22 replies to this topic

[Gerard Gamand]

In 1978 a very strong team apear in F2 with 2 brand new Chevron B42 Hart.
They came in European Championship with this big american transporter and the team manager was Peter Gethin himself.
Who can tell me more about the two young (and wealthy) men who drived the cars : John David Briggs and Don Briedenbach ?

[fausto]

Italian magazine Autosprint used to call them "Team Tropicana", or something similar....

[Gerard Gamand]

Do you know why ??

There were not two, but three brand news cars for the team in 1978 !!:

B42-78-16
B42-78-17
B42-78-19

Some color pics of one of them ?

[Stephen W]

Originally posted by fausto
Italian magazine Autosprint used to call them "Team Tropicana", or something similar....

Might have had something to do with Tropicana's sponsorship!

[Simon Hadfield]

The mother of one of the guys owned the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas I believe. The rumour at the time was that all their motorsport didnt even spend the interest on the trust fund.......

[Gerard Gamand]

Simon
I believe is something like that...

[Mallory Dan]

Originally posted by Gerard Gamand
Do you know why ??

There were not two, but three brand news cars for the team in 1978 !!:

B42-78-16
B42-78-17
B42-78-19

Some color pics of one of them ?

Gerard much info on these cars on 'The Other Place'. The Team in fact had 4 B42s, though some reports say 5. Team run by Peter Gethin, who I think had met them during the 77 CanAm season when Briggs ran a Lola T333CS.

Neither of them were too quick, certainly not in Euro F2 fields of that era, I got the impression Briggs was a wealthy young chap having a good time round the classic tracks of Europe. Not sure what he did, if anything after that, nor Don B for that matter.

[RA Historian]

That corresponds with my recollections. I believe that it was John Brigg's mother who had a stake in the Tropicana, hence the sponsorship. I first became aware of and saw Briggs race in 1976. That was in F-5000 in a Lola T-332. For 1977 and the reconstituted F-5000 based Can Am II Briggs ran two Lolas with the full "Can Am" bodywork, one for himself and one for Don Breidenbach. They did have some success, with Briedenbach winning overall at Laguna Seca and Briggs second overall at Road America.

After that season, Briggs took the cars down under for the Tasman F-5000 events. They were the same cars, just reconverted to F-5000 trim. Don't know how they did, but I am sure our friends on this site from 'down under' will be able to tell us.

1978 was the aforementioned F-2 season in Europe. Road & Track magazine ran a lengthy article late that year on thier season in Europe.

For 1979 they were back in the US, now running in the pro Formula Atlantic series with a fleet of March 79A cars. Briggs and Breidenbach were regulars, and I seem to recall that they regularly ran a third car, although the driver's name escapes me.

After that, the team essentially disappeared. But Briggs himself came back in 1982 running a single Ralt RT-4 in Formula Atlantic, winning the Road America round.

After that, I don't know. I guess he just faded away, like so many drivers and teams.

[Neuz]

Here are two pictures from Mid Ohio 1976 of John David Briggs

http://www.yesterday...avid_Briggs.htm

http://www.yesterday....._Briggs 1.htm


Neuz
www.yesterdaysneuz.com

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by RA Historian
After that season, Briggs took the cars down under for the Tasman F-5000 events

Australian F5000 events, perhaps.
The last Tasman Series was in 1975

[Chris Townsend]

Briggs stayed in Atlantic in the early 80s [ran a March 81A in 81-82] still ran occasionally in 84-85 with the RT4.
Won the WCAR Atlantic race at Laguna Seca 24 June 84 in his old RT4 which by then he'd sold to Riley Hopkins.
That season he also ran in FSV with a new RT5.

He had a brother, Kenneth or Kenny, who was the third driver in the 1979 team in pro Atlantic, but who also ran quite well on his own in SCCA races.

Briedenbach was around a bit earlier than the Briggs brothers I think. He made a bit of a name as a promising driver in 74/75 Atlantic, but never quite made the grade.

[Alan Cox]

Does anyone recall that they held some "informal" races for the transporter tractors, in which the Briggs team truck took part? Or am I imagining it?

[beighes]

Greetings.............To add a bit more trivia, rumour had it that the Briggs were also connected to Briggs & Stratton (lawn mower engines), and that the Grandmother was the Tropicana money. Not that it matters. The RA Historian can probably correct me, but didn't the team go by Briggs & Fodge Racing during the Centre Seat Can Am? Cheers!

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by Alan Cox
Does anyone recall that they held some "informal" races for the transporter tractors, in which the Briggs team truck took part? Or am I imagining it?

Now you mention it Alan...yes it rings a bell! Could this have been the catalyst for the European truck racing championships that followed? Now where was it - Silverstone? Donington or in Europe somewhere?

[Sharman]

Or was it Briggs Motor Bodies?

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by David McKinney

Australian F5000 events, perhaps.
The last Tasman Series was in 1975

I defer to your knowledge of the matter, David. We way up here in the northern hemisphere often lose track of the differences and distances between Australia and New Zealand.
Tom

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by beighes
Greetings.............To add a bit more trivia, rumour had it that the Briggs were also connected to Briggs & Stratton (lawn mower engines), and that the Grandmother was the Tropicana money. Not that it matters. The RA Historian can probably correct me, but didn't the team go by Briggs & Fodge Racing during the Centre Seat Can Am? Cheers!

I never heard the Briggs & Stratton story; have doubts if there is any validity, but just because I never heard it before does not mean that it could not be true!

However, you are on the right track on Briggs & Fodge. That is how the entry reads for the August, 1976 F-5000 race. For the 1977 Can Am event the entry read Briggs Racing Enterprises, as it did for the 1979 Formula Atlantic race. For that event the third car was driven by Kenny Briggs, as Chris Townsend points out. Sponsorship was listed as Tropicana Hotels.
Tom

[bobLee]

Originally posted by Gerard Gamand
In 1978 a very strong team apear in F2 with 2 brand new Chevron B42 Hart.
They came in European Championship with this big american transporter and the team manager was Peter Gethin himself.
Who can tell me more about the two young (and wealthy) men who drived the cars : John David Briggs and Don Briedenbach ?

I talked to John David Briggs back in 1989 while researching a Lola T-70 MKIII coupe 73/111 that I owned at the time. David said his mother financed the racing. His comment was "After I learned all the tracks the money ran out"
I learned from others that his mother hired or encouraged a Mr. Harvey Snow to take David under his wing and Harvey got him interested in racing. David drove a GT-40 with Le Mans history to High school in San Jose, California. The GT-40 number will have to wait for someone to look it up in the Shelby registry.
Harvey Snow and David went to Lola and purchased the T-70 MK III and then got Ed Leslie to race it in SCCA and three Can-Am races in 1968. David did well in some center seat Can-Am races in the USA.

I grew up in San Jose California and can not imagine having a GT-40 to drive to High School at age 16. For the record in the sixties in California you could get your drivers license at fifteen and half if you passed a drivers ed course.

[humphries]

R.A.H

John-David and Don raced in the Rothmans International Series in Australia with the following results:-

05/02/1978 Sandown Park Briggs 7th Breidenbach retired

12/02/1978 Adelaide Briggs 9th Breidenbach 11th

19/02/1978 Surfers Paradise Briggs 5th Breidenbach 3rd

26/02/1978

[humphries]

Sorry, pressed a wrong button.

As you were!

26/02/1978 Oran Park Briggs 10th Breidenbach 9th

Just to catch out the unwary there was a John Briggs from South Australia also in the series but at the wheel of a Matich rather than a Lola T332.

John

[Jerry Entin]

Here is a very nice picture from 1976 at Elkhart Lake. It was lent to site by RA Historian.
photo Tom Schultz-copyright 2007 Tom Schultz.

[raceannouncer2003]

Don Breidenbach raced March (his own, I believe) in Atlantic at Westwood in 1975 and 1976 (at least), plus elsewhere and other seasons in other cars of course. He is now listed under Historic Grand Prix in a McLaren:

http://www.historicg...Breidenbach.htm

Vince Howlett, Victoria, B.C., Canada

[Gerard Gamand]

Thanks all
That's pretty interesting.