- 1967
Hulme takes Brabham to second consecutive title
Season's results | Drivers' Championship | Constructors' Championship
Brabham and Repco scored a second win through the efforts of Denny Hulme, but the story of the year was the arrival of the new Cosworth DFV engine. Packaged with the Lotus 49, it marked the beginning of an era.
Lotus had struggled through 1966, but in March that year Colin Chapman had persuaded Ford to invest in a new engine, to be built by Cosworth. The British firm embarked on an all-new V8 design for 1967, which would initially be for the exclusive use of Lotus. Chapman drew a simple but effective car, the 49, to exploit it. He further strengthened his package by bringing Graham Hill back to join Clark.
That elevated Stewart to team-leader status at BRM, where he was joined by Spence. Chris Amon joined Bandini at Ferrari. Ex-Ferrari star Surtees was signed to lead Honda's effort, while Pedro Rodriguez joined Rindt at Cooper. The season opened at the new Kyalami track in South Africa, and the race nearly saw a sensational win for privateer John Love in an old Cooper-Climax. A late stop for fuel dropped him to second, behind the Cooper-Maserati of Rodriguez.
Grand prix racing had been through a safe - or lucky - couple of seasons, but Ferrari ace Lorenzo Bandini was to lose his life at Monaco. He was leading when he crashed, and the car caught fire. Hulme won for Brabham, ahead of Hill and Amon.
Zandvoort saw the long-awaited debut of the Ford Cosworth and the Lotus 49. Clark took the win after poleman Hill's engine failed. At Spa Hill retired; then leader Clark had to pit for a plug change. Gurney took the often unreliable Eagle-Weslake to a memorable first (and only) win. For one time only the French Grand Prix was staged at the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans. Brabham and Hulme finished one-two, ahead of Stewart. Lotus fortunes looked up at Silverstone, where Clark won the British Grand Prix for the fifth time in six years. Kiwis Hulme and Amon finished second and third. Lotus gremlins struck again at the Nurburgring, where Clark and Hill were both sidelined by suspension failures. Hulme and Brabham scored a one-two.
For the first time the circus moved to the scenic Mosport track in Canada. Ignition problems put Clark out and - surprise surprise - Brabham and Hulme were there to take another one-two, with Hill a distant fourth. Clark was the hero at Monza, coming back from early problems to lead until he ran out of fuel. In a typically exciting finish, Surtees pipped Brabham to give Honda its first win of the 3-litre age. Luck swung to Lotus once again in Watkins Glen, where Clark and Hill managed a one-two. Hulme had been a steady performer all year, and he just pipped his boss to the title in Mexico. Clark won from Brabham, but third was enough to keep Denny ahead.
Reproduced from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Formula One published by Carlton Books
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
