Geoghegan's Birrana in 1973

[fines]

I have the info that Leo Geoghegan entered the 1973 Japanese GP (May 3) with a Birrana, but did not appear. My question is now: which car would that have been? An ANF2? Type designation 273? Which engine and engine type? Any reason as to why he didn't appear (he raced there the four previous years)?

Ray, you out there?

________________
Michael Ferner

[Ray Bell]

Yes, I'm here Michael... first of all, tell me if this is the race for which I could find no report?

Don't want to waste my time covering old ground, if you don't mind.

I can tell you that Geoghegan ran a new 273 (with Twin Cam Ford engine, probably a Hart version) in Malaysia and had teeting troubles on April 15. On April 22 he finished 9th in this car at the Singapore Grand Prix, and he missed a Warwick Farm meeting 'because the team were in Asia.'

The ANF2 Championship began on June 10 at Hume Weir, and the car was there with problems, so Geoghegan drove Peter Brock's 272.

ANF2 at the time was 1600cc with a maximum of 4 cylinders, no more than two valves per cylinder and running on commercial fuel. A category ready made for highly modified Ford Twin Cams...

Birrana designations were indeed 2 for F2 73 for 1973... Brock's was an earlier car, and there were F3 cars (374 etc) and a Formula Ford (F7?).

[fines]

Thanks Ray, great info!

Yes, I think that was the race about which I inquired at TNF and nobody knew a thing! What do you know about the other Asian races, I just know that Vern Schuppan won the Singapore GP in his old March (chassis #722-40), now owned by Teddy Yip. Any more info is welcomed!

So the Ford twin-cam is the BDA, right?

[Ray Bell]

Michael, Michael, Michael! A Ford Twin Cam is the Lotus-Elan/Cortina engine... the BDA has four valves per cylinder, remember?

Lucky for you I didn't put that magazine away... Singapore saw Graeme Lawrence on pole (1:57.1) in a Surtees TS15 ahead of Schuppan in Teddy Yip's March (1:57.3), Geoghegan, Ken Smith's March 722, John MacDonald's Brabham and Malcolm Ramsay in another Birrana. Max Stewart (Rennmax), Tony Stewart (Dolphin-Brabham) and a host of locals followed.

Geoghegan showed great pace in the race and was uncatchable when his car would run, but had problems.

Results: 50 laps (150 miles)

1. Singapore Airlines: Vern Schuppan (March Hart 722) 1h 38:58.3
2. Graeme Lawrence (Surtees TS15 Hart) 1h 39:36.8
3. Cathay Pacific: John McDonald* (Brabham BT40 Hart) 49 laps
4. Max Stewart (Rennmax England+) 49 laps
5. Tony Stewart (Dolphin England) 49 laps
6. Air NZ: Ken Smith (March 722 Hart) 47 laps
7. Team Rothmans: J. Bussell (Palliser BRM) 47 laps
8. Air NZ: Steve Millen (Elden Mk 8) 43 laps
9. Leo Geoghegan (Birrana 273 Hart) 41 laps
10. Camel Melinda: H. Simon Elfin 600B) 40 laps
Fastest Lap: Leo Geoghegan, 1:54.9 (94.71 mph, new record)

* MacDonald or McDonald? +England = Paul England modified Ford T/C

No result panel is published for the Malaysian event, but MacDonald (Hong Kong domiciled Briton) won from Canadian Brian Robertson and Albert Poon, all drove BT40s. It is noted here that it was MacDonald's third Asian GP win in a row.

Graeme Lawrence and Tony Stewart were both given a 60 sec penalty for jumping the start, Sonny Rajah's 732 lunched its engine, the Birranas had assorted problems as did Lawrence and Ken Smith.

[fines]

Thanks Ray!

About the Ford "Twin-Cam", the BDA and even the FVA all had two camshafts, so excuse my ignorance. Of course, they all had four valves per cylinder. A last straw try: is it the 105E? You see, I'm slightly uncomfortable with designations such as Elan, Cortina or Anglia engine..... :lol:

Interesting races there. So the Malaysian race was the "Asian GP"? Never heard of such a thing before. It seems they all did very well with their airline money, didn't they? Thanks also for the Sonny Rajah info, it seems that's the reason for his DNA in Japan.

[Ray Bell]

Okay, Michael, sit down and take this in....

105E... Anglia engine, 1959 - 997cc

109E... Consul Classic engine, c1961 - 1340cc

then there are many different ones that cover Cortinas and Capris - 1198cc, c1300cc, 1495cc, c1600cc, with the 1300 and 1600cc engines being the first of the crossflow variety.

125E... Lotus Cortina/Lotus Elan twin cam, has stronger rods as well as the alloy head designed by Cosworth in collaboration with Lotus. Two valves per cylinder, integral manifold for twin Webers. For the Lotus Europa (don't know what version!) there was a version with build in manifolds for twin SUs.

No, Michael, you have misunderstood... MacDonald had won three GPs in Asia in a row, of which the Malaysian was the third in the string.

My guess would be that Leo had too many teething problems and was keen to get back to Australia with a car in one piece to win the ANF2 Championship... he romped it in and then retired.

The Airlines usually contributed the transport to get the cars to the races.

[fines]

Hold on! I thought the Europa had a Renault engine? It's not that I suddenly know a lot about sports cars, I just remember a long-going thread on TNF about that car... :P

And, to put an end to my humiliation, "the" Twin-Cam you were talking about is the... 125E?

[Vitesse]

Michael: the Europa was actually three different cars -

Lotus 46 - road version with Renault engine
Lotus 47 - competition version with Cosworth-Ford engine
Lotus 62 - Mk 2 competition version

IIRC Lotus ran a works team of 47s under the GLTL banner and a works team of 62s as JPS

[Ray Bell]

Yes, the 125E was the Lotus Ford Twin Cam as fitted to the Elan and Lotus Cortina. It was built on the shorter block, by the way. I'm fairly sure that the 1600 block was a bit taller.. (but I may be wrong...)

As for the Europa, I'm not sure about the Ford-engined variants. The 47 had Webers, surely? So the head with the SU/CD Stromberg carby mounts fitted what car?

And by the way, the Renault-powered version used the 16TL engine, the 1565cc version without the crossflow head of the 12 Gordini or 16TS. But it fits and gives lumps of extra power...

The 47 also had a Hewland FT200 gearbox.

[DAVID PATERSON]

I'm jumping in here hoping that i will help to clarify things and not muddy the waters further.

As i understand it, the Lotus Cortina and T/C Escort used the Ford Kent block with the Lotus twin cam eight valve head.

The BDA was a Pinto block with a Cosworth twin cam 16 valve head.

[Ray Bell]

You muddied the waters, David, and very well indeed.

The Kent block is about 10mm higher than the normal Twin Cam block, whick is based on the 1500 and came out at 1558 as standard. The timing chest is not tall enough to fit the Kent block.

Not sure about the block for the BDA, whether it's Kent or the previous model, but I think it fits either bottom end (no timing chest...) and in standard form it was 1601cc. The Pinto, of course, is around 2000cc and a bit on the heavy side, and it's not a part of this discussion.