FORMULA ATLANTIC SERIES IS REVIVED
Seventies single-seater category is reborn in the UK
The Formula Atlantic single-seater category from the 1970s is set for a revival, starting with a pilot race at the Legends of Brands Hatch meeting on June 30/July 1.
The Historic Sports Car Club will run a dedicated Formula Atlantic class for the cars within the Derek Bell Trophy races at Brands as the category heads towards its 50th anniversary in 2021.
Prime movers of the idea are Iain Rowley and Alan Morgan, the originators of Historic Formula Ford 2000, and they are targeting as many as 15 cars to race alongside the Formula 5000 and Formula 2 cars at Brands.
Rowley and Morgan are keen to get more Atlantic cars back to racing and already have a database of around 40 cars. “I’ve always thought a Formula Atlantic was a proper racing car,” said Rowley. “We’d like to get as many as 15 cars on the grid as well as a display of nonrunning cars in the paddock.”
Morgan added: “If things go well at Brands Hatch then we’d like some stand-alone races next year. But we will work with the HSCC Historic F2 series as that also has classes for Formula Atlantics.”
Formula Atlantic grew out of the US Formula B category and started in the UK in 1971 for 1600cc single-seater racing cars powered by productionbased twin-cam engines.
The class gained considerable support and was a support race to the British Grand Prix but faded later in the 1970s under the threat from Formula 3.
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