UNITED KINGDOM: TEDDY PILETTE OF BELGIUM WINS EUROPEAN FORMULA 5000 MOTOR RACING CHAMPIONSHIP AT BRANDS HATCH.

Record ID: 337758

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: TEDDY PILETTE OF BELGIUM WINS EUROPEAN FORMULA 5000 MOTOR RACING CHAMPIONSHIP AT BRANDS HATCH.
  • Date: 21st October 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Spectators 0.05 2. GV PAN Cars on grid 0.10 3. TV GV PAN Start of race. 0.16 4. GV Spectators. 0.18 5. GV Cars around bend 0.32 6. GV PAN car No.25 leading (2 shots) 0.51 7. SV Photographer watches. 0.54 8. GV Car No.25 in lead followed by others including No.4 (eventual winner) in fourth place. 1.04 9. GV PAN Race in progress including Nos. 25 and 4. 1.15 10. LV PAN Car No.74 and other past (74 was favourite) 1.23 11. GV Cars past camera 1.28 12. TGV PAN Car No.4 takes lead. 1.38 13. GV PAN Car No.4 takes flag. 1.44 14. GV Crowd. 1.47 15. SV Winning driver with garland and car entrant with trophies. 1.52 Initials APSM/1.01 APSM/1.19 SPORT: MOTOR RACING Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th November 1973 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRANDS HATCH, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA75NZZ36LSI7EZBJ64CAN6WUZB
  • Story Text: Teddy Pilette, the 30-year-old Belgian, became the European Formula 5000 Motor Racing Champion in an unorthodox fashion at Britain's Brands Hatch circuit on Sunday (October 21).

    Piletce was comfortably placed in sixth position, more than halfway through the 45-lap event, when the engine of his Chevron car failed and he was forced to become a spectator.

    The Liverpool driver, Guy Edwards in a Lola, went on to win after a close tussle with Keith Holland and John Watson.

    But Pilette had amassed enough points during the previous 13 rounds of the Championships to claim the title by a three point margin from Tony Dean of Britain who finished fourth in the race.

    Edward,s who's 31, placed himself superbly. He kept in touch with the leading Trojans of Holland and watson and the Lola of Ian Ashley through the opening stages of the race. Then he swept to the lead in the 31st lap and widened the gap to finish comfortably the winner.

    Edwards managed to improve the Formula 5000 lap record at Brands Hatch by half a second to 1 minute 24.2 seconds -- an average of 113.3 miles hour.

    The race featured several top names, including Clay Regazzoni of Switzerland. Regazzoni, who recently switched form B.R.M. to lead the Ferrari Grand Prix team next year, finished only 12th.

    SYNOPSIS: A capacity crowd at Britain's Brands Hatch motor racing circuit on Sunday for the final event in European Formula 5000 Championship -- and in Car 33, Belgium's Teddy Pilette -- this year's champion on points but not the race winner. Pilette was forced out of the race with engine trouble halfway through the 45-lap event, but he'd amassed enough points in the previous thirteen rounds to take the championship.

    From the start it looked like Car 25, the Trojan/chevrolet of Britain's Keith Holland, was set to win.

    But the racing was fast and unpredictable.

    Holland clung to his narrow lead, chased by John watson in another Trojan and Ian Ashley driving a Lola.

    The car to watch was the Lola of Britain's Guy Edwards, keeping in touch with the race leaders in fourth place.

    One of the big names -- Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari's top driver next year, managed only twelfth place.

    The 5000 c.c. cars -- the biggest in open wheel racing -- set a crackling pace on brands Hatch circuit. On the 31st lap, Guy Edwards swept to the lead -- overtaking Keith Holland with superb racing strategy.

    Edwards clipped half a second off the Formula 5000 lap record to climax his victory.
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