Monza 4-Hours ETC

Niki Lauda/Brian Muir won the first round of the European Touring Car Championship in the lone BMW-Alpina 3.0 CSL. Muir, left, hurtles the 330 b.h.p. BMW round Lesmo. Their average speed of 202.862 k.p.h. (126.06 m.p.h.) made this the fastest-ever European saloon-car race. Jochen Mass/Jody Scheckter in the sole-surviving works Capri RS (bottom left) finished second, delayed by a chaotic pit stop. Toine Hezemans/Dieter Quester in one of two works BMW CSLs (pictured at the Parabolica, bottom right) retired with suspension problems. Third and fourth, several laps behind, were the ex-works Capris of Ruiz-Gimenez/Mesia and Kautz/Krebs, shown below in reverse order. The works Capris of Jackie Stewart/Dieter Glemser, Mass and Scheckter set a shattering 130-m.p.h. pace as they led for over 80 laps, one lap ahead of Lauda/Muir, until Mass/ Scheckter were delayed and Stewart’s car broke its camshaft.