Hello and welcome to F1 Livery Histories
the channel where we take a look back at
the different paint jobs, racing trims
and sponsor decals adopted by respective
Formula One teams throughout the eras.
Today we'll be taking account of one of
the most successful and time-honoured
constructors in all of open-wheel
motorsport, an organisation which
competed in Formula One not only as a
bonafide works team, but also enjoyed
success as a manufacturer which supplied
vehicles on a customer basis. March .
March Engineering was founded in 1969 by
Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker and Robin
Herd. These four men would spearhead the
March team's entry into Motorsports top
division, with the name of the team being
an acronym derived from each of their
initials.
Within the space of only four
months March would produce its first
Formula one chassis, the successful 701
model, which would make its debut in
Formula One in 1970 under the auspices
of both March Engineering and various
privateer teams.
Along with its Formula
One commitments, March Engineering would
also produce cars for Formula Two, Formula
Three, Formula Ford and Can-Am, making the
Oxfordshire based company one of the
largest manufacturers of open wheel
racing cars in the world, almost overnight.
So begins their retrospective
on the celebrated March Grand Prix
racing team.
Title sponsorship for the all-new March
Grand Prix team came from American
lubricants company, STP, which saw the
March 701 hit the track in season 1970
sporting a bright red livery.
The works
March 701 ran with Ford DFV power, with
tyres and fuel supplied to the team by
Firestone and BP. Additional sponsorship
also came in the form of cigarette brand,
Marlboro, and watchmakers, Heuer.
Chris Amon would secure the March team it's maiden
win at the 1970 Daily Express trophy
held at Silverstone.
Jackie Stewart,
piloting the 701, would become the first
driver to pilot a March built car to a
Championship victory, when he took the
chequered flag at Jarama, driving a
customer march 701 for the Tyrrell team.
Thanks in some part to the success of
Tyrrell, along with three podium
positions scored by works driver, Chris
Amon, March would clinch third position
in the World Constructors' standings
during its debut season.
The following season the team would race with the
711 chassis, present with its rather
distinguishable elliptical front wing.
The car ran with both Ford DFV, and on
occasion Alfa Romeo, engines throughout
the year.
Ronnie Peterson would steer the
711 to five podium positions
throughout 1971 on his way to finishing
second in the Drivers' standings.
Sadlyn 1971 would also bring the untimely
passing of one of the team's founding
members, Graham Coaker.
In 1972 March made
the change to Goodyear tyres and Fina
fuels, entering the 721, 721X and 721G chassis'.
The team also picked up
additional sponsorship in the form of
Levi's Jeans,
Arnold, Wheatcroft and Vick.
Ahead of the 1973 season Alan Rees switched to become
team manager of the fledgling
Shadow racing team, leaving Mosley and Herd as
the sole remaining founders.
For season 1973 March reverted back to Shell fuels,
racing with the 731, a car which proved
to be the final March entrant painted in
STP's bright shade of red.
The 1973 season though would bear witness to tragedy,
when Roger Williamson was killed during
the Dutch Grand Prix.
In 1974 March returned with the 741
chassis, pioneering an unprecedented
livery concept, which saw the team
competing with four separate sponsors'
liveries throughout the season.
Hans-Joachim stuck competed with
Jagermeister sponsorship, Vittorio
Brambilla competed with an orange Beta
Tools sponsored car, Howden Ganley
raced with a primarily green livery,
whilst Reine Wisell piloted a car featuring a Vastkust-Stugan livery.
The following season Vittorio
Brambilla would register the March team's
first Championship victory, taking out
the Austrian Grand Prix behind the wheel
of the March 751. It was during season
1975 that March added another livery to
their collection, as Lella Lombardi
competed with a red and white livery
which promoted the coffee brand, Lavazza.
By finishing sixth at the Spanish Grand
Prix, Lombardi became the first woman to
score a Championship point in Formula One.
This trend in liveries would
continue into 1976, as the team began
signing sponsorship deals on a race by
race basis.
Throughout the season March
cars would compete painted in the
colours of First National, the Monaco
Fine Arts Gallery, Ovoro, as well as a
host of white, sponsor-friendly
liveries.
Ronnie Peterson would capture
the team its final Grand Prix win,
triumphing at Monza behind the wheel of
the 761 chassis.
During the 1976-77
off-season, March built and tested the
unraced,
six-wheeled 240 chassis.
However, March's
sponsorship woes would continue into
1977, as the team continued to teeter between a
list of short term agreements.
Throughout season 1977 Rothmans, Lexington and
Hollywood were all brought in as team
sponsors, as the team raced with the 761B and 771 chassis'.
Following 1977, Max Mosely
would depart from March, shifting
his focus to his role within the Formula
One Constructors Association and sold
his shares in the team to Robin Herd.
From 1978
March would take a hiatus from Formula
One, concentrating and running the works
BMW team in Formula Two.
In 1981 March made a return to Formula
One, this time managed by Mike Ralph and
John McDonald's RAM Racing, fielding the
DFV-powered 811 chassis, which ran with
both Avon and Michelin tires throughout
the season.
The car came painted in the
classic colour scheme of major sponsors,
Guinness.
Alongside Guinness, March
also attained support throughout various
stages of the season from a list of minor
sponmsors, such as Rizla, ICI, Rainbow
Jeanswear, Source
Mangles Wheels, Moulin Rouge and Joker.
March's relationship with Guinness would
prove to be a limited affair, as in 1982
March lost the patronage of
St. James's Gate, reverting to a chiefly
black livery for the beginning of the season.
The team produced the 821 chassis,
the final March Formula One car designed
by Robin Herd. Midway into the year the
team resigned with former sponsors,
Rothmans, which saw the cars adopt a new
livery which incorporated Rothmans
trademark company branding.
ICI also
returned a sponsor the team, securing a
place on both the cars' nose cone and
engine case, whilst publication, Newsweek,
appeared on the rear wing.
At races held
in tobacco-ban countries, Rothmans would
take on the moniker, "Racing".
March would
also field a third car during season
1982, piloted by Emilio de Villota, which
featured sponsorship from LBT and the
Spanish tourism board.
In spite of the
team's unique and vibrant character on-
track, results for the RAM-March outfit
up until this point had been poor,
leading RAM Racing to go it alone in
Formula One, as March withdrew from the
sport once again.
Commencing in season 1987, March returned to
the Formula One grid for the third and
final time, firstly is a single car
entrant, with Ivan Capelli behind the wheel.
For the season opening race at
Jacarepqgua, the team raceed with the 87B
chassis, March's F3000 car upgraded
to F1 specifications, before debuting the
all-new 871.
There was an air of optimism
surrounding the rebooted March team at
this point in time, accurately reflected
by the team's eye-catching livery, as
March raced in a chiefly aqua coloured
strip, in deference to major sponsors,
Japanese real estate firm, Leyton House.
The team also attracted German car
alarms manufacturer, Cobra, as sponsors, as
seen on the engine case, whilst Shell and
Goodyear were signed aboard as technical
partners.
Over the course of the next few
seasons Leyton House would play a
significant role in the venture,
purchasing outright control of the team
heading into 1988.
Leyton House March
would expand to two cars for the 1988
season, producing the highly successful
881 chassis, designed by Adrian Newey.
1988 saw the team switching to Judd
engines and Mobil fuels, whilst
accumulating new sponsors in the form of
Osama, Diavia,
Amik, Indenticar, Fabbri & Diesel.
The 881 was retained for the first
few races of 1989, before the team
produced the CG891 chassis.
1989 also
saw the team switching to BP fuels, which
brought upon the addition of BP's
company colour to the livery, as the cars'
airbox and nose cone were recoloured
green.
Carglass also secured a spot on
the engine case and would promote sister
companies Autoglass and O'Brien's Glass
at various races.
In 1990 the team raced
solely as Leyton House Racing,
dropping the March name from its
official team title, however, the team
would continue to race with March-built
chassis, fielding the CG901 with an
unchanged team livery.
In 1991 the team
switched to Ilmor engines for the newly-
commissioned CG911 chassis.
However, 1991 would see Leyton House's
ownership of the team reach its
conclusion, as following the arrest of
Leyton House owner,
Akira Akagi, on charges of fraud, the
team was sold on to a consortium led by
Ken Marrable, John Byfield, Tony
Birchfield, Gustav Brunner and Henny Vollenberg.
The team would revert back to
racing under the March Grand Prix
banner for 1992, entering the revised
CG911B
With the departure of Lwyton
House, March would sign a new list of
sponsors in Uliveto, Rizla, Blaupunkt, Rial, Motorola, De Longhi & Sonax, among many others.
The team would, however, retain its
bright and unique aqua livery as it
pressed forward.
Following the 1992
season, efforts were once again made to
offload the March team to a new investor.
Sadly, these plans would fail to
materialise, and despite showing up to
the 1993 season opener in South Africa,
a lack of an engine deal or any
significant finance saw the March
Formula One team closing its doors for
the final time.
