Lauda returns to scene of horrific crash

Press, 5 October 1984, Page 10

Lauda returns to scene of horrific crash

With just two rounds remaining in the 1984 world drivers’ championship, two men are left in the chase for the coveted title.

The championship points leader, Niki Lauda (Austria), and his French team-mate, Alain Prost, have enjoyed a virtual monopoly of this season’s races driving their remarkable Marlboro McLaren cars. Both men have, won five grands prix and between them have four second placings, a third and a fifth, in a record-breaking season for the Woking-based team.

McLaren is also assured of the constructor’s cup with a record, 115.5 points, 70 points clear of its closest rival, Ferrari. This will be McLaren’s third world championship, having won previously in 1974, with the Brazilian, Emerson Fittipaldi, and again in 1976 with James Hunt (Britain).

In the late 1970 s the team’s performances were indifferent and in 1980 they underwent personnel changes. The team manager, Mr Teddy Mayer, was joined by Mr Ron Dennis, formerly of Project Four Racing. The team’s longserving designer, Mr Gordon Coppuck, was replaced by

Mr John Barnard, who rapidly designed and developed the first-ever chassis constructed entirely of car-bon-fibre composite. Mr Mayer eventually severed his links with the team he helped create in the early 1960 s with the late Bruce McLaren. Under Mr Dennis’s guidance, McLaren International began its transformation into the successful team it is today. In late 1981, Mr Dennis managed to entice Lauda out of retirement to drive with John Watson (Ireland), and before long the pair were enjoying the spoils of victory on a more regular basis. McLaren’s enthusiastic directors asked Porsche if it was interested in building an all new V 6 turbo engine for the team’s exclusive use. Porsche agreed and the project was financed by Mansour Ojjeh, of the Saudiconnected, Techniques d’ Advant-Garde corporation, a group of companies with assets totalling $5OO million. It is normal practice in grand prix engineering to design and build a chassis around the engine but the innovative Mr Barnard, reversed this trend and working closely with the Porsche engineer, Mr Hans

Mezger, they designed the TAG-unit to fit the already proven MP4 chassis.

Lauda was entrusted with the debut of the TAG-Turbo car in the Dutch G.P. at Zandvoort, but over-heating brakes prevented a victorious debut that was enjoyed by the legendary Cosworth V 8 at the same circuit 15 years earlier.

Optimism was strengthened with the signing of Prost, following his hasty departure from Renault. Many of the sport’s followers believed the splitting of the harmonious LaudaWatson partnership was a tactical blunder, but their record this year, dispels any such criticism. One has to look back to 1978, when Lotus had eight wins, to find a team that was as dominant as McLaren is today. Three drivers have prevented the McLaren duo from winning all 14 races to date. Michele Albqreto (Italy), won for Ferrari at Zolder, in Belgium; Nelson Piquet (Brazil), the defending champion, scored consecutive wins in Canada and Detroit in his BrabhamBMW; and the 1982 world champion, Keke Rosberg, triumphed in the inaugural Dallas G.P. driving a

Williams Honda.

This week-end the penultimate championship race will be decided at Nurburgring, West Germany. It is eight years since the circuit has been used by formula one cars. The infamous track was dropped from the calendar following Lauda’s near-fatal accident there on August 1, 1976. Over the last two years the track has been extensively modified and shortened. Lauda will have to overcome the psychological trauma of returning to Nurburgring. He was leading the drivers’ championship prior to his horrific crash. The final outcome of the championship could be decided this week-end. Lauda needs only eight points to clinch the title, and he will earn nine if he wins on Sunday. Prost will have his work cut out. Even if Prost wins the two remaining races, Lauda needs only to finish third in both to win his third world crown. All that stands between Prost and French jubilation is a cool Austrian who has driven in 156 grands prix, winning 24, and has amassed a record 386.5 championship points. By George Tanner.