Embassy Grand Prix

The last-minute cancellation of the Scottish Rally and a consequently empty colour page gave us the chance to look at a power-boat race in Bristol docks. Overall winner of the big boats (above) was Italian Caesare Scotti (ON class-1,500 c.c. to 2,000 c.c.) catamaran of his own design powered by an Evinrude V6 engine. He averaged 76.3 m.p.h. for the second 90-minute heat. Race for the lead (left) of the OE and 01 class (850 c.c.-1,500 c.c.) race between Joop Raymakers in a Dutch Marlboroentered Molinari, Roger Jenkins in the British Embassyentered Miles and Johan Koch in a Dutch Datsunentered Molinari. (Below) Lady Player is lowered into the water from the pits. The catamaran shape is clearly shown and at speed only the propeller and the last foot of each side are in the water. The large straight-6 Mercury engine will push this boat along at up to 100 m.p.h.

Le Mans

Never headed: The Matra -Simca 6708 driven by Henri Pescarolo and Gerard Larrousse led the 24-hour race from the first lap to the last, though support from three other cars in the team dropped away by midnight. The chase was taken up by the turbo charged Porsche 911 Carrera driven by Herbert Muller/Gigs van Lennep, which might have taken the lead on Sunday morning while the Matra’s gearbox was being rebuilt had not the Porsche also lost 5th gear. Below. Alain de Cadenet’s Ford-Cosworth DFV-powered special driven by Chris Craft/John Nicholson lay in third place at 1 a.m., but retired at dawn with the rear suspension collapsed.

Monaco Grand Prix

Despite a spin early in the race, Ronnie Peterson staged a magnificent recovery to win the Monaco Grand Prix driving one of Team Lotus’ old 72s (above) in place of the newer, troublesome 76 model. The Swede survived a spin in the early stages of the race which unfortunately eliminated Carlos Reutemann’s Brabham BT44. A multiple collision on the opening lap accounted for the immediate retirement of seven cars, but the Ferraris of Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda were already well away in the lead of the race. The two Italian cars are seen (left) swinging round the Tabac corner on the harbour front just in front of the UOP Shadow driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier. The Opening phase of the race backed up the Ferraris practice form, but Regazzoni spun the lead away and could only finish fourth, while Lauda, who inherited the lead from his team-mate, stopped with electrical trouble and handed the lead to Peterson. On the right, Jody Scheckter’s Tyrrell 007 can be seen cornering against a backcloth of yachts and skyscrapers on its way to an excellent second place. His team-mate Decanter, Who had lapped in an identical time during practice, was forced to race the older 006 after Tyrrell 007/2 broke a fuel line on the warming-up lap. On the previous page we Show one of the closest disputes of the race, the battle between Emerson Fittipaldi ‘s McLaren M23 and the privately-entered Brabham BT42 of Ulster’s John Watson. The Brabham challenged hard, but was Unable to find a way past the McLaren, while Fittipaldi pulled away in the closing laps after he had been lapped by Peterson’s winning Lotus. Fittipaldi finished fifth. Watson sixth.

Swedish Grand Prix

Tyrrell drivers Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler dominated the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp, the South African leading the seventh round of the World Championship from start to with Depailler taking over second place from Peterson’s Lotus after the Swede stopped with a broken driveshaft. Above, the field pours into the first corner with Scheckter leading Peterson, Depailler, and the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni. Below, Jean-Pierre Jarier’s Shadow is seen just after lapping Tom Belso’s Williams and Rikky von Opel’s Brabham BT44 on his way to fifth place.

James Hunt drove the Hesketh 308 (above) to third place at Anderstorp, this being the first occasion on which this new marque has recorded Constructors’ Championship points. On the right, Scheckter showers champagne on the victory rostrum after his flag to flag victory. Below, the two Tyrrells speed past the start-finish line in a formation familiar to those who watched the Stewart/Cevert combination over the past few years. On the left of the picture Vittorio Brambilla pushes his works March across the line. Depailler established the fastest lap of the race although he failed to beat Hulme’s 1973 record, due in some part to the installation of a chicane at the end of the long back straight.

Imola 1,000 Kms.

Matra-Simca were marginally faster and distinctly better organised than Alfa Romeo’s Autodelta team at the World Championship’s first visit to the Imola circuit. Above, the Matras of Beltoise and Larrousse lead the Alfas of Merzario , Stommelen and de Adamich. Left, Fitzpatrick and Elf ord involved in the Porsche Carrera battle in the GT class. Below, the 1,300-c.c, prototype class was won by Italian Chevron agent Eris Tondelli in a B26, about to be lapped by Pescarolo.

Nurburgring 750 Kilometres