesser runners. Does anyone have a programme with a full entry list? Time sheets or a grid? Andrew, you said two Can-Am cars turned up. One was Saville-Peck's Costello? Right? What was the other? Perhaps I don't yet have all the runners and riders.

Any help on the following? Tony Dean. DNS in the 908 but raced a Brabham BT36. Where did that come from? Dean didn't own a BT36. Alan Jones raced an F2 GRD, finished 20th. Was this a works car? Tony Trimmer drove a Brabham BT38. Whose was this? [Perhaps one of Ron Dennis's?] Watson and Gethin both drove Chevron B20s in the F2 class. One of these was probably the works F2 car, but what was the other? Was it built specially for the race? [One of those late season Chevron bitza cars that they'd later specialise in producing for Jim Crawford.]

Would especially value a picture of Lanfranchi's car at this race [DNQ] because I'm not even sure what model McLaren he practiced.

For such a major race the press coverage is decidedly sketchy - as though the huge field overwhelmed the capacity of the reporters.

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by Chris Townsend
Andrew, you said two Can-Am cars turned up. One was Saville-Peck's Costello? Right? What was the other? Perhaps I don't yet have all the runners and riders.
Any help on the following? Tony Dean. DNS in the 908 but raced a Brabham BT36. Where did that come from? Dean didn't own a BT36. Alan Jones raced an F2 GRD, finished 20th. Was this a works car? Tony Trimmer drove a Brabham BT38. Whose was this? [Perhaps one of Ron Dennis's?] Watson and Gethin both drove Chevron B20s in the F2 class. One of these was probably the works F2 car, but what was the other?
Would especially value a picture of Lanfranchi's car at this race [DNQ] because I'm not even sure what model McLaren he practiced.

Chris - I have the report from the 1972 Autocourse annual with full results and the preview supplement from Autosport with entry list.
Correct re: Saville Peck, the other CanAm was John Jordan's M6B McLaren.
However, looking at the entry there is also a 6.5 McLaren Ford Special for Ian Richardson.(?)
Tony dean did not qualify. No record of him entering or trying to qualify a BT36. He is shown on the entry with a Porsche 908 or M14 McLaren. Alan Jones must have been a late entry, not on list. Trimmer also not shown on entry and did not qualify even if he was a late entry. Gethin's Chevron was the works car but Watson's, no idea. FVC power, thats all it says.
Lanfranchi's McLaren was a Jackie Epstein entered Speed International M18 - the regular Ray Calcutt car.
His team mates were Ray Allen, also in M18 and Van Lennep's TS11. Tony Lanfranchi DNQ.
Chris - I have three race programmes from F5000 in 72. Brands March 18, Snett March 31, Silverstone April 22 - what do you need?

[Chris Townsend]

Andrew

Thanks for the Lanfranchi. I have him in an M18, but somewhere came up with the note that this might have been an M10B - which Speed Intl. didn't have. Trimmer did not qualify, so guess a last minute deal.

Re race programmes for F5000. Just a scan of the entry list so that I could get more information on DNAs would be good. The race reports are usually okay in Autosport and Motoring News if you put the two together. Although there are a few gaps even then. Are there handwritten grids in the programmes? [I only have top five qualifying times for this race, though I know the grid order.]

[Andrew Kitson]

Chris - this is the Rothmans 50,000 entry as far as I know with results:

F1
Brian Redman - Yardley Mclaren M19A (2nd)
J P Beltoise - Marlboro BRM P160 (15th)
Howden Ganley - Marlboro BRM P160 (Ret)
Francois Migault - Connew PC1 Ford (DNQ)
Emerson Fittipaldi - JPS Lotus 72 (1st)
Henri Pescarolo - Williams March 711 (3rd)
David Purley - LEP March 721G (Ret)

F5000
Herve Baynard - Surtees TS7 (DNQ)
Gijs Van Lennep - Speed International Surtees TS11 (DISQ)
Ray Allen - Speed International McLaren M18 (18th)
Tony Lanfranchi - Speed International McLaren M18 (DNQ)
Steve Thompson - Servis Surtees TS8 (11th)
Alan Rollinson - McKechnie Lola T300 (7th)
Clive Santo - McLaren M10B (DNQ)
David Prophet - McLaren M10B (9th)
Pierre Soukry - McLaren M10B (DNQ)
William Wood - McLaren M10B (DNQ)
Clive Baker - McLaren M10B (DNQ)
Jock Russell - McRae GM1 (DNQ)
John Cannon - Sid Taylor March-Rover 72S (Ret)
Dave Berry - Brabham BT16 (DNQ)
Ian Ashley - Lola T191 (DNQ)
Keith Holland - Lola T190 (13th)
Graham McRae - Crown Lynn McRae GM1 (Ret)
Gordon Spice - Kitchmac (Ret)

F2
Jody Scheckter - Team Impact McLaren (Ret)
Tim Schenken - Rondel Brabham BT38 (16th)
Carlos Reutemann - Rondel Brabham BT38 (Ret)
Tom Belso - Viking Brabham BT38 (8th)
Dave Morgan - Ed Reeves Brabham BT38 (DNQ)
Richard Scott - Brabham BT38 (17th)
Peter Westbury - Brabham BT38 (Ret)
J P Jassaud - ASCA Brabham BT38 (DNQ)
Adam Potocki - ASCA Brabham BT38 (DNQ)
John Wingfield - Brabham BT36 (19th)
Ronnie Mackay - MRE Brabham BT30 (14th)
Gerry Birrell - Sports Motors March 722 (4th)
Vern Schuppan - Malaysia Airlines March 722 (Ret)
James Hunt - Hesketh March 712M (5th)
Claude Bourgoignie - GRD 272 (10th)
Peter Gethin - Works Chevron B20 (DNQ)
John Watson - Chevron B20 (6th)
Willie Green - JCB Chevron B18 (DNQ)
Alan Jones - GRD 272 (20th)

F.ATLANTIC
Ian Mawby - Lotus 69 (DNQ)
Jack Paterson - Wimhurst (DNQ)
Bob Evans - McKechnie Puma (DNQ)

CAN-AM
John Jordan - McLaren M6B (DNQ)
Ian Richardson - McLaren Ford Special (DNQ)
David Saville Peck - Costello CanAm (DNQ)

SPORTSCARS
Chris Craft - David Piper Porsche 917 (DNQ)
Albert Powell - Lola T70 MkIII (DNQ)
Tony Dean - Porsche 908 or F5000 McLaren M14 (DNQ)
Mario Casoni - Bonnier Lola T280 DFV (12th)
Carlos Gaspar - Lola T280 DFV (DNQ)
Guy Edwards - Barclays Lola T290 (DNQ)
Gerard Larrousse - Bonnier Lola T290 (DNQ)
John Coulter - Lola T212 (DNQ)
Brian Robinson - Chevron B21 (DNQ)
Andrew Fletcher - Chevron B21 (DNQ)
Bob Wollek - Canon Chevron B21 (DNQ)
John Burton - Canon Chevron B21 (DNQ)
Brian Husbands - 1.6 U2 Special (DNQ)

[Andrew Kitson]

Chris - The back of the 72 Autocourse annual has all European F5000 results including cars running but not classified. Unfortunately not grid positions.
I can make a copy if you want. PM me your fax?
The programme entries too?

[Chris Townsend]

Andrew

I'm fine for full finishing positions and most grids for the F5000s by using Motoring News and Autosport, so I've probably already got everything that Autocourse reported. I've got all starters on these races, but programmes from anyone, for British F5000 will really help on tracing DNAs.

Can't get your PM on this forum for some reason. If you mail me I'll drop you a fax number for the programme entry lists.
There are way more people in that field for the Rothmans than I imagined. Did they all practice on the long circuit at the same time? Must have been mighty crowded even in two groups. Also, there must have been something funny in the practice setup for an ace like Jaussaud not to get in but someone like Ronnie McKay with a very old car [which ran as an Atlantic in British series that year] to make the cut.

[Andrew Kitson]

Ok Chris - will do. The entry list I have though is from the Autosport supplement that came out with the magazine on the Thursday before. As you say, details on this event are sketchy, I put Jassaud etc as DNQ but they may well have been DNA's as so many cars were due to enter and many dropped out. At one point, Stewart was entered in the Tyrrell 005 but withdrawn after the Austrian GP and Rothmans tried hard to get Steve McQueen in the Chapparel 'sucker' car! McLaren were to enter a Can Am car for Denny Hulme, that went wrong when one of the cars was written off in the USA.
They also planned a 7 litre M19 but that was abandoned due to a rule change somewhere. Even Fittipaldi's Lotus appeared in green and yellow up to the last minute before qualifying, but then JPS finally decided to sponsor the entry!
Qualifying was over three days. On Thursday, Sportscars and F2 had seperate sessions, F1 & F5000 together. On Friday and Saturday, F2 and Sportscars were combined with F1/5000 in a seperate session again. The Friday and Sat also had an untimed session
for all competitors. The test day was on Wednesday August 16th, at the request of the F1 teams who wanted it moved from the previous week that clashed with the Austrian GP practice. However, no F1 teams showed up for the test despite their request, typical of the nightmare the organisers must have had to get this race together. The politics over whether it should be a single race, a two part race, start money for F1 teams rather than prize money etc etc ruined a fantastic spectacle. 21, 000 turned up to watch at £2 per head.
Doesn't take a genious to work out that a lot of money was lost on that event!

[davemorganfan]

I think Tony Dean did have a BT36, I saw him race one in various club events at around that time.

[Vitesse]

I was there. Somewhere, I have a programme ....

[paulzinho]

Sounds like a mouthwatering show!

Was the grid decided on a who was fastest qualified basis then, which it seems to have been given that some classes didn't even have qualifiers, though imagine the chaos of a 59 car entry list turning into a 59 car starting grid, never gonna happen but just think about what that would be like.... in some of the most awesome cars of any era!

Btw, Andrew what were the "political squabbles" you mentioned?

[Andrew Kitson]

Paulzinho, there were many! From the F1 teams, mostly about money. Some were unhappy relying on prize money as they were used to appearance/start money in GPs. Surtees wanted £1500 for each of his cars to appear, a fortune in those days - hence no entry. They also did not like the thought of being told that the only way to re-fuel was with big NASCAR style manual canisters, when many teams had already adapted cars with bigger tanks for the event.Eventually it was decided that the F1s could run with bigger tanks, as could the other cars but the F5000s, F2s etc had the option of re-fuelling if they wished.There were also arguments over the qualifying proceedure, the suggestion of making the race a two part affair after some teams had adapted cars with big tanks, clashing race dates and numerous other things when too many sides with different vested interests get involved.I'll post a few pics of various cars from the event in a day or two.

[verglas]

Correct me if I am wrong, and I may be(!!) but did'nt James Hunt drive a Surtees F1 car (TS9 ??) in this event, and his 5th place finally persuaded Alexander Hesketh to go F1 for 1973 rather then the proposed season of F2?? Or am I miles off the mark?

[JGM]

I was there and although the pre-race hype looked interesting the reality did't really turn out quite as expected. It was hoped that in a long race, which would presumably require refuelling stops, the Can-Am cars and the Le Mans type sports cars might be in with some sort of chance against the single seaters. But it became apparent during qualifying that this was going to be a glorified single seater Formule Libre race. It was all a bit disappointing considering that it had been promoted as a sort of European Indy 500.

[Armco Bender]

I see Howden Ganely in the F1 entry list,he was in the paper here yesterday at the launch of Eion Youngs latest book.Hes always regarded as the forgotten man of NZ racing,he was never as widely known as Hulme/Amon/McLaren.Hes about to return to NZ to live.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/spo...ection=general

[Andrew Kitson]

Verglas - Hunt drove the Surtees in the Race of Champions in early 73.The race won by Gethin's F5000 Chevron.

[verglas]

Thanks for that Andrew, I realised that I had Hunt's biography later last night and checked my facts and discovered that I WAS wrong.....he did drive the March and the prize money went some way to paying for his repair bills run up during the season!

[John Elwin]

Well, having followed Ten-Tenths for a while, the plea for Rothmans 50,000 information has finally encouraged me to sign-up. I did indeed attend the race - working for Lotus at the time it was a nice result too! The full results I have written in the back of my programme are as follows:

1. Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus 72 118 laps 2h 50m 49.1s
109.84mph
2. Brian Redman McLaren M19A 2h 51m 36.7
3. Henri Pescarolo March 711 116 laps
4. Gerry Birrell March 722 " "
5. James Hunt March 712M 115 "
6. John Watson Chevron B20 " "
7. Alan Rollinson March 722 112 "
8. Tom Belso Brabham BT38 110 "
9. David Prophet McLaren M10B 109 "
10.Claude Bourgoignie GRD 272 108 "
11.Steve Thompson Surtees TS8
12.Mario Casoni Lola T280
13.Keith Holland Lola T192
14.Ronnie Mackay Brabham BT30
15.Jean-Pierre Beltoise BRM P160
16.Tim Schenken Brabham BT38
17.Richard Scott Brabham BT 38
18.Ray Allen McLaren M18
19.John Wingfield Brabham BT36
20.Alan Jones GRD

F/lap: Fittipaldi (lap 70) 1m 25.18 112.10mph

I hope that fills a few gaps! There was also a 24-lap race for the cars that qualified 31st and below:

1. David Morgan Brabham BT38 24 laps 34m 4.6s
105.77mph
2. Ian Ashley Lola T191
3. Tony Dean Brabham BT36
4. Tony Lanfranchi McLaren M10B
5. Tony Trimmer Brabham BT38
6. Clive Santo McLaren M10B

F/lap: Morgan 1m 28.5 107.80mph

..... and if you really want to know, Gillian Fortescue-Thomas won the 'Fast Girl Consul Challenge' from Jenny Birrell!

[Andrew Kitson]

John, welcome! Many thanks for your input. I had completely forgotten about the consolation race. So this answers a few questions as to Dean's BT36 and Trimmer in BT38.Can you fill us in with the story as to the Lotus turning up in green and yellow until JPS decided to sponsor it for this race? Apparantly it was to be sponsored by a Brazilian coffee company until JPS agreed.True?

[Andrew Kitson]

A few photos taken by the excellent photographer Peter Burn.
This first one shows the extra fuel tanks added to the Ron Dennis run Rondel F2 Brabham BT38's.

[Andrew Kitson]

And the bigger wide tanks on the works Marlboro BRMs.

[Andrew Kitson]

The F1 March 721G that David Purley hired for the race.

[Andrew Kitson]

Alan Rollinson's F5000 Lola T300 that finished 7th - this photo however was taken earlier in the season at an F5000 meeting at Silverstone. A Duckhams publicity photo.

[Andrew Kitson]

A scoreboard was set up on South Bank for the qualifying with the 30 car 2-2 grid shown. The race by the way was started with a rolling start.

[John Elwin]

Andrew,

I can't honestly remember anything about Fittipaldi's car being entered in anything other than JPS colours - could it have been a diplomatic/political move given the race sponsorship? I was with Lotus Cars at the time (didn't make it to Team until '78) so wasn't privy to such things!

However, there are a couple of interesting points. The Lotus was entered under the 'Worldwide Racing' banner, which was also used in Italy following the death of Jochen Rindt. Initially the car was listed as a Lotus 72, but became a John Player Special by race-day when the actual list of qualifiers for the two races was inserted in the programme.The Rothmans 50,000 programme notes (written by Mike Kettlewell) state: "Fittipaldi's Team Lotus entry could be either a Formula One or a Formula Two car - or even a Colin Chapman concoction especially for the race."

I won't put the programme back in its box just yet....