LOTUS
FORD 69
Jochen Rindt had entered the international Formula 2 scene in spring of 1964 after having bought a Brabham Cosworth from the Australian`s Guildford based facilities. Already in his second race he had beaten the complete world elite including Jim Clark and Graham Hill at Cristal Palace at Whitsun of 1964. For 1965 Rindt joined the team of US-American industrialist and criminologist Roy Winkelmann, as Rindt having got German roots. Winkelmann Racing were the unofficial Brabham works team for Formula 2 from 1965 to 1968. Second driver of the team was Briton Alan Rees, technical support came from the professor of mechanics, Pete Kerr from New Zealand. When Rindt, dominating Formula 2 as Jim Clark had done in Grand Prix Racing, switched to Team Lotus for 1969 also Winkelmann Racing competed using Lotus Ford 59s. Rindt scored 24 of his 29 victories overall for Winkelmann. In 1970 Jochen Rindt established a Formula 2 team of his own with the assistance of Bernie Ecclestone also being a minor shareholder of the company. De facto Jochen Rindt Racing was the Lotus works team in Formula 2. The Lotus Ford 69s were driven by Rindt himself, John Miles and partly by Graham Hill, all three also being the regular Lotus Grand Prix drivers that year. Rindt won in Thruxton, Pau, the Eifelrennen at the Nuerburgring and in Zolder. Privately entered Lotus 69s were brought to the track by Brazil`s Emerson Fittipaldi (Team Bardahl), Frenchman Adam Potocki, Tetsu Ikuzawa from Japan and Peter Gaydon of Britain in the team of Mike Stow. In 1971 the 69s were driven by Gerry Birrell (Lotus Racing), Reine Wisell, Richard Scott, Francois Migault (all LIRA Team Lotus), Alan Rollinson (Irish Racing Cars), John Pollock (Gerry Kinnane) and Wilson Fittipaldi (Team Bardahl Fittipaldi).The middle of 1972 season saw the Lotus Ford 69 again becoming a works car for some sporadic events with Emerson Fittipaldi driving a modified version with the typical sportscar nose used everywhere in single seater racing of that time for TEXACO TEAM Lotus being sponsored by Moonraker, the yacht division of Colin Chapman. The 69 had it`s last big appearance at the Torneio Internacional de Formula 2 do Brasil at the end of the season winning that championship consisting of three events with Emerson Fittipaldi in the cockpit driving for Team Lotus in the yellow and green livery of Brazilian oil company Bardahl. For 1973 the 69 officially was replaced by the Lotus Novamotor 74 being called TEXACO STAR for the Lotus Grand Prix drivers Emerson Fittipaldi and Ronnie Peterson, while the 69 only was used by some private drivers.
Colour photos by Klaus Ewald taken at the 2005 Essen Motor Show, black & white image on top © by Messe Essen GmbH, graphics by project * 2000
© 2006 by researchracing