| 1974 South African Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kyalami Circuit | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 30 March 1974 | ||
| Official name | XXLucky Strike Grand Prix of South Africa | ||
| Location | Midrand,Transvaal Province, South Africa | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.104 km (2.550 miles) | ||
| Distance | 78 laps, 320.112 km (198.908 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:16.58[1] | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |  Carlos Reutemann | Brabham-Ford | |
| Time | 1:18.16[2] on lap 58 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Brabham-Ford | ||
| Second | BRM | ||
| Third | McLaren-Ford | ||
Lap leaders | |||
The1974 South African Grand Prix (formally theXX Lucky Strike Grand Prix of South Africa) was aFormula Onemotor race held atKyalami on 30 March 1974. It was race 3 of 15 in both the1974 World Championship of Drivers and the1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. This wasCarlos Reutemann's first win, the first for an Argentinian driver sinceJuan Manuel Fangio won the1957 German Grand Prix, andBrabham's first since the1970 South African Grand Prix.
It was initially uncertain that the South African Grand Prix would go ahead due to the1973 oil crisis, but it did so, albeit at the end of March rather than at the start of the month.Lotus stunned the paddock with an innovative car which used four pedals and an electric clutch.[citation needed]
However, practice was overshadowed by an accident which killedPeter Revson. While driving hisShadow-Ford in a test session before the race, Revson suffered a front suspension failure on the outside of Barbecue Bend and crashed heavily into theArmco barrier, the car bursting into flames. Revson died instantly, and the Shadow team withdrew from the race.Niki Lauda took pole by a fraction of a second fromCarlos Pace.[citation needed]
The two Lotus cars ofRonnie Peterson andJacky Ickx tangled shortly after the start with the incident also involvingJochen Mass andHenri Pescarolo whilstTom Belsø's race lasted no more than a few hundred yards due to clutch failure. Lauda led a train of cars consisting ofCarlos Reutemann,Clay Regazzoni,Jody Scheckter andJames Hunt, whoseHesketh was suffering vibration problems.
Mike Hailwood caught and passed Scheckter when he missed a gear, and then passed Reutemann on lap 9. On lap 75, nearly at the finish, Lauda was forced to retire with ignition problems and low oil pressure, handing the lead to Reutemann.Jean-Pierre Beltoise fought his way up through the field to 2nd, holding off a determined challenge from Hailwood who took the final podium place. Beltoise's 2nd place would turn out to be the last podium finish for a BRM.
| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Niki Lauda | Ferrari | 1:16.58 |
| 2 |  Carlos Pace | Surtees–Ford | +0.05 |
| 3 |  Arturo Merzario | FWRC–Ford | +0.21 |
| 4 | Carlos Reutemann | Brabham–Ford | +0.22 |
| 5 | Emerson Fittipaldi | McLaren–Ford | +0.24 |
| 6 |  Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | +0.27 |
| 7 |  Hans-Joachim Stuck | March–Ford | +0.40 |
| 8 |  Jody Scheckter | Tyrrell–Ford | +0.41 |
| 9 |  Denny Hulme | McLaren–Ford | +0.53 |
| 10 |  Jacky Ickx | Lotus–Ford | +0.60 |
| 11 |  Jean-Pierre Beltoise | BRM | +0.76 |
| 12 |  Mike Hailwood | McLaren–Ford | +0.76 |
| 13 | James Hunt | Hesketh–Ford | +0.83 |
| 14 | John Watson | Brabham–Ford | +1.03 |
| 15 | Patrick Depailler | Tyrrell–Ford | +1.17 |
| 16 |  Ronnie Peterson | Lotus–Ford | +1.42 |
| 17 | Jochen Mass | Surtees–Ford | +1.65 |
| 18 | Graham Hill | Lola–Ford | +1.67 |
| 19 | Vittorio Brambilla | March–Ford | +1.71 |
| 20 | David Charlton | McLaren–Ford | +1.79 |
| 21 | Henri Pescarolo | BRM | +1.81 |
| 22 | Ian Scheckter | Lotus–Ford | +1.98 |
| 23 | Richard Robarts | Brabham–Ford | +2.02 |
| 24 | Eddie Keizan | Tyrrell–Ford | +2.42 |
| 25 | François Migault | BRM | +2.56 |
| 26 | Paddy Driver | Lotus–Ford | +2.91 |
| 27 |  Tom Belsø | FWRC–Ford | +3.22 |
| Source:[3] | |||
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| Previous race: 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 1974 season | Next race: 1974 Spanish Grand Prix |
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