Lauda takes United States Grand Prix

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33967, 7 October 1975, Page 36

Lauda takes United States Grand Prix

Z‘ P.A. 'Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK. Niki Lauda of Austria won Ihe United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York in the year in which he easily won the world drivers’ championship. It was Ferrari’s first win in the United States Grand Prix. Lauda finished well ahead of last year’s drivers’’ champion, Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil, who chased Lauda’s Ferrari from start to finish. Third place went to Fittipaldi’s McLaren team-mate, Jochen Mass of West Germany. James Hunt of Britain came in fourth when he took his Hesketh Ford past Ronnie Peterson of Sweden on the final lap. Peterson was fifth in a John Player Special, just ahead of the South African, Jody Scheckter, in a Tyrrell Ford. Lauda’s victory was made easy when his Ferrari teammate, Clay Regazzoni of Switzerland, who was a lap behind at the time, managed to place his car between Lauda’s and Fittipaldi’s. BLOCKING Regazzoni was ordered into the pits for blocking the Brazilian driver, and his team manager withdrew his cat from the race. Regazzoni denied blocking the Brazilian driver, but his position between the two leaders obviously widened the gap between them considerably. Vittorio Brambilla of Italy [finished seventh in his March, land Hans Stuck of West GerImany was eighth, also in a I March. I They were the only drivers to finish the 59-lap, 199.243mile race.

I Lauda’s winning time was Ihr 42min 58.1755ec, for an average speed of 116.10 miles per hour. He finished 4.943 sec ahead of Fittipaldi. John Watson of Ireland was ninth in his Penske Ford, and Wilson Fittipaldi, younger brother of Emerson, was tenth in a Fittipaldidesigned Ford. Lauda, aged 26, won five of the 14 Formula One races this season. He started on the pole position in his McLaren on Sunday and led each of the 59 laps around the 3.377mile Watkins Glen road course in a nearly accidentifree race.

Standings on the Formula One i world drivers 5 championship [standings after the final race were: Lauda. 64.5 points, 1; E. [Fittipaldi, 45. 2; C. Reutemann [(Argentina), 37, 3; Hunt, 33, 4; C. Regazzoni (Switzerland). 25, 5; |C. Pace (Brazil), 24, 6; Seheckter, 20, 7; Mass, 20. 8: P. De--pailler (France), 12. 9; T. Pryce (Britain), 8 10; Brambilla, 6.5. Il; Peterson, 6. 12; <J. Laffite (France), 6, 13; M. Andretti (U.S.), 5, 14; M. Donohue (U.S.), 4, 15; J. Ickx (Belgium). 3, 16; A. Jones (Australia), 2, 17; J.-P. Jarrier (France). 1.5, 18; A. Brise (Britain), 1, 19; F. Vanlennep (Netherlands) 1, 20: L. Lombardi (Italy), 0.5, 21. (Only one-half championship points were awarded in the Spanish and Austrian grand prix because both were stopped before the half-way stage.)