Page 27 - Ferrari in America

avid Bu
Hall’s Chaparral and Bruce McLaren’s McLaren. Ferrari team leader John Surtees was
injured in a crash and would be sidelined until 1966.
After Mosport, Pedro went to New York, and then he and Chinetti traveled together to
Watkins Glen for the US Grand Prix. Ferrari sent three cars and Chinetti had arranged for
NART to enter two of them, for Pedro (1512 0007) and Bob Bondurant (158 0006), who
had been instrumental in Cobra winning the Manufacturers’ Championship that year.
Lorenzo Bandini was assigned the factory car.
were lapped by the three leaders.
24 David Bull Publishing
In the race, the British were dominant. The best the Ferraris could do was to place
Bandini (1512 0009) fourth, Pedro fifth, and Bondurant ninth. Both Bandini and Pedro
The GP circus then moved on to Mexico, where the Ferrari contingent had some
interesting political problems. Team manager at Ferrari, Eugenio Dragoni, was known
for his irrational favoritism toward Italian drivers, no matter what their pace. As a result,
Bondurant arrived in Mexico to find that his Watkins Glen car had been assigned to
Lodovico Scarfiotti. In an unusual move, Lotus had fired Innes Ireland for arriving late at
the track, so Bondurant was able to secure that ride.
There were problems in practice when Dragoni assigned the Ferrari V8 to Pedro and
the two Italians got the 12-cylinder cars, which were considered more desirable. He insisted
that Pedro try some new Firestone tires that were intended for 1966, but were unsuitable
at that stage in their development, which led to Pedro crashing in practice. He next tried
one of the 12s and posted good times. Then, Dragoni told Pedro his V8 might not be
repaired in time for the race. This led to Don Pedro telling Dragoni that Pedro should be
in one of the two undamaged cars.
Chinetti tried to mediate. It was suggested that Ferrari himself be called, but Dragoni
©2024 David Bull Publishin
declined to do so. Don Pedro then asked who was second in command that weekend.
He wondered aloud what might happen if Dragoni were to be arrested by the Mexican
police for traveling without a passport, saying that if that happened, Dragoni would be
jailed until Monday, when the case would be decided. Don Pedro wanted to know who
would be in charge at that point. Dragoni looked at Chinetti, who simply looked away.
Dragoni realized that it would not be impossible for his passport to go missing in Mexico
if a powerful person wished it so.
FOLLOWING PAGES—THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY DIDN’T GET AWAY. The NART-entered 365 P2
of Pedro Rodríguez and Nino Vaccarella was one of the cars that was supposed to have
won Le Mans in 1965. It didn’t, although it finished well. But a mere two weeks later,
things were different. Rodríguez, this time with Jean Guichet, won the 12 Hours of Reims,
a unique midnight-to-noon event. Pedro held on to the car when it came to the United
States in September, where he finished second in the Bridgehampton 500. Updated to
P3 specs, the good results continued with a fourth at the first Daytona 24 Hours in 1966.
It crashed at Sebring, was repaired for Le Mans, and again ran at both Daytona and Le
©2024 David Bull PubMans in 1967, although it retired each time. Chassis 0838 was finally put out to pasture
where, as can readily be seen, it is living in comfortable leisure. DENIS L. TANNEY
A P O G E E
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