March 701
The 701 was the single-seater with which March—its name formed from the initials of its founders, Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd—made its debut in the Formula One World Championship. The design was the work of Herd himself, who within just a few years would become one of the most respected engineers in the paddock. On this occasion, he was joined by the aerodynamic specialist Peter Wright, who would also go on to make his mark in Formula One.
Herd began designing the 701 in November 1969, just two months after the company was founded. In the meantime, Max Mosley announced that March would make its debut at the opening round of the 1970 World Championship—the South African Grand Prix, scheduled for March 7. Herd and the small team of engineers working under him did not disappoint: on February 7, the 701 was unveiled to the press, and a month later it duly appeared on the grid at Kyalami in no fewer than five examples—two for March’s own works drivers, two entered by Ken Tyrrell, and one for Mario Andretti.
司机:
Jackie Stewart: It was the freshly crowned 1969 World Champion who gave the 701 its first pole position at its debut in South Africa, and its only victory at the following round in Spain. March had in fact sold two of the first five chassis—numbers 02 and 04—to Ken Tyrrell’s outfit, which completed the assembly on its own, introducing several components and solutions that differed from those used by the works team.
Johnny Servoz Gavin: It was a short and uneven career for the French driver, though he did manage to climb to second place on the podium at Monza in 1968. He suddenly walked away from racing in the spring of 1970, at Monaco. He was replaced by François Cevert, who would drive Tyrrell’s 701 for the remaining rounds of the 1970 season.
Jo Siffert: By the 1970 season, the Swiss driver was already one of Formula One’s veterans. Hampered by the poor reliability of the works 701s, he failed to score a single point and was forced to retire from several races.
Chris Amon: He was the one who achieved the best results with the 701 among the March works drivers. The New Zealander finished second in both Belgium and France, and third in Canada. At Spa, he set the fastest lap of the race.
Mario Andretti: At this stage of his career, Mario still gave priority to American racing over Formula One. Yet on the day of the 701’s debut, he took one of the cars out on track at Kyalami. The operation was backed by the American lubricants company STP, which in fact financed much of the car’s development.
我们的模型车:
Perhaps because it was conceived and built in such a short time, the 701 was a fairly conventional car. Its aluminium monocoque, Ford-Cosworth V8 engine, and five-speed Hewland gearbox followed proven lines, though it stood out for its distinctive side pods, which doubled as fuel tanks. Eleven chassis were built in total, and the model competed throughout the 1970 season and in a few races the following year. It claimed a single victory—the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix with Jackie Stewart—and recorded three pole positions and one fastest lap, all courtesy of the Scot.
