RONNIE PETERSON Opciones

[Gilles]

Muchas gracias amigo.

Que te vaya bien.

Y ya sabes, aqui estaremos esperándote.

"The crowds loved him because he, of all the men out there, was clearly working without a net"

[Lluis Fernandez]

RONNIE PETERSON

PARTE 2

1971 - The runner up season!


1971 saw Tyrrel as a new constructor with March-cars. Ronnie was back as a fully March-driver.


South African Grand Prix 6:th of March 1971, Kyalami

Stewart on pole before Amon and Regazzoni. Fastest Lap: Andretti 1.20.3 Leaders: Regazzoni 1-16, Hulme 17-75; Andretti 76-79.

Mario Andretti Ferrari Wins, Jackie Stewart Tyrrell second, Clay Regazzoni Ferrari third and Reine Wisell Lotus fourth.

Ronnie got 5:th time on the first practice. Then the team changed springs and the March 711 was going slower! In the end they managed to get the car to go faster again, but only to get 13:th place (same time as Reine Wisell) with 1.19.9.

Due to the fact that Kyalami lies very high above the sea, the engine sometimes runs strange. Ronnies engine did not want to go in the start and Ronnie got away almost last. Ronnie worked his way up thrue the field when the car started to overstear. It was a rear puncture! In the end the brakes started to fade away and he lost second gear. Ronnie ended up 10:th 2 laps down.


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Gran Premio de Espana 18:th of April 1971, Montjuich Park

Ickx on pole before Regazzoni and Amon. Fastest Lap: Ickx 1.25.1 Leaders: Ickx 1-5; Stewart 6-75.

Stewart Tyrrell wins, Jacky Ickx Ferrari second and Chris Amon Matra third.

The first training - problems with fuel-system, so Ronnie had to run with full tanks. Second training - still problems. Third training - rain and the last training - the March 711 still hopeless! 13:th on the grid.

In the race the car was oversteering badly. While leighing 11:th, on the 24:th lap a cable fell off the alternator and Ronnie had to retire.


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Grand Prix de Monaco 23:rd of May 1971

Stewart on pole before Ickx. Fastest Lap: Stewart 1.22.2 Leaders: Stewart 1-80.

Stewart Tyrrell wins, Ronnie Peterson March second and Ickx Ferrari third. This was Ronnies first ever points.

First training - heavy rain, very few out on the track. Ronnie started with a new type of brake discs. Second training Ronnie run good and had second time, when the brakes gave up on the 10:th lap. It was too little time to fix it in time. Ronnie had a new Ford engine called Serie 10 1/2. Last training it rained again and Ronnie was 8:th on the grid, the best up to date!

Ronnie had a good start and was 6:th thrue the first corner. He passed Hulme for 5:th place already on the first lap. Next victim was Pedro Rodriguez, and that was a tuff fight. But on the 17:th lap Pedro braked to late and Ronnie passed. He was then alone for a while, but on lap 28 Ronnie catched Siffert and Ickx. And after just two laps he had passed them! Now Ronnie was second and started to shase Stewart. But Stewart got that message and they run equal times for some laps. The last 20 laps Ronnie just tried to save his car and bring it home. He did and this was his best result in his career to date!

Rob Walker wrote in Road and Track: "Ronnie Peterson drove the race of his life and is undoubtly the driver of the future, and on one lap he took five seconds off Denny Hulme. He reminds me of Jochen Rindt, especially in the wet. Everybody watching thinks he has lost control while the driver knows he is in complete command."

And Patrick McNally from Autosport: "While all credit must go to Stewart for a brilliant demonstration of his skill, the man of the race was the young Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson, his speed and thrusting tactics in the March 711 being reminiscent of the late World Champion Jochen Rindt."




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Grote Prijs van Nederland 20:th of June 1971, Zandvoort

Ickx on pole before Rodriguez and Stewart Fastest Lap: Icks 1.34.95 Leaders: Ickx 1-8, 30, 32-70; Rodriguez 9-29, 31.

Ickx Ferrari wins, Rodriguez BRM second, Regazzoni Ferrari third and Ronnie March 4:th.

Ronnie 13:th on the Grid, practiced with Alfa Romeo engine, But changed to Ford to the race.

The race was very wet, the rain was poring down. Ronnie was not too unhappy with that, his lack of power was not so important then. After the first lap Ronnie was 9:th. Than he catched Reine and they had a good fight. But he got thrue and advanced to 5:th place. Now he was chasing Surtees. He made a small mistake and Ronnie passed. But Surtes hung on to Ronnie. Than he catched Regazzoni who had crached his nose. But Ronnie could not pass him.


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Grand Prix de France 4:th of July 1971, Paul Ricard

Stewart on pole before Regazzoni and Ickx. Fastest Lap: Stewart 1.54.09 Leaders: Stewart 1-55.

Stewart Tyrrell wins, Francois Cevert Tyrrell second, Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus third and Reine Wisell Lotus 6:th.

This race was the only time Ronnies March 711 carried an Alfa Romeo engine, but even that didn´t help him(!). He was 12:th on the grid.

Ronnie did an excelent start and was 7:th into the first corner. But on every straight part the others came storming past. Ronnie was down in 16:th place on the 20:th lap when the engine exploded and Ronnie had to retire.


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British Grand Prix 17:th of July 1971, Silverstone

Regazzoni on pole before Stewart and Siffert. Fastest Lap: Stewart 1.99.9 Leaders: Regazzoni 1-3; Stewart 4-68.

Stewart Tyrell wins, Ronnie Peterson March second and Fittipaldi Lotus third.

First practice 1.21.6 with too high gear-ratio. Last practice 1.19.0 and 5:th on the grid.

A bad start and "only" 6:th after the first lap. But Ronnie soon passed Schenken for 5:th. He chased Ickx, but he could not turn off his revlimiter and that made it impossible to pass. Eventually Ickx went into the pits and Ronnie was clear. Now Ronnie chased Siffert, who also turned into the pits! 18 laps from the end Regazzoni had to give up and now Ronnie was second after Stewart. And Ronnie cept his place to the end.


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Grosser Preis von Deutschland 1:st of August 1971, Nürnburgring

Stewart on pole before Ickx. Fastest Lap: Cevert 7.20.1 Leaders: Stewart 1-12.

Stewart Tyrrell wins, Cevert Tyrell second, Regazzoni Ferrari third and Ronnie 5:th. Reine Wisell 8:th

Ronnie started his practice with full tanks (180 liter). Just to check how deep all the pumps was. And they are deep! Harder springs and higher chassie. But that is bad for the road-holding and Ronnie could only make 7.32.4. Next session was still bad with all sorts of things breaking down. But he could make a time of 7.26.6 and 7:th on the grid.

At the start Ronnie cept his place, but could soon pass Hulme for 5:th. Ickx went off the track and Ronnie was 4:th. Cevert passed but Siffert went off, still 4:th. Then a part off the body shaked loose and Ronnie had to go into the pits to rip it off. In the mean time Andretti passed and Ronnie ended up 5:th.




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Grosser Preis von Österreich 15:th of August 1971, Österreichring

Siffert on pole before Stewart. Fastest Lap: Siffert 1.38.47 - Lap record Leaders: Siffert 1-54.

Jo Siffert BRM wins, Fittipaldi Lotus second, Tim Schenken Brabham third and Reine Wisell Lotus fourth.

Ronnie had a "tired" engine after Running both previus F1 races, and it would have needed some treatment. But it was no time for that. With a sick engine it´s not so easy to get a good practice, or a race done. Ronnie could only get 11:th on the grid. In the race Ronnie suffered bad understeer but he could still finnish in 8:th place. Reine Wisell made a much better race and could finnish fourth from his startposition just ahead of Ronnie.


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Gran Premio d`Italia 5:th of September 1971, Monza

Amon on pole before Ickx. Fastest Lap: Pescarolo 1.23.80 - lap record Leaders: Regazzoni 1-3, 9; Ronnie 4-7, 10-14, 17-22, 24, 26, 33, 47-50,54; Stewart 8; Cevert 15-16, 23, 31-32, 34, 36; Hailwood 25, 27, 35, 42, 51; Siffert 28-30; Amon 37-41, 43-46; Gethin 52-53, 55.

Peter Gethin BRM wins his only career victory, Ronnie Peterson March second and Cevert Tyrrell third.

Ronnie started the week by signing a contract for Ferrari to drive sportscars 1972. It was a lot off controversy about cheating gridtimes before the race. Ronnie started as 6:th. Ronnie got away as 5:th. But on the fourth lap he was leading. This race turned out to be the most exciting in F1 history with so many leaders during the race. Ronnie led 25 of 55 laps more than anyone else. Ronnie was also leading on the last lap, but before Lesmo Cevert was in the lead. When they entered Parabolica for the last time Ronnie and Gethin braked past Cevert. And for the first time in the race Ronnie got a bad line thrue Parabolica. He had to set for second after Gethin, but he would try one last slipstream before the finnish. The only problem was that Ronnie had a cracked exhoustpipe, and could not get enough power, but he still tried and he was only 1/100 of a second past Gethin. This race went into the historybooks as the fastest race ever (246.66 km/h average), the narrowest margin for the victor (1/100 s) and the first four cars all inside 4/10 of a second.


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Canadian Grand Prix 19:th of September 1971, Mosport Park

Stewart on pole before Siffert and Cevert. Fastest Lap: Hulme 1.43.5 Leaders: Stewart 1-17, 31-64; Ronnie 18-30.

Stewart Tyrell wins, Ronnie Peterson March second, Mark Donohue McLaren third and Reine Wisell Lotus 5:th.

Ronnie had roadholding problems in the first practice, and also some fuelproblems. He could only manage 6:th place on the grid, beside Reine. When the race started it was raining. Ronnie did a great start and was second after the first corner. Ronnie first lost his second place to Beltoise. But only three laps later Ronnie was back in second. Ronnie started to take different lines thrue the corners, and this was quicker. He started to chase down Stewart and could pass him for the lead. Ronnie was in the lead for 13 laps, but when he should lap Georg Eaton Ronnie touched his car and spunn. The engine died and the nosecone was damaged. Stewart passed and was leading with 13 seconds before Ronnie could get going again. Ronnie tried to catch Stewart again, but his car was too much damaged to do the job and Ronnie sattled for second.


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United States Grand Prix 3:rd of October 1971, Watkins Glen

Stewart on pole before Fittipaldi and Hulme. Fastest Lap: Ickx 1.43.47 Leaders: Stewart 1-13; Cevert 14-59.

Francois Cevert Tyrell wins his only victory ever Jo Siffert BRM second and Ronnie Peterson March third.

The practice started bad for Ronnie with a blown engine after just 15 minutes. But even with a healthy enine Ronnie only could get 11:th place on the grid after saturday practice. Ronnie started with "hard" tyres to cope with the heat at Watkins. This made Ronnie make a poor start and he was only 14:th after the first lap. But as the race went on many cars suffered tyre problems and Ronnie could move up the field. In the end he tood thrid place.


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That makes the championship look like this:

Jackie Stewart Tyrell 62

Ronnie Peterson March 33

Francois Cevert Tyrrell 26

And Reine Wisell 9:th on nine points.


The Manufacturers:

Tyrrell 73

BRM 36

Ferrari 33 & March-Ford 33