Emerson Fittipaldi

After a series of lengthy negotiations and with considerable assistance from Marlboro it waspossible to secure the services of Emerson Fittipaldi to drive the M23 in 1974. Emerson having previously won the World Championship in 1972 was a proven driver and recognized by everybody as a Formula 1 driver of great talent and potential. Certainly we could see that a team comprising Denny Hulme and Emerson Fittipaldi in the Marlboro/Texaco Cars and Mike Hailwood in the Yardley car was potentially very strong. Emerson was a true professional and had the respect of not only the team personnel but sponsors and circuit organizers alike. He was well recognised and universally liked.

The season started in South America and it was clear from the time we arrived in Argentina, that the prospect of kidnapping, which had been a problem in the country for many years, was a real threat. Emerson because of his huge reputation in South America was considered to be a prime target. Extraordinary lengths were taken to ensure his safety and security to the extent that body guards were placed on the floor of the hotel where Emerson's room was located and at all times body guards were in close proximity to Emerson whenever he left the hotel to travel to the circuit and whilst at the circuit. It really was quite an extraordinary time and everyone was aware of the fact that not only Emerson, but some of the other high profile drivers could be at risk. The organizers were conscious of this and there is no doubt they took the necessary steps to ensure the safety of all team personnel and particularly the drivers.

We noticed at the circuit that the guards protecting Emerson looked somewhat strange because they were carrying what appeared to be small handbags. When we asked them about the handbags, which we thought were a little incongruous, a body guard merely indicated that by quickly moving the zip he had at his instant disposal and in his right hand a very efficient handgun. When asked would he use it if required, he indicated absolutely no question.

From Argentina we moved onto Brazil, Emerson's home Grand Prix. An added bonus of having Emerson on the team was that he was able to assist with any difficulty we might have bringing the race cars and any other urgent parts that needed to be flown out before the Grand Prix, by being able to speak to any appropriate government official and clear the path. The highlight was of course that Emerson won this race, which was the perfect result and was a great follow on from Denny having won in Argentina, so the McLaren team had scored a double in the first two races of the season. By the end of this race it was clear Emerson Fittipaldi was rated an absolute hero not only in Brazil but in South America in general.

Later in the season the Grand Prix at Nivelles was probably a pivotal event in determining the outcome of the World Championship for 1974. In practice we worked pretty hard with Mike's car and in fact Mike was quick during practice and we had the car pretty much set up the way we thought was best for that circuit. We found that Mike was pulling about 10,300rpm in top gear along the pit straight, and this was one area of the circuit where overtaking was possible at the very end but it needed a very good slip stream for the latter part of the straight in order to undertake a passing maneuver. The normal rev limit on the Cosworth DFV at that stage was about 10,400rpm and we wanted about 200 rpm in hand so that in the event of a tow it would still be possible to pull out and go past the car in front without unduly exceeding the safe rev limit. I was talking to Emerson and found that he was pulling 10,700 on his own in top gear and seemed quite happy with that and found that the lap times were as good as he could hope for in practice. I had a long chat with Teddy Mayer and Emerson and said that in my opinion it was unrealistic to start the race knowing you would be pulling those revs for the duration of the race, but more particularly it meant that Emerson had nothing in reserve if he got into the situation were he was slip streaming another car and wanted to get by. He was using different gear ratios from Mike and Denny but eventually we persuaded Emerson to change the gear ratios and in fact he ended up with gear ratios almost the same as both Mike and Denny and pulling a higher top gear.

In the event it turned out that being able to have those few hundred revs in hand was probably the difference between winning and losing the race at Nivelles as it was a very hard fought race between Lauda and Emerson.

In one of the closest finishes of the season, Emerson who had a relatively comfortable lead with a few laps to go, just drove very carefully on the last few laps and relied on the power of the engine to get him to the finish line before Lauda would have any chance of overtaking him using the slip stream maneuver. Emerson crossed the line half a second in front of Lauda, but that win was probably critical in terms of the way the World Championship evolved at the end of the year.

As the season progressed, it became obvious that it was going to be a down to the wire issue between Ferrari and McLaren and prior to the last race at Watkins Glen, both Reggazoni and Emerson were on equal points at 52. The strategy for the US Grand Prix was for Emerson to finish ahead of Reggazoni. Winning was not as important as finishing the race and staying in front of Reggazoni, so we were very reliant on Jochen Mass in the Yardley McLaren, who had replaced Mike Hailwood at this stage and Denny to assist Emerson in terms of producing the right result. Denny retired early from the race and immediately afterwards announced his retirement from international motor racing. Emerson managed to finish in 4th place, which gained him sufficient points to take the World Championship title, the first for a driver in a McLaren and the team was absolutely elated because at last we felt that the team had succeeded in achieving the Championship for Bruce. It was an emotional moment.

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