Wookey F1 Challenge story only

Presentation and entries

Two weeks after the German Grand Prix comes the Austrian Grand Prix on the beautiful Österreichring circuit. I am still firmly established at the head of the championship despite my retirement in the Eifel. Another victory should almost assure me of the world title. I have every possibility because this fast track should be suitable for my Wookey. In addition, it is a circuit that I love. My opponents Jackie Stewart, François Cevert, Emerson Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme have no other choice but to triumph to delay the coronation.

At Tyrrell, Derek Gardner decided to temporarily put aside the system of “in-board” brakes which one suspects to be at the origin of the concerns of Stewart. The brakes used in Austria are external to the frame. In addition, the 005 has a new dynamic air intake, higher and bulkier than all those previously appeared, in order to capture cooler air. François Cevert, although better placed in the championship, is satisfied with the 002 which does not have the good fortune to please François Guiter, the strong man of Elf that we see railing with Ken Tyrrell.

John Surtees is very happy with his collaboration with his friend Mike Hailwood. Not only is “Mike the bike” having an excellent season in Formula 1, he also dominates the Formula 2 European Championship driving a Surtees TS10. In two years John Surtees seems to have succeeded in his bet to become a full-fledged manufacturer, even if there is still a long way to go for him to become a "baron" of Formula 1. The paddock is in any case surprised by the success of the a duo of former motorcyclists because Hailwood is as outgoing and swinger as Surtees is serious and reserved.

At McLaren, Peter Revson takes his place in the second seat which is now that of an M19C, the same model as that used by Denny Hulme. Ferrari is only entering two 312 B2s, those of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni. BRM lines up three PP160C for Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Peter Gethin and Howden Ganley, Reine Wisell remaining on foot.

Tecno continues the alternation between its drivers and Nanni Galli finds the wheel of the Italian car in place of Derek Bell.

François Migault presents himself again at the start, especially the second Vulkan, hired directly by its designer Peter Connew. "Moro" taking the wheel of the best car of the team.

I introduce myself alone, like Luigi. Moreover, the COEGPI delegation is rather small, the premiums being low and at this stage of the season, few drivers still hope to score points. Efforts are therefore focused on those who have already scored, or whose sponsors are targeting the local market.

Qualifications

Peterson put in a breathtaking performance aboard his March and snatched pole position ahead of Fittipaldi and I. Luigi, Ethuin and the Tyrrells follow.

Race

Peterson tries to leave quickly to discourage us, but he only impresses Ethuin, who runs over several cars at his furious pace. Michel Vaillant chooses to follow him and at the third of the race, they are respectively 3rd and 4th.
Fittipaldi and the Tyrrells follow a more moderate pace, while I choose to resist the frantic return of the Rondel-Jaguar and the Vaillante, by defending my second place.

Halfway through the race, Ethuin, too optimistic, left the track and Fittipaldi sounded the charge. He passes Vaillant and tries several times to outflank me. I continue to hang on to my second place while biding my time and I gradually increase the pace. My brakes and tires have been spared so far and, with the tanks well lightened, I set out to beat and break the lap record.

At 3/4 of the Race, Vaillant, then 4th, hangs up a retard and sets off for the scenery, fortunately without getting hurt. I approach Peterson whose tires and brakes are dying.

Finally I overwhelmed him with 4 laps from the end, and controlled my lead for a perfectly controlled victory. Behind the McLarens, who also had a waiting race, but at an even wiser pace, finished second and fourth framing Fittipaldi, while Peterson did what he could to bring his completely burnt car to 5th position. Stewart can only take the last small point, and Cevert ends up in the worst place: 7th.

Rothmans 50 000

Ambiance

   

Scandinavian Raceway

And more politics!
Two days after the Austrian Grand Prix being on August 15, a public holiday in Catholic countries, many drivers and also CSI officials were enjoying themselves in the Alpine mountains to enjoy two days of rest in the open air, of fishing. and walk. While the English, who are not unemployed that day, returned to their island, informal discussions quickly focused on the 1973 regulation.

The idea then germinated among some officials to limit the size of the tanks and to allow refueling during the race. The pretext is, by carrying less fuel, to make it possible to build stronger chassis for the same minimum weight and to limit the extent of accidental fires.

At Ferrari, Matra and Citroën, whose V12s are particularly greedy, the idea seduces. But in the days that followed, leaks spoke about it in the Italian press, then French, and finally English. Immediately it is the outcry! The English manufacturers believe that the Cosworth V8 block will be penalized by the new regulations and underline the danger of refueling with burning engines, in the middle of the crowd of pits!

The first victim of this jackpot was the Rothmans £ 50,000 race scheduled for the weekend of the 28th at Brands Hatch. This Formula Free race was in fact initially scheduled for 120 laps, forcing everyone to refuel. While several English teams had given their agreement, they prefer to withdraw rather than give the opportunity to experience the supplies.

At a moment's notice, the Swedish federation, which wanted to organize a Championship Grand Prix in 1973, offered to organize an F1 race on the same date. The two races will therefore take place simultaneously. But no F1 team shows up at Brands Hatch, and around forty competitors flock to the Scandinavian Raceway, whose particularity is that the start and finish are judged not in front, but behind the pits.

Hervé Bayard is a French pilot known mainly for his participation in hill climbs. We also saw him on the circuit mainly in sports prototypes, but also, this year, he took part in a few European F5000 races at the wheel of his ex-Hailwood Surtees TS8.
Hervé still lives with his parents, on the family farm in the Somme, where he has established his workshop. He prepares his car himself, and for the Rothmans £ 50,000 he got, God knows how, a Cosworth DFV engine which he installed himself in place of his Chevy 5.0l.
The last competitor entered in F1, he decided at the last moment, and at the request of his insurance agent GAN and occasional sponsor, to join the Swedish GP field.

The preliminary tests on Friday take place in a relaxed atmosphere. Most of the usual Auto-Sprint Trophy competitors are there. But the Swedish journalists seem to direct their lenses and their microphones only to the very beautiful Wiltrud Oberschenkel.

The return of Patrick Depailler at the wheel of a Tyrrell goes almost unnoticed as well as the entanglement of the Williams stand, where Pescarolo is still eyeing the Politoys, promised to Mauro Martinez. Indeed, the young Argentinian did send a big check that Frank Williams was quick to cash.

But the car remains in the paddock and no one seems to have seen the driver on the circuit. Pesca shows sad face and drives the March, Williams looks embarrassed, and the Politoys doesn't budge, hidden under a tarp.
Reutemann, questioned, evades questions about his compatriot and ex-mechanic.
On Saturday, Pescarolo refused to take the risk of trying to qualify the car which had not been adjusted the day before, and took part in qualifying practice on his March.

Winner


Results


Trophée Auto-Sprint standings

Qualifying practice

While Peterson had dominated the start of the practice session and to everyone's surprise, Steve McQueen signed his first pole position. While just the day before, he seemed more interested in the smiles of the pretty women who congregated at the SCS booth, the American actor achieves a perfect turn and sits inside the front row. I can only pull myself up. to his height, but he will have the advantage of the rope. In the second row, Fittipaldi and an Italian-American Paul Chiachierini on a Tyrrell powered by the Aston V8 engine. Then Redman and his McLaren, the Vaillante de Warson etc.

The race

Coming from the conquest row, Peterson managed an extraordinary start and managed to take the lead at the third corner ahead of Fittipaldi and me. The two future teammates quickly outstrip the rest of the troop, in which I do not take long to feel ignition problems. The fragile distribution of my Citroën V12 goes wrong and my engine gasps, missing one or two cylinders at times, which makes my car particularly difficult to drive.
At first, I try to do my best to score points, but the ignition decides to refuse any service and my Wookey will line up on its momentum on the airstrip. I observe from the edge of the track the two Vaillantes take the accessits and the pretty climb of McLeod.

Steve McQueen manages to score two points, and Riccardo Priori takes the youngest.



Having scored no points, I lost my place as leader of the TAS, ahead of the two pilots Vaillante, and McLeod, who had a particularly regular season. There are only two races left on the calendar, but we are still 6, counting Ethuin and Priori, to be able to win.

On the weekend of September 10, a superb field of 42 cars is presented at Monza.
Exceptionally, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud has to leave the wheel of my second car, which I entrust to Vittorio Brambilla, the local glory. Brambilla also brings me some fresh money, always welcome, from its sponsor Beta tools.
We also note the return of John Surtees at the wheel, he who has spent most of the season devoting himself to his new role as manufacturer. At Tecno, we are lining up two cars for Nanni Galli and Derek Bell.
At Williams, we finally discover the young Mauro Martinez on a politoy repainted in Argentinian colors, and supported by the Banco Nacional.

The trials are dominated by the duel between Peterson and Fittipaldi. Finally it is the Swedish driver who blows the pole position to the Brazilian. Luigi Mennella shares the second line with Steve Warson, and on the third line, Steve McQueen takes the eye of the cameras by my side. The Tyrrells share the fourth row ahead of the Lola. Brambilla qualified 15th which makes his mechanic very happy, who comes to tell me that under his gruff exterior and his apparently brutal driving, the "Monza Gorilla" also knows how to go very quickly on his favorite track.

When the flag was lowered, Fittipaldi managed to overtake Peterson, but after a few laps, he began to lose gears, and had to complete his laps in only three gears, which allowed most of his competitors to overtake him.
Peterson then sets off, and no one can threaten him. Luigi takes second place and resists the hunt for Stewart who completes the podium.

As for me, I got a hell of a fright at the Ascari chicane: brake failure! I shoot straight into the escape route where I get out at the cost of a scabrous tail and at high speed, tearing off all the fences in the process. My helmet receives a pole and I remain in my car for a while, before Steve McQueen himself and the young Mauro Martinez, stopped at the same place, extricate me from my Wookey, which has been heavily sprayed with carbon dioxide snow by the marshals.

I go back to the pits on the back of a scooter and watch Brambilla's end of the race. A 6th time, Vittorio had to give up his point to Hailwood, more consistent. In the last lap, a gap at the Parabolic forced him to let the American Italian Chiachierini pass on his Tyrrell, so he finished eighth.

Wookey wrote:

And There you go !
Although I watched most of the race on the garage wall, I am World Champion! If I didn't score any points, neither did Hulme, Fittipaldi and Cevert, so my lead is enough to secure the title.
Peterson wins a first victory which announces many others as the Swedish superiority has been striking and we are talking about him for a wheel at Lotus next year.
Luigi Mennella saves his season with this well-deserved podium and Miss Grazia de Lacrowe demonstrates her driving science by scoring her first official points.
We are going to go to North America with in mind, above all, to prepare well for next year, but also, as far as I'm concerned, also to win the Constructors' Cup, which Tyrrell can still challenge me.