2 Bourgeault Formula B Cars

History and Description

Below is the description of the Bourgeaults as provided by the owner.

Both cars ran in FB. The currently complete car was raced by Alson Brizard in early 1970’s. That history is available via SCCA history documentation. It was the original Alfa 1600 car that Nade campaigned. The chassis number for that car is currently unknown as, unfortunately, there was none stamped on it from the beginning. The Bourgeault runs and drivers, but has been sitting for a period of years so needs a thorough going through before being raced.

The complete Bourgeault was last on the track 2011, competing in an HMSA Formula B race at Sears Point. The car is currently fitted with a wet sump, stroked, 1300 cc Alfa twin cam race engine.

The owner purchased the Alfa engine from Lou Pavesi at the same time he acquired the other Bourgeault chassis from Pavesi, chassis #00161. The Alfa engine was represented as fresh when purchased, and it has very few events on it since.

The Pavesi car, chassis #00161,  came with a Hewland Mk. 4 five speed gearbox when the current owner acquired it. That gearbox is now in the complete Ex-Alson Brizard car, and is mated to the Alfa twin cam. Mike pierce tuned the engine, and the car ran mid-pack at Sears Point when last raced.

Chassis #00161, the one leaning up against the wall in the photos, is the second Bourgeault built using a Lotus twin cam engine.  #00161 competed in the 1992 Monterey Historics. It was crashed at Laguna in 2006. The current owner disassembled the car, and used some of the parts to finish the Alfa-powered car.  Since the accident, #00161 chassis has been straightened and is ready for re assembly. One of the rear uprights was cracked and still needs to be repaired.

Most of the body work is there for 00161 except for the main upper that was cracked pretty badly.  The good news is that the cars cars come with body molds that are in great shape, so any missing pieces, or those that get damaged, can be replaced. Also missing from this chassis is one rear trailing arm, fuel cell, shift linkage, some gauges, radiator, some brake parts, engine and gear box and misc bits used to complete the Alfa car. Most of the car is still there and can be reassembled.

This is an opportunity to purchase two of the possibly four or five Bourgeault formula cars ever produced by Bourgeault out of Mill Valley, California. They are from the iconic late 1960’s – early 1970’s classic formula car design period. These cars were competitive in period, and can be again in historic racing.  See some racing results below from OldRacingCars.com.

Road Race of Champions (F/SCCA class)

Riverside, 27 Nov 1966

Northern Pacific SCCA Formula B 1967

Formula B cars were still thin on the ground in Northern Pacific in 1967 with most cars again coming from San Francisco Region. Steve Griswold had built up a new LeGrand Mk3B from a kit in partnership with John Wilkins and fitted it with a self-built dry sump Alfa Romeo GTA engine. This was easily the most competitive FB kit in the Division and Griswold won two races on his way to the Northern Pacific title and finished a fine fourth in the Pro race at Lake Tahoe.

Tony Boothby and Mike Brodie took the next positions in the Division in antique Lotus 18s and behind them came Larry Albedi’s Bourgeault, the creation of local constructor Nadeau Bourgeault. Nade only built four or possibly five for Formula B or C: the Formula C car that was raced by Nick Reynolds; two original FBs for Albedi and John Kuenzli; and a later FB for Al Brizard. Ed Marshall had a Bourgeault in 1969 and Chuck Billington had one in 1970, suggesting a fifth may have been built. Nade died on Christmas Eve 1971, age just 45.

Final standings

Northern Pacific SCCA Formula B 1969

Combining the San Francisco Region and the road racing enthusiasm of Oregon and Washington, NorPac always saw good F/SCCA fields and 1969 was an epic battle for supremacy between NW Region’s William Monson and San Francisco’s Don Delamore, both in BT21-model Brabhams. Monson, in the ex-Nick Reynolds BT21C, pipped Delamore by a point for the divisional title and then led him home in a NorPac 1-2 at the Daytona Runoffs in November.

Behind these two were Ed Leslie, whose Titan had been expected to be a leading runner in the Pro series, and Mike Eyerly whose old Brabham BT18 had taken the Pro title. Mike Brodie is listed in the division as having a Lotus but used a Brabham BT21 in the Pro series.

Final standings

* Indicates total includes points earned out of home divisions.

Northern Pacific SCCA Formula B 1970

Although there were plenty of cars, neither of the west coast divisions had the level of equipment found in the North East and Central Divisions. Mike Hansen won the division in his ex-Jon Milledge Brabham BT21C from Pete Darr who had swapped his aged ex-F2 Lotus 44 for a Chevron B15-17.

Nobody else scored more than nine points and this group was led by Russ Harness in Ron Brown’s Brabham BT18 and Robert Hall in a Lotus 41C. Bruce Kearsley, who finished eighth, may be the same Bruce Kearsley who ran a Brabham in FB in the North East Div two years earlier. More familiar names further down the table include LeGrand regular and later Can-Am driver Wes McNay; Chuck Billington, who would go on to win six national championships in the smaller sports car classes; and Gave Gove, another future regular in Can-Am. An unexpected name on the list is Cam McKenzie of Squamisit, BC in Canada who had somehow qualified for points in his usual ex-F3 Brabham BT21.

Further back but still going strong were the Bourgeaults. Dave Cristofferson was sharing Larry Albedi’s original model, Buford Motley was driving John Kuenzli’s sister car and Chuck Billington was driving Al Brizard’s newer car.

Final standings

* Indicates total includes points earned out of home divisions.

Northern Pacific SCCA Formula B 1971

NoPac’s Formula B category grew again, now with 19 drivers scoring points against the 14 of 1970 and several new cars appearing.

Mike Hansen swapped his Brabham BT21C for a new BT35 and retained his title comfortably from Allan Lader who also swapped his BT29 for a BT35 mid-season. Lader was too busy winning the national Pro series to worry too much about the Divisional title. Behind these two, Peter Darr took third place in his Chevron but nobody else scored more than nine points. Amongst these, William Monson had acquired a brand new Lotus 69, Ron Householder had a decent car in the ex-Lader Brabham BT29 and Jon Milledge also raced a BT29, probably Archie Snider’s car. Another second-hand BT29, the ex-Mike Hiss car, is believed to have been Ernie Haze’s mount.

The Winkelmanns and LeGrands were now fading away, only Jon Woodner’s Winkelmann-based “Excar” proving a competitive proposition. Laguna Seca specialist Bob Wenz continued to race his antique Cooper T71/73, which although entered as a T76 began life as Bob Gerard’s 1.5-litre F1 car from 1964. Amongst the Brabhams, Gordon Strom and Dewey Harless are believed to have had BT29s, possibly the same one, and John Ransom had the ex-Ron Brown/Gerry Bruihl/Russ Harness BT18 but the Brabham of Bud Rude is still a mystery.

Final standings

Photos

Please feel free to Contact Us if you are interested in this listing.