1973 Chevron B24

Monoposto
Chassis number: B24-73-02 or 3

This car was raced by Peter Gethin in 1973 in the United Kingdom and the United States. Raced and won the Race of Champions in the UK beating all F5000 and F1 cars. It was raced in 1974 and 1975 by Roger Bighouse and in 1976 by Pat McGonegle in the United States. Converted to a center-seat Can Am, the car competed in the series from 1976 to 1985. Later restored and returned to F5000 configuration, the car has been raced in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US in vintage race events by the current owner since 2010.

Monoposto
Chassis number: B24-73-04

This car was purchased by Count Rudy van der Straaten's 'Racing Team VDS' for Teddy Pilette. Pilette debuted B24-73-04 in April 1973 at Silverstone, and finished 6th for the weekend. Teddy Pilette's consistent form in the car resulted in him winning the 1973 European F5000 championship. In 1973 and 1974, the team travelled to New Zealand and Australia and Pilette piloted the car to 3rd place in the Tasman series. (The series was won by Peter Gethin in the Team's 2nd car B24-73-06).

After the 1974 Tasman series B24-73-04 was sold to Roelof Wunderink and was campaigned in the 1974 European F5000 championship. In the early 1990s the car was sold to Tony Ingram (USA) and was owned and raced by Fred Gunther, Alex Seiler, Stanton Beck and Miles Jackson until purchased by Harris in 2014.

Monoposto
Chassis number: 24-72-5

This Chevron B24 was built for the 1974 season for James Dunkel and raced in U.S. Formula 5000 Series in 1974 at its inaugural race at Mosport Park, in 1975 and by Ed Kaprowicz in 1976. It later raced in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the center-seat Can-Am series. The car changed hands a few times after the mid-1980s and eventually ended in Australia. It was purchased by Dean Camm in late 2016, and frequently competes in the Formula 5000 Tasman Revival Series.

Chevron's first F5000 racer was the B24. It was given an aluminum monocoque chassis with a Chevrolet powerplant as a fully stressed engine. The five-liter, fuel-injected V8 engine was married to a Hewland five-speed gearbox and disc brakes were placed at all four corners. In the front was a double-wishbone suspension with a multi-link layout in the rear.

The Chevron B24 made its racing debut at the 1972 Oulton Park Gold Cup where Brian Redman piloted the Chevy-powered car to a victory. The Chevron would score several more victories throughout the 1972 season. In 1973, several customer cars were built and actively raced throughout the world. It is believed that approximately ten examples were built before they were replaced with the B28 in 1974.

The Chevron B24 was successful in Formula F5000 competition, including winning the European F5000 Championship (won by Teddy Pilette in the Team VDS B24). However, its greatest accomplishment was not in Formula 5000 competition, but in F1 competition. F5000 cars were often used to fill the grid of non-World Championship Formula 1 races during the 1970s. Only once did an F5000 car outpace a field of F1 cars, and that was at the 1973 Race of Champions. A Chevron B24, driven by Peter Gethin, took home that noble victory.

by Dan Vaughan