Hunt Unleashed at the Austrian Grand Prix!
Ray R. managed two drivers from two teams garnering the pole position for BRM’s Ashely. Ferrari’s Lauda also started on the front row. Both of Lotus’ drivers sat in the third row. McLaren’s Hunt impatiently held the eighth position in the last row.
After the start Andretti lead his Lotus team mate forward almost immediately gaining a position. The Lotus machines were tuned for speed and excelled on the straights right out of the gate hitting 200mph on several locations on the track.
Lauda started to break away from the pack and Andretti emerged to chase and then pass him going down the front to claim the first lap point. Lauda’s car was balanced and performed well in the corners and the straights, but he could not meet the speed challenge on the straights posed by Andretti. While Lauda and Andretti dueled for the lead, Hunt battled his way through the pack.
During the second lap, the McLarens and the second Lotus broke away from the pack. Then, while trying to block Nilsson, Mass spun-out. Hunt was on his own.
Andretti spurred the Lotus into what appeared to be an insurmountable lead and easily garnered the second lap point. Hunt began to reel in Lauda.
During the final lap, Hunt passed Lauda and cut into Andretti’s lead. Andretti’s engine was still strong on the straights, but the rest of the Lotus was falling apart and he began slowing in the corners. Meanwhile, Hunt and Lauda were charging through the corners. Mass was involved in another incident.
Lauda passed Andretti coming out the final turn. Heading down the front straight Lauda was ahead of Andretti, Hunt, and Nilsson. Lauda was in the slowest car and could only reach 160 mph. Lotus’ had scrubbed off to much momentum going through the corner and could not exceed their 180mph top-speed.
Hunt’s McLaren was setup with a strong downforce, a setup that had enabled him to speed through the corners, but strained his engine on the straights. He could hit 200mph, the speed needed to beat Lauda, but he would have to exceed both acceleration and top speed at a disadvantage. The odds were against Hunt, but he went for it. Steve, the team manager, realized what Hunt was attempting and closed his eyes expecting to hear the engine disintegrate, but instead he heard the roar of the crowd as Hunt passed the finish line ahead of Lauda winning the race!
Bravo Steve!
Race details follow:
1st Steve K. (J. Hunt) 40/60/20/180/5 S
2nd Den H. (N. Lauda) 60/40/40/160/5 N
3rd Tom V. (M. Andretti) 40/40/40/180/5 W**
4th Tom V. (G. Nilsson) 40/40/40/160/5 W
5th Den H. (C. Regazzoni) 40/40/40/160/5 N
6th Ray R. ( L. Lombardi) 60/40/20/140/6 S
7th Ray R. (I. Ashley) 60/40/40/140/6 S
8th Steve K. (J. Mass) 40/40/20/180/5 S