Race Hamilton, also known as the Labatt's Hamilton Championship, was a 1978 auto race held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada featuring a round of the Formula Atlantic Labatt Championship Series. The event featured future driving stars Bobby Rahal, Keke Rosberg and Danny Sullivan competing for $10,000 in first-place prize money.[1]
| Atlantic Championship | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 43°15′21″N 79°52′23″W / 43.25583°N 79.87306°W |
| Corporate sponsor | Labatt Brewing Company |
| First race | 1978 |
| First Atlantic Championship race | 1978 |
| Last race | 1978 |
| Laps | 39 |
| Duration | 47m 24.585s |
| Most wins (driver) |  Keke Rosberg (1) |
| Most wins (team) | Excita/Fred Opert Racing (1) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chevron B45 - Ford (1) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.3 mi (2.1 km) |
| Turns | 10 |
| Lap record | 1m05.964s (Price Cobb, March 78B - Ford, 1978, Formula Atlantic) |
The race took place on August 7 on a 2.092 km (1.30 miles), 10 turn temporary street circuit in downtown Hamilton with the start/finish line located between the Hamilton City Hall and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.[2]
The race attracted an estimated 60,000 fans, half of those watched for free from the roofs of surrounding buildings and by breaking down barriers.[3][4] After a five-hour delay due to insurance issues with the safety barriers around the course, only 39 of the scheduled 73 laps took place due to darkness. Only 16 of the 29 cars entered, completed the race.[5]
Race results edit
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Chassis/Engine | Laps | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Keke Rosberg
|
Excita/Fred Opert Racing | Chevron B45 - Ford | 39 | 47m 24.585s | 68.113 mph |
| 2 | 22 |  Price Cobb
|
Ecurie Canada | March 78B - Ford | 39 | 47m 25.208s | 68.098 mph |
| 3 | 2 | Bobby Rahal
|
Pierre's Motor Racing | Ralt RT1 - Ford | 39 | 67.704 mph | |
| 4 | 34 | Danny Sullivan
|
Bluebonnet Foods/Quaker State | March 78B - Ford | 39 | 67.394 mph | |
| 5 | 6 |  Divina Galica
|
Fred Opert Racing/Olympus | Chevron B39 - Ford | 39 | 66.255 mph | |
| 6 | 31 | Chip Mead
|
Hanna Car Wash/Pierre's Motor Racing | Ralt RT1 - Ford | 38 | ||
| 7 | 9 | John Mortensen
|
Doug Shierson Racing | March 78B - Ford | 38 | ||
| 8 | 51 | Rick Koehler
|
Brooks Stevens | Excalibur EE2B - Ford | 38 | ||
| 9 | 19 | Bob Earl
|
James Brolin | Chevron B-34 - Ford | 38 | ||
| 10 | 78 | Rick Bell
|
Ralt RT1 - Ford | 38 | |||
| 11 | 13 |  Jean-Pierre Alamy
|
March 78B - Ford | 38 | |||
| 12 | 15 | Mike Rocke
|
BDN | March 77B - Ford | 37 | ||
| 13 | 72 | Gilles Leger
|
Ralt RT1 - Ford | 37 | |||
| 14 | 50 | Jeff Smith
|
Starr Racing | Chevron B34 - Ford | 37 | ||
| 15 | 58 | Jon Norman
|
Norman Racing | March 78B - Ford | 37 | ||
| 16 | 71 | John Connolly
|
Ralt RT1 - Ford | 36 | |||
| 17 | 20 | Jeff Wood
|
Great Plains Racing | March 78B - Ford | 35 | Accident | |
| 18 | 66 | Peter Robinson
|
Chevron B39 - Ford | 34 | Accident | ||
| 19 | 33 | Kevin Cogan
|
Brian Robertson/Ralt American | Ralt RT1 - Ford | 29 | Cross member | |
| 20 | 38 | Tom Gloy
|
Tom Gloy/Lane Sports | March 77B - Ford | 26 | Transmission | |
| 21 | 7 | Bill Brack
|
STP Special/Ecurie Canada | March 78B - Ford | 22 | Accident | |
| 22 | 8 | Howdy Holmes
|
Jiffy Mixes/Doug Shierson Racing | March 78B - Ford | 10 | Mechanical | |
| 23 | 67 | R.J. Nelkin
|
Hunter Mountain | March 78B - Ford | 10 | Mechanical | |
| 24 | 21 | Michael Follett
|
Ralt RT1 - Ford | 10 | Spun | ||
| 25 | 63 | Ralph Manaker
|
R.M. Racing | March 76B - Ford | 3 | Mechanical | |
| 26 | 62 | Cliff Hansen
|
Charles Gladding | March 78B - Ford | 2 | Suspension | |
| 25 | 54 | Carl Liebich
|
Liebrau Racing | Lola T-560 - Ford | 0 | Accident | |
| 28 | 75 | Chris Gleason
|
Whalley BMW Sales | March 77B - Ford | 0 | Accident | |
| 29 | 79 | Bobby Brown
|
Automatic Radios | March 78B - Ford | 0 | Accident | |
| 30 | 24 | Bertil Roos
|
Racetune/Acme | March 77B - Ford | 0 | Pulled off |
References edit
- ^ Zimmermann, John (1998). A Quarter Century on the Road to Stardom (The Atlantic Championship Series). USDC Publishing. pp. 28–32. ISBN 9782930120232.
- ^ "Hamilton Street Circuit (1978)". theracingline.net. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Miller, Tim (Jan 2, 2011). "Hamilton loved 1978 Formula race, but financially it failed". The Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton: Metroland Media Group. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Webster, George. "Formula Fiasco". PRN Ignition. Performance Publications Media Group. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Formula Atlantic – in Hamilton". Henleys Hamilton 1. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Formula Atlantic Labatts Championship Series Race - Hamilton, 7 Aug 1978". oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "1978 CASC/SCCA Labatt Challenge Series". champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ^ "1978 CASC Formula Atlantic Labatt Championship Series". autocourse.ca. Retrieved 25 November 2013.