16 replies to this topic

[Mac Lark]

I've just found the Autosport 'Formula Ford Yearbook 1972' supplement.

On pages 2 and 3 is a photo showing a gaggle of F.Fords led by "Tonny Hansen's Brabham".

To me it looks like a BT28.

It looks to be on FF rather than F3 sized rubber - does anyone recall the call. I'm almost certain Brabham never made a specific FF car and while I'm aware of BT15/18/21 type cars being adapted for FF, I was never aware of any more Brabham adapted to FF.

If this was indeed a FF, were there others?

[WGD706]

From "The Anatomy & Development of the Formula Ford Race Car" by Steve Nickless, published in 1993...
In the late 1950s, GP driver Jack Brabham persuaded designer Ron Tauranac, who had worked on Jack's first real racing car, a Cooper MkIV, in Australia, to join him in Britain. Together they built a Formula Junior in 1961, initially called the 'MRD' which were the initials of their company Motor Racing Developments. This had unfortunate consequences in France, but that's 'another story'.
By the time FJ ended in 1963, Brabham had built 32 cars for the formula, and they went straight to the top of the heap in F3, building 13 cars in '64, 59 cars in '65 and 79 cars in '66, the years leading up to the introduction of FF.
Unlike F3 competitors Lotus, Merlyn and Titan, Brabham never built a purpose-designed Formula Ford. Tauranac was quoted once calling it a "fiddle formula" and Brabham personally turned down an oportunity to build 10 cars for Jim Russell in '67.
Nonetheless, Brabham played a significant role in early FF history. Many Tauranac-designed F3 Brabhams ('64 BT9s, '65-'66 BT15s, '66 BT18s and '67 BT21s) were converted by their owners to FF specs. Frank Williams' mechanic Tony Trimmer, for example, used a BT18 rescued from the dumpster to great effect in 1968 along with a '67 BT21. A few of these conversions got special names, including Brian Smith's "Bardahl Special" and Alan Minshaw's "Blackjack", both seen in 1968.
And then there were the one or two constructors of questionable integrity who offered FF models which clearly 'borrowed' frame design. suspension geometry and more from Tauranac's F3 line.
Warren

[Mac Lark]

Thanks for that.

But does anyone have news of a BT28 FF?

[WGD706]

From what I've been able to find, the BT28 started out as an F3 car.
http://www.historicr...le/DSC00337.jpg
Brabham BT28 1 Litre F3 1969. An original BT28 as we have seen, chassis No 59. Restored in 1995 by MEC Auto Belgium C.E.S. downdraft screamer PDS gearbox.

Also, in the Brabham Type Reference at
http://www.race-cars...ty/brabhamr.htm
it lists the BT28 1969-70 as Formula 3.

[Mac Lark]

Typical Tauranac - very pretty.

I mean his designs, not the man himself..

[Catalina Park]

Brabham Formula Ford ;)

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Catalina Park
Brabham Formula Ford ;)

Heh...hehe...

These poms will be wondering what model Brabham that is!

[Bonde]

There was also at least one Brabham modified to Formula Vee! Some years back there were some photos of this car for sale on the Internet, but I can no longer find the site. Still, try this link:
http://www.ghs.ch/LeserBriefe.htm

I think I have a print of the pictures from the 'Net somewhere - I'll see if I can find them and scan them if anyone is interested.

[Peter Morley]

Didn't Chris Alford race a Brabham in Formula Ford.
A car that started off as a Junior, then had a twin-cam fitted for F1 and then an FF engine.

[Chris Townsend]

Tonni Hansen's Brabham was in fact a BT21 or 21B fitted with BT28 bodywork. It was also run in FF1600 in 1972 by Geoff Todd.
Hansen bought the car from Jorgen Ellekaer [the original owner] in 1969. I think it first ran in F3 and was then converted to FF when the engine formula changed. See Motoring News 13.3.69 p. 19 for the sale from Ellekaer to Hansen, and Autosport 12.10.72 p.54 for sale and described as fitted BT28 bodywork and advertised as FF , also ad. Autosport 28.9.72 p. 59 'ex Tony Hanson'
Since Brabham only built 42 or 43 BT28s I'd be wary of a plate reading 59! [This is even too high a build number for BT21 or 21B]

Several BT18s and BT21s were converted including Wayne Mitchell's F3 BT21B which was used by his backer Chris Gompf as FF in California. BT21-47 an ex Ikuzawa wreck was rebuilt by Tony Trimmer as FF and then used 69-70 in FF by Martin Grant-Peterkin.
In 1968 Trimmer, Val Musetti and Neville Stephenson all run converted BT16s in FF. Stephenson's is ex Brian Newton [1966 F3]
The same year John Brown [ex Malcolm Payne] and Brian Smith run BT15s in FF, as does Clark Sturgess [ex Harry Stiller]. Sturgess kept the car in 69 and sold it to Roger Graham in July that year.
In 1970 Alan Hebb raced a BT15 'ex Jordan', entered by Lenham Hurst

[Cirrus]

I seem to recall that the guy who wrote "Go Formula Ford" (I forget his name) raced a modified BT18 and described it's conversion in the book.

In my youth, I must have borrowed that book from the local library at least twenty times.

[Ted Walker]

the BT28 as advertised by MEC AUTO with a funny chassis No is in fact a BT29.

[Catalina Park]

Originally posted by Catalina Park
Brabham Formula Ford ;)

Back to this photo, who can come up with the story?

[Ray Bell]

Does the name John Davis ring a bell?

[Allen Brown]

We never did get to the bottom of this, did we?

I imagine it is completely irrelevant that John Davis was a Welshman who ran a BT14 at one point.

Allen

[Ray Bell]

Of course it is...

Jack Brabham Ford owned this Bowin P4a FF, running Bob Beasley (IIRC) in the car. At a later stage it was used for Geoff Brabham's first race at the Warwick Farm short circuit.

Then the car, together with a Cortina station wagon and trailer, were put up as a prize in a raffle run by the Daily Mirror in Sydney. Every day... or was it every Friday?... there was a coupon printed in the paper and it was mandatory that entries be put in on this coupon cut out of the paper.

Enter John Davis, florist from Camden or Campbelltown, somewhere out in Macarthur territory. He arranged to get the coupons from every unsold Daily Mirror at every local newsagent. He had a stamp made so he could fill them in, and each night or morning he'd be busy using some sort of cutting device to take the coupons out of the paper and to stamp them with his name and address etc.

I don't know how he got the entries in, but I've no doubt at all that he didn't post them individually!

Came the big day, the draw every motor racing 'wannabe' was waiting for. I think they drew the entry from a 6 cubic metre concrete mixer at Oran Park, between races. Not far from Camden or Campbelltown and right in the thick of the Macarthur district.

John Davis, undoubtedly very nervous after committing himself to all that time and trouble, won the big prize and went FF racing.

He didn't do too badly, either, and ultimately became a part of the Grace Brothers Race Team. He moved up to the new ANF2 when the single cam 1600 formula was introduced, driving a Lola.

But he wasn't Welsh. At least, not that I know of...




And there's one thing I'm not sure of... did Jack Brabham drive this car in that Calder celebrities FF event?

[Catalina Park]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
And there's one thing I'm not sure of... did Jack Brabham drive this car in that Calder celebrities FF event?

Yes, and he won! (The first race in his long retirement)