1983 United States Grand Prix West

The 1983 United States Grand Prix West was the second race of the 1983 Formula One Season.http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr375.html John Watson claimed a memorable win, while the grid was surprised by the return of Alan Jones, racing for the first time since 1981.
==Background==
Nelson Piquet led the championship coming into the United States, with the paddock arriving at Long Beach for the final time.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_United_States_Grand_Prix_West The circuit had had modifications made to it once more, with the pitlane now on Shoreline Drive, and Ocean Blvd. no longer included on the circuit.
The entry list had remained unchanged in between Brazil and Long Beach, at least until Arrows had announced they had obtained the services of former champion Alan Jones. They had gambled on the Aussie (whom came out of retirement just for the race) after failing to attract any sponsors over the winter, running completely white cars in Brazil. For Jones, it would be the first race he had competed in since the 1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix.
==Entry List==
The full entry list for the is shown below:
No.	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model 	Tyre
1 	Keke Rosberg 	TAG Williams Racing Team 	 	FW08C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
2 	Jacques Laffite 	TAG Williams Racing Team 	 	FW08C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
3 	Michele Alboreto 	Benetton Tyrrell Team 	 	011B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
4 	Danny Sullivan 	Benetton Tyrrell Team 	 	011B 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
5 	Nelson Piquet 	Fila Sport 	 	BT52 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
6 	Riccardo Patrese 	Fila Sport 	 	BT52 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
7 	John Watson 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
8 	Niki Lauda 	Marlboro McLaren International	 	MP4/1C 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
9 	Manfred Winkelhock	Team ATS 	 	D6 	 	M12/13 L4t 1.5	
11 	Elio de Angelis 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	93T 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
12 	Nigel Mansell 	John Player Team Lotus 	 	92 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
15 	Alain Prost 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE40 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
16 	Eddie Cheever 	Equipe Renault Elf 	 	RE30C 	 	EF1 V6t 1.5 	
17 	Eliseo Salazar 	RAM Racing Team March 	 	01 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	183T 	 	890T V8t 1.5 	
23 	Mauro Baldi 	Marlboro Team Alfa Romeo 	 	183T 	 	890T V8t 1.5 	
25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS21 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
26 	Raul Boesel 	Equipe Ligier Gitanes 	 	JS21 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
27 	Patrick Tambay 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2B 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
28 	René Arnoux 	Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC 	 	126C2B 	 	021 V6t 1.5 	
29 	Marc Surer 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A6 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
30 	Alan Jones 	Arrows Racing Team 	 	A6 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
31 	Corrado Fabi 	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
32 	Piercarlo Ghinzani	Osella Squadra Corse 	 	FA1D 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
33 	Roberto Guerrero 	Theodore Racing Team 	 	N183 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
34 	Johnny Cecotto 	Theodore Racing Team 	 	N183 	 	DFV V8 3.0 	
35 	Derek Warwick 	Candy Toleman Motorsport 	 	TG183B 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	Candy Toleman Motorsport 	 	TG183B 	 	415T L4t 1.5 	
==Practice Overview==
Practice revealed that the new layout had problems, particularly where old circuit met new. This was most noticable on the exit of Seaside Way, where two bumps were so severe that many teams felt their cars would suffer suspension failure during the race. René Arnoux was the first to brave the bumps, setting a time good enough for provisional pole before the main qualifying session.
The bumps were flattened overnight to reduce their impact on the cars.
==Qualifying==
The reduced bumpiness of the circuit allowed Patrick Tambay to take pole position over his team mate, beating Arnoux by eight tenths. Keke Rosberg and Jacques Laffite gave Williams a second row lock out, while Elio de Angelis was the best of the Renault powered cars in fifth. Alain Prost debuted the new Renault RE40, although his pace was hampered by his Michelin tyres, a fate shared by all of those supplied by the French tyre manufacturer.
Alan Jones pushed the Arrows into twelfth position in qualifying, while Roberto Guerrero had his best time disallowed for having a loose piece of body work. It was a bad day for Osella , as both Corrado Fabi and Piercarlo Ghinzani were eliminated during qualifying. McLaren were also in trouble, with Watson and Niki Lauda well down in 22nd and 23rd places respectively.
===Qualifying Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2
1 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	1:28.598 	1:26.117
2 	28 	René Arnoux 	 	1:26.935 	1:27.628
3 	1 	Keke Rosberg 	 	1:29.577 	1:27.145
4 	2 	Jacques Laffite 	 	1:30.529 	1:27.818
5 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	1:31.624 	1:27.982
6 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	No Time 	1:28.130
7 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:29.066 	1:28.425
8 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	1:28.558 	1:29.765
9 	4 	Danny Sullivan 	 	1:31.271 	1:28.833
10 	25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier 	 	1:29.600 	1:28.913
11 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	1:28.958 	1:29.467
12 	30 	Alan Jones 	 	1:30.451 	1:29.112
13 	12 	NIgel Mansell 	 	1:31.728 	1:29.167
14 	36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	No Time 	1:29.266
15 	16 	Eddie Cheever 	 	1:30.597 	1:29.422
16 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	1:30.067 	1:29.521
17 	34 	Johnny Cecotto 	 	1:29.559 	1:30.258
18 	33 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	1:29.585 	1:28.528*
19 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:33.336 	1:29.603
20 	5 	Nelson Piquet 	 	1:30.173 	1:30.034
21 	23 	Mauro Baldi 	 	1:31.924 	1:30.070
22 	7 	John Watson 	 	1:32.439 	1:30.100
23 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	1:30.262 	1:30.188
24 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock 	 	1:31.599 	1:30.220
25 	17 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	1:32.597 	1:31.126
26 	26 	Raul Boesel 	 	1:31.759 	1:31.765
DNQ 	31 	Corrado Fabi 	 	1:33.869 	1:31.901
DNQ 	32 	Piercarlo Ghinzani 	 	No TIme 	1:32.182
Bold indicates a driver's fastest time	Bold indicates a driver's fastest time	Bold indicates a driver's fastest time	Bold indicates a driver's fastest time	Bold indicates a driver's fastest time	Bold indicates a driver's fastest time
* Guerrero's time was disallowed due to damaged bodywork.
==Race==
Before the race rumours emerged that the 1983 Long Beach Grand Prix would be the last, although the man behind the event, Chris Pook, refused to comment until after the race. Grid-wise, there were no changes before the race.
===Report===
The race got under way with Rosberg immediately passing Arnoux off the line (sliding into the Frenchman through the torque of the Cosworth engine), before attempting to take Tambay later in the lap. Arnoux, meanwhile fell to fifth over the remainder of the lap, while Riccardo Patrese jumped to sixth off the line. By the second lap, however, Rosberg had a spin (fortunate not to tap the wall) and fell behind his team mate Jacques Laffite. It was not long, however, before Rosberg was back up to second.
Derek Warwick was the first of the leaders to fall, a spin causing too much damage to the cooling system of the Hart engined Toleman.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8618388.stm At the front, meanwhile, Rosberg was all over the back of Tambay, the Williams not suffering from the turbo lag that plagued the Ferrari. Behind them, Jean-Pierre Jarier had climbed into the top six, taking Patrese quickly. Jarier then locked up going into the next corner, sliding into the front of Michele Alboreto, causing Alboreto to pit and allowing Patrese into fourth.
The battle for the lead was then decided by Rosberg, who had a forced his way up the inside of Tambay going into the hairpin. Rosberg slammed on the brakes in an attempt to make the corner, although Tambay drove across the front of the Finn, launching the Ferrari into the air. Tambay retired there and then, with Rosberg seemingly unaffected, until he pulled off with suspension damage. The lead was handed to Laffite, although the initative was with the charging McLarens.
Although they had qualified 22nd and 23rd, and shod with Michelin tyres, Niki Lauda and John Watson had worked together to get into the points, and by the time of the Tambay/Rosberg incident were only 20 seconds behind. Lauda had got the better start and led the pair through the field, until Watson used his skill in overtaking to take his Austrian team mate on lap 33. Lauda then stuck onto the wing of Watson, as they drew in the leaders. On lap 44, Watson and Lauda both slid past Patrese at the hairpin, and then were on the back of Laffite. A feint by Watson gave him the lead on the 45th lap at the hairpin, with Lauda soon battling past the Williams for second.
Watson and Lauda streaked away at the front, as Laffite fell away, falling behind Patrese soon after. Eddie Cheever and Arnoux had an exciting duel for a time, with Cheever giving room to Arnoux when needed. The pair came across the slowing Laffite, with Arnoux using the tow of both cars to take fourth, with Cheever also getting past the Williams for sixth. Cheever then gave Arnoux a taste of his own medicine by taking fourth from the Ferrari, before again defending from the Ferrari.
Cheever then suffered a gear box failure just 7 laps from the end, while Patrese developed a fault on his distributor, costing him a significant amount of time each lap. Their demise (although Patrese continued) promoted Laffite back to fourth, Marc Surer (whose team mate Jones retired with fatigue on lap 59) into fifth and the young Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto into sixth. At the front, however, Watson proved unstoppable, taking his fifth and final victory ahead of Lauda and Arnoux.
===Results===
Pos.	No.	Driver 	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Pts
1 	7 	John Watson 	 	75 	1:53:34.889 	22 	9
2 	8 	Niki Lauda 	 	75 	+27.993 	23 	6
3 	28 	René Arnoux 	 	75 	+1:13.638 	2 	4
4 	2 	Jacques Laffite 	 	74 	+1 lap 	4 	3
5 	29 	Marc Surer 	 	74 	+1 lap 	16 	2
6 	34 	Johnny Cecotto 	 	74 	+1 lap 	17 	1
7 	26 	Raul Boesel 	 	73 	+2 laps 	26 	
8 	4 	Danny Sullivan 	 	73 	+2 laps 	9 	
9 	3 	Michele Alboreto 	 	73 	+2 laps 	7 	
10 	6 	Riccardo Patrese 	 	72 	Distributor 	11 	
11 	15 	Alain Prost 	 	72 	+3 laps 	8 	
12 	12 	Nigel Mansell 	 	72 	+3 laps 	13 	
13 	16 	Eddie Cheever* 	 	67 	Gearbox 	15 	
Ret 	30 	Alan Jones 	 	58 	Fatigue 	12 	
Ret 	5 	Nelson Piquet 	 	51 	Throttle 	20 	
Ret 	22 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	48 	Gearbox 	19 	
Ret 	11 	Elio de Angelis 	 	29 	Handling 	5 	
Ret 	33 	Roberto Guerrero 	 	27 	Gearbox 	18 	
Ret 	25 	Jean-Pierre Jarier	 	26 	Accident 	10 	
Ret 	36 	Bruno Giacomelli 	 	26 	Battery 	14 	
Ret 	23 	Mauro Baldi 	 	26 	Spin 	21 	
Ret 	27 	Patrick Tambay 	 	25 	Accident 	1 	
Ret 	1 	Keke Rosberg 	 	25 	Accident 	3 	
Ret 	17 	Eliseo Salazar 	 	25 	Gearbox 	25 	
Ret 	35 	Derek Warwick 	 	11 	Spin 	6 	
Ret 	9 	Manfred Winkelhock	 	3 	Spin 	24 	
* Cheever retired but was still classified for completing more the 90% of the race distance.
==Milestones==
*Last race at Long Beach.
*Last win for John Watson.
*Last race for Alan Jones until the 1985 Italian Grand Prix.
==Standings after race==
1983 Drivers' World Championship	1983 Drivers' World Championship	1983 Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts
1 	Niki Lauda 	10
2= 	Nelson Piquet 	9
2= 	John Watson 	9
4 	Jacques Laffite 	6
5 	Rene Arnoux 	4
Only the top 5 drivers are displayed.
1983 Constructors' World Championship	1983 Constructors' World Championship	1983 Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts
1 	 	19
2 	 	9
3= 	 	6
3= 	 	6
5 	 	3
Only the top 5 constructors are displayed.
==References==
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:United States Grand Prix West
Category:1983 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in the United States