Trophee de l'avenir 1975

[Frank de Jong]

Another difficult one.
The "Trophee de l'avenir" was organized in 1975 as an alternative to the ETCC. The rules were the same as for the 1974-1975 Spa 24 hour race.
Now information about this championship is very difficult to find. I've found seven of the eight races - so far, this is what I've got:

May 3, coupes de Spa.
1. Walkinshaw/Crabtree, Capri
2. Tricot, Commodore
Abt/Nowak 3rd in class
DNF Frankenhout/Vermeulen, Commodore

May/June Oesterreichring
1. Walkinshaw, Capri
2. Frankenhout, Commodore
3. Dini, Alfa GTV
DNF Blackburn, Capri

June 15 Monza
1. Vermeulen/Frankenhout, Commodore
2. Peltier/Demol, BMW

date unknown, Imola
1. Vermeulen/Frankenhout, Commodore
4. Andruet/Litrico, Alfa GTV

July 26, Spa 24h - full result is on my site

Race 7, September 28, Zolder
1. de Fierlant/Xhenceval, BMW

Race 8, October 5, Silverstone TT
1. Graham, Camaro
2. Fierlant/Xhenceval, BMW
3. Handley, Commodore

Does anyone have more results? When and where was the missing race (some sources suggest Zandvoort, but I can't remember missing a single race in 1975 there)?
The points system was 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1, I have the points positions (totals only) after 6 races for all 4 divisions - but why does Frankenhout have 40 points instead of 55 (he had two firsts and a second at the time)?
Any help would be very much appreciated!

[TimD]

Frank, this is what I have for the '75 TT - results gleaned from Motor Sport and prominent retirements figured out from the text. Entry list from programme, and as usual with my notes anyone with no finish position or "r" for retirement has to be assumed to be "as entry list"

RAC Tourist Trophy 1975
Silverstone
October 5 1975
107 laps
45 entries - 36 starters

1 Stuart Graham 1 Chevrolet 73 Camaro Z28
2 Jean Xhenceval 12 BMW 3.0CSi
2 Hugues de Fierlant
3 John Handley 17 Opel Commodore GSE
4 Alec Poole 41 Ford Escort RS2000
4 Tony Brennan
4 Derek McMahon
5 Brian Cutting 55 Toyota Celica GT
5 Win Percy
5 Patrick Cobb
6 John Hine 7 Ford Capri 2 3.0
6 Tony Pond
6 Jeremy Nightingale

r Win Percy 54 Toyota Celica GT conrod
r Brian Cutting
r Tom Walkinshaw 8 Ford Capri 2 3.0 electrics
r Holman Blackburn
r Mike Crabtree
r Brian Muir 40 Triumph Dolomite Sprint accident
r Albrecht Krebs Opel Commodore GSE accident
r Barrie Williams 11 BMW 3.0CSi brakes
r Richard Lloyd 2 Chevrolet 73 Camaro Z28 oil pressure
r Andy Rouse 38 Triumph Dolomite Sprint gearbox
r Vince Woodman 4 Chevrolet 73 Camaro Z28 clutch
r Jonathan Buncombe

Alistair Cowan 3 Chevrolet 73 Camaro Z28
Brian Pepper
Holman Blackburn 9 Ford Capri 2 3.0
Tom Walkinshaw
Mike Crabtree
Mike Crabtree 10 Ford Capri 2 3.0
Fred Frankenhout 14 Opel Commodore GSE
Patrick Neve 15 Opel Commodore GSE
Rene Tricot
Eddy Joosen 16 Opel Commodore GSE
“Marco”
Gerry Marshall 21 Vauxhall Magnum Coupe
Barrie Boult 5 Ford Capri 2 3.0
Marc Smith
Arthur Collier 6 Ford Capri 2 3.0
Joseph Carr
Chris Craft 18 Opel Commodore GSE
Shaun Jackson
Tony Lanfranchi 20 Mazda RX2
Derek Bell 31 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Jean-Claude Andruet 32 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Spartaco Dini
Mario Litrico 33 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Walter Dona
Eric Mandron 35 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Duilio Ghislotti 36 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Giacinto Caio
Roger Bell 39 Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Jenny Birrell
Ken Coffey 42 Ford Escort RS2000
Cyd Williams
Peter Hanson 44 Opel Manta
Spartaco Dini 34 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
Tarcisio Fornera 37 Alfa Romeo 2000GTV
John Markey 43 Mazda RX3
David Palmer
Franz Dubois 51 Audi 80GT
Jean-Pierre Landrieu
Jacky Thaon
Michel Dinant 52 Audi 80GT
Jacky Thaon
Franz Dubois
Jean-Marie Jacquemin 53 Chrysler Avenger GT
Harald Ertl 56 Toyota Celica GT
Hans Stuckenbrock
Michel de Deyne 57 Alfa Romeo GT1600 Junior
Michel Noe
Roland de Jamblinne
Michele Lauria 58 Alfa Romeo GT1600 Junior
Nelio Brunetti
Michel Chapel 59 Alfa Romeo GT1600 Junior
Jean-Pierre Magalhaes
Robert Laine 71 Simca 1000 Rallye 2
Maurice Gaspard
Ugo Meloni 72 Fiat 128
Roger Berndtsson
Roger Berndtsson 73 Fiat 128
Ugo Meloni
Peter Hilliard 74 Alfa Romeo GT1300 Junior
Leo Bertorelli
John Myerscough 75 Alfa Romeo Alfasud
John Raffo
Jon Dooley 76 Alfa Romeo Alfasud
Rex Greenslade

[Frank de Jong]

Thanks Tim, it seems to solve another mystery; according to Fred Frankenhout, his car was driven by Vermeulen and "some German" who turnes out to be Albrecht Krebs. Fred had to race in Zandvoort that weekend in the national championship.

[Vitesse]

Digging into the calendar in the 1975 Yellow Book, your Oesterreichring race could be a support race for the GTs on May 25th.

[Milan Fistonic]

The coverage of this series in Motoring News is decidedly patchy.

Round 1 was the Spa 500kms on May 3, 1975. MN has about half a page with top six results.

Round 2 was at the Osterreichring on May 25. MN has a paragraph on page 1.

Round 3 was the Monza 500 miles on June 8. Again only a paragraph on page 1. The regulations in English had just been published and MN covers that. No points scores unfortunately.

Round 4 was the Spa 24 hour on 26/27 July. Two full pages on this race.

The next report that I can find is the penultimate round at Zolder on September 28. One paragraph, most of which is about the death of Pierre Reubens.

Final round was the TT at Silverstone on October 5. Full coverage in MN.

When I get some time I’ll double check that there weren’t any other rounds between Spa and Zolder and type out the results. Or I could send you photocopies.

[Frank de Jong]

Hi Milan, a copy of those articles would be most interesting. You can scan and mail too, if you can find the time.
Fred Frankenhout's recreated 1975 Commodore has had its first outing last weekend at Zandvoort - some troubles with the brakes resulted in a DNF, but the car was competitive and will race again at the Nurburgring june 26/27.

[Vitesse]

The Monza 500 must have been arranged very late, since it's not in the Yellow Book calendar (correct as of Oct 15th 1974). Other possibles to check which show up in the calendar as having Gp1 races scheduled between Spa and Zolder:

German GP meeting, Nurburgring, Aug 2-3
Preis der Nationen, Hockenheim Aug 30-31
Salzburgring Aug 30-31
Croix-en-Ternois Sep 6-7

There was a non-Championship F1 race (Bologna GP) originally scheduled for Imola on Sep 14 - that seems to be the only International date Imola had in 1975. Enna maybe? Misano?

[Frank de Jong]

Stricktly speaking the series was for group 1 3/4 a.k.a. "Francorchamps". Group 1 (or 1 1/2 like the UK) cars were allowed too. The rules were created in Belgium by Paul Frere IIRC. So perhaps it doesn't appear in the group 1 section? According to Fred Frankenhout, they won in Monza and Imola. Imola sept 14 would make sense, since somewhere in the TT program "3 weeks ago" is mentioned - that would mean sept 14 too.
Now where was the 8th race?

[Dutch chap]

Fred Frankenhout's recreated 1975 Commodore has had its first outing last weekend at Zandvoort - some troubles with the brakes resulted in a DNF, but the car was competitive and will race again at the Nurburgring june 26/27.

And a fantastic race it was! Are you sure it was the same car? I wondered when I saw it and felt it to be to good to be true.

[Vitesse]

According to the John Player Yearbook 1976 the series attracted race organisers in "Italy, Holland, France, and other countries". I see nothing French in your results, Frank

Other than that clue, the book says very little, mentioning Walkinshaw's two wins while noting that de Fierlant and Xhenceval were major contenders. Spartaco Dini's drives for Autodelta in the 2 litre class are singled out "but the actual series champions, by dint of regular high place finishes in the up to 1300cc class were the Fiat drivers, Ugo Meloni of Italy and Roger Berndsten of Belgium."

[Vitesse]

Apart from the Croix-en-Ternois meeting I mentioned above I can find only one International date in France for the relevant time frame: the Swiss GP at Dijon-Prenois on Aug 23-24.

[Frank de Jong]

Originally posted by Dutch chap
And a fantastic race it was! Are you sure it was the same car? I wondered when I saw it and felt it to be to good to be true.

I've seen pictures of it during the building process - I guess the car is new, but I'll ask Fred to be sure. The original car was built in Germany by Opel.

Vitesse, I do have the JPS book (my other sources so far are the Silverstone TT program, full Spa 24h results and a sketchy report on the coupes de Spa and the Zeltweg race and a little information from Fred Frankenhout). Since it mentions races in Holland as well as France, I don't know what to think - there was no race at Zandvoort in 1975 I'm sure. But perhaps the suggestion of Dijon makes sense, there was no other race in August for the TdlA.

[Milan Fistonic]

From Motor Racing Year 1976 Edition.

Run to regulations similar to the new 1976 Group 2 rules, the Trophee de l'Avenir was organised for the first time and comprised seven rounds at Spa (500 Kms), the Osterreichring, Spa 24-Hours, Monza (twice), Zolder and Silverstone.

The second race at Monza came after the Spa 24-Hour race and before the Zolder round.

[Frank de Jong]

So perhaps one of the original rounds was cancelled then. One of the Monza's should probably be Imola.
We're getting somewhere...

[Milan Fistonic]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong
So perhaps one of the original rounds was cancelled then. One of the Monza's should probably be Imola.
We're getting somewhere...

The piece I quoted from Motor Racing Year was published at the end of the season so they knew which tracks had been used.

This is what it says about the second Monza.

Back at Monza for the second time, and when Walkinshaw/Crabtree retired their championship chances slipped away. Fred Frankenhout/Huub Vermeulen won in their Opel Commodore from Spataco Dini's Alfa Romeo.

Frankenhout also won the first race at Monza after Walkinshaw crashed while leading.

[Frank de Jong]

This is what the Commodore looked like last weekend:

[Milan Fistonic]

It seems the fifth round was at Imola, not Monza.

Opel Commodore wins Imola

The Imola 500 kms, Sunday's [September 14] round of the Trophee de L'Avenir saloon series, provided a victory for the Dutch Opel Commodore driven by Fred Frankenhout and Huub Vermeulen. Frankenhout won the first 250-km heat on his own and then Vermuelen took over the car to win the second.
British hopes rested on the Hermetite Capri 2 of Walkinshaw/Blackburn but although they managed a strong second in the first heat they retired in the second, thus leaving second place on aggregate to Arturo Merzario/Spartaco Dini (Alfa Romeo) and Potsin/Giamberti (Alfa Romeo).

Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read.

[Frank de Jong]

Thanks Milan, Fred did remember Imola too.
Now so far we now have:
rd 1 May 3 Spa
rd 2 Oesterreichring May 25
rd 3 Monza 500 June 8
rd 4 Spa 24h July 25/26
rd 5 Monza Septerber 14
rd 6 ??
rd 7 Zolder September 28
rd 8 Silverstone October 5
Round 6 therefore would have taken plave on September 21, which would be a bit unlikely, 4 races in four weeks. So either there were only seven rounds in 1975, or the imola race was round 6...

[Milan Fistonic]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong
Thanks Milan, Fred did remember Imola too.
Now so far we now have:
rd 1 May 3 Spa
rd 2 Oesterreichring May 25
rd 3 Monza 500 June 8
rd 4 Spa 24h July 25/26
rd 5 Monza Septerber 14
rd 6 ??
rd 7 Zolder September 28
rd 8 Silverstone October 5
Round 6 therefore would have taken plave on September 21, which would be a bit unlikely, 4 races in four weeks. So either there were only seven rounds in 1975, or the imola race was round 6...

Imola was on September 14 - not Monza.

[Frank de Jong]

Sorry!

[Frank de Jong]

The site has been updated this night, with all info I have gathered of the TdlA of 1975. It could use a little more detail, like the missing race in my results. The championship was probably organised in 1974 too, but apart from the Spa race I know nothing at all.

[Frank de Jong]

Originally posted by Milan Fistonic
The coverage of this series in Motoring News is decidedly patchy.

The next report that I can find is the penultimate round at Zolder on September 28. One paragraph, most of which is about the death of Pierre Reubens.

When I get some time I’ll double check that there weren’t any other rounds between Spa and Zolder and type out the results. Or I could send you photocopies.

Milan, I've guessed that Pierre Reubens should be Rubens, Datsun 260Z driver. The good news is: he is not dead, I've learned from an eye witness that he was injured but recovered.

[Frank de Jong]

Within a few weeks, pictures from the crash above will be on the site, and a lot of pictures of cars with all wheels on the ground during the EG trophy as well.
Milan, if it is not too much to ask, can you dig up some more results and/or reports of this fascinating series? Zeltweg, both Italian races and especially the Zolder round could use a little more detail.

[Frank de Jong]

The site had been updated last weekend with a lot of new pictures on the EG Trophy of 1975. I don't know much about the race besides the winner - so the captions are a little short...

[Mark Crabtree]

very interesting reading - I will have a look at your website

If I can get any more information for you I will - My father mike crabtree im sure will be able to fill in any missing bits.

Regards

MarkC