South African Formula 1 Championship

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The South African Formula 1 Championship was a motor racing series that was held from 1960 to 1975 on race tracks in South Africa , Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia as well as in Mozambique . The regulations largely corresponded to those of Formula 1 . The races were national events in which mainly South African and Rhodesian drivers competed. Only the Grand Prix of South Africa , which was also part of this series from 1962 , was part of the Formula 1 World Championship ; the other races were so-called non-championship races .

history

Regulations

In the 1960s, the South African Formula 1 championship consisted of several races that were held according to different rules:

  • For the Rand Grand Prix , the Cape Grand Prix , the Natal Grand Prix and (from 1962) the Grand Prix of South Africa , the regulations of the Formula 1 World Championship each applied, although these races, with the exception of the Grand Prix of South Africa, were not world championship races and the points scored there did not count towards the World Cup. The teams of the Formula 1 World Championship were also able to take part in these races, which are also known as the “South African Temporada”; they were set automatically and, unlike the South African competitors, did not have to qualify for participation in the races. At the beginning of the 1960s, most of the British top teams contested these races, although no world championship points could be achieved here. For them, the races were an opportunity to try out new designs in practice at a time when there were no regular test drives.
  • In addition to these Temporada races, other events were held in South Africa, Rhodesia and Mozambique, for which slightly modified rules applied and which were almost exclusively attended by local racing drivers.

In later years, the South African Formula 1 championship was also open to Formula 5000 vehicles .

vehicles

South African "Special": LDS Mark 1

While the drivers of the European factory teams usually contested the South African races with the current cars of their teams, the South African drivers mostly competed with older European racing cars that they had taken over from the respective manufacturers in a used condition. Preferred chassis manufacturers were Brabham , Cooper and Lotus . In contrast to the Formula 1 World Championship, these chassis only rarely ran with Climax or BRM engines. During the so-called 1.5-liter formula, which was valid until 1965, the South African drivers equipped their cars with four-cylinder engines from Alfa Romeo , mostly for cost reasons , which had been taken from the Giulietta and revised to varying degrees. The transition to the so-called three-liter formula, which was valid in the World Cup from 1966 , was followed in South Africa with some time lag. In many cases, the drivers initially made do with Repco or drilled out Climax motors. Since the late 1960s, the Cosworth DFV engine had also become the standard engine in South Africa .

Some racing drivers competed with vehicles they had designed themselves (so-called specials) until the late 1960s. They included Lewis Douglas "Doug" Serrurier , who designed a total of five different vehicle types under the LDS brand . Peter de Klerk , Tony Kotze ( Assegai ), Brausch Niemann and Rauten Hartmann designed other South African “specials” . They too mostly used Alfa Romeo engines.

driver

Numerous racing drivers of local origin competed in the races of the South African Formula 1 championship. As a rule, they were white South Africans or (South) Rhodesians; in some cases British racing drivers were among them.

The championship title was reserved for a few drivers. In the 15 years that the championship was held, only five different drivers won the title. John Love and Dave Charlton were each champion six times in a row.

Successor series

The South African Formula 1 Championship was discontinued at the end of the 1975 season for cost reasons. The successor series was the new South African Formula Atlantic Championship , which was advertised according to the rules of Formula Atlantic . It existed from 1976 to 1986; Ian Scheckter won the championship six times.

Results

season winner automobile Points
1960 South Africa 1961South Africa Syd van der Vyver Cooper T43 - Alfa Romeo
1961 South Africa 1961South Africa Syd van der Vyver Lotus 18 - Alfa Romeo
1962 South Africa 1961South Africa Ernest Pieterse Heron - Alfa Romeo
Lotus 20 - Climax
1963 South Africa 1961South Africa Neville Lederle Lotus 20 - Climax
1964 Rhodesia South 1964Southern Rhodesia John Love Cooper T55 - Climax
1965 Rhodesia South 1964Southern Rhodesia John Love Cooper T55 - Climax
1966 Rhodesia South 1964Southern Rhodesia John Love Cooper T79 - Climax 69
1967 Rhodesia South 1964Southern Rhodesia John Love Cooper T79 - Climax
Brabham BT20 - Repco 		82
1968 RhodesiaRhodesia John Love Brabham BT20 - Repco
Lotus 49 - Cosworth 		54
1969 RhodesiaRhodesia John Love Lotus 49 - Cosworth 43
1970 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton Lotus 49 - Cosworth 69
1971 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton Lotus 49 - Cosworth
Lotus 72 - Cosworth 		72
1972 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton Lotus 72 - Cosworth 81
1973 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton Lotus 72 - Cosworth 93
1974 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton McLaren M23 - Cosworth 76
1975 South Africa 1961South Africa Dave Charlton McLaren M23 - Cosworth 57

See also

literature

  • Mike Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars 1945-1965 , Motor Racing Publications 1998, ISBN 1899870393 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars 1945-65, p. 328.
  2. ↑ See Grand Prix at the Cape. Presentation of the South African Formula 1 scene on the website www.forix.com (accessed on September 25, 2012).
  3. ↑ Lawrence: Grand Prix Cars 1945-65, p. 328.
  4. ↑ See Grand Prix at the Cape. Presentation of the South African Formula 1 scene on the website www.forix.com (accessed on September 25, 2012).