1970 Monaco Grand Prix
Submitted by Mochi Mochi
I know exactly where I was on Sunday May 10, 1970. I was a small child, and I was sitting in front of my parents' black-and-white TV--glued to it--watching the Grand Prix of Monaco. I loved cars. I especially loved Formula 1 cars. Watching the gods of racing hurtling around the streets of Monaco was a transforming experience--utterly captivating. The look and the sound of the cars was intoxicating.
I followed every minute of the race. Spirits sank when Jackie Stewart retired from the race due to engine problems, but when Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham took the lead I was elated. The final laps were a remarkable chase. The Austrian Jochen Rindt pressed Australian Jack Brabham but was unable to pass. The last lap seemed a sure thing for Brabham. Then--the final turn. At the Gazomètre I watched Brabham misjudge, lock the brakes, and plow the BT33 nose-first into the hay bales. He reversed and finished in second behind Rindt's Lotus 49. That last lap, that fateful hairpin, the slide into the hay bales--all welded into my memory. Those dancing visions of speed at the edge seem as vivid today as they did almost four decades ago.
When the race ended I remember riding in our Falcon wagon with my Mom, armed with models of the Brabham BT33 and the Lotus 49. To me these cars represented the apex of what a car should be or could be. The lean graceful forms; narrow chassis hung low from open wheels. In 1970 aerodynamic devices were just starting to appear. The aerodynamics of Formula 1 cars had been about low drag, but downforce was at a tipping point. The Lotus 72 would soon seize the day and redefine F1 design.
The Lotus 49 and the Brabham BT33 used the same Ford DFV V8. The Brabham cars were more conservative designs, not employing a monocoque design until 1970. Colin Chapman's Lotus cars were always taking risks of genius. The DFV engine was revolutionary in power output, but it was structurally strong enough to be part of the frame--a stressed component supporting the entire rear section and suspension of the car.
To a child like me, these details, had I known them, would have been gold. But they were less important in the end. These cars moved some spirit within me. Their song and their beauty struck rich chords in my soul. As far as I'm concerned, their singular beauty has only intensified with time. McLaren, Ferrari, BRM, Surtees, Tyrrell, Brabham, and Lotus; between 1967 and 1970 these cars ruled the world of auto racing and they may well be the most beautiful racing cars ever created. Now via the miracle that is Youtube you can see what I saw. (I watch these in the morning while I eat my cereal, or in the evening over dinner.)
--Mochi Mochi
This is the last lap of the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix, called by a Swedish announcer:
This is a recap of the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix in English:
These are highlights of the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix:
This is a comparison of the Lotus 49 and Lotus 72:
RaceFan on June 10, 2008 at 09:58 PM
Mochi Mochi you picked a good year for racing. 1970 was a great year for cars, drivers, and competition. That was racing before commercialism and safety overtook the racing circuits. Thanks for the videos and the memories. You were lucky to see such a great race.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 11, 2008 at 07:11 AM
Using the engine block as a structural member? That, my friends, is what the engineers call "elegant design."
Christian on July 16, 2008 at 05:49 PM
Check out the 'dinner plate' March just behind.
V8 hot laps on November 25, 2008 at 11:45 PM
Nice post.The Monaco Grand Prix was one of the inaugural races in the Formula One championship in 1970. However, there was no race in 1971, and in 1972 the Monaco Grand Prix took place but was not included within the Formula One championship.
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