German Formula 3 1971

As Formula 3 became increasingly structured across the continent, the German ADAC introduced a championship for national licence holders in 1971, comprising six rounds from the International at N?rburgring in April plus Flugplatzrennen airfield races at Bremgarten, Diepholz, Niederstetten, Kassel and Mendig. Thanks to the deep pockets of the Eifelland Caravaning company of Mayen, grids were a good size and there were plenty of brand new cars on display. Eifelland ran a new monocoque March 713M for talented lady driver Hannelore Werner, plus spaceframe 713Ss for Willi Deutsch, Willi Sommer, Hermann Unold, Klaus Enders, Wolfgang B?low, Erwin Derichs and Franz Pesch. Also in a brand new car, a 1971 Lotus 69, was Manfred Mohr, the veteran F3 driver whose career had been interrupted by massive accident at Brands Hatch at the end of 1968.

Mohr took maximum points at the 'Ring by finishing second to James Hunt's factory March 713S, but the Bremgarten race was won by Dieter Kern, driving an older 1-litre March 703 for Eifelland, and the Diepholz round fell to the elderly Brabham of Carlo Breidenstein, so the title was wide open heading into the sequence of three races over three weekends that decided the title. Hannelore Werner moved into contention by winning at Niederstetten but Mohr's second place gave him a strong championship lead. Deutsch then won from Unold and Kern at Kassel-Calden which, with Mohr and Werner both retiring, gave Kern a one-point championship lead over Mohr, with Unold and Werner both within reach and two other drivers also with a mathmatical chance of snatching the title. The Mendig race attracted an International F3 field which included Jochen Mass, one of Ford K?ln's talented young saloon car drivers who had been given a new Brabham BT35. Mass finished virtually alongside race winner Giancarlo Naddeo to take the 20 points for first German licence holder, and Mohr finished a creditable fifth to secure the championship. With Lotus 69s and Brabham BT35s dominating the race, the fleet of Eifelland Marchs finished well adrift.

The races

12 Apr 1971 > ADAC-300-km-Rennen at Nürburgring

23 May 1971 > ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Bremgarten

18 Jul 1971 > ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Diepholz

15 Aug 1971 > Hohenloher ADAC-Flugplatz-Rennen Niederstetten

22 Aug 1971 > ADAC-Hessen-Preis at Kassel-Calden

29 Aug 1971 > ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Mendig

1971 ADAC Preis der Formel 3 table

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This series used a 20-15-12-10-8 points system.