Lauda is set to return

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 22

Lauda is set to return

By

GEORGE TANNER

The Austrian racing driver, Niki Lauda, is preparing to return to the Grand Prix arena next year. The 32-year-old former world champion has yet to disclose just which team he will drive for, but it is rumoured that he will partner John Watson in the Marlboro McLaren team.

The McLaren personnel have been far from happy with the performance this season of the young Italian driver, Andrea De Cesaris. He has earned the unenviable reputation of being a chassis bender.

Watson’s driving, on the other hand, has been superb, resulting in a win in the British G.P. and several other high placings, which have put the marque back up amongst the front-runners after several dismal seasons. Should Lauda sign for McLaren, they would certainly become a force to be

reckoned with, as he is regarded as one of the top test drivers the sport has known. Lauda’s Formula One career began in 1971, when he drove a privately-entered March 711 in the Austrian Grand Prix.

He then borrowed a large sum of money from a local bank to finance a works drive for the March team in 1972.

Despite Lauda’s testing ability and the fact that he was partnered by the great Ronnie Peterson, of Sweden, little success came their way and, desperate to repay his loan, he left to join the Swiss ace, Clay Regazzoni, in the Marlboro B.R.M. team. His season with them also proved fruitless, so when Regazzoni left to join Ferrari, in 1974, he took the young buck-toothed Austrian with him.

This was to be the turning point in Lauda’s career and with the vast testing facilities that were available at Fiorano, the Feri'ari-owned test track, Lauda quickly set about reversing the team’s sagging fortunes. During his first season with Ferrari, he gained not less than nine

pole-positions and won the Grands Epreuves of Spain and the Netherlands. In 1975, Ferrari released its 312 T car and Lauda swept all before him, winning five grands prix and taking his first world title. The following year began on a winning note for Lauda, and by midseason he looked set to win his second consecutive title, something which had not been achieved since Jack Brabham’s Cooper days in 1959-60. On August 1, at the Nurburgring circuit in West Germany, disaster struck, when his Ferrari 312T2 crashed inexplicably, and burst into flames, trapping the badly-injured driver in the wreckage.

Had it not been for the brave actions of several fel-low-drivers. pulling him from the blazing car, Lauda would certainly have perished in the inferno.

Lauda suffered second and third degree burns to his arms, face and head, but worse still, his lungs had been seriously damaged as a result of inhaling toxic fumes from the burning magnesium and fibreglass. As he lay clinging to life in the Mannheim University Burns Clinic, a priest was called in to give Lauda the last rites. By some miracle, he responded to treatment and within days showed signs of making a perfect recovery. Within six weeks of the crash, he was preparing to get back into the cockpit of a racing car.

Despite his terrible facial burns and scars, he was back in time for the Italian G.P. at Monza, in September. The world was amazed by Lauda’s courage and dedication to his chosen sport, and applauded his creditable fourth placing in the Italian race.

The 14-point lead he had established before the accident was whittled oown by Britain's James Hunt, driving a McLaren M 23. The final race that season was held in Japan and was run in atrocious weather conditions which forced Lauda to retire from the race. Hunt, needing four points to win the cham-

pionship, finished third, taking the crown by a mere one point.

The following season, Lauda finished consistently in the points to win his. second title. However, relations between the Austrian and the temperamental Italians in charge at Ferrari began to strain and in 1978 Lauda signed to drive alongside John Watson in the Parmalat Brabham team. His two seasons with Brabham resulted in three wins for himself, but his enthusiasm for the sport was beginning to wane. This was due in part to the unreliable Alfa Romeo-en-gined cars, plus a conflict with Brabham's new recruit, Nelson Piquet, of Brazil. Both drivers were trying to

assert their dominance in the team.

At Montreal it all came to a head and Lauda decided he had had enough of the sport that had shot him to world fame. During practice for the Canadian G.P. he simply parked his Brabham off the circuit and walked away from motor racing saying: “There is more to life than driving around in circles.” Now, two years later, he feels he still has the desire to race.

A recent test drive for McLaren at Donnington Park showed all the old skills were still there. Some cynics will, say his , come-back is purely for financial gain, but he has proved before that he is a driver of extraordinary ability and courage. Anyone who thinks otherwise obviously does not know Niki Lauda.