63rd, Rodriguez Triumphs: BRM Ends Drought in the Last Race at Spa
Spa had become divisive. Jackie Stewart despised its naked dangers – and said so. If it rained, he told Ken Tyrrell, he would not race. And his team boss couldn’t argue as he felt this throwback road circuit had two years of Formula 1 left in it. At most.
Pedro Rodriguez loved its naked dangers – and said so. Even if it rained, he told his GPDA peers at a meeting on Saturday evening, he would not give it a second thought: he would race. Hard. The Mexican, who had recorded a startling 160mph fastest lap in a Porsche 917 during May’s 1000-kilometre sports car race here, was not a rival that Stewart entirely trusted on-track, although Stewart would concede that the faster the circuit, the better Pedro drove. Perhaps, thought Stewart, he needed the danger to perform, to concentrate.
In the same way, Stewart’s ‘enemies’ had to concede that the Scot was no chicken. JYS disliked his March almost as much as he did Spa and yet he put it on pole by more than two seconds. Rodriguez, expected to shine in the V12 BRM, could do no better than sixth after losing much running time during practice because of gearbox and then engine problems. Chris Amon, who missed the entire final session while the engine was changed in his works March, would start from the outside of the three-car front row.
Stewart’s problems occurred during the (bone dry) race. His Cosworth V8 broke an outer valve spring on the warm-up lap and, although he took the lead from Amon on the second lap, he sensed his impending doom as his engine ran progressively flatter before detonating as he passed the pits at mid-distance.