{{Infobox motor race |Race title = Labatt's Hamilton Championship |Logo = |Track map = |Series long = [[Atlantic Championship]] |Series short = Atlantic Championship |Location = [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] |Coordinates = {{Coord|43|15|21|N|79|52|23|W|region:US-CO_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} |Sponsor = [[Labatt Brewing Company]] |First race = 1978 |First series race = 1978 |Last race = 1978 |Distance = |Laps = 39 |Duration = 47m 24.585s |Previous names = |Most wins driver = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Keke Rosberg]] (1) |Most wins team = Excita/[[Fred Opert Racing]] (1) |Most wins manufacturer = [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B45]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] (1) |Surface = Asphalt |Length mi = 1.3 |Turns = 10 |Record time = 1m05.964s |Record driver = [[Price Cobb]] |Record car = [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |Record year = 1978 |Record class = [[Formula Atlantic]] }}
'''Race Hamilton''', also known as the '''Labatt's Hamilton Championship''', was a 1978 auto race held in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] featuring a round of the [[Atlantic Championship|Formula Atlantic Labatt Championship Series]]. The event featured future driving stars [[Bobby Rahal]], [[Keke Rosberg]] and [[Danny Sullivan]] competing for $10,000 in first-place prize money.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zimmermann|first=John|year=1998|title=A Quarter Century on the Road to Stardom (The Atlantic Championship Series)|publisher=USDC Publishing|pages=28–32 |isbn=9782930120232}}</ref>
The race took place on August 7 on a {{convert| 2.092 |km|mi|abbr=in|2}}, 10 turn temporary [[street circuit]] in downtown Hamilton with the start/finish line located between the [[Hamilton City Hall]] and the [[Art Gallery of Hamilton]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamilton Street Circuit (1978)|url=http://theracingline.net/racingcircuits/Canada/on/Hamilton.html|work=theracingline.net|access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hamilton Street Circuit (Formula Atlantic race, 1978)|url=https://www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/canada/hamilton.html|work=racingcircuits.info|access-date=14 July 2025}}</ref>
The race attracted an estimated 60,000 fans, half of those watched for free from the roofs of surrounding buildings and by breaking down barriers.<ref>{{cite web|first=Tim|last=Miller|title=Hamilton loved 1978 Formula race, but financially it failed|url=http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2173769-hamilton-loved-1978-formula-race-but-financially-it-failed/|work=The Hamilton Spectator|publisher=Metroland Media Group|location=Hamilton|date=Jan 2, 2011|access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=George|last=Webster|title=Formula Fiasco|url=http://www.prnmag.com/4-wheel-features/75-formula-fiasco.html|work=PRN Ignition|publisher=Performance Publications Media Group|access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref> After a five-hour delay due to insurance issues with the safety barriers around the course, only 39 of the scheduled 73 laps took place due to darkness. Only 16 of the 29 cars entered, completed the race.<ref>{{cite web|title=Formula Atlantic – in Hamilton|url=http://henleyshamilton1.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/formula-atlantic-in-hamilton/|work=Henleys Hamilton 1|date=19 April 2012 |access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref>
==Race results==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" ! Pos ! No. ! Driver ! Team ! Chassis/Engine ! Laps ! Time ! Speed
|- !align=center| 1 |align=center| 4 | {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Keke Rosberg]] | Excita/[[Fred Opert Racing]] | [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B45]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center| 39 |align=center| 47m 24.585s |align=center| 68.113 mph |- !align=center| 2 |align=center| 22 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Price Cobb]] | Ecurie Canada | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center| 39 |align=center| 47m 25.208s |align=center| 68.098 mph
|- !align=center| 3 |align=center| 2 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bobby Rahal]] | Pierre's Motor Racing | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center| 39 |align=center| |align=center| 67.704 mph |- !align=center| 4 |align=center| 34 |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Sullivan]] | Bluebonnet Foods/Quaker State | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|39 | |67.394 mph |- !align=center| 5 |align=center| 6 | {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Divina Galica]] | Fred Opert Racing/Olympus | [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B39]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|39 | |66.255 mph |- !align=center| 6 |align=center| 31 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Chip Mead]] | Hanna Car Wash/Pierre's Motor Racing | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center| 38 | | |- !align=center| 7 |align=center| 9 | {{flagicon|USA}} John Mortensen | Doug Shierson Racing | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|38 | | |- !align=center| 8 |align=center| 51 | {{flagicon|USA}} Rick Koehler | Brooks Stevens | Excalibur EE2B - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|38 | | |- !align=center| 9 |align=center| 19 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bob Earl]] | James Brolin | [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B-34]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center| 38 | | |- !align=center| 10 |align=center| 78 | {{flagicon|USA}} Rick Bell | | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|38 | | |- !align=center| 11 |align=center| 13 | {{flagicon|CAN}} Jean-Pierre Alamy | | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center| 38 | | |- !align=center| 12 |align=center| 15 | {{flagicon|USA}} Mike Rocke | BDN | [[March Engineering|March 77B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|37 | | |- !align=center| 13 |align=center| 72 | {{flagicon|CAN}} Gilles Leger | | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|37 | | |- !align=center| 14 |align=center| 50 | {{flagicon|CAN}} Jeff Smith | Starr Racing | [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B34]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|37 | | |- !align=center| 15 |align=center| 58 | {{flagicon|USA}} Jon Norman | Norman Racing | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|37 | | |- !align=center| 16 |align=center| 71 | {{flagicon|USA}} John Connolly | | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|36 | | |- !align=center| 17 |align=center| 20 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jeff Wood (racing driver)|Jeff Wood]] | Great Plains Racing | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center| 35 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center| 18 |align=center| 66 | {{flagicon|USA}} Peter Robinson | | [[Chevron Cars Ltd|Chevron B39]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|34 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center| 19 |align=center| 33 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Cogan]] | Brian Robertson/Ralt American | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|29 |align=center|Cross member | |- !align=center| 20 |align=center| 38 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Gloy]] | Tom Gloy/Lane Sports | [[March Engineering|March 77B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|26 |align=center|Transmission | |- !align=center| 21 |align=center| 7 | {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Bill Brack]] | STP Special/Ecurie Canada | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|22 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center|22 |align=center| 8 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Howdy Holmes]] | Jiffy Mixes/Doug Shierson Racing | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|10 |align=center|Mechanical | |- !align=center| 23 |align=center| 67 | {{flagicon|USA}} R.J. Nelkin | Hunter Mountain | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|10 |align=center|Mechanical | |- !align=center| 24 |align=center| 21 | {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Follett | | [[Ralt|Ralt RT1]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|10 |align=center|Spun | |- !align=center| 25 |align=center| 63 | {{flagicon|USA}} Ralph Manaker |R.M. Racing | [[March Engineering|March 76B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|3 |align=center|Mechanical | |- !align=center| 26 |align=center| 62 | {{flagicon|USA}} Cliff Hansen | Charles Gladding | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|2 |align=center|Suspension | |- !align=center| 25 |align=center| 54 | {{flagicon|USA}} Carl Liebich | Liebrau Racing | [[Lola Cars|Lola T-560]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] | align=center|0 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center| 28 |align=center| 75 | {{flagicon|USA}} Chris Gleason | Whalley BMW Sales | [[March Engineering|March 77B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|0 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center| 29 |align=center| 79 | {{flagicon|USA}} Bobby Brown | Automatic Radios | [[March Engineering|March 78B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|0 |align=center|Accident | |- !align=center| 30 |align=center| 24 | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bertil Roos]] | Racetune/Acme | [[March Engineering|March 77B]] - [[Ford Racing|Ford]] |align=center|0 |align=center|Pulled off | |}<ref>{{cite web|title=Formula Atlantic Labatts Championship Series Race - Hamilton, 7 Aug 1978|url=http://www.oldracingcars.com/results/result.php?RaceID=K78F|work=oldracingcars.com|access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/atlantic/year/1978.htm|title=1978 CASC/SCCA Labatt Challenge Series|publisher=champcarstats.com|access-date=2013-11-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1978 CASC Formula Atlantic Labatt Championship Series|url=http://www.autocourse.ca/archives/usa/fatlantic/1978-fatlantic.htm|work=autocourse.ca|access-date=25 November 2013}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{Atlantic Championship circuits}}
[[Category:Sports in Hamilton, Ontario]] [[Category:Motorsport in Canada]] [[Category:Auto races in Canada]] [[Category:1978 in Canadian motorsport]] [[Category:1978 in motorsport]] [[Category:August 1978 sports events in Canada]]