Carlos Pace Explained

José Carlos Pace
Nationality: Brazilian
Birth Date:6 October 1944
Death Place:Mairiporã, Brazil
Years:
Races:73 (72 starts)
Championships:0
Wins:1
Podiums:6
Points:58
Poles:1
Fastest Laps:5
Last Win:1975 Brazilian Grand Prix

José Carlos Pace (pronounced as /pt/; 6 October 1944 – 18 March 1977) was a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 73 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at the 1972 South African Grand Prix. He won one race, achieved six podiums, and scored a total of 58 championship points. He also secured one pole position.

Career

Pace was a contemporary of the Fittipaldi brothers, Wilson and Emerson, and began racing in Brazil in the late 1960s. He travelled to Europe in 1970 and competed in British Formula 3, winning the Forward Trust championship in a Lotus car. In he moved up to Formula Two with Frank Williams, but did not score any points from six races. Nevertheless, he moved up to Formula One in, competing with a Williams-entered March. He scored points on two occasions and finished eighteenth in the Drivers' Championship. His best result came at the non-championship Victory Race, in which he finished in second position. He also competed in some further F2 and Can-Am races.

For, Pace moved to the Surtees team and improved to eleventh place in the championship after scoring a fourth place in Germany and his first championship podium finish with third in Austria. He also set the fastest lap in both of these events. He also competed in three F2 races for Surtees, but his main racing activities outside F1 were in the World Sportscar Championship, in which he drove for the works Ferrari team. Sharing a 312PB with Arturo Merzario, the duo finished second at the Nürburgring and at Le Mans (after starting in pole position for the latter event), and third at Watkins Glen.

He remained with Surtees for and scored a fourth-place finish in Brazil, but parted company with the outfit mid-season after falling out with the founder, John Surtees. He drove a privately entered Brabham for Goldie Hexagon Racing at the French Grand Prix but failed to qualify, before moving to the works team alongside namesake Carlos Reutemann for the next race. After initially struggling with the new machinery, he finished fifth and set the fastest lap at Monza, and repeated the feat on his way to second, behind Reutemann, at Watkins Glen, securing a one-two finish for Brabham.

The Brabham team's BT44B chassis were competitive throughout the season, allowing Pace and Reutemann to feature at the front of the grid. Pace duly took his first and only Formula One victory in front of his home crowd at the Brazilian Grand Prix, took his first pole position at the following race in South Africa, and also finished on the podium at Monaco and Silverstone, ending the season sixth overall in the Drivers' Championship and helping Brabham to second in the Constructors' Championship, behind Ferrari.

He remained with Brabham for, but the car was much less competitive due to a change of engine, from Ford-Cosworth to Alfa Romeo. The Italian flat 12 units were larger, heavier, less reliable and less economical than their V8 predecessors, restricting Pace to fourteenth place in the championship, whilst Reutemann left the team before the end of the season.

By the start of the season, the competitiveness and durability of the Alfa engines had been much improved for Pace and his new teammate, John Watson. He demonstrated this fact by taking second position at the season opener in Argentina, and running strongly in the next two Grands Prix before suffering from mechanical trouble, but he was unable to capitalise on the improved performance for the rest of the season due to his sudden death.

Death and honours

Pace was killed in a private light aircraft accident near São Paulo, Brazil[1] on 18 March 1977, 13 days after fellow F1 driver Tom Pryce and marshal Jansen Van Vuuren lost their lives during the 1977 South African Grand Prix.[2] The Interlagos track, the scene of his only F1 win in 1975, was renamed Autódromo José Carlos Pace in his honour. Pace is buried in Cemitério do Araçá, São Paulo.

In the 1977 motorsport film Bobby Deerfield, the eponymous title character is represented by Pace in the racing scenes.

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
1970BRSCC Lombank British Formula ThreeJim Russell Racing Driver School131247433rd
BRSCC Motorsport/Shell British Formula Three111012225th
BARC Forward Trust British Formula Three112124411st
1971European Formula TwoFrank Williams Motul March600000NC
1972Formula OneTeam Williams Motul110000318th
European Formula TwoPygmée Racing Team40111615th
Can-AmAdvanced Vehicle Systems300001015th
1973Formula OneBrooke Bond Oxo Team Surtees140021711th
World Sportscar ChampionshipFerrari SEFAC SpA900040NC
European Formula TwoSurtees Racing300000NC
24 Hours of Le MansFerrari SEFAC SpA10001N/A2nd
1974Formula OneMotor Racing Developments600211112th
Bang & Olufsen Team Surtees50000
Team Surtees20000
1975Formula OneMartini Racing141113246th
1976Formula OneMartini Racing160000714th
1977Formula OneMartini Racing30001615th

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position / Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617WDCPoints
1972Team Williams MotulMarch 711Cosworth V8ARGRSA
ESP
MON
BEL
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
CAN
USA
18th3
1973Brooke Bond Oxo Team SurteesSurtees TS14ACosworth V8ARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
BEL
MON
SWE
FRA
GBR
NED
GER
AUT
ITA
CAN
USA
11th7
1974Team SurteesSurtees TS16Cosworth V8ARG
BRA
12th11
Bang & Olufsen Team SurteesRSA
ESP
BEL
MON
SWE
NED
Goldie Hexagon RacingBrabham BT42FRA
Motor Racing DevelopmentsBrabham BT44GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
CAN
USA
1975Martini RacingBrabham BT44BCosworth V8ARG
BRA
RSA
ESP
MON
BEL
SWE
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
ITA
USA
6th24
1976Martini RacingBrabham BT45Alfa Romeo Flat-12BRA
RSA
USW
ESP
BEL
MON
SWE
FRA
GBR
GER
AUT
NED
ITA
CAN
USA
JPN
14th7
1977Martini RacingBrabham BT45Alfa Romeo Flat-12ARG
BRA
15th6
Brabham BT45BRSA
USWESPMONBELSWEFRAGBRGERAUTNEDITAUSACANJPN

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position / Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456
1972Team Williams MotulMarch 711Cosworth V8ROCBRA
INTOULREP
Team SurteesSurtees TS9BVIC
1973Brooke Bond Oxo Team SurteesSurtees TS14ACosworth V8ROCINT
1974Team SurteesSurtees TS16Cosworth V8PRE
ROCINT
1975Martini RacingBrabham BT44BCosworth V8ROCINTSUI
1976Martini RacingBrabham BT45Alfa Romeo Flat-12ROC
INT

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

Books

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: This Charming Man: Carlos Pace. themotorsportarchive.com. 5 November 2010. 6 March 2014.
  2. Henry (1985) pp. 164, 167