March 87P

The March 87P was a Formula 1 vehicle from the British racing car manufacturer March Engineering from 1987 , with which March initiated his return to Formula 1. The 87P was based on a Formula 3000 car from the same manufacturer and was designed as a temporary solution. He was only entered in a world championship run, but did not take part in the race.

background

Driver of the March 87P: Ivan Capelli

March Engineering, based in Bicester , was founded in April 1969 by Max Mosley , Alan Rees , Graham Coaker and Robin Herd . March first appeared in Formula 1 in 1970. At the time, it was the only manufacturer of over-the-counter Formula 1 cars. Numerous customer teams bought the March 701 and its successors. At the same time March ran a works team in the Formula 1 world championship. The Formula 1 commitment lasted until 1977, after which the company concentrated primarily on formulas 2 , 3 and 3000. In the mid-1980s, March dominated the newly established Formula 3000: Christian Danner won the first championship title in the series in a March 85B , 1986 the title went to Ivan Capelli ( March 86B ).

During the so-called turbo era, March was not involved in Formula 1. In 1981 and 1982 , the name March was again represented in Formula 1; however in a project of the British racing team RAM Racing in collaboration with Robin Herd , which had neither actual nor legal connections to March Engineering. Only after the FISA in October 1986 had spoken out in favor of the re-approval of naturally aspirated engines from 1987 onwards, March (like numerous other designers) decided to move up to Formula 1.

March Engineering founded the subsidiary March Racing for the Formula 1 commitment , which was financed to a large extent by the later main sponsor Leyton House . There, Gordon Coppuck developed the March 871 for the 1987 season , a compact naturally aspirated vehicle that was tailored to the Cosworth DFZ engine. The completion of the 871 was delayed, however, so that the car was not ready for use at the start of the 1987 season. By registering for the Formula 1 World Championship, March had committed to take part in every race of the season. In order to meet this obligation and to avoid a contractual penalty in the event of failure, the team registered the March 87P, a modified Formula 3000 racing car, for the first race in 1987. The car only appeared for this race. The 871 was ready for use from the second race of the season. The Italian team BMS Scuderia Italia proceeded similarly a year later, making its Formula 1 debut with the Dallara 3087 designed for Formula 3000 .

technology

The designers of the March 87P were Gordon Coppuck, Tim Holloway and Andy Brown. The 87P combined elements of the Formula 3000 model 87B , with which Stefano Modena was to win the Formula 3000 championship for Onyx Racing that same year , and the future 871: It had the compact chassis of the 87B, but used the body and the Thrust strut suspension of the new Formula 1 model 871. The use of the Formula 3000 chassis was associated with a restriction on the tank volume: the 87P also had the small, 160 liter tank of the 87B. This amount of fuel was not enough for a Grand Prix distance; Refueling was prohibited.

The car was powered by a 3.5 liter Cosworth DFZ engine prepared by Heini Mader Racing Components . The engine was open. The side pods were low and had lamellar vents across the width.

Racing use

The Leyton House March Racing Team reported the 87P at the Brazilian Grand Prix for Ivan Capelli, who had won the Formula 3000 championship for the British team the year before and had contested several Formula 1 races for Tyrrell and AGS .

In practice, Capelli was the slowest driver. He achieved a lap time of 1: 43.58 minutes and was 17 seconds slower than Nigel Mansell , who in Williams FW11B the pole position had been reached. Capelli's gap to the penultimate qualifier, Pascal Fabre in the AGS JH22 , was four seconds.

March did not take part in the race. During the training, the DFZ engine was so badly damaged that it could no longer be repaired. As the team did not have a replacement engine, Capelli could not start.

Results

driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	Points	rank
1987 Formula 1 season																		1	13.
Ivan Capelli	16	DNS

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

literature

• Adriano Cimarosti: The Century of Racing. Cars, tracks and pilots. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 .
• David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
• David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
• Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1st 2nd edition. Chronosports, St. Sulpice 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. 2001, p. 147.
2. ↑ Cimarosti: The Century of Racing. 1997, p. 369.
3. ↑ Cimarosti: The Century of Racing. 1997, p. 377.
4. ^ ^{A b} Hodges: Racing cars from AZ after 1945. 1994, p. 167.
5. ↑ Unlike the March 87P, the Dallara 3087 was a pure Formula 3000 car that had not undergone any changes; it also had the 3.0-liter DFV eight-cylinder that was intended for the Formula 3000.
6. ↑ ^{a b} Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1. 2000, p. 387.
7. ↑ Overview of the engines used in 1987 on the website www.forix.autosport.com (accessed on April 19, 2013).
8. ↑ Placement taking into account the results of the successor model 871.