Formula One 1972 Season

Regulations:

Engine:
1500cc (supercharged / turbocharged), 3000cc (normally aspirated)

Cylinders:
12 (maximum)

Weight:
550 kg (minimum)

Points - Driver & Constructors:
1st: 9, 2nd: 6, 3rd: 4, 4th: 3, 5th: 2, 6th: 1

Denny Hulme Wins at Kyalami

FORMER World Champion New Zealander Denny Hulme, drove a brilliant race in his Team Yardley McLaren M19 to decisively win the secorid world championship round, the South African Grand Prix, at Kyalami. Hulme led the field of 25 on the first lap, lost it, and forced his way into the lead again at about three quarter distance. From there he steadily opened the gap on the rest to score a brilliant GP win - his first in over two years.

Early race leader Jackie Stewart in his immaculate Tyrell Ford opened a solid lead on the field. He managed to hold off first Hailwood and then Fittipaldi before he slowed and retired just after the halfway mark when he lost all his oil. Hailwood driving superbly closed the gap on the world champion after lying fourth behind Hulme and Fittipaldi's John Player Special (nee Lotus 72D), before going out on the back section of the track with a collapsed suspension in his Surtees TS9.

Fittipaldi, who led Stewart for one lap before the latter swept into the pits to retire, drove a masterful race, leading the unbelievably competitive field for two laps before he succumbed to the onslaught of Hulme. The brilliant 24 year old Brazilian driver finished an excellent second in the Black and Gold John Player Special 41.1 seconds behind the flying McLaren M19 of Hulme. Third place went to 1971 Can-Am champ Peter Revson in the second of the Yardley s McLaren M19s, underlining the competitiveness of the McLarens in spite of tremendous competition, from the V8 Tyrells, Surtees, and Marchs, and the potent 12-cylinder Matra, Ferraris, and BRMs.

At Kyalami the Cosworth Series 12 engined Formula Ones proved markedly superior to the 12 cylinder Bars, in spite of the tremendous power the V12 and Flat 12 engines were by then producing. 0f the three works Ferrari drivers, mercurial Italian-American Mario Ardretti - who won the 1971 SAGP Ferrari - led the 12 cylinder cars home in fourth place overall in the wedge shaped Ferrari 312B. The only other driver to finish on the same lap as Hulme was Ronnie Peterson, who finished fifth in his STP March 721. Sixth place went to Graham Hill, starting from the sixth row of the grid alongside team-mate Carlos Reutemann. Hill slowly worked his way through the field.

Making a tremendous start, from the second row it was Denny Hulme's Yardley McLaren, which led the screaming field on the first lap. But Stewart pressing hard in second place went past on the main straight at the beginning of the second lap, and immediately set about opening the gap in his brilliant blue Tyrell Ford. Hulme, after losing contact with Stewart, became the leader of the challengers - Fittipaldi, (John Player Special) and Hailwood (Surtees TS9). The three, pursued by Ronnie Peterson, fought a battle royal, for almost 30 laps. For the first 10 rounds Stewart was opening the gap steadily, on every lap, but then he slowed, and the following bunch, about five seconds behind, started to haul him in.

In their enthusiasm, first Fittipaldi, and then Hailwood passed Hulme, and by lap 27 Hailwood, was breathing down Stewart's exhaust pipes. The crowd was going mad. Hailwood's outstanding drive however lasted only two more laps when his back suspension collapsed coming through Jukskei, leaving Fittipaldi and Hulme to take up the challenge. Now Fittipaldi closed on Stewart and at half distance - 40 laps, Stewart's lead looked anything but secure. At this stage there were no less than 21 cars still running in the race, almost all sounding healthy, and the competition in the first ten unbelievably fierce.

There were only four retirements in the first 40 laps, Tim Schenken being the first to go out with a broken oil pipe after holding 12th place in the early stages. South African Champion Dave Charlton after qualifying well unhappily did not complete the first lap in his Lotus 72D which lost its fuel pressure just before the start. Carlos Reutemann, the charging Argentinian, also succumbed to trouble. He had worked his way up to seventh spot, through the packed field but retired just after quarter distance with a blown engine.

With Stewart out of contention, Hulme set his sights on Fittipaldi, and in ten laps cut the three seconds lead of the John Player Special down to nothing, as the veteran New Zealander prepared to grab the lead. Hulme dispensed of Fittipaldi on lap 57 and proceeded to improve his lead on every lap with seemingly no effort, in spite of the tremendous pace maintained by the No. 1 Lotus Driver. The race order at this stage behind the leaders was, Amon (Matra) Revson (McLaren) Peterson (March) Andretti (Ferrari) Hill (Brabham) Lauda (March) Ickx (Ferrari) Beltoise (BRM) and Dave Walker (John Player Special) in tenth spot going all out to improve his position.

With only a few laps to go, Amon lost his third place after a pit stop to attend to fuel pump troubles, and Andretti made a final challenge from sixth spot, overtaking Peterson in the final laps of the race. Drama struck only a few laps from the end when Rhodesian John Love went for an almighty spin at the high speed kink near the pits, and sliding down the track clouting the Armco, and tearing off the left front suspension. A tyre had deflated suddenly, Love survived uninjured.

As the final minutes ticked away Hulme with the bit very much between his teeth continued to press on, scoring one of his best GP wins, to put himself at the head of the 1972 driver's Championship with 15 points.