United States Grand Prix Story (June 27, 2006)

by user Alex Holowczak

With the United States GP two days away at Indianapolis, I thought it would be a good idea to tell a story everyday until Sunday about previous United States Grand Prix. Before any of you ask, I am not a member of the FIA Advertising Committee (if such a thing exists).

The Story of Francois Cevert

Cevert had risen through the ranks after being given the opportunity to drive for Tyrrell in 1970. He had shown great flair, and was improving steadily as two-time World Champion Jackie Stewart's Number 2.

Indeed, Cevert claimed his first race win at Watkins Glen, during the 1971 United States Grand Prix:

"Having started from fifth spot, Cevert took the lead from Stewart on lap 14 as the Scot's tires began to go off in the 100° heat. At about half-distance, Cevert finally began to struggle with the same understeer that had plagued Stewart much earlier. Jacky Ickx was closing, and his Firestones were getting better as the race went on. On lap 43, Ickx set the fastest lap of the race, and the gap was down to 2.2 seconds. Then, on lap 49, the alternator on Ickx's Ferrari fell off, punching a hole in the gearbox and spilling oil all over the track! Denny Hulme's McLaren hit the oil and spun into the barrier, bending his front suspension. Hulme was standing beside the track when Cévert came by and also slid off and hit the barrier, but he kept going, now 29 seconds in the lead! Cévert coasted home, taking both hands off the wheel to wave as he crossed the line."

He was only the second Frenchman to win a Grands Prix, after Maurice Trintignant winning in Monte Carlo in the 1950s.

After a disappointing 1972 season, Tyrrell replied in 1973. Over the season, Cevert had caught his more famous team-mate up, and Stewart knew it. He won the World Championship before the final race at Watkins Glen. He was going to retire after that race, which would be his 100th Grand Prix. But he told nobody.

Cevert saw the 1973 United States Grand Prix as an opportunity to show the world his ability, and show that he was Stewart's equal in terms of ability.

In the fast right-left uphill combination called "The Bridge" Cevert's car was a little too much on the left side, getting a bump from the kerbs described by Niki Lauda in his book The Art and Science of Grand Prix Driving as unbelievably dangereous. Due to the bump, Cevert's car swerved too much to the right-hand side of the track, where it touched the safety barriers causing the car to spin and crash into the barriers on the other side of the track at a near 90° angle, uprooting and lifting the barrier. Cevert died instantly of massive injuries inflicted by the barrier.

Jackie Stewart was one of the first on the scene, even quicker than the marshalls. Whilst people were enraged about the slowness of the marshalls, Stewart defended them:

"They had left him, because he was so clearly dead."

When practice resumed, Stewart went out on the track in his car on a personal fact-finding mission. His conclusion was that his preference was to take The Bridge complex in fifth gear in the Tyrrell, hence he would be at the low end of the engine's rev range. Cevert however preferred to use fourth gear and be at the top end of his engine's power range - it was always something of a compromise because of the need to accelerate through the combination of corners. Stewart noted that the Tyrrell always felt jumpy through this section of the Watkins Glen track owing to its short wheelbase; he felt that this was somewhat counteracted by driving in the higher gear even though this meant a time penalty if he got his line wrong through the corner. Thus Cevert's driving technique may have been a contributory factor in the accident.

Cevert was 29 years old.

Stewart never did race in his 100th Grand Prix, he brought forward his retirement. He had nothing to gain, so this was probably the right decision. Tyrrell were suddenly without any drivers for 1974, and were never really as good afterwards as in their day in the 1970s.

At Watkins Glen the following year, Helmut Koinigg was killed, in only the Austrian's second Grand Prix start. Approaching the braking zone for the corner known as the Toe, a suspension failure on the Surtees car sent the vehicle crashing head-on into the outer armco. The speed at which Koinigg crashed was relatively minor, and he ought to have escaped the scene uninjured. Unfortunately, as with a number of other circuits at that time, the armco barrier was insecurely installed and buckled as the vehicle struck it, killing the luckless driver instantly.

Tomorrow: From boom to bust

Date

Tue 06/27/06, 4:02 am EST