Race Report: Brands Hatch, 24 June 1973

With the exception of the few drivers that had gone to Rouen most of the rest of the top UK runners arrived at Brands Hatch for this round of the Lombard North Central Championship. Pole position went to the GRD of the improving Richard Robarts 0.2 seconds inside Rikki von Opel’s lap record. Completing the front row were the Marches of Tony Brise and Leonel Friedrich, the latter receiving a gear ratio change after practice. On the third row was the welcome sight of Andy Sutcliffe in the Elden Mk12, despite a tired engine Sutcliffe showed there was nothing much wrong with the chassis. Ian Taylor found himself well down the grid when he had to qualify with his March minus third gear.

It was Brazilian Friedrich who led away from Brise and Robarts but by the end of the lap Brise had moved into the lead and that was how it would stay for the rest of the race. Friedrich kept in touch with Brise until lap 5 when the ex-Linguard Goulding Alpine of Allan Davies lost it’s oil. Entering Paddock Brise held a big slide on the oil but Friedrich went off and had to abandon his car, only just in time as Jimmy Fuller lost his Brabham BT38 at the same corner and careered into the empty March.
Robarts was now second but under pressure from a now fully geared Ian Taylor, just as Taylor was about to make a move on Robarts his metering unit detached itself and despite efforts to temporarily repair it was to no avail and the Baty March was out. Andy Sutcliffe took over third, he had been behind Mo Harness but the Ensign had spun off at Kidney on lap 1. There were no further changes in position and Brise cruised home to an easy 14 second victory over Robarts.

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