BS Fabrications was an engineering company specialising in fabrications for

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

teams founded by Bob Sparshott, a former engineer at Lotus who had worked with

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianap ...

and

Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in and as well as being runner up on three occasions (1963, 1964 and 1965). Despite ...

, and John 'Ace' Woodington in Luton in 1972. The company also ran a number of private F1 cars for customers in Grand Prix racing between 1972 and 1978. In 1972 the company ran American

Brett Lunger Robert Brett Lunger (born November 14, 1945 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American racecar driver. Lunger was educated at the Holderness School, and Princeton University. He dropped out of Princeton after three years to enlist for service in V ...

in a

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...

F2. They first entered F1 in 1972 under the name of Space Racing when they built a hybrid F1/F2 March for Mike Beuttler using a Formula 2 monocoque with a F1 engine. They returned under the B&S Fabrications name in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, with a

Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons (1970 to 1978) as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000. History The team was formed by John Surtees, a four-time 500cc motorcycle champion and the ...

for Henri Pescarolo. The team managed a best finish on the season of 9th at the

1976 Austrian Grand Prix The 1976 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Österreichring on 15 August 1976. It was the eleventh race of the 1976 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1976 International Cup for F1 Constructors. The 54-lap race was ...

. In the 1977 Formula One World Championship season the team briefly ran a March and then a new

McLaren M23 The McLaren M23 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck, with input from John Barnard, and built by the McLaren team. It was a development of the McLaren M16 Indianapolis 500 car. A Ford Cosworth DFV engine was used, which wa ...

for Lunger. The team matched its best finish to date, with a 9th place at the

1977 Dutch Grand Prix The 1977 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Zandvoort on 28 August 1977. Report In qualifying, Mario Andretti took his fifth pole of the season with Jacques Laffite alongside on the front row, and James Hunt third. A ...

. The team began the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

campaign with the pairing of its reliable McLaren M23 and Lunger, who was returning for his second season driving for the team. After just 4 Grands Prix the switch to the new M26, which had been purchased in the off-season and tested by Lunger was made. Subsequently Lunger posted the 3 best performances of his Formula One career, a 7th-place finish in the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix ( French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race o ...

and an 8th at both the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

Grands Prix. With Lunger having some success in the McLaren M26, the team placed Brazilian rookie, and future 3-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet in its M23 for its final 3 Grands Prix of the season. Piquet was able to post a best finish of 9th in the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921. In 2013 it ...

. The team never completed a full season, having run all but 2 Grands Prix in 1978. It also never scored a Formula One Championship point, coming closest with Lunger at the 1978 Belgian Grand Prix where they finished 7th, just one spot out of the points. In 1980, the factory was involved in the building of the

Toleman Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and participated in 70 Grands Prix. Origins The Toleman company was formed in 1926 by Edward Toleman for the purpose of delivering Ford ...

TG280. The team also ran in F2 and

F3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championships ...

, under the name BS Automotive, providing

Christian Danner Christian Josef Danner (born 4 April 1958) is a former racing driver from Germany. Career Formula Two and Formula 3000 The son of car safety expert Max Danner, Danner started his motor racing career immediately after leaving school in 1977. Af ...

with his F3000 championship win in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. Sparshott still operates an engineering company associated with motorsport.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

* Autosport 16 May 1974 pp29–31

External links

Team stats

Bob Sparshott's company, SPARTEC Industries Limited
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bs Fabrications Formula One entrants British auto racing teams Auto racing teams established in 1976 Auto racing teams disestablished in 1978 International Formula 3000 teams British Touring Car Championship teams