South African Formula Atlantic Championship

The South African Formula Atlantic Championship ( South African Formula Atlantic Championship ) was one of 1,976 discharged to 1986 South African motorsport series whose regulations on which the Formula Atlantic leaned. It replaced the South African Formula 1 Championship , which was discontinued after the 1975 season, and was the highest national motorsport class from 1976. The organizer was the South African Motor Racing Club (SAMRaC). The championship races took place mainly on tracks in South Africa, there was also a race in neighboring Rhodesia ( Grand Prix of Rhodesia ). The record champion is Ian Scheckter , who won the championship six times.

background

The South African driver championship was held from 1960 to 1975 according to the Formula 1 regulations . The SAMRaC organized the South African Formula 1 Championship for this purpose. Over the years, a close proximity to the Formula 1 World Championship had developed, which significantly increased the cost of participation. At the end of the 1975 season , the SAMRaC therefore discontinued the national Formula 1 championship for economic reasons and in future announced the drivers' championship according to the Formula Atlantic rules, which meant less economic outlay with smaller engines and cheaper vehicles , mostly based on Formula 2 .

The new series attracted several British racing car designers in its early years. Although they did not report any works teams, they did support individual drivers. Chevron , March , Modus and Ralt made their new chassis available to some pilots free of charge or on favorable terms. They were supposed to put the cars through a field test so that the European customer teams to whom they were delivered a few months later could receive tried and tested vehicles.

Regulations

The first winning car of the new racing series: March 761B

With regard to the chassis, the regulations were designed to be open compared to other racing classes. Open four - wheeled single - seaters that met the requirements of 2 or 3 were allowed . The majority of the drivers used Formula 2 cars from British manufacturers, some of which had been modified. On the engine side, Ford BDA engines were used consistently until 1979 , which had been developed by Cosworth and had a displacement of 1.6 liters. With the start of the 1980 season, the organizers carried out a move to rotary engines from Mazda .

driver

The South African Formula Atlantic Championship was largely a national affair. Most of the drivers were South Africans. European or American guest drivers only appeared occasionally in the first few years. They included Derek Bell , Bill Brack , Rupert Keegan, and Gilles Villeneuve .

Results

season	master	chassis	engine	Points	Victories
1976	Ian Scheckter	March 76B	Ford BDA	69	7th
1977	Ian Scheckter	March 77B	Ford BDA	63	6th
1978	Ian Scheckter	March 78B	Ford BDA		4th
1979	Ian Scheckter	March 79B	Ford BDA		7th
1980	Tony Martin	Chevron B31	Mazda		12
1981	Bernhard Tilanus	March 78B	Mazda		5
1982	Graham Duxbury	March 822	Mazda		6th
1983	Ian Scheckter	March 832	Mazda		13
1984	Ian Scheckter	March 842	Mazda		11
1985	Trevor van Rooyen	Mason MM83	Mazda		11
1986	Wayne Taylor	Ralt RT4	Mazda		5

See also

• Formula Atlantic

literature

David Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7

Web links

• The South African Formula Atlantic on the website www.oldracingcars.com
• All races of the South African Formula Atlantic Championship on the website www.motorsportsresults.com (PDF; 23 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ For the motorsport classes cf. Hodges: Racing Cars from AZ after 1945, p. 272 ​​ff.
2. ↑ Overview of the South African Formula Atlantic Championship on the website www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on January 21, 2013).
3. ↑ Overview of the South African Formula Atlantic Championship on the website www.oldracingcars.com (accessed on January 21, 2013).