South African Formula One Championship
Category | Single-seaters |
---|---|
Country | South Africa Rhodesia Portuguese Mozambique |
Inaugural season | 1960 |
Folded | 1975 |
Drivers | 14 (1975) |
Teams | 10 (1975) |
Constructors | 7 (1975) |
Engine suppliers | 2 (1975) |
Last Drivers' champion | Dave Charlton |
The South African Formula One Championship, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in South Africa between 1960 and 1975, including races in Rhodesia and Portuguese Mozambique.
The front-running cars in the series were recently retired from the world championship although there was also a healthy selection of locally built or modified machines, and from the late 60s Formula 5000 added to grids with Formula Two cars joining in 1973. Front-running drivers from the series usually contested their local World Championship Grand Prix, as well as occasional European events, although they had little success at that level.
1967 also saw a remarkable result by Rhodesian driver John Love with a 2.7 litre four-cylinder Cooper-Climax; Love was in his forties and, although seen as one of the finest drivers in Southern Africa, was not a major star. He led and finished second in that year's South African Grand Prix. Love's Cooper was originally designed for the short races of the Tasman Series, and to run a full Grand Prix, he added two auxiliary gas tanks. Unfortunately, the auxiliary tanks' fuel pump failure forced him to refuel after having led most of the race.[1]
Love and
Primarily owing to cost and dwindling grids, the Formula One championship was replaced at the end of the 1975 season with Formula Atlantic. The South Africans had tried to build interest by padding the field with Formula 2 and Formula 5000 cars, but viewership was in a steady decline, not helped by a somewhat Byzantine points system.[2] 1976 would see the start of the domination of South Africa's National Championship by Ian Scheckter. Indeed, had it not been for youthful exuberance, Scheckter may have won the 1975 title. He won more races than Charlton, but Charlton was more consistent. Scheckter won the first four championships in a row for Lexington Racing before United Tobacco Company withdrew their teams (Lexington, Gunston and Texan). With Gunston returning in 1983, Scheckter returned to the Championship and won a further two championships to join Love and Charlton as a six-time winner.