The Highly Successful Formula One Racing Car

Описание: The BRM P261 (also known as the BRM P61 Mark II) was a highly successful Formula One racing car developed by British Racing Motors (BRM) in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.

Designed by Tony Rudd as an evolution of the one-off 1963 BRM P61, it debuted in the 1964 season under the 1.5-litre Formula One regulations and proved to be one of BRM's most competitive and longest-serving chassis. While the P261 achieved its greatest World Championship successes earlier—such as wins at Monaco and Watkins Glen (Graham Hill) and Monza (Jackie Stewart) in 1964-1965, helping BRM finish second in the constructors' standings those years—by 1967 it had transitioned into a transitional and support role amid the new 3-litre Formula One era introduced in 1966.

In 1967, BRM's primary works effort focused on newer, more powerful but troubled designs like the H16-engined P83 (and later the P115), which struggled with reliability, weight, and performance issues.

The reliable old P261, powered by BRM's V8 engine (initially stretched to around 2.0 liters for 1966 and further enlarged for certain applications), continued in competition, particularly in privateer and semi-works hands. Key highlights for the P261 in 1967 included: Strong participation in the Tasman Series (the popular Southern Hemisphere summer series run to Formula Libre rules, allowing enlarged engines).

BRM supported the Reg Parnell Racing team rather than sending a full works effort. Jackie Stewart drove a P261 fitted with a 2.1-litre (specifically up to 2,136 cc) version of the BRM V8 to victory in the season-opening New Zealand Grand Prix and added another Tasman win, securing the Tasman Championship title for himself and demonstrating the car's enduring competitiveness against contemporary machinery like Lotus and Brabham entries.

In the 1967 World Championship, the P261 saw limited but notable use. Jackie Stewart returned to the P261 for the French Grand Prix, finishing third and scoring points. Privateer entries from Reg Parnell Racing (with drivers like Chris Irwin and Piers Courage) and Bernard White Racing (David Hobbs) campaigned the car in select races, including the British and Canadian Grands Prix. For example, Chris Irwin achieved a top-10 finish in Britain with a P261 variant.

Overall, BRM finished sixth in the 1967 constructors' standings with 17 points, though much of the scoring came from other chassis; the P261 contributed modestly in Europe but shone in the Tasman context. The P261 is widely regarded as the most successful car in BRM's history in terms of total wins and championship points accumulated across its career (1964–1967 in top-level F1/Tasman use). By late 1967 and into 1968, some chassis were experimentally fitted with BRM's new 3-litre V12 engine (as a replacement for the failed H16), but results were poor, and the design was quickly outclassed by the revolutionary Cosworth DFV-powered cars. The P261's spaceframe chassis design (contrasting with the emerging monocoque trend started by Lotus in 1962) marked it as a refined end-of-era machine from the 1.5-litre formula.

References:

OldRacingCars.com: BRM P261 car-by-car histories (comprehensive chassis-specific race logs)

Formula1History.com / StatsF1.com (BRM team results and P261 appearances in 1967)

Primotipo.com (Tasman Series context and 1967 performances)
Ultimatecarpage.com (technical background and gallery from the P261's prime)

Assetto Corsa car mod: https://www.assetto-fr.com/garage/car...

Equipment Used: https://us.mozaracing.com/collections...

Attribution Code
"The Descent" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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