Brabham BT29 - Page 8

Gryphon · 30 Nov 2007, 16:07 (Ref:2078802)

G'day all

I have recently recovered this car, in sad shape. It has race history from 1980 onward, but I have not found any previous race history. Raced in Can-Am by Jerry Kehoe of CA during the 80's. Any information regarding its previous whereabouts will be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

David Irwin · 30 Nov 2007, 16:15 (Ref:2078809)

I have:

W. Boyer, James Connell (Pollack Pines,CA) and Fred Schrameck (Orangeville,CA) as former owners.

David Irwin
Evergreen, CO

allenbrown · 30 Nov 2007, 16:24 (Ref:2078820)

Welcome Gryphon

Can you say where you got this car from? I thought I knew where it was and I didn't think it was in 'sad shape.

Allen

Douglas Brenner · 30 Nov 2007, 18:56 (Ref:2078927)

I just found this picture. Who would have guessed anyone would ever have been interested! This is a picture of me (grubby on left) and Graham Baker in Detroit in the summer of 1970. I would guess it was just after the Mosport Continental race. In the forground is my Chevron and in the background is Graham's BT29 in yellow with orange. This car was painted in Bonphil racing colors like Mike Eyerly, Al Lader and mine. He must have had some deal with Bonny and Phil.

jjordan · 30 Nov 2007, 20:17 (Ref:2078956)

Chris, didn't Ron Dykes (from california) run at Indy? I don't remember if he qualified, I am sure he ran some of the California 500 races and maybe some others.

allenbrown · 30 Nov 2007, 21:00 (Ref:2078986)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjordan

Chris, didn't Ron Dykes (from california) run at Indy? I don't remember if he qualified, I am sure he ran some of the California 500 races and maybe some others.

Pretty sure he didn't. I have no record of Dykes in any Indycar races.

David Kent · 30 Nov 2007, 21:07 (Ref:2078990)

Well done Douglas. This shot would have been taken in the August of 1970 because that is when Graham repainted his car from the green and yellow to all yellow with the Bonphill sponsorship. Incidentally he also fitted a Hart twin cam at this time in place of the vegantune. Must have come into some money!

Douglas Brenner · 30 Nov 2007, 23:02 (Ref:2079054)

Here I a couple of pictures of a BT29 in Bonphil Racing colors. I don't recognize the #, but I am sure someone out there will know.

Douglas Brenner · 30 Nov 2007, 23:05 (Ref:2079058)

Here is a shot of the Fred Opert van in 1970. Don't know which track. My crew guy Peeper is kneeling over my Chevron and I am drinking. I think that is Laders BT29. Also, I am pretty sure that the previous picture of Graham Bakers car in green is at Kent, Washington.

Douglas Brenner · 1 Dec 2007, 00:08 (Ref:2079090)

Ron Dykes never raced at Indy, or to my knowledge raced that kind of car. Mike Hiss was 1972 Indy 500 rookie of the year and for a while raced for Penske. When Mario was racing F1 at Monico, Mike would qualify his car at Indy. Gordon Smiley, who raced in the February 1972 races in Bogota, was killed at Indy.

Davhut · 1 Dec 2007, 00:53 (Ref:2079109)

JJ
I don't think Dykes ever raced at Indy either. He's associated occasionally now with Historic Grand Prix.
Here's a shot from Dallas International in 1970, along with the Opert stable.
Chris, if you give me long enough I might come up with another BT-29 driver at Indy.
Somewhere I have a ton of lousy snapshots (from Gordon's estate I think) of a bunch of cars being loaded into some old DC-3 in Miami and again unloaded in Bogota. I think Allen at oldracingcars.com has a few of them, and the cars range from March 722s to Brabham BT 38s, odd ball looking Chevrons with big mouths and high wings and of course, that lovely Merlyn.
One of the prettiest 29s ever, IMO, was owned by Stephen Louden from Dallas, TX. He painted it a great metallic dark orange/black/yellow and I think I never stopped to shoot a photo of the thing.
That event is discussed a little bit in the Merlyn Mk 21 thread, and although I was there, I don't remember Douglas at all.
But he's not the only thing I don't recall from 1970!
One of the most wonderful things about these old photos is what you see in the background. Brenner's picture looks to be from roughly the same position as mine, note the wacky RV at the back! And he's doing more that drinking, note the stare at the girl with the pony tail!
Happy holidays to everyone.

Douglas Brenner · 1 Dec 2007, 01:48 (Ref:2079128)

Wow, what a great picture!! Thanks so mucn. I also have some picture from Miami where the cars were loaded onto the plane. I think it was a DC6. It was the first time I saw spares! Engines and even frames. They are on slides somewhere. Bob Lazier had a March 722. Pretty nice. It was also the beginning of new tires all the time. In 1971 I was given some Dunlops before Sears Point. Most everyone ran Firestone YB11s. I ran those tires for the rest of the season, and I mean those 4 tires! These were 100 mile or so races with tons of practice and qualifying. I probably ran some nationals too. I went to the runoffs at the end of the year with those same tires. At Bogota in my BT29 I replaced my YB24 Firestones with Goodyears. They were slicks. With no change at all to the car, I was 2 seconds faster. My engine failed in the first race and we went home. That was the end of my racing for quite a few years. I quit just when it started to get really expensive. Any pictures you all have out there would be apperciated. Send files to douglas@brennerfab.com or you can send cds etc. to my at the address on my website www.brennerfab.com

I remember Dallas quite well. These were cars with radiators in front. It was quite hot and we put a pyrometer on my shoes when I got out of the car. 140 deg F! I put plastic bags with ice inside my driving suit during the race. I am a southern california boy who grew up racing Riverside and Willow Springs in the summer, and to this day love the heat, so it really didn't bother me too much. Tom Kornell passed out while driving the race. His car just slowed to a stop on the straight!

Douglas Brenner · 1 Dec 2007, 03:25 (Ref:2079159)

Here is a picture and the entry list from Bogota, the first of the two races. I qualified 6th. That is Gordon Smilye in his Merlyn just in back of me. I think I was the fastest tube frame Brabham and I think the second Brabham with Bert Hawthorne in the BT38 on the poll. I only lasted a few laps. The scavange side oil line came loose and the enging filled up with oil and wrecked itself. This was my last time in the car.

Douglas Brenner · 1 Dec 2007, 03:43 (Ref:2079167)

Correction. It was 1970 I had the Dunlops. You can see them in the pictures of the Chevron.

allenbrown · 1 Dec 2007, 11:29 (Ref:2079284)

Here are the results of those two Bogotá races: 27 Feb 1972 and 5 Mar 1972. Thanks for the entry list, I'll add those details next time I do an update.

jjordan · 1 Dec 2007, 19:52 (Ref:2079492)

I am sure that you all are right, as my good freind Davhut can atest, the top of my head is a scarey place. That plus 70-71 seems like.....40 years ago! I might be confusing Dykes with Dennis Firestone, although I can't remember Firestone ever running a BT29. Met Firestone for the first time in 69-70 at Dallas International Raceway, always remember the drivers meeting where they told everyone (with a straight face), that they had a diver on duty if we got into the "lake."

allenbrown · 1 Dec 2007, 20:11 (Ref:2079499)

The only drivers I can find who drove a BT29 and also drove in a Indycar race are:

Pete Halsmer (27 Indy/USAC appearances, drove a BT29 at the Run-Offs in 1974)
Mike Hiss (32 Indy/USAC appearances, drove a Hayes BT29 once in 1970 and once in 1971)
Randy Lewis (2 Indy/USAC guest appearances at Laguna in 1983 and 1984, drove a BT29 during 1970)
Evan Noyes (drove his F5000 car in a USAC race in 1974)

However, I don't have 1969 FB results yet so I may be missing a whole bunch of other contenders.

Gryphon · 5 Dec 2007, 08:18 (Ref:2081860)

Quote:

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Welcome Gryphon

Can you say where you got this car from? I thought I knew where it was and I didn't think it was in 'sad shape.

Allen

The car has been "resting comfortably" in the Sacramento area for at least 15 years, unused and untouched. The suspension was (poorly) modified to increase the track width for the CanAm body, which was also poorly fitted. Still sporting the Olds(not Repco) 3.5 V8 installed by Kehoe. Original body and engine MIA. Would like to know where this car was prior to 1980. Frisbee-style CanAm body was formed for Kehoe by local hero Hal Whipple. All history subsequent to 1980 easily verified locally. At this point, the neglected chassis is good only as a pattern to build a new one. All alloy parts have significant corrosion damage. A sad end, unless early racing history exists. Not cost-effective to restore.

Gryphon · 5 Dec 2007, 08:24 (Ref:2081864)

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Irwin

I have:

W. Boyer, James Connell (Pollack Pines,CA) and Fred Schrameck (Orangeville,CA) as former owners.

David Irwin
Evergreen, CO

Thanks David. Do you have dates to go with the names?

Chris Townsend · 5 Dec 2007, 08:56 (Ref:2081880)

Boyer would have had the car in 1970, which is the only time he raced a BT29 as far as I can see, sp presumably from new

Chris

MarcGiroux · 11 Dec 2007, 03:03 (Ref:2086170)

Getting in a little late, but referring ALL the way back to Andrew Fellowes post #121. Tim Gaffney and Joe Blacker bought two BT-29's from Gary Dausch simultaneously.
Gaffney's had no Chassis Tag but AM #70/93. He did the restoration, I don't believe he ever drove it, sold it to Bruce Lobona in Georgia who ran it a few times, sold it to me (Marc Giroux) in late 2000. I still own and campaign it.
Blacker's did have a Chassis Tag, but I don't recall the number. He did sell it to Peter McLaughlin who still owns it. Blacker missed having a Brabham and then bought the car he currently drives from David Irwin.

Andrew Fellowes · 11 Dec 2007, 03:58 (Ref:2086187)

Hi Marc,

Welcome to 10 Tenths, good to see you here!
I know David came up with a possible chassis number, have you found anything else?

While on the subject of BT29 owners I am trying to find out chassis numbers for the following owners,
John Thompson, Calgary AB
Lowell Blossom, Charlevoix MI
Bob Goeldner, Longmeadow MA
Eugene Owen, Montpelier OH
Shelby Mershon, Springfield OH

Dave Burch hasn't replied to an email but Dave Olsen has.

Ted Walker · 11 Dec 2007, 08:38 (Ref:2086276)

Thompson could be 49, I have that name against a Canadian BT29

David Irwin · 11 Dec 2007, 13:18 (Ref:2086489)

John Thompson, Calgary AB - car here in Denver, CO - don't know the number

Lowell Blossom, Charlevoix MI - BT29-36 - former Michael Rigby(Vancover,BC) car - Lowell sold car 2007 to ???

Bob Goeldner, Longmeadow MA - former Steve Rees(kansas City) car, then to Goeldner, Recently sold to Chris Cunningham. Don't know the number, chassis rebuilt years ago by? tig welded frame.

Eugene Owen, Montpelier OH - former Dave Wachtel(Rensselaer, NY) thought to be a BT28, but was actually a BT29 with optional MK gearbox, AM70-36, to David Irwin to Eugene Owen.

Shelby Mershon, Springfield OH - this is BT29-46 former Al Lader,.....Marty Handshy(Ridgefield, CT) to Mershon and now for sale.

Hope that helps. Wish I knew the numbers on my car!!!!

David Irwin
Evergreen, CO

Andrew Fellowes · 11 Dec 2007, 21:00 (Ref:2086768)

Ted & David, many thanks, yup that helps narrow the field a bit more!

Andrew

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