South African Grand Prix

Kyalami, 1 Mar 1969

All cars are 3-litre F1 unless noted.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

3-litre Formula 1 World Championship events 1966-1985

These 1966 to 1985 results were initially compiled by Allen Brown, but these were in the very basic form required to track individual car histories. Since then further details, such as laps completed, qualifying times and so on, have been added from Rob Ryder's extensive database.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can help with our research.

Individual sources for this event

Autosport 7 Mar 1969 pp8-15 (report by David Phipps). Motor Sport April 1969 pp356-358,381 (report by MJT, MN's then managing editor Mike Tee). Motoring News 6 Mar 1969 pp10-12 (report also by MJT). Sport Auto Avril 1969 pp34-44 (report by Gérard Crombac). Race Report 3 p85 (by Eddie Guba). Autosport gave full chassis numbers and even engine numbers, a new first. Motor Sport's report was particularly poor, but it appeared MJT was given more space in Motoring News, where chassis numbers were given on the grid, and an additional table gave the weight of each car. According to Andrew Marriott, Tee, the eldest son of the publications' owner Wesley J Tee, "pulled rank" for this trip. Jabby Crombac in Sport Auto had an extensive section on 'Les voitures en course' giving chassis number, a few engine numbers, tyre compund details and even information on fire extinguishers. Eddie Guba's Race Report 3 gave chassis numbers on the grid throughout this season, but gave no information on non-qualifiers or T-cars. Speedworld International had closed at the end of 1968 and its editor Gregor Grant, founder of Autosport, sadly died of cancer later in 1969.

The 1969 season opened without Eagle, Honda, Cooper, the Matra works team or engine supplier Repco, although Cooper aimed to return when a sponsor could be found. Jochen Rindt had joined Graham Hill at Lotus, who had a third car present for Mario Andretti; Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren still had M7-series McLarens; Jacky Ickx joined Jack Brabham in his team, the Repco engines in the BT26s having been replaced with Cosworth DFVs; Jean-Pierre Beltoise joined Jackie Stewart in Ken Tyrrell's Matra-DFVs, John Surtees joined BRM from Honda, with Jackie Oliver moving from Lotus into the second BRM and Pedro Rodriguez being relegated into the Parnell team's car; and Ferrari entered just one car for Chris Amon. Walker/Durlacher was the only privateer present likely to be at every race, so there were just 14 regulars to start the season, ten of which used Cosworth DFV engines. South African privateers would fill this first grid, led by John Love's Lotus 49 and Basil van Rooyen's McLaren M7A. BRM had the 48-valve V12 engine ready for this event, producing a claimed 452 bhp, and Ferrari also had a new engine with new camshafts and reversed ports, the exhausts being outside the vee again, producing a claimed 435 bhp. Lotus, McLaren, Matra, BRM, Brabham, Cosworth and Ferrari were all said to be developing four-wheel-drive cars, but the BRM, Brabham and Ferrari would never leave the drawing board, and the Cosworth would never race.

Matra brought out the brand new Matra MS80 to join the two MS10s, so Jackie Stewart had a T car, Surtees had the two BRM P138s to choose between, one with the 4-valve engine and one with a 2-valve. Oliver had an early-1968 P133 and poor Rodriguez was stuck with Parnell's old 126-01, although Autosport called it 133-01. The new Ferrari for Amon was 312/69 chassis 0017, but Autosport called it chassis 0009 and Motor Sport called it a 1968 car, which would later be explained by it using the carnet from 312/68 0009. Stewart and Brabham were the only drivers with new 9-series Cosworth DFVs.