Bertil Roos

A protégé of Fred Opert and an instructor at his racing school, Bertil Roos was already in his 30th year when he started three Formula 2 races in 1973 with a GRD 273. It was also the year that he made the first steps to America (despite only speaking limited English) when driving a Tui BH3 in the SCCA Super Vee Championship and beating Elliott Forbes-Robinson to the title.

Already planning a future in the United States, 1974 offered Roos his last opportunities in European racing. He finished sixth at Hockenheim in a Fred Opert Chevron B27 – his only points finish in his fifth and final European F2 outing.

Formula 1 one-off with Shadow

Roos was then drafted into the UOP Shadow team for the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp. He qualified in 23rd position but retired after just one lap with his car stuck in second gear. It had been an inauspicious debut and he was replaced by Tom Pryce for the next race.

Bertil Roos Racing School

He subsequently raced in Canadian Formula Atlantic in 1975 and won the opening two races of the year before ultimately losing the title to Bill Brack. He also established the Bertil Roos Racing School that year and the operation still flourishes today at four circuits throughout the United States although its founder sold the enterprise in 1999.

Indycar frustration and Can-Am success

Beaten in Atlantics again in 1976 by Gilles Villeneuve after a winless year, Roos attempted to graduate to Indycars in 1977. However, he failed to qualify an Eagle-Offenhauser for the late season events at Michigan and Phoenix.

He switched to Can-Am’s 2000cc class in the early 1980s and won the category in 1982 and 1983. His small capacity cars often ran among the more powerful machines at the front of the field – finishing those two seasons fourth and third overall.

However, it was his racing schools that increasingly became his professional focus.