Ex-F3 star to race Lotus sports car

Ex-F3 race Jac Nelleman debuted his Lotus 17 in the BRDC Historic Sports Car race at Silverstone in May. The Dane ended a 17-year lay-off last season to share the similar car of Jom Qviste at the Nurburgring.

Nelleman was a leading F3 contender in the early 1970s and attempted unsuccessfully to qualify for the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix with a RAM Racing Brabham BT44B. “We wanted to run a two-car team this year,” said Nelleman, who has acquired chassis number 656 to run alongside Qviste’s car, which is believed to be the prototype Lotus 17.

Having arrived just in time for qualifying at Silverstone, the car was beset by teething troubles at its first race, but Jac is determined to develop the car as the year progresses.

He plans to continue in the series that is managed by Neil Ginn of the BRDC, an F3 contemporary of Nelleman’s. Both raced GRD 372s in 1972.