1978 South African Grand Prix

The **1978 South African Grand Prix** was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 4th March 1978. It was the second race in both the 1978 World Championship of Drivers and the 1978 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.

## Background

Stefan Van Damme entered the event as the championship leader, following a dominant win two months before in Buenos Aires.

Following poor results in the first round, many teams brought upgrades for their cars which focussed on improving the ground effect. There was a distinct split in the grid between drivers running low and high downforce setups due to the nature of the Kyalami circuit.

## Qualifying

Lotus' Van Damme took another pole position, followed by Chuck Dingley and Gervais Trémaux. Dingley and Trémaux were reserve drivers and impressed the entire grid with their speed, despite limited experience in their cars.

## Race Summary

Van Damme was briefly challenged for the lead of the race by Trémaux due to bogging down at the start, but maintained the position into the first corner. However, his teammate Jeremy Spocinklass was hit from behind by Erik Vik, sending Spocinklass into a gravel trap. He managed to return to the race but sustained floor and rear wing damage due to the crash.

Trémaux and Dingley came into contact on the main straight at the end of the first lap, with Trémaux brushing along an armco barrier but managing to continue without damage. Moments later, he attempted to make a move on Dingley at turn two but the pair once again collided, sending both into the gravel trap. Both cars sustained damage, with Dingley coming off worse from the crash.

   Hugo Gehring was having problems getting used to his new car and made a mistake at Clubhouse Bend, locking up and going wide. Despite making some moves during the race, he struggled to gain confidence in his Ferrari. Meanwhile, William Worchestershire-Smythe and Sterling Eldridge-Moffat dueled for fourth. W-S had suffered a skiing injury several weeks before the race and was only declared fit to drive just before qualifying. Both he and his teammate, Nino Tempestini, had gained from the several incidents at the start of the race.

Meanwhile, Trémaux was making a comeback despite his car being heavily damaged from start incidents. He caught and passed Eldridge-Moffat for fifth, before overtaking W-S for fourth on lap eleven. Stanley Robson of Williams was running in a commendable third but was caught by Trémaux over the next ten laps. On the last lap of the race, Trémaux lunged Williams at Clubhouse to take third.

Stefan Van Damme cruised at the front to take another race win, with Nino Tempestini finishing second to take his first podium. After an exciting comeback, Trémaux crossed the line in third. Jurg Scheller finished sixth, taking Ligier's first points of the season.

## Crash

Lotus' Jeremy Spocinklass was putting pressure on Tyrrell's Dale Ballweg on lap seven when a collision occurred on the main straight. The incident resulted in Ballweg's car flying to the right off the circuit and down an embankment, eventually hitting spectators who were standing next to Clubhouse Bend. By the time that help arrived, ten spectators had lost their lives, with many more injured. Ballweg was miraculously unharmed in the crash.

The FIA was immediately criticised for their slow response and for their failure to red flag the race due to the incident. Gervais Trémaux, who had finished third on his debut, commented "I am, I am not too happy. Honestly I probably need a cigarette, I just heard about the people here at the track."

## Classification

   Fastest lap: Stefan Van Damme (Lotus) on lap 13 - 1:07.3