7 Europeans chase Bell Cup F3 prize

Single-seaters made their Members’ Meeting debut on 27 September

1958, when Tommy Bridger (Cooper-norton MKIX) won the 500cc F3 race. Three weeks later he made his only world championship appearance in the season-closing Moroccan GP, driving British Racing Partnership’s

Cooper T45, but was eliminated in a fiery multi-car crash.

Formula Junior joined the MM roster in 1960 – the fabled race won by

Jim Clark (Lotus-ford 18) from poleman John Surtees (Tyrrell Cooper-bmc T52) – then 1000cc F3 in 1964. Local star Derek Bell’s F3 wins in 1964 and 1965, in Lotus 31 and 4, earn him the race title as the ‘screamers’ return.

Previous victors Andrew Hibberd (Brabham BT18) and American veteran James King (Chevron B17) head the entry. Historic F3 champion Jeremy Timms (ex-reine Wisell Chevron B15) has proven pace, as does FF1600 hotshoe Horatio Fitz-simon who drives Mike O’brien’s B15, dormant for many years.

Delightfully, this pack is enhanced by continental European racers Leif Bosson (Brabham BT28), Francois Derossi (Chevron B17), Thierry Gallo (Tecno), Werner Pircher (Lotus 31), Mauro Poponcini (Cooper T76) Enrico Spaggiari (ex-john Miles Lotus 41X) and Christoph Widmer (Brabham BT18A).