The 33rd BRDC International Trophy was a Formula Two motor race held at Silverstone on 29 March 1981. It was the opening race of the 1981 European Formula Two Championship.
The 47-lap race was won by New Zealander Mike Thackwell, driving a works Ralt-Honda. Italian Riccardo Paletti finished second in a March-BMW entered by Onyx Race Engineering, with another Italian, Corrado Fabi, third in a works March-BMW.
Report
Entry A total of 46 F2 cars were entered for the event, however just 31 took part in qualifying.
Qualifying Mike Thackwell took pole position for Ralt Racing Ltd, in their Ralt-Honda RH6/81, averaging a speed of 133.59 mph.
Race The race was held over 47 laps on a wet Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Mike Thackwell took the winner spoils for works Ralt team, driving their Ralt-Honda RH6/81. Thackwell won in a time of 1hr 11:44.67mins., averaging a speed of 115.23 mph. Over 30 seconds behind was the second place car, driven by Riccardo Paletti, in the March Onyx Racing Team’s March-BMW 812. The podium was completed by another Italian, Corrado Fabi, in his Roloil Marlboro Racing/March Racing Ltd-entered March-BMW 812, albeit one lap adrift.
Race classification Pos. No. Driver Entrant Car - Engine Laps Time/Retired 1st 15 Mike Thackwell Ralt Racing Ltd Ralt-Honda RH6/81 47 1:11:44.67 2nd 7 Riccardo Paletti March Onyx Racing Team March-BMW 812 47 + 36.19 3rd 3 Corrado Fabi Roloil Marlboro Racing/March Racing Ltd March-BMW 812 46 + 1 lap 4th 77 Jim Crawford Plygrange Racing Ltd Toleman-Hart TG280 46 + 1 lap 5th 12 Carlo Rossi Sanremo Racing Srl Toleman-Hart TG280 46 + 1 lap 6th 48 Brian Robinson Grange Performance Cars Chevron-Hart B42 46 + 1 lap 7th 14 Geoff Lees Ralt Racing Ltd Ralt-Honda RH6/81 45 + 2 laps 8th 36 Ray Mallock Cliff Smith Racing Ralt-Hart RT4 45 + 2 laps 9th 1 Stefan Johansson Docking Spitzley Team Toleman Lola-Hart T850 45 + 2 laps 10th 5 Christian Danner March Racing Ltd March-BMW 812 45 + 2 laps 11th 10 Michele Alboreto Minardi Team Minardi Fly-BMW 281 45 + 2 laps 12th 24 Jürg Lienhard Lista Racing Team March-BMW 802 45 + 2 laps 13th 27 Sewi Hopfer Sewi Hopfer Racing Toleman-Hart TG280 44 + 3 laps 14th 9 Johnny Cecotto Minardi Team Minardi Fly-BMW 281 44 + 3 laps 15th 18 Fredy Schnarwiler Formel Rennsport Club Lola-BMW T850 43 + 4 laps 16th 29 Warren Booth Colin Bennett Racing Chevron-Hart B48 43 + 4 laps 17th 28 Guido Daccò DAC Sport Racing Team Minardi-BMW GM75 42 + 5 laps 18th 16 Eje Elgh Maurer Motorsport Maurer-BMW MM81 42 + 5 laps 19th 2 Kenny Acheson Docking Spitzley Team Toleman Lola-Hart T850 41 + 6 laps 20th 20 'Gianfranco' Astra Team Merzario Srl March-BMW 812 39 + 8 laps DNF 4 Thierry Boutsen Marlboro Racing for Zolder/March Racing Ltd March-BMW 812 36 Spin/gearbox DNF 11 Guido Pardini Sanremo Racing Srl Lola-BMW T850 24 Crown wheel & pinion DNF 31 Kim Mather Kim Mather March-Hart 792 24 Wheel bearing DNF 17 Roberto Guerrero Maurer Motorsport Maurer-BMW MM81 21 Electrical DNF 8 Richard Dallest Team AGS Motul GPA AGS-BMW JH17 8 Accident DNF 40 Paul Smith BMTR March-Hart 782 8 Engine DNS 19 Piero Necchi Astra Team Merzario Srl March-BMW 812 DNS 35 Jochen Dauer GRS Motorsport GRS-BMW TC 001 DNQ 21 Arturo Merzario Astra Team Merzario Srl Merzario-BMW M1 DNQ 33 Roy Baker Roy Baker Chevron-Hart B48 DNQ 46 Bob Howlings Bob Howlings Chevron-Hart B42
Fastest lap: Geoff Lees, 1:22.82 secs (125.94 mph)Tristan Wood, "Drive It! The Complete Book of Formula 2 Motor Racing" (Foulis/Haynes, ASIN B009UWU1BW, 1984)
References