The Boxer that Wasn't . . . but it was a Looker and a Winner!

 

1970 saw the launch of several remarkable new Formula 1 cars.  For technical innovation the Lotus 72 was attention grabbing.  A great success in its own right, it proved to be highly influential in providing a new basic chassis architecture, one adopted by most F1 designers over several subsequent seasons.   The March 701 was quite the opposite – a hastily conceived and constructed machine, characterised by conventional technologies, but astonishing in its production history, with no less than five examples on the grid for the first race, just 3 months after its design had been initiated.  Ironically, it was the deficiencies of the 701, attributable largely to the very short design/initial development period, which gave rise to the third notable car, the Tyrrell 001.  Commissioned by Ken Tyrrell to replace the March he had bought for Jackie Stewart’s World Championship defence, it was itself created rapidly (and secretly) in mid-season.  A good blend of the well-proven, with some innovation, it was the basis of Stewart’s further two World Championships, in ’71 and '72.

The World Championship had been an achievement for BRM in ’62, but since then there had been missteps such as the H16 engine and nothing much, (just eight), in the way of race victories.  By the end of the decade the team had a new V12 engine, but it needed the arrival of Tony Southgate in ’69 for a worthy chassis to be designed.  His P153 fulfilled the role and enabled a return to front-running competitiveness.  Ferrari too had endured a lean decade, just 12 Grands Prix won, only 2 Driver’s Championships – Phil Hill in ’61 and Surtees in ’64.  After the formula revision in ’66, Ferrari had deployed a 60° 3.0 V12, which yielded only 3 victories.  Following the Scuderia’s refinancing enabled by the FIAT deal, a new 12 cylinder was developed for the ’70 season.  This time Ferrari’s Race Department Technical Director, Mauro Forghieri, opted for a 180° (flat) V12, a layout he believed would offer two distinct advantages in comparison with the then dominant Ford Cosworth DFV: 1) a lower centre of gravity, for enhanced handling characteristics, and, 2) a lower physical profile, allowing greater/’cleaner’ air flow to the rear wing, for enhanced aerodynamic properties.  And though the engine was the subject of great interest and admiration in its own right, Forghieri also took great pains to create an elegant and functionally effective chassis/body to carry it – the 312B.

Ironically, the 312B was as good as it was thanks to the mediocre nature of its V12 predecessor.  Efforts to improve the engine’s power output for the ’69 season actually resulted in a car that was not as quick as it had been in ’68.  Ferrari’s reaction was to reassign Forghieri from his ‘normal’ duties with the race team and devote his full attention to the design of a new engine and car.  This was undertaken at a new purpose-created facility in Modena, freeing Forghieri from distractions that would have proliferated had he been in/around the Maranello factory.  Supporting him were Giancarlo Bussi, engines specialist and Franco Rocchi, chassis expert – a leadership team that had worked together effectively since ’62. 

However much the rest of us had enjoyed the sixties, Enzo Ferrari had spent the decade mainly fuming rather than swinging.  He had endured disrespect from the Ford Motor Company, firstly in the eventually failed negotiations for its acquisition of his company, then followed by four years of humiliation on track, ’66-69, at Le Mans when the Blue Oval’s coarse but effective GT40s outgunned his elegant, thoroughbred 330 P3s, 330 P4s and 312P Prototypes.  The lack of Formula 1 victories already mentioned was all the more embarrassing given that it had been a winning decade for the (mainly British) constructors Ferrari himself so despised.  Their success was still increasing, all the more so from ’67 when the loathsome ‘garagisti’ acquired access to the ‘off-the-shelf’ Cosworth DFV V8 engine, which, just to add insult to injury, wore Ford badges on its cam covers.  But, while Ferrari was seething as he viewed all this, Forghieri was closely studying Costin and Duckworth’s handiwork and analysing its several very positive features.  He then made it his business to incorporate these into his own new design, intent on ensuring that however good the V8 was, his Flat 12 would be better.

Thus the Flat 12 was an expression of the concept of functionality which majored on optimising power output by minimising internal frictional losses and thermal inefficiencies.  These concerns in turn demanded careful management of lubricant, especially to minimise surge and non-beneficial churn while enabling efficient scavenging and consistent delivery to all areas/parts of the unit.  Equally important was a reduction in the number of rotational contacting surfaces, most notably, the crankshaft.  This vital component could have been expected to have been borne by 7 main bearings, but Forghieri specified just 4.  As for thermal efficiency, he incorporated several of the relatively novel gas flow/ignition features seen in the DFV – charge swirl being a significant example.  Having ensured that his design would include these DFV-like plus points, he then piled on those that were associated with a 12 cylinder engine, optimising them with clever materials-specification – so, for example, capitalising on an inherent capability to rev to higher speed, he took this to the next level by using the ultra lightweight titanium alloy for the connecting rods.

One characteristic of the DFV that Forghieri did not attempt to replicate was its casing stiffness which allowed it to be load bearing.  A major benefit of this was that it enabled a weight/strength-efficient chassis architecture whereby the engine could be simply bolted to the rear face of the monocoque tub without the need for any support structure such as a subframe.  Additionally, the engine block in combination with the commonly-used Hewland DG300 transmission’s case, provided a robust/stable entity onto which the rear suspension components could be directly mounted.  In the 312B, however, an engine of significantly greater length than the DFV gave rise to the need for a means of chassis-integrated support.  This requirement in turn gave rise to a feature of the Ferrari which was not only functionally efficient but also a prominent element of its distinctive aesthetic character – the beam extending rearward from behind the cockpit.  The engine was attached to the beam’s underside and was further carried by a subframe which also supported the transmission and rear suspension.  The engine installation configuration was not exclusively dictated by the rigidity characteristics of the crankcase.  Against the recent/current contemporary trend, Forghieri did not opt for a monocoque chassis – that of the 312B was a sort of halfway house, being in the main a spaceframe with attached (riveted) aluminium sheet panels providing both a 3D form and strengthening of the multitube frame.

 

While Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe were finalising the side radiator cooling system on the Lotus 72, which along several other aspects would revolutionise the early-1970s Formula 1 car paradigm, Forghieri chose to retain a conventional, nose-mounted location for the 312B.  But, just behind its radiator, the front suspension featured inboard springs/dampers, an arrangement shared only with the new Lotus, the Brabham BT33 and Surtees TS7 of the season’s new cars.  The bodywork in this area was both functionally efficient and aesthetically very pleasing – flattened and subtly down-sloping nose/wide radiator intake, white coloured front winglets, central NACA duct opening, raised lip/cut outs for the inner ends of the rocker arms, radiator duct outlet sculpting and small flared cowlings for the rear mountings of the top wishbones.  And, possibly the most ‘characterful’ element of the frontal bodywork was to be seen behind these details: the overlaid curvaceous cockpit surround with blue-tinted, bubble-form Perspex screen.

 

Behind the cockpit, the low placed cam covers and mesh-protected inlet trumpets, together with the white exhaust headers, gave the rear of the car a terrific, purposeful ‘look.’  Above, the twin plane rear wing was both unusual and aesthetically pleasing.  A central vane located the forward aerofoil surfaces to the rollover bar.  Thus the wing appeared two-piece, the vane bisecting it longitudinally.  The vane and end plates were finished in red, while the flat wing surfaces were in white.  This colour scheme was continued, providing excellent visual integration, by the white coloured twin air intake boxes located under the rear of the wing.  These were specified to deliver cooling air to the oil radiators mounted at the extreme rear of the car.

The new car was ready to begin testing behind closed doors by the summer.  The task was largely down to Chris Amon, Ferrari’s lead driver since ’67.  In the two and a half years since, he had, especially in ’68, won numerous poles and led races, only to encounter problems enforcing retirement.  Fearful that his career was at a peak, yet with no victories to his name and now with a growing ‘unlucky’ tag being attributed to him, Amon was racked with doubt that another season with the Scuderia would do justice to his obvious talent and skill.  But his initial reaction to the 312B’s performance and handling was very positive, so his optimism must have grown . . . only for it soon to be extinguished.  As mileage accrued, problems snowballed, especially – and crucially – with the engine.  It became apparent that there was an underlying bottom end lubrication issue.  As major failures of pistons and the crankshaft occurred repetitively, a consensus arose that ill-controlled oil surge was to blame.  Also of concern was the robustness of the crankshaft, particularly in regard to torsion stress.  Given that the crankshaft was running in just the four main bearings, there was focus too on the pair either side of the centre as these were of the plain type - thus the precise grade of the bronze used was critical.   But, whatever the cause, Amon was spooked, and after yet another truncated session and failed engine, walked away.  That he was too hasty is evident when the statistics for the 1970 season are reviewed.  From 24 race starts there were just three engine-related retirements.  Furthermore, none of these was a structural/main reciprocating parts failure – Ickx’s car was affected by external damage to the sump in South Africa; in France it was a valve damaged by an ingested stone and in Italy Giunti failed to finish because of a defective fuel metering unit.

Ferrari acted swiftly to replace Amon, re-employing Jacky Ickx, who had left the Scuderia for the Brabham team after the ’68 season.  On first acquaintance with the 312 in October ’69, he was favourably impressed, especially pleased with the engine’s drivability and the amount of torque it was generating.  However, as the final stages of pre-debut development progressed, an ongoing area of focus was on oil consumption.  Eventually it was considered prudent to incorporate a ‘reserve’ oil tank located on the transmission and able to be ‘opened’ for discharge into the main tank by a driver-operated hand control.

 

Initially, the Scuderia kept things simple, entering a single car for Ickx at the first four Grands Prix.  The opening round was on March 7^th at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa.  In practice the 312 immediately showed encouraging competitiveness against the front runners – the March 701, Brabham BT33 and the Lotus 49, all of which were Cosworth DFV-engined.  It was quicker than the also Ford-powered McLarens and the V12 Matras and BRMs.  Ickx qualified 5^th, 7 tenths down on the pole-winning March of Jackie Stewart and just a tenth slower than Jochen Rindt’s Lotus.  There were though several engine issues for the Ferrari mechanics to attend to, limiting the mount of track time Ickx was able to enjoy.  He was nevertheless able to make an excellent start to the race, moving up to second behind Stewart on the opening lap.  By the sixth lap he was passed by eventual winner, Brabham, but remained at the front of the following pack until he had to cede position to the McLarens on laps 16 and 17.  Nearly 40 laps later, the 312 was in collision with Jo Siffert’s March and the flat 12 sustained damage to its sump with resulting oil loss dictating the car’s retirement.  With the strong qualifying performance despite problems, the initial running in second place and given that Ickx’s best lap was the 8^th fastest, it was an encouraging debut.

There was a 6 weeks gap between the Kyalami race and Round 2 of the championship, held at the bland circuit at Jarama in Spain.  The non-championship Race of Champions event had taken place at Brands Hatch in late March, but Ferrari had chosen not to enter, focusing attention on problem solving/development, including further track testing at the Autodromo di Modena.  The most significant feature of the Jarama weekend was the first race event appearance of the unconventional Lotus 72.  In the early stages of practice Rindt experienced some ominous troubles with the 72, while Ickx spent more idle time than he’d have liked while attempts were made to better assure consistent lubrication in the flat 12 engine.  Modifications included revised oil tanks and piston rings.  A further diversion for Ickx was the request that he run some laps on Michelin tyres to compare their qualities with the Firestones specified for the 312.  Maybe because of such distractions, Ickx qualified down in 7^th, only the third of the six 12 cylinders cars present.  But his start was very good, gaining places to be running 5^th as the order settled on lap 1, only to be rammed by Jackie Oliver’s BRM P153, out of control thanks to a broken stub axle.  The Ferrari’s tanks took the full force of the impact and there was an immediate fuel spillage, in turn causing a fire engulfing both cars.  While both drivers were able to get out of their cars unaided, Ickx ran into the BRM, falling onto the fuel soaked tarmac.  Things appeared very serious when Ickx’s overalls were seen to be ablaze.  Happily – as was not always the case in the era -competent help and functional fire-fighting equipment was quickly on hand and the Belgian was saved from really serious burns.  The intensity of the fire – and its race-long duration, pulled off to the outside of track – was such that the 312 #002, was totally destroyed.

At Monaco Ickx qualified 5^th, quickest of the 12 cylinder cars entered, but 1.5 seconds off Stewart’s pole-winning pace.  Though he moved up to 4^th as the race got underway, his 312 was an early retirement, with a broken driveshaft UJ after only 11 laps.

Next up was Ickx’s ‘home’ race at Spa.  With the 312 by now a ’known quantity,’ Ferrari finally bowed to political pressure that had been building to have an Italian at the wheel, entering a second car for Ignazio Giunti.  On the demanding Francorchamps circuit, Ickx put in an excellent qualifying performance, recording the 4^th fastest time, again the leading 12 cylinder.  Giunti, making his F1 debut, was within 2 seconds of Ickx’s time, good enough for 8^th on the grid.  In the race, Ickx maintained 4^th place for almost 80% of the race distance, only to have to make an unscheduled pit stop because of a cockpit fuel leak, rejoining with enough time lost to relegate him to 8^th place at the finish.  In contrast, Giunti consolidated his excellent qualifying effort by completing the race in 4^th place, earning the Scuderia its first World Championship points of the season.

A fortnight later, there were again two 312s for the next Grand Prix, at Zandvoort.  But this time the second chassis was for Clay Regazzoni.  This was to be Regga’s Formula 1 debut – and not before time, as he was already 30 and had been a front line presence in Formula 2 in ’68 and ‘69, driving mainly for Tecno, but also for Ferrari; he continued with Tecno in the category in ’70, winning the European Championship by a clear margin from Derek Bell and Emerson Fittipaldi.

Forghieri had been continuing to seek more power/greater reliability and new pistons were being tried. But both cars gave several engine problems during practice – notably overheating, fuel system anomalies and exhaust fractures.  Despite this, Ickx managed to qualify his car 3^rd, with Regazzoni 6^th.  Good, but salutary, not just for the Scuderia, but also for the other leading teams, they were .5 second and 1 second off Rindt’s pole time, reflecting the coming-right of Lotus’s daring 72 design.  Nevertheless, Ickx’s start was exemplary and he got the jump on both Rindt and Stewart, leading the Grand Prix until lap 2 when Rindt reasserted the superiority of the 72, moving up to first place by an outside pass at Tarzan.  Though Rindt simply cleared off, Ickx comfortably held Stewart behind in 3^rd.  This seemed set to continue for the rest of the race, but Ickx’s 312 suffered a rear puncture not long after half distance.  Though this enforced a pit stop and delay, he was able to recover to 3^rd by the end, one place in front of teammate, Regazzoni.

Giunti was back in the second car for the French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand, 5^th July.  The circuit didn’t suit several of the drivers – the numerous gradients/corners induced a number of motion sickness cases, and loose stones flying up from the tarmac were a source of personal-safety concern – the latter validated in practice by a facial injury sustained by Rindt; (and indeed this hazard was again encountered at the circuit two years later when Helmut Marko lost an eye in similar circumstances).  Ickx however, was apparently not intimidated, securing pole position with a lap half a second quicker than Beltoise managed in the Matra MS120.  Giunti was 11^th.  With every hope of a maiden win for the 312, Ickx must have been especially disappointed to be forced to retire before half-distance (after just 16 laps) – his engine developing a misfire following ingestion of yet another wayward stone.  The victory had up to that point looked very probable as Ickx had been able with relative ease to hold Beltoise off and the two of them were well clear of the following runners.  With Beltoise also in engine trouble later in the race, the win went to Rindt, his second in succession, and now on a run which would result in his World Championship-clinching points total.  Giunti had performed well considering his lack of F1 experience and unfamiliarity with the track, but his engine too faltered.  Thus he was three laps down at the finish, the last car classified, in 14^th place.

 

The 312s were again fully competitive at Brands Hatch, for round 7 of the championship.  Ickx qualified his in 3^rd place, (just three tenths down on Rindt and Brabham’s times), with Regazzoni in 6^th.  This reflected the good level of power being generated by the engine, but there was concern about reliability, focused once again on the lubrication system.  There was a definite question mark over oil surge and the tank baffles had been revised as a cautionary measure.  Nonetheless, Ickx was not holding back at the start and assumed the lead as the cars accelerated out of Paddock Hill Bend and approached Druids.  In the early laps he was able to gradually extend his lead, but on lap 7 he encountered a gear selection problem, his progress stumbling, and was passed by both Brabham and Rindt, then stopping altogether, the race’s first retirement.  Regazzoni fared much better.  He ran strongly throughout, enough to displace Hulme in 3^rd in the closing stages, but only for the McLaren man to reclaim the place, though Regga was just a half second behind at the flag.  So, very nearly a podium place in just his second Grand Prix, adding to the expectation that the second seat would sooner or later become his rather than Giunti’s.

With Rindt’s charge towards World Championship victory now looking irresistible, Scuderia Ferrari staked its claim as ‘best of the rest’ at Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix.  Ickx even managed to beat Rindt to pole position in qualifying and Regazzoni claimed 3^rd, just one tenth ‘slower’ than the Austrian champion apparent.  These grid positions were especially gratifying for the team as the 312s had been problematic – both engine and transmission issues – in recent testing at the circuit.  In the race, the Ferraris proved to be the only cars able to get anywhere near Rindt’s pace.  Indeed Regazzoni was able around half distance to briefly take the lead, while Ickx enjoyed six spells at the front.  However, Rindt probably always had something in hand and took the win, even if only with a margin of less than 1 second.  Regazzoni lost a virtually-certain 3^rd place when forced to retire with engine failure after 30 laps.

With four consecutive race victories now under his belt, Rindt must have felt confident that he would see a further triumph at his home Grand Prix at the Österreichring.  That this would be the outcome seemed confirmed when qualifying saw Rindt seize the pole, half a second quicker than Regazzoni, with Ickx third.  With the Scuderia now confident in both the performance potential and reliability of the 312, a third car was entered for Giunti, who got within half a second of Ickx, sufficient for 5^th place on the grid.  As the opening lap unfolded, the cheering in Maranello must have been audible in Spielberg because the order was Regazzoni, Ickx, Rindt, Giunti.  Regga soon deferred to his team leader, allowing Ickx into a lead he would preserve to the race’s conclusion.  After an early set-back, Rindt speeded up and starting making progress at a rate that suggested he might be able to catch the 312s in 1^st and 2^nd, but with 20 laps completed, his DFV failed, forcing his retirement from what would be, tragically, his last Grand Prix.  The only car able to stay at all on terms was the Matra MS120 of Beltoise and for a while it looked possible that Giunti would be displacing it, enabling a 1-2-3 result for the Scuderia.  However, damage to a tyre and the consequent pit stop put paid top this, leaving Giunti to come home in 7^th.  Though the first win of the season for a Ferrari, it was a comprehensive one and Ickx and Regazzoni were clearly class of the field.

With the next Grand Prix at Monza, it was not surprising that once again three Ferraris were entered.  With that circumstance and the previous race result inspiring the Tifosi, the milieu for Friday practice was noisy and expectant.  The speed of the 312s was emphasised by their competitive performance in ‘normal,’ winged trim while others followed the usual practice for the circuit by removing downforce aids in search of lower drag on the long, high speed straights.  Ickx was fastest, with Regazzoni 3^rd and Giunti 4^th.  Saturday proved to be one of the dark days of motor sport – Rindt’s accident on entry to the Parabolica proving fatal because of three factors: apparent failure of left hand front inboard brake shaft; inadequate anchoring of the Armco barrier support post; incomplete securement of Rindt’s safety harness.  Naturally the febrile atmosphere rapidly collapsed and there was no gusto during the late stages of the practice session, though it did conclude with Ickx on pole, Regazzoni 3^rd and Giunti 5^th.  Surprisingly, in the race Stewart and Rodriguez moved up to 1^st and 2^nd, and the 312s ran 3-4-5 for a while.  Regazzoni took up the challenge, running in close company with the Tyrrell and the BRM, assuming the lead intermittently.  Though Ickx eventually moved up to run in the leading group, his race was over when his 312 suffered clutch failure before half distance.  But Regazonni kept at it, battling in particular with Stewart, Beltoise and Hulme for the lead.  Then, with the finish approaching, he asserted the superiority of his car – which he had perhaps been concealing – and pulled clear to take the first of his five Grand Prix victories.

For the Canadian Grand Prix at Mont Tremblant the Scuderia reverted to a two car entry, for Ickx and Regazzoni.  The event was notable as being the venue for the first championship race appearance of the Tyrrell 001 for Jackie Stewart, replacing the March 701 he had driven since the start of the season.  Its potential, already suggested by a debut run at the Gold Cup race at Oulton Park where it had recorded fastest lap, was confirmed by Stewart’s pole position, although his time was just one tenth faster than Ickx in second place; Regazzoni was third.  Stewart and his new car asserted themselves as the race started.  Ickx ,maintained his grid position, but was outpaced by the Tyrrell, while Regazzoni was further back after a poor start.  By around quarter distance Regazzoni had battled back up to third.  Stewart’s apparently certain win prospect was negated at one third race distance when the Tyrrell stopped with a failed stub axle.  This left Ickx and Regga 1-2, positions they were able to keep through to the chequered flag. 

At this point, intriguingly, against Rindt’s 45, Ickx had scored 28 points – should he win both the remaining two races, the Belgian would have 46, just enough to deprive the mourned Austrian of the title.

It remains fascinating to ponder on how Ickx felt about the situation – basic human sentiment would surely have tended to rein-in his eagerness to dominate the upcoming Grands Prix, but his natural competitive spirit would no doubt have had him keen to respond to the tempting prospect of his first World Championship.

Watkins Glen was the venue for the U.S Grand Prix in early October.  Ickx managed a potential pole time on Friday, but there was expectation that the Stewart/Tyrrell 001 combination would better that the following day.  However, cold/wet weather intervened, leaving the lead 312 at the head of the grid, with Regazzoni no further forward than sixth.  This was disappointing enough, without also his suffering of a troubled race – his 312 required three pits stops, for a tyre, then ignition faults and, finally, for attention to the exhaust system.  This was all enough for Regga to lose seven laps, resulting in a miserable 13^th place finish.  Ickx fared better, finishing 4^th.  Halfway through he had been second only to Stewart, but on the 57^th lap he had to pit for attention to a fuel leak, losing eight places.  Back on track he put in a spirited drive in almost making it to the podium, but the chance of a title triumph had gone.  Of the enforced pit stop/delay, Nigel Roebuck reported Ickx as saying: "That was a huge release. I didn't want to be champion, beating a man who . . . wasn't there anymore.  Where would have been the glory in that?  Jochen deserved the championship - if God exists, he made the right decision.”

So the pressure was off as the season concluded with the Mexican Grand Prix at Mexico City.  Regazzoni just managed to keep Stewart from pole position – Regga’s time being two one hundred’s of a second quicker!  Ickx was third.  The race was chaotic because of the circuit’s lack of spectator containment/protection features.  This circumstance coupled with the high degree of enthusiasm and excitement on the part of the racegoers allowed for them to encroach right to the very edge of the track, placing themselves in considerable danger and causing the drivers anxiety that they might be involved in what could have been a major disaster.  As it was, a crowd-endangering incident did not occur during the Grand Prix, though the precarious nature of the event was brought home to Jackie Stewart.  With his still relatively new Tyrrell allowing him to be the most serious challenger to the potential superiority the Ferraris had demonstrated in practice and qualifying, Stewart had the disappointment of an early enforced pit stop for attention to the car’s steering column.  Re-emerging close behind Ickx and Regazzoni though a lap down, he was able to match their pace.  Indeed, he unlapped himself from Regga and was closing on Ickx when he encountered a dog on the track – the consequent canine collision damaged the Tyrrell enough to necessitate its retirement.  Thus Ickx and Regazzoni ran on to an apparently untroubled 1-2, finishing the season on a high and with every prospect of a win-replete 1971 given the fundamental qualities of the 312 and the reliability it had acquired over the 13 Grands Prix it had by then completed.

1970 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Formula 1 World Championship – summary of results with the Ferrari312B, drivers Jacky Ickx, Clay Regazzoni and Ignazio Giunti:

 

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers: 55 points, (52 with best 11 rule applied). 2^nd place in the Championship, (won by Lotus with 59 points).

 

World Championship of Drivers: Jacky Ickx, 40 points, 2^nd place; Clay Regazzoni, 33 points, 3^rd place; Ignazio Giunti, 3 points, 17^th place.

 

         Starts: 24; Wins :4; Podiums: 9; Poles: 4; DNFs: 7