The Fastlane Motorsports Forum

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jimclark wrote: ↑3 years ago "OK here is an obscure one, dating back to the seventies to kickstart this thread again.
March had released the March 721X.... a dreadful car by all respects. Lauda and Peterson could not get to grips with it and results were bad."

I remember ......the gearbox, and (smacking forehead)......'also remember that I don't remember the intricacies, dang it.......

You are right that the 'X' had a strange gearbox that was worse rather than the godsend quantum leap they thought they had. They had with the 721X IIRC used a transverse devised by Alfa gearbox, that was going to transform the balance of the car, weight distribution etc, but apparently the linkage was appalling and left drivers not knowing whether when going say from 5th to 4th whether it would select 2nd or basically some unwanted gear. The negatives of the linkage and actuation far outweighed any benefits.
The 721G went to a more conventional gearbox but that is not the origin or reason of the G suffix.

So it is not G for gearbox.....

This weekend will only be the second time since 1959 that NASCAR has not run at Daytona during Fourth of July week, Can you name the other year in which it wasn’t run?

That was in 1998. They postponed the race because of fires in the area.

Everso Biggyballies wrote: ↑3 years ago OK here is an obscure one, dating back to the seventies to kickstart this thread again.
March had released the March 721X.... a dreadful car by all respects. Lauda and Peterson could not get to grips with it and results were bad.
March released an update.... the 721G.
Does anyone know the story of how it became the 721G, what the G stood for, or indeed anything about it.
Quite amusing story.
I will add clues in due course if needed.

Everso Biggyballies wrote: ↑3 years ago

jimclark wrote: ↑3 years ago

I remember ......the gearbox, and (smacking forehead)......'also remember that I don't remember the intricacies, dang it.......

You are right that the 'X' had a strange gearbox that was worse rather than the godsend quantum leap they thought they had. They had with the 721X used a transverse devised by Alfa gearbox, that was going to transform the balance of the car, weight distribution etc, but apparently the linkage was appalling and left drivers not knowing whether when going say from 5th to 4th whether it would select 2nd or basically some unwanted gear. The negatives of the linkage and actuation far outweighed any benefits.
The 721G went to a more conventional gearbox but that is not the origin or reason of the G suffix.

So it is not G for gearbox.....

Any takers on this one?
Clue: it is based on the speed of the update 721X to 721G being introduced after the decision to 'upgrade' the X.

Everso Biggyballies wrote: ↑3 years ago Any takers on this one?
Clue: it is based on the speed of the update 721X to 721G being introduced after the decision to 'upgrade' the X.

Do you have Michael Ferner on ignore?

Michael Ferner wrote: ↑3 years ago Guinness Book of Records, it's been said. Don't know if it's true however, I somehow doubt it.

The car was built up from the then current Formula 2 March, bits strengthened here, bits added there. It was ready in no time at all, as it wasn't really a new design, but March bragged about having built a brand new Formula One in record time.

Whoops my bad. Sorry, I missed that completely


Yes @Michael Ferner gets it with G for Guinness. Sorry for missing your answer.It is a story as told by Robin Herd and related in the Niki Lauda Biog book by Maurice Hamilton. 9 days it took, apparently.

Name F1 drivers who drove an entire wet race on slicks ....?

for a moment i thought Schumacer at Spa in 1995, but at one moment he did changed to wet tires.

Keke Rosberg, Jacques Laffite, Marc Surer, Michele Alboreto, Danny Sullivan, Elio de Angelis and Derek Warwick, all at Monaco in 1983. The race was declared wet, but in reality the track was only damp. And, only Rosberg drove the entire race, Sullivan was two or three laps down, and the others retired.

Jody Scheckter at Kyalami in '79. Carlos Reutemann, Elio de Angelis and (I think) Keke Rosberg at the same track in '81.

Those are the ones I recall from memory, I'm sure there were loads more.

Michael Ferner wrote: ↑3 years ago Keke Rosberg, Jacques Laffite, Marc Surer, Michele Alboreto, Danny Sullivan, Elio de Angelis and Derek Warwick, all at Monaco in 1983. The race was declared wet, but in reality the track was only damp. And, only Rosberg drove the entire race, Sullivan was two or three laps down, and the others retired.

Was that not the same race that the McLarens of Lauda and Watson both failed to qualify their McLarens?

And Keke had tried slicks in the wet warmup to see what the grip was like, and then slicks for the race because having a gamble was the only way he was going to have something over the turbo cars, plus the forecasr downpour not happening. Teamate Laffite also took the same gamble. It paid off for them.
I did not realise others had started on slicks beyond the two Williams.

Just yesterday I watched the race on YT, that's why my memory is so "clear" about this one...

Michael Ferner wrote: ↑3 years ago Keke Rosberg, Jacques Laffite, Marc Surer, Michele Alboreto, Danny Sullivan, Elio de Angelis and Derek Warwick, all at Monaco in 1983. The race was declared wet, but in reality the track was only damp. And, only Rosberg drove the entire race, Sullivan was two or three laps down, and the others retired.

Jody Scheckter at Kyalami in '79. Carlos Reutemann, Elio de Angelis and (I think) Keke Rosberg at the same track in '81.

Those are the ones I recall from memory, I'm sure there were loads more.

Very good, but I have a more extreme example

Kyalami 81 was only half a wet race. Slicks were best as early as around lap 20

James Hunt at Zolder 1977. Also only "half wet", though.

Are you perhaps thinking of Nelson Piquet, Brasil 1981? He famously started on slicks on a full wet track, slipped way back but recovered to be in the top ten again mid-race, before another rain shower washed away all his chances. I'm not sure, but he may have stayed with the slicks until the end, by which time he was several laps in arrears.

Michael Ferner wrote: ↑3 years ago Are you perhaps thinking of Nelson Piquet, Brasil 1981? He famously started on slicks on a full wet track, slipped way back but recovered to be in the top ten again mid-race, before another rain shower washed away all his chances. I'm not sure, but he may have stayed with the slicks until the end, by which time he was several laps in arrears.

Yes

Jones was laughing until reutemann didn't let him past for the win

Piquet did prosper mid race, up to 4th? But then the rain came down again. It's difficult to tell without a lap chart, it's possible he may just be unlapping himself from surer. He never changed strategy and like you say ended up looking like a chump after a few spins. A fairly ignominious home race . I guess it could have been different if it hadn't started pissing down again, but he should have known the local weather!

Did I see Jones make the same mistake with a premature stop for slicks at imola just a couple of races later? I haven't read the report yet. There's the unusual sight of a Theodore trying to get past a Williams