ECURIE SCALPEL NEWS - AUGUST 2007

WANT A NEW CAR JOHN?

Want a New Car John?  I know a man who does?

Ecurie Scalpel and Frank Lyons Racing Team join forces. 

A folks may well know Ecurie Scalpel is currently lucky enough to have a good friend in Frank Lyons and his team.  Indeed Frank is currently running the F5000 Chevron B28 from his highly professional base in Essex.  The Lyons team also ran the Lotus 20B for son Mick – known otherwise as “Little S**t” – for his Formula Junior debut at Porto. It was only natural therefore that we decided to join forces and acquire a new car recently.  Resplendent in bright “AA” yellow, the Brabham BT35, Chassis No. 06 was purchased from Peter Shaw just before Pau in May.  Indeed it was so soon before Pau that the car was entered for the races totally unchanged and performed faultlessly. For those of an anorak nature here is some detail relating to the history of the car as well as a couple of pictures. 

History of the Car – BT35-06 

This, the second Formula Atlantic spec BT35, was bought by Nicolas Cook direct from Jack Brabham who insisted that, as it would be run by Brabham Racing Services throughout 1971, it should be painted in works livery. Completed early in '71 and run in the British Formula Atlantic Championship, Cook finished his first race with BT35-6, April's 15-lap Arco Trophy at Castle Combe, in seventh. A fine fourth at Brands Hatch in June was followed up by sixth at Castle Combe and Silverstone but where Cook placed in the season finale at Mallory Park during October is currently unknown. For 1972, 35-06 was prepared by Ron Dennis' Rondel Racing whose workshops were on the grounds of Nick's farm. Rondel were running BT36's in Formula 2 for Graham Hill, Bob Wollek and Tim Schenken who tested with Cook at Goodwood. Cook took the car to America in '72 competing in Formula B at Elkhart Lake and Laguna Seca. I n 1973, BT35-6 was acquired by Rob Turnbull who campaigned it very successfully in sprints/hillclimbs throughout 1974/5 taking numerous class wins and finishing respectively 5th and 6th overall in the RAC Spring Championships in those years. Owned between 1975 and 1984 by Andrew Fraser who also raced it effectively, BT35-6 then passed to David McLaughlin, Rob Haze and later Keith Norman. From 2001 we have competed under the banner of the AA Historic Racing team in European Historic F2. Driven by John Durham in 2002, the car took the Atlantic class F2 trophy and in 2003, driven by Peter Shaw, it won again reconfirming the racing pedigree of the BT35. The car has a continuous history and AA papers allowing the use of BDA, FVA or Lotus twin cam engines. 

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