Monza 50 Years Championship Celebration
Emerson Fittipaldi and CTL were at the Italian Grand Prix this year to help celebrate 50 Years since the Championship clinching victory at Monza in 1972.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw four of the iconic cars that Emerson drove during his years with the team from Hethel, on track at Monza as part of the Fittipaldi 50-years championship celebration. As you might expect all the historic cars celebrating Emerson were provided by Classic Team Lotus.
Over the course of the weekend the four cars from Classic Team Lotus (Types 49, 56B and two 72s) were driven round the illustrious Monza circuit by Emerson Fittipaldi, Johnny Herbert, Karun Chandhok, Jaques Villeneuve, Martin Brundle, Mika Salo and Damon Hill. Sky TV were there to cover the three days running which provided some dramatic and memorable entertainment for viewers worldwide.
The red and white Gold Leaf Team Lotus Type 49 chassis R10 running at Monza this weekend was the very same chassis that Fittipaldi drove in his Grand Prix debut at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in July of 1970. R10 was also the car that had been driven to victory by Graham Hill at Monaco in both 1968 and 1969 and had given Mario Andretti his first taste of F1 when he tested the car prior to the 1968 Italian Grand Prix.
In 1971 Fittipaldi drove the unique, one-off, Pratt & Whitney gas turbine powered Lotus Type 56B in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The gold and black car woooshed its way to an eighth place finish in a race remembered for the closet finish in the history of Grand Prix racing when Peter Gethin beat Ronnie Peterson to the flag by the narrowest of margins. The 56B was driven by an incredulous Johnny Herbert who wouldn't let anyone else in 'his' seat all weekend.
By the time Team Lotus were back at Monza for the 1972 Grand Prix, Fittipaldi had already scored four Grand Prix victories that season driving the legendary Type 72, which was now resplendent in the new Black & Gold livery that, 50 years on is still regarded as probably the most recognisable livery in Formula 1. On September 10th 1972 Fittipaldi took chassis 72/5 (the car he drove during the weekend) to another win securing that season’s Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for himself and Team Lotus. Seen below with his wife Rossana.
The fourth car on display, Type 72 chassis 7 was driven by Fittipaldi to a total of five Grand Prix wins, including a memorable win at his home Grand Prix in Brazil in 1973.
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