March 721
The March 721 was a Formula 1 racing car that was built by March Engineering in 1972 .
Model history
The 721 was the successor to the March 711 and, after the strong 1971 season, was to secure the leap to the top of Formula 1 designers for March. It was available in three versions: the conventional 721, the 721X and the 721 G.
The basic version of the 721, which had no additional name in the form of a letter, was built for customers such as Frank Williams and Günther Hennerici .
The March 721X , on the other hand, was intended for the factory team. The 721X had the monocoque of the simple 721, but the rear springs were hinged high and could be operated using levers and springs. Designer Frank Costin wanted to create a low moment of inertia by concentrating most of the car's weight in the center of the vehicle. In theory this design was understandable, but the Goodyear racing tires used in March 1972 never really harmonized with the chassis. The front tires were constantly overloaded, resulting in oversteer and understeer. Alfa Romeo supplied the gearbox, power transmission and engine . The drivers couldn't handle the car. The 721X is generally seen as a bad design. Niki Lauda , one of the March factory drivers in 1972, called the 721X “a complete failure”, “a stillbirth” and “a debacle”.
When it became foreseeable that the car would fail , March built an alternative model, the 721G , in just nine days to avert a complete failure in the 1972 season. For the 721G, a conventional Formula 2 chassis from March 722 was adapted for Formula 1. The suspension and brakes came from the customer version of the 721, while the power unit was again the DFV V8 engine from Cosworth . March 1972 had built three Formula 1 models within one year. Ronnie Peterson achieved third place at the German Grand Prix with the G-Type . Niki Lauda had no points with March in his first full Formula 1 season.
literature
- David Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .
- Niki Lauda: Protocol . My years with Ferrari . ORAC, Vienna 1977, ISBN 385368-843-8 .
- Mike Lawrence: March. The Rise and Fall of a Motor Racing Legend. Motor Racing Publications, Orpington 2001, ISBN 1-899870-54-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 , p. 160: "a catastrophe"
- ↑ Niki Lauda: Protocol . My years with Ferrari . ORAC, Vienna 1977, ISBN 385368-843-8 , p. 251.