The South African Formula Atlantic Championship was a Formula Atlanticmotor racing championship held in South Africa between 1976 and 1979, including a race in Rhodesia during the 1976 (Non-Championship race) and 1977 seasons.
The final season ran between 1978 and 1979, starting just 5 months after the end of the 1978 season, was the longest season of the entire series, running from October 1978 to December 1979.
The championship was dominated by Ian Scheckter and March as Scheckter drove a March chassis to each of the four drivers' championships.
Jody David Scheckter is a South African former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980. Scheckter won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1979 with Ferrari, and remains the only African driver to have won either a Formula One Grand Prix or the World Drivers' Championship; he won 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons.
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "the Shunt", Hunt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1976 with McLaren, and won 10 Grands Prix across seven seasons.
The United States Grand Prix West was a race held at Long Beach, California, as a Formula 5000 race in 1975 and a Formula One World Championship event from 1976 to 1983 held in the same location throughout those years.
The 1976 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden on 13 June 1976. It was the seventh round of the 1976 Formula One season and the ninth Swedish Grand Prix. The race was contested over 72 laps of the 4.0 km circuit for a race distance of 290 kilometres.
The 1979 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 March 1979 at Kyalami. The race, contested over 78 laps, was the third race of the 1979 Formula One season and was won by Gilles Villeneuve, driving a Ferrari. Teammate and local driver Jody Scheckter finished second, while Jean-Pierre Jarier finished third in a Tyrrell-Ford.
The 1979 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 9 September 1979 at Monza. It was the thirteenth race of the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors.
The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-round series which commenced on 21 January 1979, and ended on 7 October 1979. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races.
The 1978 Formula One season was the 32nd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Constructors, contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on 15 January and ended on 8 October. The season also included the non-championship BRDC International Trophy.
The 1977 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 28th World Championship of Drivers and the 20th International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors. The season commenced on 9 January 1977 and ended on 23 October after seventeen races, making it the longest Formula One season in the sport's history at the time. The season also included a single non-championship race for Formula One cars, the 1977 Race of Champions.
The 1975 Formula One season was the 29th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1975 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently from 12 January to 5 October over fourteen races. The season also included three non-championship Formula One races and a nine race South African Formula One Championship.
Robert Brett Lunger is an American racecar driver.
Patrick André Eugène Joseph Depailler was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1980. Depailler won two Formula One Grands Prix across eight seasons.
Ian Scheckter is a South African former racing driver. He participated in 20 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 30 March 1974. He scored no championship points.
Tomas Scheckter is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series.
The Ferrari 312T was a Ferrari Formula One car design, based on the 312B3 from 1974. In various versions, it was used from 1975 until 1980. It was designed by Mauro Forghieri for the 1975 season, and was an uncomplicated and clean design that responded well to mechanical upgrades.
The South African Formula One Championship, was a national Formula One motor racing championship held in South Africa between 1960 and 1975, including races in Rhodesia and Portuguese Mozambique.
Walter Wolf Racing was a Formula One constructor active from 1977 to 1979, which won the first race the team entered. It was owned and run by Canadian Walter Wolf. The team was based in Reading, UK but raced with the Canadian licence.
There have been 25 Formula One drivers from South Africa, with 17 of them having started at least one Grand Prix, and only 4 of them having started more than four races. Jody Scheckter is by far the most prolific and successful South African driver, being the only one to have won a race. During his nine-year career Scheckter won 10 races and the 1979 World Drivers' Championship. There has not been a driver from South Africa in Formula One since 1980.
The Wolf WR1 was a Formula One car built for the 1977 season by the Walter Wolf Racing team. Four examples of the car were produced. The first, completed well before the start of the season, was the WR1. Another two identical cars were built: WR2, finished ahead of the first race; and WR3, ready in March 1977. At the end of the season, a fourth car, WR4, was produced with slight adjustments, and WR1 was remodeled in similar fashion for 1978. The original car was driven exclusively by South African future 1979 World Champion Jody Scheckter in 1977. WR3 and WR4 were also driven by fellow future World Champion Keke Rosberg in the 1978 season.
The March 76B is an open-wheel formula racing car, designed, developed and built by March Engineering, for Formula Atlantic racing, in 1976. Gilles Villeneuve won the 1976 CASC Formula Atlantic Players Championship Series outright, winning 4 out of the 6 races that season. March cars dominated that season, taking all the race victories, clinching all the pole positions, and scoring all the fastest race laps. The car's chassis design was a monocoque, and was constructed out of aluminum. It was powered by a 1.6 L (98 cu in) Ford-Cosworth BDA four-cylinder engine, which droves the rear wheels through a 5-speed Hewland F.T.-200 manual gearbox. Ian Scheckter also notably won the 1976 South African Formula Atlantic Championship driving this car, scoring 7 race wins that season.
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Ian Scheckter 
