Henny Vollenberg saved the March team when he purchased it in 1992. While there was almost no money, though a warehouse full of spare-parts, the team did the impossible and Karl Wendlinger even scored three points with the outdated March CG911B in Canada! Jan Lammers and Emanuele Naspetti finished the season for the team. For 1993 the team seemed to have a deal with Tamoil and it looked the financial situation was secured. However, it was a fraud and the team was desperate for investors and sponsors. This didn’t mean that on the background the team was working on their driver line-up for 1993. While Jan Lammers and Jean-Marc Gounon were eventually signed there were several “interesting” drivers rumoured to race for the March F1 Team.
Last year I wrote about March F1 their last race that never happened, in this story are all the details of the teams struggle to survive and keep alive. Jan Lammers went in Kyalami even so far that he paid parts of the debts the March team still had from 1992. Sadly, the team would never race again in the Formula One. The story can be read here: Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4
Jan Lammers
Jan Lammers was already in the scope for 1993 when he made his comeback in 1992 for the March team. Besides the sponsor money he would bring in, Henny Vollenberg and others in the team were charmed by Lammers. He showed in 1992 he still had the talent in him and could be competitive in the Formula One. In February 1993, it was clear that Jan Lammers would race for March in 1993. Only he would never race In Kyalami. When Lammers and the team arrived there, there were no tyres and no engines to be fitted on the March CG911C.
Lammers went beyond everything to help the team and paid with his own money some of the debts. Sadly, it was not enough and the team would not race in Kyalami. Soon after the team went into administration. It took Lammers years before he paid off his own debts after he tried to save the team.
Jean-Marc Gounon
Jean-Marc Gounon was rumoured in late 1992 for the first time to debut in the Formula One with the March F1 Team in 1993. He appeared on the official entry list from the FIA that was published in February 1993. However, there is something about his contract. In Gounon’s contract was written that his sponsors could not guarantee the amount of money. When the contract was send by fax to the team the part where this was written was unreadable due to a flaw with the fax machine. Eventually Jean-Marc appeared at Kyalami in the March Pit Box without the money only to see that the cars were not ready and the personnel in disbelieve. Eventually he would complete two races for Minardi in 1993 and a couple in 1994 for Simtek.
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
This is an interesting story. The March team already “signed” Frentzen to an option for 1993 in the summer of 1992. It seems that in January 1993 the team wanted to sign Frentzen as their driver. It would mean that he had to abandon his Japanese F3000 adventure, where he was on the verge to sign a deal with Nova Engineering. In February, the rumours become only more where it was stated that if Lysys Investment GmbH would take over the March Team or at least help them out Frentzen would partner Jan Lammers. However, it never came this far. Frentzen would compete in the Japanese F3000 and World Sportscar Championship. A year later in 1994 he would make his debut in the Formula One with Sauber.
Ivan Capelli
Another contender for a seat with March in 1993 was former Leyton House driver Ivan Capelli. It would mean that Capelli returned to the team where he met his biggest success in the Formula One. In 1992, he had a disastrous season with Ferrari and was looking for a seat for next season. It is said that Ivan joined Jan Lammers to meet up with some people of Lysys in late January. The same time Capelli was also on speaking terms with the Jordan team. Eventually he would compete in the first two races with Jordan before he left the Formula One when he failed to qualify the 193 for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Thierry Boutsen
After two fruitless seasons with Liger in 1991 and 1992 Boutsen was looking for new opportunities in the Formula One. In early 1993 Thierry was said to be in speaking terms with the March F1 Team. Statements went thus far that he spoke by telephone with the “new “owners of the team. The Swiss Lysis Business consortium. Nothing came out of the talks. Eventually, Boutsen would replace Ivan Capelli at Jordan. Though left the Formula One after the 1993 Belgium Grand Prix.
Michael Bartels
Bartels involvement in the Formula One is worth a separate story! Especially in 1992, he was with several teams on speaking terms. With Pacific Grand Prix, he had a contract to race for the team in 1993. However, due to an issue with his sponsor and Keith Wiggins postponing Pacfic’s debut in the Formula One he was speaking with Brabham-Galmer and eventually also with the March F1 Team for a seat in 1993. In December 1992, he spoke with the March team, after ditched by Pacific, for a seat. However, at that point it was unclear how the deal with Tamoil went. Eventually, Bartels talks for a seat ended up with nothing. For 1993, he would compete once more in the International Formula 3000 championship with Pacific Racing.
Emanuelle Naspetti
Naspetti was to race with the March CG911B at the Bologna motor show in December 1992. The team saw it as an opportunity to gain new sponsors. However, due to a dispute the team did not go.
However, around that time Naspetti was in talk with the team for a seat in 1993. Like he was already in early 1992.
