Race Report: Thruxton, 2 March 1975

The first race of the year in the UK, a non-championship encounter, attracted an entry of 15 cars of whom 8 actually arrived. Mike Tyrrell took pole in his usual March but he was suffering from a misfire that resulted in an engine change before the race. Alex Ribeiro was second quickest in the works March, he complained of high speed oversteer and a pinking engine, Tony Rouff completed the front row.

It was raining for the race and the field was reduced by two before the flag fell, Chris Barnett’s March (which he had only received at 9:00 the previous evening) had been overheating and there were no wets available while Doug Bassett pulled off after the warm up with a misfire in his ex-Team Brasil GRD.

Tyrrell took an immediate lead from Ribeiro, Rouff, Len Smith, Ken Silverstone and Mike Wrigley with Smith deciding to retire at the end of the first lap. Tyrrell began to increase his lead but there was something wrong with his March and it became clear the battery was beginning to trail from the back of the car. The black flag was displayed and Tyrrell pitted to have some repairs made, he left the pits again some 16.6 seconds down on Ribeiro and Rouff but still ahead of the dicing Silverstone and Wrigley. Tyrrell was really motoring and within a lap the gap was down to 13.6 seconds and then 9.9 seconds, next lap he was ahead of Rouff but time was running out and although further narrowing the gap to Ribeiro to nine seconds the chequered flag was out and Tyrrell had to settle for second.

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