LDS (Formula 1)

LDS is the brand name for a total of 13 racing cars that the South African racing driver and designer Louis Douglas "Doug" Serrurier developed and built for Formula 1 in the 1950s and 1960s . It was self-made (in English "Specials") that were only used on South African and Rhodesian racetracks. Until 1968 they appeared with various drivers in numerous races of the South African Formula 1 championship . In addition, from 1962 to 1968 they were also registered for the Grand Prix of South Africa , which was part of the Formula 1 World Championship. At these events they faced international competition. The LDS Mark 1 was the first racing car designed in South Africa to cross the finish line in a Formula 1 world championship run.

background

Since 1960, a national automobile championship has been held in South Africa, the regulations of which were based on those of Formula 1. The races for the South African Formula 1 Championship, which were not part of the Formula 1 World Championship, mostly took place on South African tracks in East London , Killarney or Kyalami ; every year, however, a race was held in neighboring Southern Rhodesia . In the 1960s, there was a “committed community of drivers” in South Africa, many of whom started with disused racing cars from European manufacturers. However, some racing drivers also designed their own vehicles, which are referred to as "specials" in English. Doug Serrurier was one of them.

The cars

Serrurier designed five different models from 1957 to 1966, several of which were produced each time.

LDS Mark 1

The LDS Mark 1, constructed in 1957, used a tubular frame modeled after that of the Cooper T41 . Serrurier changed the rear suspension: instead of the Cooper's transverse leaf springs, his car had triangular wishbones. The Mark 1 was designed for different engines. It was created in five copies that were powered by Alfa Romeo , Porsche or Climax engines. Two vehicles that also took part in Formula 1 world championship races should be emphasized:

The South Rhodesian racing driver Sam Tingle acquired the second copy of the Mark 1, which was equipped with a four-cylinder engine from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and a Cooper transmission. The engine had been revised using components from the Roman tuning company Giannini ; its power amounted to 140 hp. With him, Tingle qualified for two world championship races : At the 1963 Grand Prix of South Africa , he started the race from position 17, but retired after just two laps after breaking the half-wave. Two years later , Tingle qualified for last place on the grid in the same position and finished 13th and last.

The third example of the Mark 1 was made in 1960. It was equipped with a Climax FPF engine. The car was driven one after the other by Errol Hamman , Fanie Viljoen , Dave Clapham and Jackie Pretorius in various races of the South African Formula 1 Championship. Pretorius reported the car to the 1965 South African Grand Prix, which was a round of the Formula 1 World Championship, but was eliminated in the pre-qualification there.

LDS Mark 2

In 1962 Serrurier constructed the LDS Mark 2, which had a lower line and was modeled on the Cooper T53 . Modified Alfa Romeo engines combined with a five-speed gearbox from Hewland served as the drive . Serrurier built four copies of the Mark 2. Two of them, including one with a Climax engine and a Cooper transmission, were used by Gene Bosman and Fanie Viljoen exclusively as part of the South African Formula 1 championship.

With the third vehicle, Serrurier and his team Otelle Nucci registered for the Grand Prix of South Africa in 1962, 1963 and 1965. In 1962 and 1963, he qualified to participate in races. In 1962 he retired after a technical defect, in 1963 he was twelfth, eight laps behind the winner Graham Hill .

LDS Mark 3

The Mark 3 constructed in 1964 was a copy of the Brabham BT11 . Serrurier received support from Brabham in the design and construction of the car. The car was powered by a 2.7 liter Climax engine. The Mark 3 remained a one-off.

Sam Tingle used the Mark 3 in the 1967 South African Grand Prix. He qualified for tenth place on the grid and started ahead of Graham Hill in the works Lotus and Piers Courage in Rob Walker Racing's private BRM . He retired early after a tire failure.

For the 1968 Grand Prix of South Africa , the Mark 3 received a 3.0 liter Repco engine. Tingle qualified for Team Gunston with a gap of seven seconds on the pole sitter Jim Clark for the penultimate starting position. In the race he retired after 35 laps due to a defective ignition. The 1968 South African Grand Prix was the last World Championship run to which an LDS was reported.

LDS Mark 4

In 1964 the LDS Mark 4 was created, which was technically based on the Mark 3. Serrurier drove the car himself in various races in the South African Formula 1 championship. There was no use in a world championship run.

LDS Mark 5

In 1965 two copies of the LDS Mark 5 were made. They were replicas of the Brabham BT16 , which had been designed for Formula 2 . One vehicle was fitted with a 2.0 liter Climax engine, the other was fitted with a Formula Junior engine from Ford . The cars no longer appeared in a Formula 1 world championship run.

Race results: LDS in the Formula 1 World Championship

season	team	driver	chassis	No.	1	9	10	Points	rank
1962								0	-
1962	Otelle Nucci	South Africa 1961 Doug Serrurier	LDS Mark 2- Alfa Romeo	21st		DNF		0	-
1963								0	-
	Otelle Nucci	South Africa 1961 Doug Serrurier	LDS Mark 2- Alfa Romeo	16			11
	Sam Tingle	Rhodesia South 1964 Sam Tingle	LDS Mark 1- Alfa Romeo	20th			DNF
1965								0	-
	Otelle Nucci	South Africa 1961 Doug Serrurier	LDS Mark 2- Climax	21st	DNQ
	Sam Tingle	Rhodesia South 1964 Sam Tingle	LDS Mark 1- Alfa Romeo	25th	13
	Jackie Pretorius	Rhodesia South 1964 Jackie Pretorius	LDS Mark 1- Alfa Romeo	29	DNPQ
1967								0	-
1967	Sam Tingle	Rhodesia South 1964 Sam Tingle	LDS Mark 3- Climax	18th	DNF			0	-
1968								0	-
1968	Team Gunston	Rhodesia South 1964 Sam Tingle	LDS Mark 3- Repco	18th	DNF

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
violet	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
red	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
White	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
Light Blue	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	^P / bold	Pole position
	_SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

literature

David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars. Crowood Press, Marlborough 2001, ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English).
Mike Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars, 1945–65. Motor Racing Publications, Croydon 1998, ISBN 1-899870-39-3 (English).

Individual evidence

↑ Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars, 1945-65. 1998, p. 238 ff.
↑ Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945. 1994, p. 130.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars, 1945–65. 1998, p. 240.
↑ Classification of the Grand Prix of South Africa 1967 on the website www.motorsport-total.com (accessed on September 21, 2012).

[1] Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars, 1945-65. 1998, p. 238 ff.

[2] Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945. 1994, p. 130.

[Lawrence_240-3] Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars, 1945–65. 1998, p. 240.

[4] Classification of the Grand Prix of South Africa 1967 on the website www.motorsport-total.com (accessed on September 21, 2012).