[3] Owing to a combination of factors (not the least of which was the closing down of the MRD side of the Brabham business) the BT43 did not make its debut until June 30, 1974, at round 10 of the 1974 Rothmans F5000 Championship at Monza driven by Martin Birrane.

Round 1 of the 1975 Rothmans F5000 Championship at Brands Hatch on March 15, 1975, on the Grand Prix circuit saw Brett Lunger return to driving the BT43.

The car did not appear again until round 4 at Silverstone on April 12, 1975, again in the hands of Lunger but this time sporting a new nose taken from a BT42.

[13] (This is possibly one source of the BT43 being erroneously described in some publications as a modified Formula One car rather than a purpose built and unique F5000).

Following its purchase by Chuck Jones in the USA the BT43's next appearance in 1975 was to be at the California Grand Prix which was round 9 of the 1975 US F5000 Championship at Riverside on October 26, 1975.

In late 1976 Australian racing driver Kevin Bartlett became aware of the car whilst in the US and tested it at Willow Springs.

The repaired car's next appearance (sporting a new nose) was not in a race but in a motion picture as it was used in the filming of "The Betsy" during 1977.

Following the conclusion of negotiations between Jones and Bartlett, the BT43 arrived in Australia in early January 1978 to participate in the 1978 Rothmans International Series.

[20] The first round of the 1978 Australian Drivers' Championship at Oran Park on July 30, 1978, proved to be more successful for Bartlett, with a second-place finish behind the McLaren M23-Leyland of John McCormack.

With the first round of the 1979 Australian Drivers' Championship also being the 1979 Australian Grand Prix held at Wanneroo Park on March 11, 1979 – only a fortnight after the final round of the 1979 Rothmans International Series – neither Bartlett or Bond made the trip across the continent to contest the Grand Prix.

When the BT43 made its next appearance at the second round of the 1979 Australian Drivers' Championship at Oran Park on July 29, 1979, two factors were evident.

[23] The first was dramatic modifications to the car primarily to cure the chronic lack of front end downforce exhibited since initial testing and in Bartlett's words its "unhealthy transition to spectacular oversteer"; while the second was the sponsorship of Bartlett's racing activities by Kerry Packer's Nine Television Network.

The prospective owner who had paid the deposit then sent the car "freight on" to a friend in the UK who refused to pay the bill.