March Engineering - Citizendia

March

Full name	March Engineering
Base	United Kingdom
Founder/s	Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, Robin Herd
Noted staff	Akira Akagi
Noted drivers	Chris Amon, Jo Siffert, Niki Lauda, Ronnie Peterson, Vittorio Brambilla
Formula One World Championship career
Engines	Ford, Alfa Romeo Judd, Ilmor
Debut	1970 South African Grand Prix
Races competed	207
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	3
Pole positions	4
Fastest laps	7
Final race	1992 Australian Grand Prix

March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from Britain. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Max Rufus Mosley (born 13 April 1940 is president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA a non-profit association that represents the interests of Alan Rees (born January 12, 1938 in Langstone, Monmouthshire) is a British former Racing driver of the 1960s from Early life Chris Amon was born in Bulls, New Zealand as the only child of wealthy sheep-owner Ngaio Amon Joseph Siffert ( July 7, 1936 – October 24, 1971) was a Swiss Racing driver. Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949 in Vienna) is an Austrian Aviator, Entrepreneur This is about the racing driver For the ice hockey player see Ronnie Pettersson. Vittorio Brambilla ( November 11 1937 - May 26 2001) was a Formula One driver from Italy who raced for the March Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Alfa Romeo participated in Formula One, as both a constructor and engine supplier from to. Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd Ilmor, founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in 1984 is a British independent high-performance autosport engineering company The 1970 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Kyalami on March 7, 1970 Classification By season The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA) to the most successful Formula One The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race The 1992 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on November 8, 1992. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula 2, Formula 3, IndyCar and IMSA GTP sportscar racing. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national Automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level single-seat Open wheel The International Motor Sports Association (generally referred to as IMSA) is an American Auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton Georgia IMSA GT was a Sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Sports car racing is a form of circuit Auto racing with Automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels

1 1970s
2 1980s
3 1990s
- 3.1 Leyton House Racing
- 3.2 Demise
4 Car Designations
5 Formula One Results
6 Bibliography
7 Related links

1970s

March Engineering began operations in 1969. Its four founders were Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker and Robin Herd. They each had a specific area of expertise: Max Mosley looked after the commercial side, Robin Herd was the designer, Alan Rees managed the racing team and Graham Coaker oversaw production at the factory. Max Rufus Mosley (born 13 April 1940 is president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA a non-profit association that represents the interests of Alan Rees (born January 12, 1938 in Langstone, Monmouthshire) is a British former Racing driver of the 1960s from The history of March is dominated by the conflict between the need for constant development and testing to remain at the peak of competitiveness in F1 and the need to build simple, reliable cars for customers in order to make a profit. Herd's original F1 plan was to build a single-car team around Jochen Rindt, but Rindt became dismayed at the size of the March programme and elected to continue at Team Lotus. Karl Jochen Rindt ( April 18, 1942 - September 5, 1970) was a German - Austrian racing driver 1950s Colin Chapman established Lotus Engineering Ltd in 1952 at Hornsey, UK.

March's launch was unprecedented in its breadth and impact. After building a single Formula 3 car in 1969 March announced that they would be introducing customer cars for F1, F2, F3, Formula Ford and Can-Am in 1970, as well as running works F1, F2 and F3 teams. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA / CASC Sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974

The Formula One effort initially looked most promising, with March supplying its 701 chassis to Tyrrell for Jackie Stewart. Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967 Tyrrell Racing first came into being in 1958 running Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars For other people of this name see Jackie Stewart (disambiguation. These cars were merely a stopgap for Tyrrell, who no longer had the use of Matra chassis and was in the process of constructing his own car; March was the only option available to him given clashing fuel contracts. Mécanique Avion TRAction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile Bicycles Aeronautics In addition, the factory ran two team cars for Jo Siffert (Porsche were paying for his drive) and Chris Amon sponsored by STP. Joseph Siffert ( July 7, 1936 – October 24, 1971) was a Swiss Racing driver. Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch Early life Chris Amon was born in Bulls, New Zealand as the only child of wealthy sheep-owner Ngaio Amon STP is a brand name and trade name for the automotive additives and performance division of the Clorox Corporation A third STP car, entered by Andy Granatelli for Mario Andretti, appeared on several occasions. Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (born March 18, 1923 in Dallas TX) was the CEO of STP. Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian American former racecar driver and one of the most successful Americans in the Ronnie Peterson appeared in a semi-works car for Colin Crabbe when his works Formula Two commitments allowed; various other 701s went to privateers. This is about the racing driver For the ice hockey player see Ronnie Pettersson. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. The team constructed ten F1 chassis that year, in addition to F2, F3, Formula Ford and Can-Am chassis. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA / CASC Sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974 Stewart gave the March chassis its first F1 victory in the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix and Amon took a non-championship race, but the works team did not win a Grand Prix. The 1970 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jarama on April 19, 1970. The 701 had distinctive wing-profile fuel tanks at the side of the car designed by Peter Wright of Specialised Mouldings; Wright had been involved with BRM's abortive ground-effect programme in the late sixties and later worked on the groundbreaking Lotus 78. The 701's tanks though lacked endplates and skirts to help generate any meaningful ground effect. Robin Herd (in Mike Lawrence's history of the team 'Four Guys and a Telephone') described the 701 as essentially a good 1969 car and not what he would've done had he been able to run a small team for a star like Rindt - the 701 was designed and built very quickly and he claims he would've built something more like the 711.

Andrea de Adamich driving a March 711 at the 1971 German Grand Prix. Andrea de Adamich (born October 3, 1941) is a former Racing driver from Italy. The 1971 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1971.

The distinctive March 711 taking part in the Silverstone Classic meeting in 2007. Silverstone Circuit is a Motor racing circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, named after the village in the former England

David Purley in a March 731 F1 car rented from the works. David Charles Purley GM ( January 26, 1945 - July 2, 1985) was a British Racing driver born in Bognor Regis,

For the 1971 Formula One season March Engineering came up with the remarkable 711 chassis, which had aerodynamics by Frank Costin and an ovoid front wing [1] described as the Spitfire (for its shape) or 'Tea-tray' (for its elevation from the car) wing. The 1971 Formula One season included the 22nd FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on March 6, 1971, and ended on Frank Costin was an automotive engineer who pioneered Monocoque Chassis design and was instrumental in adapting aircraft Aerodynamic knowledge for automobile WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The car took no wins, but Ronnie Peterson finished second on four occasions, ending as runner-up in the World Championship. This is about the racing driver For the ice hockey player see Ronnie Pettersson. Alfa Romeo V8 powered cars were occasionally entered, to little avail (following on from an equally unsuccessful Alfa program with McLaren). Alfa Romeo participated in Formula One, as both a constructor and engine supplier from to. McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937&ndash1970 is a Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, UK

The 1972 Formula One season completely failed to capitalise on the promise shown in 1970-71. The 1972 Formula One season included the 23rd FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 23, 1972, and ended on Three distinct models of car were used, beginning with the 721, which was a development of the 711. Peterson and Niki Lauda then drove the disappointing experimental 721X factory cars (using an Alfa Romeo transverse gearbox and intended to have a low polar-moment, anticipating in some ways the much more successful Tyrrell 005/006). Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (born February 22, 1949 in Vienna) is an Austrian Aviator, Entrepreneur Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967 Tyrrell Racing first came into being in 1958 running Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars Frank Williams ran regular 711 and 721 customer cars for Henri Pescarolo and Carlos Pace. Sir Francis Owen Garbatt Williams CBE (born April 16 1942 is founder and manager of the WilliamsF1 Formula One racing team Complete Formula One World Championship results ( key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap See also Pescarolo Sport José Carlos Pace (born October 6 1944 in São Paulo - died March 18 1977 near São Paulo was a Racing driver from The 721X was deemed to be a disaster and abandoned, but the team saw a way out; customer Mike Beuttler and his backers ordered an F1 car, and the team produced the 721G in nine days (the 'G' standing for 'Guinness Book Of Records' as the car was built so quickly) by fitting a Cosworth DFV and larger fuel tanks to the 722 F2 chassis (not as desperate an experiment as it may have sounded -- John Cannon commissioned a Formula 5000 car which was built to a very similar scheme). Mike Beuttler ( 13 April 1940 – 29 December 1988) was a British Formula One driver who raced privately entered March Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Cosworth is an Automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958 specialising in engines for automobile racing (motorsport John Cannon (born in London, UK on June 21, 1933 - died in New Mexico, USA on October 18, 1999 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an auto-racing formula that ran different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982 The 721G was light and quick, and the works team soon built their own chassis. Had they started the year with these, wins may well have been possible. The 721G set the trend for future March F1 cars, which for the rest of the 1970s were essentially scaled-up F2 chassis. Meanwhile, March was going from strength to strength in Formula Two (which became its spiritual home) and Formula Three. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing.

Also, the German team Eifelland entered under its own name a 721 much-modified with distinctive and eccentric bodywork by designer Luigi Colani for its driver Rolf Stommelen. Eifelland was a German Formula One team named after German caravan manufacturer Eifelland based in Germany's Eifel mountains Luigi Colani, (born in Berlin on 2 August 1928 as Lutz Colani) is a German Industrial designer whose father came Rolf Stommelen ( 11 July 1943 - 24 April 1983) was a Racing driver from Siegen Germany. This car was extremely unsuccessful, and later reverted mostly to conventional 721 form and was used by John Watson to make his F1 debut for John Goldie's Hexagon of Highgate team. John Marshall "Wattie" Watson MBE (born May 4, 1946, Belfast) is a British former racing driver from Northern Ireland

March's only notable result was Peterson's third place in Germany.

1973 was the low-point for March in Formula 1. The 1973 Formula One season included the 24th FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 28, 1973, and ended on The four extant 721Gs were re-bodied and fitted with nose-mounted radiators and the crash-absorbing deformable structures that became mandatory that season; although no new chassis were built, they were re-designated 731s. Without significant STP money, the March factory team was struggling, running an almost unsponsored car for Jean-Pierre Jarier (who mainly concentrated on F2, winning the championship in a works March-BMW), while Hesketh bought a car for James Hunt to race. Jean-Pierre Jarier (born July 10, 1946) is a French Grand Prix racing driver now retired Hesketh Racing was a Formula One constructor from Great Britain, which competed from 1973 to 1978. James Simon Wallis Hunt ( 29 August 1947 &ndash 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver from England who won the Jarier was replaced by Tom Wheatcroft's driver Roger Williamson, who suffered a fatal accident in Zandvoort (at which race March privateer David Purley attempted to rescue Williamson from his burning car). Roger Williamson ( 2 February 1948, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire &ndash 29 July 1973, Zandvoort Circuit Circuit Park Zandvoort is a Motorsport Race track located in the dunes near the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North David Charles Purley GM ( January 26, 1945 - July 2, 1985) was a British Racing driver born in Bognor Regis, The Hesketh team, after an initial non-championship outing using a Surtees, bought a March which was developed by Harvey Postlethwaite and became a regular points-scorer, again hinting that there was little wrong with the basic concept of the 721G/731. Hesketh Racing was a Formula One constructor from Great Britain, which competed from 1973 to 1978. The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons (1970 to 1978 as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000. Dr Harvey Postlethwaite ( March 4, 1944 – April 15, 1999) was a British engineer and Technical Director of several Formula One teams Had March been able to focus on F1, greater success would have been possible. 1973 marked the first year where F2 became more important to March than F1, with the new two-litre rules marking the beginning of a long relationship with Paul Rosche at BMW. March undertook to buy a quantity of BMW engines each year in exchange for 'works' units for their own team; the BMW unit was standard-issue for the 732 F2 car and to use up the rest of the units March also manufactured a 2 litre prototype until 1975. Some of these had an astonishingly long life and were still competing (albeit much-modified) in Japan in the early 1980s.

In 1974, the factory team ran Howden Ganley until his money ran out, then Hans-Joachim Stuck in a Jägermeister-sponsored car and Vittorio Brambilla in a Beta Tools-sponsored car. James Howden Ganley (born December 24, 1941 in Hamilton) is a former Racing driver from New Zealand. Hans-Joachim "Strietzel" Stuck (born January 1, 1951) is a German racing driver who has competed in Formula One and many other Jägermeister (ˈjeːgəˌmɑɪstʰə is a German 70-proof Digestif that is made with Herbs and Spices It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister Vittorio Brambilla ( November 11 1937 - May 26 2001) was a Formula One driver from Italy who raced for the March Both drivers were exuberant and occasionally quick, but proved expensive in terms of accident damage. BMW was starting to exert pressure on March to quit F1 and concentrate on F2. Patrick Depailler took the F2 championship in an Elf-sponsored March-BMW, the marque's last title for several years as the Elf sponsorship programme and (in 1976) the arrival of Renault engines turned the formula into a French benefit. Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler ( 9 August 1944 - 1 August 1980) was a Racing driver from France. Some discontent arose in the March customer ranks in F2 since the works appeared after the first couple of F2 races with cars that differed significantly from the customer vehicles.

In the following year Brambilla continued, scoring a surprise victory in the rain-shortened 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Results from the 1975 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix held at Österreichring on August 17, 1975. The second car was run by Lella Lombardi, the only woman to score a Championship point in F1 (only a half point actually as the ill-fated 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was shortened). Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (born in Frugarolo, Alessandria, March 26, 1941 - died in Milan, March 3, The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Montjuïc circuit on April 27, 1975, remembered as one of the most controversial Sadly, Mark Donohue died after a practice accident in a Penske-owned March at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Mark Neary Donohue Jr ( March 18, 1937 - August 19, 1975) was an American Racecar driver known for his ability to set Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the Indy Racing League, ALMS, and NASCAR. Results from the 1975 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix held at Österreichring on August 17, 1975. Penske had abandoned their own car and bought a March to allow them to continue to compete; subsequent Penske F1 cars were very much 'son of March'. Through the mid-Seventies March provided privateers with simple, fast, and economical cars, although it does not pay to examine the history of individual chassis too closely; at one point Frank Williams bought an allegedly brand new 761B only to discover that it still had orange paint on it from its time as a 751 with Brambilla driving! The relationship between chassis plates, chassis and 'entities' is distinctly fuzzy in the 741/751/761 series, with at least one chassis plate having appeared on three distinct monocoques and one monocoque having appeared under multiple plates. Sir Francis Owen Garbatt Williams CBE (born April 16 1942 is founder and manager of the WilliamsF1 Formula One racing team

Hans-Joachim Stuck driving a March at the Nürburgring in 1976. Hans-Joachim "Strietzel" Stuck (born January 1, 1951) is a German racing driver who has competed in Formula One and many other The Nürburgring, known as simply " The Ring " by enthusiasts is a Motorsport Race track in Nürburg, Germany.

In 1976, Peterson, unhappy with the uncompetitive Lotus, jumped ship early and returned to March for whom he scored the team's second and last win at Monza. The 1976 Formula One season included the 27th FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 25, 1976, and ended on Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a Motorsport Race track near the town of Monza, Italy, north of Milan. The 761 was fast but fragile, the F2 components starting to show the strain; by this point the F1 effort was being run on a shoestring with a two-car 'works' effort featuring Peterson and Stuck, the cars tending to turn up in different liveries as race-by-race sponsorship deals were signed, and a 'B-team' entered under the March Engines banner for paying drivers Lombardi and Arturo Merzario. Arturo Francesco Merzario (born March 11, 1943 in Civenna, Como) (real name Arturio - blunder on name registration - sometimes By now the F1 effort as a whole was under fairly severe pressure from BMW, which wanted Robin Herd to concentrate entirely on the works' Formula Two effort, which was starting to be outpaced by French constructors (Martini and Elf) and the new Ralt marque. RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham

That year Peterson scored only one other point in 1976 before being brokered back into a deal with Tyrrell for 1977. Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967 Tyrrell Racing first came into being in 1958 running Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars Although he felt most at home at March, it was clear that the team didn't have the resources to do Formula 1 "properly".

In the off-season of 1976/77, March engineer Wayne Eckersley constructed a rear end for the 761 chassis that had four driven wheels (designated the March 2-4-0) to Robin Herd's design. The March 2-4-0 was an experimental six-wheeled Formula One racing car built by the March Engineering company of Bicester, UK Unlike the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34, the 2-4-0 had four 16" driven wheels at the rear (the same size as the front wheels). Race history When unveiled the cover was peeled away from the back forward and the collective gasps from the world's press said it all The theory behind the design was that this arrangement would offer improved traction and reduced aerodynamic drag (compared to the Tyrrell, which used ultra-small front wheels and normally sized rears). The chassis was tested at Silverstone circuit in early 1977 by both Howden Ganley (although the first time Ganley tested the 2-4-0 only the front pair of rear wheels were powered!) and Ian Scheckter but the project was curtailed in favour of further development of the conventional chassis. Ironically the car made March more profit than many of its successful racing cars as it was licensed by Scalextric and became one of their most popular models. Scalextric is a major international brand of Slot car racing that first appeared in the late 1950s and is currently owned by Hornby. The 2-4-0 rear end was later used in hillclimbing by various drivers including Roy Lane. Roy Lane is a British racing driver He is best known for his great success in Hillclimbing, having won the British Hillclimb Championship on

A token F1 effort with Rothmans' sponsorship was run in 1977 for Alex Ribeiro and Ian Scheckter, but nothing worthwhile was achieved. Alex Dias Ribeiro (born in Belo Horizonte, November 7, 1948) is a former Racing driver from Brazil. Ian Scheckter (born August 22, 1947 in East London, South Africa) is a former Racing driver. Yet, as the works were fading from F1 the 761, by virtue of being cheap, simple and readily available, became the tool of choice for privateers, notably Frank Williams who after his acrimonious split with Walter Wolf needed a car to get back into racing before his own vehicle was ready. Sir Francis Owen Garbatt Williams CBE (born April 16 1942 is founder and manager of the WilliamsF1 Formula One racing team Walter Wolf (born 5 October 1939 is a Canadian oil-drilling equipment supplier who in the early 1970s made a fortune from the North Sea oil business and decided to

Merzario later built his own unsuccessful F1 car based on his old 761, which he and Simon Hadfield attempted to develop into a ground effect car. Merzario was a Formula One constructor from Italy. They participated in 31 grands prix entering a total of 32 cars For another similarly named effect relating to aircraft see Ground effect in aircraft. This programme was completely unsuccessful.

At the end of the 1977 season, the F1 team's assets and FOCA membership were sold to ATS (who had bought the Penske cars); Herd was retained by them as a consultant and was hence in the curious position of developing a development of his own 1975 car - and the 1978 ATS had some features reminiscent of contemporary March thinking. The 1977 Formula One season included the 28th FIA Formula One World Championship season which commenced on January 9, 1977, and ended on ATS was a German Formula One team named after German alloy wheel brand Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör. Mosley left the company to concentrate on FOCA matters. The Formula One Constructors' Association (FOCA is an organization of the Chassis builders (constructors who design and build the cars that race in the FIA The F2 car had reached the end of a train of development that had started with the 732 and was becoming seriously uncompetitive; the works team abandoned the evolutionary 772 in favour of a smaller, neater car built around an old Formula Atlantic monocoque, the 772P. The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda is a Formula racing series with races throughout North America This was more than a match for the Martini opposition and formed the basis of the next year's dominant 782.

From 1978, March concentrated on Formula 2 running the works BMW team. Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, was a type of Formula racing. ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 A 781 chassis was occasionally campaigned in the minor Aurora F1 series. The British Formula One Series, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. March also assisted in the production of the Group 4 and Group 5, racing versions of the BMW M1 sports car, which as well as running in mainstream endurance races also ran in the one-make Procar series as supporting events in many F1 races. The Group 4 racing class referred to a set of regulations for cars in Sportscar racing and Rallying regulated by the FIA. Group 5 was an FIA classification for cars in Sportscar racing. The BMW M1 is a Sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981 The F2 cars of this era, particularly the 782, were often superb, and March regained its dominance of the formula - Bruno Giacomelli took the F2 title. Bruno Giacomelli (born September 10 1952) is a former Racing driver from Italy.

Ground effect came to F2 in 1979 but was widely misunderstood; for a while it looked like Rad Dougall in the Toleman team's conventional 782 would beat not only Brian Henton in Toleman's own car but also March's new 792 to the title. For another similarly named effect relating to aircraft see Ground effect in aircraft. Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the U Brian Henton (born September 19 1946 in Castle Donington, Leicestershire) is a former Racing driver from England. In the end, however, Marc Surer prevailed for the works. Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951) is a former Racing driver from Switzerland.

1980s

In 1981 March made a half-hearted and ill-financed effort to return to F1, building cars that were little more than heavy and insufficiently stiff copies of the Williams FW07 for Mick Ralph and John McDonald's RAM Racing. RAM Racing was a Formula One racing team which competed during the racing seasons of 1976 to 1985 The car was driven initially by Eliseo Salazar, but he soon quit for Derek Daly to take over. Eliseo Salazar Valenzuela (born in Santiago, November 14, 1955) is a Racing driver from Chile and the only one of his countrymen to Derek Daly (born March 11, 1953 in Dundrum, Dublin) is a former Racing driver from the Republic of Ireland. The team acquired a major sponsorship deal from Rothmans in 1982, but the money came too late for Herd or Adrian Reynard (who was working as chief engineer) to improve the performance of the cars. Adrian Reynard (born March 23 1951, Welwyn, England) was the founder of Reynard Motorsport, which was a successful racing car In 1983, McDonald started building his own cars and March was left outside F1 once more. The RAM-March effort was at armslength from March proper, with the cars being built at a separate factory and the only real link with March being Robin Herd. During this phase, March Engines (a separate company within the group) undertook a number of bespoke customer projects - a highly-modified BMW M1 (which was highly unsuccessful but provided some input into the later GTP/Group C cars) and an equally unsuccessful Indycar (the Orbitor) based around the 792 chassis. The BMW M1 is a Sports car that was produced by German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981

The March 821 from the 1982 season on display. The 1982 Formula One season was the 33rd FIA Formula One World Championship season

March's attention in the early 1980s was mainly split between F2 and breaking into the IndyCar market. Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis It is a curious irony that although March's FW07 copy bombed in Formula One, when developed into the 81C Indycar it was instantly successful (largely down to George Bignotti's direct involvement in developing the car). Cosworth-powered Marches won the Indianapolis 500 five straight times between 1983 and 1987. Cosworth is an Automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958 specialising in engines for automobile racing (motorsport The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American Results of the 1983 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Sunday May 29, 1983. The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 24, 1987 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The March 86C actually won the race twice in a row, 1986-1987. The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Saturday May 31, 1986. The 71st Indianapolis 500 was held Sunday May 24, 1987 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On the other hand, when Williams directly licensed the FW07 design to Bobby Hillin, the resultant Longhorn cars were a failure. Bobby Hillin Jr (born June 5 1964 in Midland Texas) is an American Stock car Racecar driver. An important sideline appeared when Group C and IMSA GTP racing started; March built a line of sports-prototypes descended from the unsuccessful BMW M1C, which, fitted with Porsche or Chevrolet engines, enjoyed considerable success in America (but less in Europe). Group C was a category of Auto racing, introduced into Sports car racing by the FIA in 1982 along with Group A for touring cars The International Motor Sports Association (generally referred to as IMSA) is an American Auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton Georgia Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM The biggest success for March in sportscar racing was victory in the 1984 24 Hours of Daytona. The Rolex 24 at Daytona (frequently referred to by its historical title the 24 Hours of Daytona) is a 24-hour sports car Endurance race held annually at A works BMW deal in IMSA suffered from engine problems but the cars were intermittently very fast. ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 In 1982, Corrado Fabi took March's last Formula Two title; the formula was being increasingly dominated by the works Ralt-Hondas. Corrado Fabi (born April 12, 1961 in Milan) is a former Racing driver from Italy. RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham () is a Multinational corporation, engine Manufacturer and engineering corporation headquartered in Japan. March abandoned the Formula Three market at the end of the 1981 season; they had enjoyed periods of dominance in the category, but this had faded in favour of Ralt, though. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham The margins on an F3 car were low and the factory could be more productively occupied building F2s and Indycars.

The Truesports March 86C driven by Bobby Rahal to the 1986 Indy 500 and CART championships

The new Formula 3000 in 1985 gave March much more success for the first few years of the formula, with Christian Danner being the first champion in a March chassis. Truesports was an automobile racing team founded by Jim Trueman based in Hilliard Ohio. Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal (born January 10 1953 in Medina Ohio) is an American Auto racing team owner and former driver spending most of Christian Danner (born April 4, 1958 in Munich) is a former Race car driver from Germany. He was followed in 1986 by Ivan Capelli and in 1987 by Stefano Modena. Ivan Franco Capelli (born in Milan, May 24, 1963) is an Italian former Formula One driver Stefano Modena (born May 12, 1963 in Modena) is a former Racing driver from Italy. These early F3000s were little more than developments of the 842 F2 car (as were the Japanese F2 cars in 1985-86). Meanwhile, March became by far the dominant marque in Indycar racing, reaching the point where 30 out of 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 were Marches. The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, often shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, and historically known simply as "The 500" is an American Into the late 1980s, the F3000 programme started to be eclipsed by Lola and Ralt, and was virtually obliterated by Reynard Motorsport's entry to the market. Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a Racing car Engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer

March began a new Formula 1 program in 1987 with the Ford-engined 871 which was sponsored by Japanese real estate company Leyton House and driven by Ivan Capelli, who had brought his F3000 sponsor to the team (in fact, for the very first race an F3000/F1 hybrid called the 87P had to be used as the 871 wasn't ready). Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Leyton House Racing was a Formula One constructor that raced in the 1990 and 1991 seasons In August 1987, Adrian Newey came to March and designed the March-Judd 881 for Capelli and Mauricio Gugelmin to drive. Adrian Newey (born December 26, 1958) is currently the chief technical officer of the Red Bull Racing Formula One team Mauricio Gugelmin (born April 20, 1963 in Joinville) is a former racing driver from Brazil. The car was a real success, scoring 21 points in 1988, including a second place at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix. The 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 25 1988 at the Autódromo do Estoril, Estoril. It was the only normally-aspirated car to lead a race - albeit briefly - during the season. The aerodynamics and ultra-slim monocoque of the 881 were copied by most of the grid in 1989 and the car launched Newey as a superstar designer.

1990s

March encountered financial trouble and in June 1989, Japanese real estate entrepreneur Akira Akagi purchased the March F1 and F3000 teams. March concentrated on high-value partnership deals, such as Porsche and Alfa Romeo Indycar (the Porsche deal led to some success; the Alfa project was unsuccessful), consultancy work on the Panther Solo supercar, composites, and wind tunnel businesses. Porsche SE or Porsche ( German, ˈpɔɹʃə is a German manufacturer of automobiles which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch During its history Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, Sportscar racing, Touring The Panther Solo is a mid-engined Sports car made by the British company Panther Westwinds. A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects The wind tunnel was a disaster, with the insulation being far too efficient - it was effectively a pressure cooker that generated useless results and this destroyed the competitiveness of various teams that used it, including Lotus. The economic downturn of the late 80s affected March's market severely and the management recognised that they were producing poor customer cars; the logical move was to merge with Ralt, with March becoming the brand for industry partnership deals, leaving Ralt to look after the production categories. RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham This duly took place, although the businesses were never efficiently integrated.

Leyton House Racing

Main article: Leyton House Racing

The F1 team raced as Leyton House Racing in 1990 and 1991, acquiring Ilmor V10 power, but by the end of the year, Akagi was immersed in the Fuji Bank scandal and Leyton House withdrew from racing. Leyton House Racing was a Formula One constructor that raced in the 1990 and 1991 seasons Leyton House Racing was a Formula One constructor that raced in the 1990 and 1991 seasons Ilmor, founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in 1984 is a British independent high-performance autosport engineering company The team was bought by Ken Marrable, an associate of Akagi, and resumed the name March for the 1992 season but with little funding and results fell far short of expectations. The Leyton House Racing operation closed down as the team (now unconnected to the March group) attempted to assemble a project for the beginning of the 1993 season. The unraced design was taken by Chris Murphy to Lotus, where it formed the basis of the Lotus 107. The Lotus 107 was a Formula One car designed for the 1992 Formula One Season, it brought in a final frustratingly limited and short-lived period of competitiveness

Demise

A complex series of buyouts and sales saw the March group (now essentially a financial services outfit) divest itself of its racing interests; after a management buyout, March and Ralt were subsequently sold to Andrew Fitton and Steve Ward in the early 1990s. RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater Racing cars founded by ex- Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham Steve Ward previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Lenovo. Fitton later wound March up and Ward continued Ralt at a lower level. In the late 1990s the engineering assets of March were sold to Andy Gilberg. This consisted of over 30,000 engineering drawings and design rights for the customer cars, works F1 cars from the 1970s and other projects produced at the Murdock Road facility. These records are currently available to car owners, racing services providers and historians through www.marchives.com.

Car Designations

March's cars generally followed a simple designation scheme in which the first two digits correspond to the year (69-91), and the third digit or letter corresponds to the formula. Some peculiarities emerged, which are documented below. There were some minor exceptions to these rules, for example xx5 designated both some very early Formula B/Atlantic cars, some early F5000s and some early 2-litre sports cars!

Formula 1 - 701-781, 811-821, 871-881. Subsequent March F1 cars took the CG prefix after Cesare Gariboldi. CG891, CG901, CG911. In 1972 three distinct F1 cars appeared, 721, 721X (low-polar-moment) and 721G (F2-based). 87P was a hybrid F1/F3000 used only at the start of the 1987 season.
Formula 2 - 702-842. Japanese F2 cars in 1985-86 were designated 85J and 86J. A 772P appeared in 1977 based on an old Atlantic chassis as a prototype for the 782.
Formula 3000 - 85B - 89B
Formula 3 - 693-813. In 1971, two types of F3 car were made, a spaceframe and a monocoque, these were designated 713S and 713M. A space frame or space structure is a Truss -like lightweight rigid structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric Pattern. Monocoque, from the French for single ( mono) and shell ( coque) is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external
Can-Am/Interserie Group 7 - 707, 717, 817, 827
2-litre sports prototypes - 73S - 77S; Sports 2000 81S-84S
IndyCar/Champcar - 81C - 89C. The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA / CASC Sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974 Interserie is the name of a European -based motorsport series started in 1970 that allows for a wide variety of racing cars from various eras and series to compete with less limited Sports 2000 is a restricted-rules class of two-seat rear-engined open-cockpit full-bodied Sports-prototype racecar used largely in amateur road racing Bespoke cars for Porsche took the 89P and 90P designations; bespoke cars for Alfa Romeo took the 89CE designation.
Formula 5000 - 72A - 76A
Formula Atlantic - 73B - 79B
Formula Ford (UK) - 708 - 718
Formula Ford (US) - 709 - 719
'Formula Renault - 75R
IMSA GTP/Group C - 80G - 87G. Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an auto-racing formula that ran different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982 The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda is a Formula racing series with races throughout North America Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world Formula Renault is a class of Formula racing founded in 1971 It is popular in Europe and other countries 'N' and 'S' designations used for Nissan cars.

Formula One Results

Main article: March Grand Prix results

Results achieved by the 'works' March team. The table below details the complete World Championship Grand Prix results for the March Formula One team

Season	Entrant	Car	Tyres	Engine	Drivers	Constructors Championship
1970	March Engineering	March 701	F	Cosworth DFV	Chris Amon Jo Siffert	3rd (43 pts)
1971	STP March Racing Team	March 711 March 701	F	Alfa Romeo Cosworth DFV	Ronnie Peterson Alex Soler-Roig Andrea de Adamich Nanni Galli Niki Lauda Jean-Pierre Jarier Mike Beuttler	4th (33 pts)
1972	STP March Racing Team	March 721 March 721X March 721G	G	Cosworth DFV	Ronnie Peterson Niki Lauda	6th (15 pts)
1973	STP March Racing Team	March 731 (actually rebuilt 721G)	G	Cosworth DFV	Jean-Pierre Jarier Henri Pescarolo Roger Williamson	5th (14 pts)
1974	March Engineering	March 741	G	Cosworth DFV	Hans-Joachim Stuck Howden Ganley Vittorio Brambilla Reine Wisell	9th (6 pts)
1975	March Engineering Beta Team March Lavazza March	March 751 March 741	G	Cosworth DFV	Lella Lombardi Vittorio Brambilla Hans-Joachim Stuck	8nd (7,5 pts)
1976	March Engineering	March 761	G	Cosworth DFV	Ronnie Peterson Hans-Joachim Stuck	7th (19 pts)
1977	Team Rothmans International Hollywood March Racing	March 761B March 771	G	Cosworth DFV	Ian Scheckter Alex Ribeiro Hans-Joachim Stuck Brian Henton	NC (0 pts)
1981	March Grand Prix Team	March 811	A M	Cosworth DFV	Eliseo Salazar Derek Daly	NC (0 pts)
1982	March Grang Prix Rothmans March Grand Prix Team LBT Team March	March 821	A P	Cosworth DFV	Raul Boesel Jochen Mass Rupert Keegan Emilio de Villota	NC (0 pts)
1987	Leyton House March Racing Team	March 871	G	Cosworth DFZ	Ivan Capelli	13th(1 pt)
1988	Leyton House March Racing Team	March 881	G	Judd	Ivan Capelli Mauricio Gugelmin	6th (22 pts)
1989	Leyton House Racing	March CG891 March 881	G	Judd	Ivan Capelli Mauricio Gugelmin	14th (4 pts)
1990	Competed as Leyton House Racing
1991	Competed as Leyton House Racing
1992	March F1	March CG911	G	Ilmor	Paul Belmondo Karl Wendlinger Emanuele Naspetti Jan Lammers	9th (3 pts)

Bibliography

Four Guys And A Telephone, Mike Lawrence, MRP
March: The Grand Prix and Indy Cars, Alan Henry, Hazleton

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