1971 Canadian Grand Prix

Mosport Park, September 19th.

While there is no doubt that Jackie Stewart and the Elf Team Tyrrell have had a tremendous year the one black spot was the poor showing in the rain-soaked Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Those who like to knock Stewart dismissed him as a fair-weather driver, although the fact that none of the other Goodyear-shod drivers showed in the wet was perhaps an indication that something was wrong in the rubber-wear department. Since then the engineers at Wolverhampton have obviously done their sums again and on the streaming wet track at Mosport Park Stewart proved that he is every bit a World Champion in the wet or the dry. Yet again the young Swede, Peterson, proved that he is no respecter of experience or reputation and for a while overtook Stewart, although he later dropped back. Mark Donohue confirmed what had long been suspected—that he is probably America’s best driver of road-racing machinery and his first-ever Formula One drive produced a third place.

The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the most recent on the calendar and this year’s event was only the fifth in the series, which alternates between the Mosport track in Ontario and Le Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec. The Mosport track is just under 2½ miles long and is something akin to Oulton Park with its gradients and twists and turns—definitely a driver’s circuit. By American standards the amenities are not very good, but the organisation is friendly and efficient without being gushing.