23 replies to this topic

[Team Gunston]

The name of Daniel Rouveyran appears here and there on TNF, surrounded by some mystery regarding his 1973 season when he owned a Lola T280 and a March 721G. He was killed at the wheel of the latter car at the 1973 Mont-Dore hillclimb, and it seems that motor racing historians don't know more about this much underrated driver and talented mechanic.

The different threads where his name appears never mention, for instance, that he partnered with the great Franco Sbarro for the running of his team, in 1973 at least : the Lola was officially entered at the April Le Mans trials under the ACA Sbarro Racing Club banner (or something approaching), and I remember a (rare) photo of the F1 March with the Sbarro logo (a greyhound) painted in evidence on the cockpit.

I wonder if someone here has further information about this partnership and the F1 March. Was the 1972 721G chassis really uptated to 731 specs ? (It apparently gained a 732/731 nose cone, but I don't know photographic evidence proving that deformable structures were mounted on the sides.) I believe that even the French magazine Echappement, with its much detailed coverage of hillclimbs and French national racing, didn't publish specific articles or photos about the 1973 Rouveyran F1 effort.

I'm also interested in the 1967 Rouveyran season, when he built a terrific hillclimb machine based on a 1.5 litre Cooper F1 chassis, re-powered by a 7-litre Pontiac engine ! What do Cooper specialists know about it ? Which was the chassis number ? Photos ever been published ?

Thanks in advance for your contribution.

[Team Gunston]

Just trying to reactivate this old thread that didn't raise the smallest interest. I am in position to confirm today that the banner under which Rouveyran ran his Lola T280 and March 721G in 1973 was Rouveyran-ACA Racing , with the famous Sbarro greyhound logo.

[f1steveuk]

Mr Sbarro, is this the chap that designed the wierd and wonderful cars? A Golf with a Porsche engine in the back, in which the whole rear end tipped uo to get at the engine, some bizarre two seaters, and I am fairly certain he rebodied an F1 car as well???

[Team Gunston]

Yes, "my" Sbarro is this chap.

[Gerard Gamand]

The swiss connexion was here in 1970 as this (very bad) picture of Rouveyran on a Lola F5000 wearing the Bonnier colors.
For Sbarro I don't know. I just remember François Migault have drive and crash the new March 731 of Rouveyran at Brands Hatch in the very first laps in practice at B'Hatch.

[Cirrus]

I'm afraid I can't help, TG - but I hope someone can - this is the sort of thing that makes TNF so interesting.

Maybe the success of the Pygmée thread will be an inspiration...

[Team Gunston]

The swiss connexion was here in 1970

Thank you for contributing Gérard. More and more Frenchmen on TNF, and they seem to know their motor racing history very well. As a Frenchman myself, I'm pleased. You don't know me, but I know you...

Yes, the Swiss connexion was here in 1970 and Rouveyran also acquired from Ecurie Bonnier a Lola T210 in 1971 and the 1973 Lola T280. As Rouveyran was not living near the Swiss border, but in the Gard, his connexions with Bonnier and then with Sbarro had probably a common denominator.

I just remember François Migault have drive and crash the new March 731 of Rouveyran at Brands Hatch

When Migault drove the March at Brands Hatch at the end of 1972, it was a proper 721G (not yet updated to 731 specs of course), and the entry was made under the Ecurie Volants Shell banner.

[AMICALEMANS]

hI guys,

Just to let you know that Daniel Rouveyran was klled in a crash at the Mont D'or Hillclimb on the 1st of July 1973. He was driving an March F1

[bradbury west]

I recall visiting the Sbarro exhibition at his factory/workshops a few years ago, and found it very interesting , and different.

Roger Lund.

[Allen Brown]

As I have 1973 Echappement at my elbow at the moment, I'm glad this thread has reappeared.

There wasn't a lot about Rouveyran's 1973 effort but few drivers did get much coverage. Mainly, it was just results and some quite bare reports. If you have to cover 127 starters in a page and still leave room for full results and pictures, you don't get much time to talk about the cars - unfortunately.

A review of the first 11 seasons of the Championship in Echappement Jan 1978 said the March was ex-Pescarolo 711/721 but this is clearly wrong. If I find a picture as I keep reading, I'll post it up.

Allen

[Team Gunston]

Allen, as always your are the man of the situation. Thank you for your inquiries.

The only photo of the Rouveyran March I have ever seen was published in Auto Hebdo several years after his death (ie late 70s-early 80s), and illustrated (I believe but I'm not sure) a short article about a possible return of big bangers in French hillclimbs.

If I sum up : what I wanted to know when I posted this tread is the backgrounds of the Rouveyran/Sbarro partnership. And was the March really updated to full 731 specs ?

[Abel Karaj]

A little bit off-topic, but I have this photo of an interesting Sbarro F5000 from 1968. The car is exposed in the Musée de l'Automobile in Mulhouse.

[Allen Brown]

Fascinating. Not at Mulhouse when I went there a good many years ago.

I'd suggest the aerodynamics are a year or two post 1968.

Allen

[Gerard Gamand]

Finally I find a pic of the March 731 of Daniel Rouveyran just before he was killed by the thing

[Team Gunston]

Many thanks Gérard. This is the photo I was thinking of. I believe it is the one that was published in Auto Hebdo (in the late 70s or early 80s) in order to illustrate an article about a possible return of over 2-litre single seaters in French hillclimbs.

Two interesting indications from this pic :

1. The Rouveyran / Sbarro connexion is clearly visible here, through the logo on the cockpit.

2. It appears that the 721G chassis was not upgraded to 731 specs (no deformable structures), but I have a doubt about the origin of the nose cone. Looks like an Hesketh adaptation...

[FLB]

That picture is also in the L'année Échappement yearbook (83-84) which I donated to the IMSRRC at Watkins Glen.

[Gerard Gamand]

Team Gunston :

The Rouveyran nose look not very different than that of Jarier in Austria.

I take this pic during practice for Austria GP in 1973

[Gerard Gamand]

and you can see the big difference with the Hesketh nose.

Pic take also in Austria GP 1973

[Team Gunston]

Gérard, actually the nose cone of Rouveyran's car is the standard version , as seen in the early part of the 1973 European GP season, on the works March 731s and customers cars as well, including Hesketh Racing.

Look for instance at this pic of Beuttler's car at Monaco :

http://www.racingspo...3-06-03-015.jpg

Furthermore, Hesketh Racing reverted to this nose cone again at the beginning of the 1974 season, pending arrival of their new Hesketh 308, and Dempster International Racing Team retained it when they entered the ex-Hesketh 731 :

http://www.racingspo...4-07-20-035.jpg

[No brain no pain]

Originally posted by f1steveuk
Mr Sbarro, is this the chap that designed the wierd and wonderful cars? A Golf with a Porsche engine in the back, in which the whole rear end tipped uo to get at the engine, some bizarre two seaters, and I am fairly certain he rebodied an F1 car as well???

A "bit" off topic, but I'm the lucky owner of such a Sbarro-Golf you are mentioning. It's a Porsche 911 Turbo 3,3 engine in it

[philippe7]

Originally posted by Gerard Gamand
and you can see the big difference with the Hesketh nose.

Pic take also in Austria GP 1973

Just for the ( fun ) record, this custom-made nose was very officialy refered to as the "Silly Nose" by Hesketh Racing

[arttidesco]

I had not realised all the March 731's were actually upgraded 721 G's until now.

March seem to have been in a pickle over noses in 1973 not seen the F2 type nose used by David Purley before, the original 731 nose as used by Jarrier seems to have been used sans splitter by Daniel Rouveyran.

The Hesketh nose used in Austria was presumably a special for the anticipated higher ambient temperatures.

Edited by arttidesco, 13 September 2010 - 18:00.

[proviz]

Fascinating. Not at Mulhouse when I went there a good many years ago.

I'd suggest the aerodynamics are a year or two post 1968.

Allen

Agreed, and I'd even suggest the whole car is later than 1968 considering F5000 only started in 1969. Earlier it may have been Formula A of course. Actually this thing looks a lot like a modified McLaren M4 to me.

[arttidesco]

Agreed, and I'd even suggest the whole car is later than 1968 considering F5000 only started in 1969. Earlier it may have been Formula A of course. Actually this thing looks a lot like a modified McLaren M4 to me.

Can see some similarity to the McLaren M4.

Some more pics of the F 5000 Sbarro here the text reads :-

From 1969 to 1975, the Formula 5000 cars allowed the confrontation built by big names in the competition, like McLaren or March. Since 1968, Sbarro evolved a car that meets the standards of this new formula. This car was equipped with an 8-cylinder engine 5-liter, 450 horsepower. The low weight of the car enabled him to attain enough speed incredible 280 km / h on the racetrack. The Formula 5000 could also run in uphill races. The aerodynamic study led Sbarro to create a body shaped like a spatula.

According to Google :-)