Photos: The Walt Etten Collection - Part 2

[Steve Holmes]

Time for Part 2 of the Walt Etten Collection of historic US and Canadian motor racing photos. We started off Walt's collection showing photos from two events, the 1970 Mid-Ohio and 1971 Mosport Can-Am races. Part 2 is quite a short chapter, containing pics from just one event, but its quite fascinating, none the less. This is the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, at Mosport, Round 14 of the World Championship.

This was the race where a Safety Car (named a Pace Car at the time) was used for the first time in F1, but it was a shambles, and completely confused the outcome. Jackie Stewart had already wrapped up the Drivers Title, though the Constructors Championship was still to play for. Ronnie Petersen was on pole in his Lotus, while McLaren driver Peter Revson was awarded the win, but the star of the show was the young Niki Lauda, who stormed through from 8th on the grid to lead by lap 2 on a wet track. Lauda had twice taken out huge loans to try and further his early racing career, once in 1971 to buy himself into a March F2 drive, which then became an F1 drive when he was promoted. After a frustrating 1972 season, Lauda then took out another huge loan to buy himself a ride in the struggling BRM F1 team, and his stellar performance here at Mosport must surely have helped pave the way to Ferrari the following season.

In the early wet laps, Lauda completely dominated, but it wasn't to last. The rain stopped and the track dried, and his wet weather tyres went off. From lap 23, car after car headed to the pits for dry tyres, and the confusion completely mixed up the lap scorers. Then a collision between Jody Schecker and Francois Cevert brought about the Safety Car for the first time in F1, as Cevert's Tyrrell was partially blocking the track. But nobody was sure who was leading! Safety Car driver Eppie Wietzes picked up ISO driver Howden Ganley as the race leader, and once the wreckage was cleared and the race underway once more, it was Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi who soon took control, and Colin Chapman threw his cap in the air as the Bazilian crossed the line for what many thought was the victory. However, the man holding the chequered flag waved it as Revson went by!

Revson was eventually awarded the win, from Fittipaldi, and Jackie Oliver, who produced a great performance in the UOP Shadow.

These are Walt's photos from this dramatic event. Enjoy!

[Steve Holmes]

My thanks once again to Bryan Colechin who organised this great collection from Walt.

[Steve Holmes]

One of my all-time favourite racing cars, Tyrrell 006. Pictured is Jackie Stewart, driving, I think, 006/2.

[Steve Holmes]

First up is pole man Ronnie Peterson who retired with a punctured tyre in the Lotus.

[Steve Holmes]

Great shot this one. This could almost be the Nurburgring! The push for driver safety in the early 1970s brought about the erection of armco like that pictured here, which closely lined the tracks, and itself was incredibly dangerous and unforgiving if hit at speed by a fragile F1 car.

[seaqnmac27]

Great shot this one. This could almost be the Nurburgring! The push for driver safety in the early 1970s brought about the erection of armco like that pictured here, which closely lined the tracks, and itself was incredibly dangerous and unforgiving if hit at speed by a fragile F1 car.

Francois Cevert in what would sadly be his last GP following a Surtees, I suspect its Mike Hailwood as Carlos Pace, the other Surtees driver had a very distinctive Black helmet with yellow arrow.

[Steve Holmes]

Francois Cevert in what would sadly be his last GP

And Jackie Stewart's....

[Steve Holmes]

A World Champion of the future, James Hunt in the Lord Hesketh owned March Cosworth would just miss out on scoring a point. In behind Hunt is Howden Ganley, who finished 6th in the Iso, and I'm sure that must be Ganley's team mate Aussie Tim Schenken in behind.

[Terry S]

A World Champion of the future, James Hunt in the Lord Hesketh owned March Cosworth would just miss out on scoring a point. In behind Hunt is Howden Ganley, who finished 6th in the Iso, and I'm sure that must be Ganley's team mate Aussie Tim Schenken in behind.

Yes that is Tim Schenken in the 2nd Frank Williams Iso Marlboro Ford, behind team mate Ganley.
He started 24th and finished 14th.
Ganley started 22nd and finished 6th.
This was Schenken's only Grand Prix of the year. He was replaced by Jacky Ickx for the US GP.
The car had earlier been driven that year by a host of drivers including Galli, Pescarolo, Van Lennep and Graham McRae.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is Jody Scheckter in the third McLaren. Still quite new to F1, Scheckter had gained a reputation for being pretty wild, having clashed with other drivers in his brief career. Indeed, here in Canada, where he wore the number 0, he and Francois Cevert came together, and both cars were eliminated, bringing out the Safety Car for the first time in F1. Scheckter also raced a Porsche 917/10K in the Can-Am in 1973, throwing the frightening twin-turbo machine around with similar gusto.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Terry. Had that list of drivers paid to be in the seat of the Iso?

[Terry S]

Thanks Terry. Had that list of drivers paid to be in the seat of the Iso?

I believe that Galli and Van Lennep (plus also Jackie Pretorius in SA) were pay drivers.

I don't think that Pescarolo, McRae or Schenken were and certainly not Ickx

Lead driver was not a pay driver as he nevere had any money. Interestingly Galli always qualified faster than him.

Ineresting that SChenken was not told he was being replaced by Ickx until he arrived at the Watkins Glen circuit.

[Steve Holmes]

Really superb shot this one. I assume its not long after the start, possibly the first lap, as the track is still wet, and the cars appear to be running in order close to where they qualified. The leaders have already gone through, while Hulme leads this gaggle, after starting 7th. Next is Cevert, Wilson Fittipaldi, Jackie Oliver, Chris Amon in the Tyrrell, Mike Hailwood etc.

[seaqnmac27]

Really superb shot this one. I assume its not long after the start, possibly the first lap, as the track is still wet, and the cars appear to be running in order close to where they qualified. The leaders have already gone through, while Hulme leads this gaggle, after starting 7th. Next is Cevert, Wilson Fittipaldi, Jackie Oliver, Chris Amon in the Tyrrell, Mike Hailwood etc.

The etc are George Follmer, James Hunt, Rolf Stommelen, Carlos Pace and either JP Beltoise or Peter Gethin. This would be the opening lap because Hulme ended lap one 13th and lap 2 24th. A sticking throttle and 2 punctures destroyed his race.

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Terry, yeah that makes sense. Was certainly some musical chairs going on with the second car.

[Steve Holmes]

1973 was a bad year for Ferrari in Formula 1. The team started the season with drivers Jacky Ickx and Arturo Merzario trying to persuade the 312B2 to achieve things it couldn't. The upgraded 312B3 arrived for Round 4, but the results didn't improve. Ickx started the season quite well, qualifying and finishing 4th in Argentina, qualifying 3rd in Brazil and finishing 5th, while Merzario collected the 4th spot in Brazil. But as the opposition improved, so Ferrari struggled. At some events they entered only one car.

In Round 9 at Silverstone, Ickx qualified the lone Ferrari back in 20th, and struggled all day to finish 8th. Ferrari chose to miss the next two events, before returning in Austria. In fact, Ickx drove for McLaren in Round 11, the German Grand Prix, finishing an impressive 3rd, his best result of the season. Ickx made one final appearance for Ferrari in Round 13 at the Italian Grand Prix, but otherwise the team ran a single car for Merzario, after Ickx quit.

Here in Canada, Merzario qualified 20th, and finished 15th. The nose treatment pictured is very odd. Merzario did crash the car, as it ran without any nose for part of the race. I can only conclude this was some sort of make-shift as either a replacement nose wasn't available, which seems odd, or it couldn't be fitted because of damage to the mountings.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is the Ferrari again, now with no nose-cone at all.

[seaqnmac27]

Here is the Ferrari again, now with no nose-cone at all.

Just flicked through the report in the 1973/4 Autocourse. Merzario had an accident in Qualifying destroying the original nosecone for the car, also hitting his head on the steering wheel and knocking himself unconscious for several minutes, then again, on the second lap he went into the catch fencing destroying the second nosecone and Ferrari had not brought a third nosecone hence running the rest o the race without one and with very bad understeer.

[Steve Holmes]

Just flicked through the report in the 1973/4 Autocourse. Merzario had an accident in Qualifying destroying the original nosecone for the car, also hitting his head on the steering wheel and knocking himself unconscious for several minutes, then again, on the second lap he went into the catch fencing destroying the second nosecone and Ferrari had not brought a third nosecone hence running the rest o the race without one and with very bad understeer.

Thats brilliant Sean, thanks heaps. So re the photos shown earlier of the car with what appears to be a flat board attached to the nose, do you know when this was? Was it after losing both nose cones?

[Steve Holmes]

Nice shot here of Ronnie Peterson in the Lotus. Looks like he is wearing a rain visor.