F3 History

Conny Andersson made a good getaway and entering the first corner he took the outside line and took the lead ahead of Alex Ribeiro who had tried to dive up the inside. Mantova initially took third but Nilsson, who wasn’t totally happy with his rebuilt car, demoted him to third during the first lap. Mantova lost some more places with a spin and then retired, there was obviously something amiss with his March 753.
Nilsson passed team mate Ribeiro on lap 2 and the three leaders Andersson, Nilsson and Ribeiro began to pull away at a second a lap from their pursuers lead by Conny Lungfeldt in Conny Andersson’s old March 743. Danny Sullivan, who might have expected to give the leaders a run for their money, had to pit to have some stones removed from the cockpit that were jamming his clutch pedal. Ribeiro suddenly disappeared from third on lap 9, his driving had been getting more and more untidy as the Brazilian battled with a slow puncture and he eventually lost control of the car and spun. Ribeiro made it back to the pits and had a new tyre fitted, he resumed a couple of laps down behind Nilsson and in front of Ljungfeldt on the road. Nilsson closed the small gap to Andersson on lap 11 when the Swede who had been trying to escape Nilsson’s attentions hit the chicane fortunately without damaging his car.
The lapped Ribeiro had now caught up with Nilsson and immediately began to attack him, with two laps to go he pulled alongside Nilsson on the main straight and promptly left his braking too late. The Brazilian March hit the side of the Swedish version and vaulted over its front wheels, Nilsson was out on the spot whilst Ribeiro continued only to spin shortly afterwards and retire as his rear wing was hanging askew. Nilsson was justifiably furious saying afterwards “There’s no excuse for doing something as stupid as Ribeiro did, even when you’re both on the same lap, and when you’re in the same team….”.
Ribeiro’s excuse was that he had been after the 500 Crowns prize for the fastest lap, no one else seemed convinced that this explained his actions.
Conny Ljungfeldt took advantage of Nilsson’s misfortune to take second and make it a Rotel March 1-2, Clas Sigurdson took third in his elderly Brabham BT41 with Gunnar Nordström’s Warsteiner Modus fourth. Stephen South, whose engine hasn’t been rebuilt all season, had been running fifth but he lost a place to Luciano Pavesi’s Brabham BT41 on the last lap, Pavesi had driven up from the back of the grid following a troubled practice. Bob Arnott came home in tenth hampered by a down on power engine and Graham Hamilton retired with his rear wing at a funny angle following a big spin.