Notes on the cars at Zandvoort

It is a long time since the Ferrari team have been so well equipped as they were at the Dutch GP, for the two 1970 cars, numbers 3 and 4, with 1971 engines came straight from Hockenheim where they had raced the previous weekend, and were joined by the 1971 models that Ickx and Regazzoni had raced at Monaco, numbers 6 and 5, together with a brand new 312B/2 which was number 7 and destined for Andretti.

The two early cars were listed as practice cars for Ickx and Regazzoni, but when Andretti crashed his new car in practice he took over number 3 car for the rest of practice and kept it for the race. When the cars arrived for scrutineering number 7 had the transverse vibration damper set-up fitted that first appeared at Monaco, while 5 and 6 did not, but during the course of practice Ickx experimented with the dampers, the results being inconclusive. All three 1971 cars had additional air scoops to the inboard rear brakes, these being small scoops on each side of the aerofoil back-bone with flexible piping running down to the inner faces of the discs. The outer faces being cooled by air ducts running from behind each oil radiator mounted above the back of the engine, and cooling air for these radiators is gathered in by NACA duets on the top of the engine cowling over each bank of cylinders.

The theory is that the air leaving the radiators is at 90°C. and this air blown onto the brake disc is better than nothing. As the discs are located beside the gearbox, and the exhaust system on each side, they live in an area that is always above 90°C. anyway. Lockheed engineers, whose brakes are fitted to the 312B/2 Ferraris, look a bit sideways at all this. What is important however, is that there is a clear exit for the hot air from the brakes to escape out of the back of the car.

Ken Tyrrell’s ELF supported team of Stewart and Cevert had the experimental Girling double-discs brakes on the front of both the 1971 Tyrrell cars, the team leader having 003, and the 1970 car 001 as a spare, while the young Frenchman was driving 002. Both of the new cars were fitted with a very large air-box over the engine intakes, this box being well seated at its bottom end where it sat on the engine, and having a forward-facing entry high above the roll-over crash bar, all very similar in layout to those used on the Matra V12 engines. There was also a new nose cowling for Stewart’s new car, this being a blunt and rounded affair like a Porsche 908/03, cleverly formed with box-section curved fins ahead of each front wheel to give an almost all-enveloping effect without transgressing the Formula One rules that limits nose fins width to the centre-line of the tyres. Although offered up on 003 when it went through scrutineering, this new nose was not actually used during the meeting, the car running with the flat blade-type nose cowling normally used on the Tyrrell cars.

The BRM team also had a modified front cowling, with similar box-section curved fins ahead of the wheels, on P160/01 which Rodriguez was driving, and this car was also using the new “shovel” type nose cowling, as was P160/02 which Siffert was driving, while both cars had fairings over the sides of the rear of the cars, covering the cylinder heads of the V12 engines, these fairings blending with the oil-cooler ducts at the rear. The brand new P160/03, which appeared at Hockenheim the weekend before Zandvoort, was acting as a spare car for Rodriguez, fitted with the earlier type of nose cowling, as was P153/06 which Ganley was again driving.

The Lotus Team had come direct from Hockenheim with the two Type 72 cars and the 4-wheel-drive turbine car, less its “Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Dependable Engine” as the makers proudly proclaim on their badge. The disaster at Hockenheim was caused by an oil seal failing and letting oil get into an auxiliary drive, which put added drag on the compressor turbine, which the automatic sensoring device interpreted as a slowing down due to insufficient fuel feed and consequently “stoked up the boiler” too much and everything inside confused and over-heated with disastrous results to the turbine blades.

While the Hockenheim race had been in progress the turbine engine was on its way to Canada and on the following Friday morning it was back in London and on its way to Zandvoort by Friday afternoon. It was installed in the car overnight and was ready for Walker to drive on Saturday morning. Meanwhile the two 72 models were as raced at Hockenheim, with Wisell in 72D/R3 as usual and Smith African Dave Charlton due to drive 72D/R5 as Fittipaldi was still on the sick list. However, until such time as the turbine car was ready, Walker was to drive 72D/R5, Team Lotus having the various drivers names on sticky labels that they could attach to the cockpit sides to avoid any confusion about who was in which car.

The STP-March team had all the drivers and equipment they had at Hockenheim, the whole lot coming direct to Zandvoort, and Peterson was to try 711/6, with an Alfa Romeo engine, and his usual 711/2 with a Cosworth engine, before deciding which one to race. Galli had the official March-Alfa Romeo 711/1 and Soler-Roig the third works entry 711/4 with Cosworth engine. In addition were the two private cars of Barber, 711/5 and Pescarolo with Frank Williams 711/3, both with Cosworth engines.

The Matra team had reverted to their high-speed front cowlings which are very wide and very flat and they had an additional top lip added, and the very large rear aerofoils used at Monte Carlo had been replaced by the smaller earlier versions. Amon and Beltoise were in cars number 04 and 05 respectively, and 06 the latest car was a spare for Amon. The McLaren factory had been working overtime (no union rules in Colnbrook) and had completed a second 1970 car, M19A/2, destined for Hulme, while Gethin took over M19, now numbered M19A/1. The new car had the same progressive rate springing as the first car, but had numerous small improvements. The roll-over crash bar fore-and-aft bracing tubes now run forwards onto the monocoque, instead of rearwards onto the engine, the rear of the monocoque where it runs over behind the cockpit is higher, a lighter Hewland gearbox is used and a larger rear aerofoil is fitted.

The Brabham works had also been busy, doing a major rebuild on the 1971 car that Hill crashed at Monte Carlo, and revamping the 1970 BT33/3 with an uprated rear suspension for Schenken. The final team in this very full entry was the Surtees group, comprising Surtees himself with TS9/001 as used at Hockenheim, with the new pressed magnesium wheels, Stommelen with TS9/002 and the 1970 prototype car TS7/001, now painted red and race-prepared by a subsidiary of the Surtees empire. This car was on hire to the Dutch driver Gijs van Lennep who had got a lot of local support from Esso and Champion for this entry in his own Grand Prix.

Thus a total of 31 Grand Prix cars were assembled in Zandvoort for the unrestricted acceptance of the 25 drivers present.—D. S. J.