HINDSIGHT 1971 MARCH 711
Much of the 711s rear bodywork was discarded when engine cooling problems arose during initial track testing.
Kyalami circuit in South Africa, the 711 overheated, so the engine cover and radiator cowlings were removed. ‘There was a slight miscalculation by Frank and me on the cooling system,’ says Herd. ‘Initially, we’d designed special combined oil and water radiators, but early testing proved that they weren’t big enough, and by that time we couldn’t afford to design and make new ones. We had spent all the available budget, aside from the £10,000
“There was a slight miscalculation on the cooling system”
we had left to run Ronnie [Peterson] for the season.’ The addition of larger, separate water
radiators brought the engine water temperature under control, while separate oil coolers mounted beneath the rear wing did a similar job for the engine lubricants, but at the cost of a change in weight distribution and a compromise to the car’s original aerodynamic concept.
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www.racecarengineering.com • August 2011
In addition to the cooling problems,
the 711’s original engine cover design, with NACA ducts recessed into it, was found to be deficient in its ability to feed enough air to the engine beneath it. Costin came up with an alternative design with protruding side inlets that cured the problem but, before it was introduced, the rival Tyrrell team effectively moved the goalposts. During 1970, Team Lotus had used an
engine cover with low-mounted side air inlets, as in the Costin re-design, but at the Mexican Grand Prix the works Matra team took this burgeoning area of development a step further by fitting its cars with a glass fibre engine cover / air scoop. This collected air from above the rollover bar, although it was not fully sealed onto the engine inlet trumpets, and was therefore less effective than it might have been. Following Matra’s lead, and working
on the basis that the airbox was part of the engine rather than the car’s bodywork (the height of which was limited), Tyrrell designer Derek Gardner came up with a properly sealed air collector box with its inlet positioned above the roll hoop, where it was able to ingest a stream of far less turbulent air than that collected by the Costin design. With this deemed
legal, March and every other F1 team was effectively obliged to follow the Tyrrell lead, but otherwise the 711s ran with their rear ends unclothed for the remainder of the season.
Faltering start The new March’s racing career had a
faltering start, too. At the South African Grand Prix, team leader Peterson was the best placed of the three 711s that took part, and finished 10th, but was unable to pass one of the previous year’s 701s, now in private hands, on Kyalami’s long main straight. Then a brake shaft failure at the non-points Race of Champions led to all 711s having their inboard front brake discs moved outboard onto the uprights, further compromising weight distribution and handling. It was not until the Monaco Grand
Prix, the third round of the 1971 Formula 1 World Championship, that the 711’s season finally took off. With an updated rear suspension, Peterson started from eighth on the grid, vaulted up to fifth on the opening lap and brought his car home in second place, beaten only by Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell. A few races later, Peterson excelled at the British Grand
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