Enzo must have been heavily criticised by the Italian press for giving a young Niki lauda a drive in 1974.
We all know that Lauda had a average season in 1973 with Marlboro-BRM. So, what prompted Enzo to give the young man a drive in his front-running cars?
Surely, the cash-rich Ferrari team didn't choose Niki for his money, did they?

At that (end of 1973) time Niki was essentially broke (no money, and no more banks to loan him additional funds).

Ironically driving for BRM with Firestone rain tyres actually gave Lauda something of a reputation as a rainmaster. This is maybe what first sparked Enzo's interest.

Also all through the first season with Ferarri, Niki was clearly treated as a 'number two' to Clay, and it wasn't until the 1975 season that Niki's reputation as a great tester, set-up and tactition was recognized.

Say what you will, but the "old man" could always spot talent!!!

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"I Was Born Ready"

Legend has it that he noticed Lauda after a points scoring finish in Belgium, and then was highly impressed by Lauda holding third place for twenty odd laps of Monaco in the BRM. Also, Rega was in the BRM team with Lauda in 73, and as a ex-Ferrari driver he provided a yardstick by which to measure the progress of the young Lauda.
I've often wondered why ferrari chose those two for 74. Maybe the dire performance of the team in 73 kept other more experienced drivers away.
Anyway, Ferrari could spot young talent.

I guess another thing could be that 74 was certainly going to be a rebuilding year for the team, so why not take a risk on a young driver beside a more experienced and known quantity in Reggazoni.

Regga recommended Niki. It's probably that Ferrari took Regga's recommendation pretty highly.

Niki also ran second at the restart of the British GP, and ran well at Canada. I think he led at some point during the fracas. Although he may have been out of money (BRM was paying him at that point), his star was beginning to ascend.

Also, the Ferrari in 1973 was a real dog, so much so that Ickx left the team. I don't think Ferrari could have predicted that they would do so well in '74, so it wasn't like they were giving him a front-running car.

I understand that Chris Amon was offered the Ferrari ride first and turned it down out of loyality, since he had already begun plans to build his own car. If things had been different...it wouldn't have taken much for Chris to be world champ in '74, '75, '76.

Dave

Regga and young Nikolaus were the choices since there was no outward indications that 1974 would be any better than 1973 at Ferari. Regga was hired first and when asked, put in the plug for Niki on whom The Eye was already following about the circuits.

When you consider it all, Niki did a very good job with BRM in 1973. It was a horrid situation at BRM from 1972 onward. Losing Siffert, Yardley and then Marlboro, too many cars, not enough mechanics, and just utter organization chaos resulted in the needless destruction of a fine team.

Today, no one really gives a shit about the past of racing outside a very few. I miss Grand Prix racing....


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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

Semper Gumbi: If this was easy, we’d have the solution already…

I think there's more than you realise, Don, many more....

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

I guess no one has the resources to start a series using modern materials and safety components applied to non-winged, wide tracked slick tired machines in a series with shared sponsorship so everyone has the exact same budget to spend and uses ex F3000 F. Atlantic type engines? A series that would feature only tracks with history or modern track`s that hold to the GP philiospy.
It's still fairly early here, maybe I just need another coffee???

Another alternative,

Check out this page:
http://www.stevproj.com/Carz/Scamps.html The Alfettina Page

The guy who did the car also wrote this book: http://www.rb.com/product.htm?code=gddf

[This message has been edited by Duane (edited 05-04-2000).]

>>I miss Grand Prix racing....

I do, too.

Glanced at a 1974 yearbook last night whilst trying to fall asleep. Niki actually led the Canadian GP for a while (which I also seem to remember, since I was there.) He made quite an impression and that wasn't the first time.

D.

And besides, was it Enzo who did the hiring or the then-25 year old Luca Montemozolo?

[This message has been edited by Dave Ware (edited 05-04-2000).]

In "March: The Grand Prix and Indy Cars", Alan Henry makes the comment about JP Jarier accepting an offer from Ferrari for 1974.

This was as a result of him being dropped by March for the 1973 British GP. Furious about this he sought legal advice, as March still had an option on him for 1974 and 75. His lawyer was able to find a loophole which led Jarier to accept the Ferrari offer for 1974.

When good old Max found out he telexed Maranello to inform them of Jariers continuing legal obligations with March. As a result, Niki Lauda was signed on to race for Ferrari. As it turned out Jarier left March and raced for Shadow in 1974, so I do not know what happened about the 'continuing obligations' clauses.

If this is true it raises some interesting scenarios about changing history as we now know it. Then of course, when is a Ferrari contract legally binding?

Regardless of the above, Lauda showed enough promise with March in F1 and F2, as well as with BRM in 1973, to show that he had what it takes in the way of speed and technical competency.

Kiwi, I don't get the gratuitous sarcasm. Zanardi would say "when is a Williams contract bidning"? pretty much any team does the same, it seems a pretty silly comment to single out one team.

Red, this isn't The Readers' Comments Forum so put away the flamethrower.




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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

Semper Gumbi: If this was easy, we’d have the solution already…

[This message has been edited by Don Capps (edited 05-04-2000).]

Don, don't you know that Italians are touchy about their Scuderia???

It was, according to both Montezemolo and Lauda, Ferrari himself.

He told Montezemolo to contact Lauda in the summer of 1973, and they met for the first time in August of that year. Lauda visited Maranello secretly for the first time right after the Austrian GP (run August 19 that year).

As Lauda and Montezemolo were touring Fiorano, Ferrari showed up and asked Lauda if he wanted to drive. Lauda said yes, and signed at once with Ferrari for the following season - which caused him some trouble later with the BRM people later, but it was found to be more or less proper.

Red,
The point I am trying too make about Ferrari contracts is that there have been several agreements reached with drivers and the Ferrari team that have been cancelled, PRIOR to the respective drivers actually driving for the Scuderia. Examples of this are JP Jarier, Stirling Moss and Alan Jones. Of course, we are only hearing the drivers perspective of these 'contracts'.

The difference between your comparision of Zanardi and Jarier is that Zanardi was terminated mid contract, in what could best be described as 'lack of performance'. This was even admitted to by Zanardi on several occasions last year.

Williams have a track record of dismissing drivers mid contract - perhaps they have drivers performance clauses in the drivers contracts which allow them to do this?

If they didn't, I'm quite sure the lawyers have put them in by now...

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Life and love are mixed with pain...

Some drivers have had a lcak of perfomance contract with teams, that was how Diniz supposedly escaped Arrows for Sauber, he had a lack of car performance contract clause.

yours
Mark Jones
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"You see the Ground announcer in the colluseum in 'Gladiator'?"
"Yeah"
"So Fatty Vautin wigs aren't new then?"

It is not only curious to know why Ferrari chose Lauda, but why Lauda was happy to go to a team which had had a "dreadful" season in 1973.
It has been noted above that Montezemolo and niki met at the Austrian GP.
If you take a look at the Qualifying and positions at the end of the first lap, your perception of a disastrous Ferrari season might change.
The Car was not the dog it was made out to be, the first monocoque Ferrari, built in England if memory serves me right. It just needed a decent and hard working development driver, and whilst Ickx could really drive when he had the right machinery, the number of times he threw in the towel when a team was in trouble is above average.
Ferrari built a few prototypes after the 312B2, one with a curious shovel nose, and then the car Ickx gave up on, which , by the end of the season wasn't that different to the 74 car, that came good.
What puzzles me is why Little Art got such a bad deal after persevering with car and team?

Wasn't 1973 the year that ferrari run out of money and was finally accuired by FIAT ?

My impression was that Ferrari just didnt have the money to properly develope their team that year.

It became almost immediately clear that 1974 was not going to be a repeat of the 1973 season.

Also, Lauda has written somewhere that Mauro Forgheiri had been off in the FIAT wilderness for a few years, and was called back in late 73 or early 74 to take up the position of head engineer/chief designer.

Lauda went with Ferrari because they always bounced back. Not sure about Art, must have been his playboy lifestyle!

I have also heard that Peter Revson was almost signed in 74 , but it fell through at the last moment . There was speculation that he wanted too much money , and also he wanted to be free for Indy , which the team didn't want .

As for Merzario , I thought he was there for the sport car effort , and was a fill in when Regga broke his arm playing football . He was pressed into further service in 73 when Regga left and Mario didn't re-up . Ferrari withdrew from Sport car racing in 74 , so perhaps they thought Merzario's best talent would no longer be needed .

As for Niki going to Ferrari when they weren't at their best , I know he said he was impressed with the facility when he first saw it , and wondered why they didn't win every race . He was also impressed with Luca , from what I've read , so perhaps that played a part in his decision also .

Good for Enzo. Super Rat certainly upped the Prancing Horse game.