March 721

March 721

March 721 of Ronnie Peterson

March 721 ex-Ronnie Peterson

TheMarch 721is aFormula One car,designed, developed, and made byMarch Engineeringfor the1972 Formula One season.It was powered by the 3.0 L (180 cu in)Ford-Cosworth DFV engine.It was driven byRonnie Peterson,Niki Lauda,Henri Pescarolo,Carlos Pace,andMike Beuttler.

Racing history

The 721 was the successor model to theMarch 711and, after the strong 1971 season, was intended to secure March's leap to the top of the Formula 1 constructors. It came in three versions: the traditional 721, the 721X, and the 721G.

The basic version of the 721, which did not have an additional designation in the form of a letter, was a slightly improved version of the old 711 and was built for customers such asFrank Williams Racing Carsand Günther Hennerici'sEifelland.It also served as an interim car for the factory team until the new 721X was ready. Eifelland's car was fitted with a new bodywork designed byLuigi Colaniand was renamed asEifelland E21.

TheMarch 721Xwas a completely new design. The rear springs were highly hinged and could be operated via levers and springs. DesignerRobin Herdwanted to create a low moment of inertia by concentrating most of the car's weight in the middle of the car.Alfa Romeoprovided a transversal gearbox, fitted between the Cosworth DFV engine and the rear axle. In theory, this design made sense, but the Goodyear racing tires that March used in 1972 never really harmonized with the chassis. The front tires were constantly being overloaded, causing oversteer and understeer. The drivers couldn't handle the car and the 721X is generally viewed as a bad design. Niki Lauda, one of the March factory drivers of 1972, called the 721X "a complete failure", "a stillbirth" and "a debacle".

Seeing that the car was a failure, March built an alternative model, the721G,in just nine days to avert a complete failure in the 1972 season. For the 721G, a conventional Formula 2 chassis from theMarch 722was adapted for Formula 1. Suspension and brakes were from the customer version of the 721, and the powerplant was again theCosworth DFVV8 engine. In 1972, March had built three Formula 1 model within a year. Ronnie Peterson took third place with the G-Type at the German Grand Prix. Niki Lauda remained pointless with the March in his first full Formula 1 season.