The 1966 Formula 1 season started badly. At the second race of the year in Monaco Ferrari’s Lorenzo Bandini was fatally injured after being trapped in his burning car. The rescue operation had taken too long and, at the next round in Zandvoort, marshals wearing special fire resistant suits were in evidence.
Clark Gives Ford DFV Maiden Victory
The big news at the Dutch Grand Prix was the arrival of the new Lotus 49, fitted with Ford’s specially designed DFV engine. Graham Hill demonstrated its potential in qualifying by taking pole. Dan Gurney was second quickest in his Eagle, followed by Jack Brabham and Jochen Rindt. Jim Clark had a troublesome session and could only manage eighth on the grid with his Lotus 49.
Hill led the race in the early stages, before his car broke down. Gurney also retired with a fuel injection problem. Clark had no such worries and went on to score an easy victory over Brabham, who finished more than 20 seconds behind. His team-mate Denny Hulme was third in the other Brabham. Behind him were three Ferrari drivers. Chris Amon finished fourth, Mike Parkes fifth and Ludovico Scarfiotti sixth.
Gurney’s Eagle Wins Belgian Grand Prix
Clark had a better qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. Despite not liking the circuit the Scotsman was on pole by a huge margin from Gurney in his Eagle. Hill was third in his Lotus, with Jochen Rindt fourth, Amon fifth and Jackie Stewart sixth.
On the first lap of the race Parkes had a massive crash in his Ferrari, which left him badly injured. Although he survived the accident signalled the end of his Formula 1 career. Clark looked strong out front until he had to make an unscheduled pit stop. Gurney also pitted and emerged behind Stewart’s leading BRM. Stewart was struggling with a faulty gearbox and Gurney was soon past. The American won the Grand Prix comfortably from Stewart. It was a good few days for Gurney, as he had also won the Le Mans 24 Hours race with Ford the previous week. Amon was third, at Spa, ahead of Rindt, Mike Spence and Clark.
Brabham 1-2 in French Grand Prix
The venue for the 1967 French Grand Prix was the instantly forgettable Bugatti circuit at Le Mans. Both Clark and Hill retired from the race while leading. It left the way clear for Brabham to win and for his team-mate Hulme to finish second. Stewart was a lap behind in third place. Jo Siffert finished fourth, with Chris Irwin fifth and Pedro Rodriguez sixth.
 |
