Carlos Pace
José Carlos Pace ( born October 6, 1944 in São Paulo, Brazil, † March 18, 1977 at Mairiporã, São Paulo) drove in the period 1972 to 1977 in Formula 1
The parents of José Carlos Pace were of Italian descent and moved to his home for a short time back to Italy. Again, some years later, she moved back to Brazil. Pace had it pretty hard since that time, because he only spoke Italian and not speak Portuguese. His nickname " Moco " ( the hard of hearing ), he not only because of his quiet nature, but also because of his language difficulties.
First motorsport experience
At a young age Pace began with karting, in this time he met the two Fittipaldi, Wilson and Emerson, know. In 1963 he started with a Renault Gordini brand in automobile racing and moved in 1966 into formula racing. He was very successful and was in the years 1967 to 1969 Brazilian racing champion. Paces looking for a greater challenge began. He found what he was in England Formula 3 scene, there Emerson Fittipaldi had already left a good impression, so that the entry for Pace and Wilson Fittipaldi became easier. In his first year, Pace British Formula 3 champion.
Formula racing
The path in the higher classes could he initially denied, however. Pace needed sponsorship money that he had to " beg " in Brazil in 1971. With his financial cushion in the back, he then got a cockpit in Formula 2, he rose in the team of Frank Williams as the driver. Impressed by the success of the Brazilian Williams got him in the following year a place in Formula 1, the first two races he contested on a hopelessly inferior last year's March and still drove in the points. In his next race, he received a current March and was promptly fifth. In the course of the season he was a regular in the upper middle.
Formula 1
In addition to his Formula 1 missions launched Pace along with Arturo Merzario on a Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship. In 1973 he moved to Surtees, what turned out to be blunder. The construction of the Surtees car could not keep up with the rapid development of Formula 1.
Pace fought with blunt weapons and was always dissatisfied. In the middle of the 1974 season, he accepted an offer, he changed quite surprising to Brabham. Bernie Ecclestone had received in advance of the season with Pace contact. When the change came about, the places, however, were already occupied in the work team of Carlos Reutemann and Rikky von Opel. So Pace drove in private Hexagon Brabham. Here it ran but not better than before at Surtees. The happiness came Pace to Help: Rikky von Opel resigned as a driver, and already in his second race for Brabham Pace sat in the factory cars. Right away he went into the front seats.
Even more successful was to begin the year 1975. In the home Grand Prix, he started from the third row and in the race he was behind the Jean -Pierre Jarier surprisingly leading to the second position. As Jarier had to end with a defect the race, Pace took the lead and did not let up until the finish. In the remainder of the season, he established himself in the ranks of the top drivers. In the middle of the season, the tide turned in favor of the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni. The two Ferraris dominated from that point the race at will, so that at the end of the season only disappointing 24 championship points for Pace remained.
Failures with Brabham
In the next season continued the Brabham team on a new engine manufacturer. Alfa Romeo had developed a 12-cylinder, from which you promised to be able to compete with the Ferraris. The reality taught Ecclestone and his team but a better one, the Alfa engines were not stable enough and Brabham drove in the races regularly behind the tip. Reutemann moved in the season disappointed to Ferrari, Pace, however, sat in the head, to make Brabham competitive. In the winter of 1976/77 he worked with engineers like a man possessed. The '77 Brabham continued the success of the 75er model, so Brabham and Pace were the front there again.
The accident
On March 18, 1977 Pace flew his wife and daughters on his ranch near São Paulo. Back he flew itself, but in the machine of a friend. In a heavy storm, the pilot must have lost the orientation and the plane crashed. None of the occupants survived the accident. The Brazilian president imposed a three-day national mourning, later the Interlagos race track that was celebrated on the Pace his only Grand Prix victory, renamed " Autodromo José Carlos Pace ".