[3] His team, Fred Opert Racing, fielded many notable Formula 1 drivers early in their careers including future Formula One World Champions Keke Rosberg,[8] Alan Jones[9] and Alain Prost,[6] as well as future IndyCar champion Bobby Rahal.

The New York Times wrote that "Opert indicated that the primary reason he began fielding teams was to sell the race cars he imported—Chevron, Titan, Supernova and Brabham" but that 'now' (in 1978) Opert said he was in it “just because of the racing.”[9] Over fourteen years many future Formula 1 drivers[6][2] including Alan Jones,[9][22] Alain Prost,[6][23][19]: 228  Bobby Rahal,[10] Jacques Laffite,[9] Didier Pironi, Jean-Pierre Jarier, Héctor Rebaque, Rolf Stommelen, Patrick Tambay,[22][9] Peter Gethin,[9] Tom Pryce[9] and Rupert Keegan, all drove for Fred Opert Racing.

[28][29][8][30] Fred Opert Racing competed in the USA; Canada; Argentina; Colombia; Venezuela; Mexico; New Zealand;[31] Japan; Macau; and many European countries.

An advertorial for the school appeared in the New York Magazine on 10 April 1972,[33] four days before Hawthorne was killed racing at Hockenheim.

[34] When van Beuren returned to Mexico, Swedish driver Bertil Roos became the chief instructor and eventually took over the school and rebranded it under his own name.

Chandon was killed when he was testing an Opert Ralt Formula Atlantic car at Moroso Motorsports Park (now Palm Beach International Raceway) in Florida, preparing for the WCAR Formula Atlantic (Mondial) Championship that would start in April.