Kauhsen
Encyclopedia
Kauhsen was a Formula One
constructor from Germany
, founded by former sportscar driver Willi Kauhsen. The team started in Formula Two in 1977, purchasing Renault cars, and raced with an assortment of drivers with limited success. Kauhsen then entered the 1979 Formula One season
, spending 1978 designing their own chassis with Cosworth engines. They participated in two World Championship Grands Prix with Gianfranco Brancatelli
, failing to qualify on both occasions, before the team was shut down.
s and quasi-works Alfa Romeo
sports cars, founded his racing team in Formula Two
in 1977, buying the championship-winning Elf-Renault 2J Formula Two cars. The cars, driven by Michel Leclère
and Klaus Ludwig
, were renamed to Kauhsen-Renaults and initially started successfully, with Leclère taking pole at the first race of the 1977 Formula Two championship
at Silverstone
. Continued modifications to the chassis
by Kauhsen however led to downturns in performance, and the car's original performance turned to successive failures to qualify; the poor results making Ludwig leave the squad mid-season. The second seat was then rotated between José Dolhem
, Vittorio Brambilla
and Alain Prost
for the remainder of the season. Brambilla achieved a third place in the second round at the Misano Circuit
, which was the team's best result in the Formula Two championship. Subsequent races saw a best result of 10th for Prost, and with successive retirements and failures to qualify Kauhsen gave up on the championship before the final races.
, Kauhsen spent 1978 designing their own chassis. Bringing in designer Klaus Kapitza from Ford, Kauhsen planned to construct a copy of the Lotus 79
, a car that had dominated the 1978 championship due to the use of ground effects. Apart from the chassis, Kauhsen brought the rest of the components from suppliers, including the Cosworth DFV
engine utilised by the majority of the teams at the time, and an outdated five-speed gearbox from Hewland
. Having planned to follow the then-advanced use of ground effects by Lotus
, initial testing of the prototype revealed fundamental design issues; the designers failed to take account of the variable ride height of cars during braking and acceleration, stopping the ground effects functioning correctly. These problems forced the team to redesign the entire car, bringing in drivers Patrick Nève
and Harald Ertl
to develop a new car with the limited funds available in the months before the Formula One season was to begin.
The problems in getting working ground effects on the chassis led to the team abandoning the concept, and returning to the older "wing car" that had been in prevalence before. These redesigns drained the team of funds; Kauhsen struggled to pay the entry fee for the championship, and only managed to acquire older tyres from Goodyear
. After obtaining some sponsorship, and signing Italian driver Gianfranco Brancatelli
, the Kauhsen WK004 made its début appearance at the first race of the 1979 British Formula One season
in Zolder, albeit retiring early in the race due to engine issues. Kauhsen's first World Championship appearance was at the , using another redesigned car. Brancatelli failed to qualify for the race, being the slowest out of the 27 entries, the closest competitor being three seconds quicker. Running an updated car at the next race in Belgium
, Brancatelli again failed to qualify, with a broken clutch preventing an improvement in pace. After the two successive failures, and a lack of funds, Willi Kauhsen withdrew from Formula One and closed the team.
The team's assets were purchased by Arturo Merzario
, and was merged with his own eponymous Merzario
team, which had been having a similar lack of success with the A2 chassis. The Kauhsen WK was used as the basis for the Gian Paolo Dallara
designed Merzario A4 car, but this did not improve from the performance of either of the cars, failing to qualify at the remaining World Championship rounds. The A4's only racing appearance was at the non-championship Dino Ferrari Grand Prix
, finishing in 11th place. Merzario later left Formula One at the end of 1979, and moved to the Formula Two championship.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
constructor from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, founded by former sportscar driver Willi Kauhsen. The team started in Formula Two in 1977, purchasing Renault cars, and raced with an assortment of drivers with limited success. Kauhsen then entered the 1979 Formula One season
1979 Formula One season
The 1979 Formula One season was the 30th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1979 International Cup for F1 Constructors which were contested concurrently over a fifteen round series which commenced on January 21, 1979, and ended on...
, spending 1978 designing their own chassis with Cosworth engines. They participated in two World Championship Grands Prix with Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli is a former racing driver from Italy. His racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing...
, failing to qualify on both occasions, before the team was shut down.
Formula Two
Willi Kauhsen, who had raced PorschePorsche in motorsport
Porsche has been successful in many branches of motorsport of which most have been in long distance races.Despite their early involvement in motorsports being limited to supplying relatively small engines to racing underdogs up until the late 1960s, by the mid-1950s Porsche had already tasted...
s and quasi-works Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo in motorsport
During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. They have competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries and private...
sports cars, founded his racing team in Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
in 1977, buying the championship-winning Elf-Renault 2J Formula Two cars. The cars, driven by Michel Leclère
Michel Leclère
Michel Leclère is a former motor racing driver from France. He participated in eight Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 5, 1975, and scored no championship points....
and Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig
Klaus Ludwig is a German race driver.- Biography :Unlike Hans-Joachim Stuck, Rolf Stommelen, Harald Ertl, Hans Heyer and Jochen Mass, he has never raced in single seaters...
, were renamed to Kauhsen-Renaults and initially started successfully, with Leclère taking pole at the first race of the 1977 Formula Two championship
1977 European Formula Two season
The 1977 European Formula Two season was contested over 13 rounds.-Calendar:Note:Race 3, 10 and 11 were held in two heats, with results shown in aggregate.Race 6 originally scheduled over 73 laps, but stopped early due to heavy rain....
at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
. Continued modifications to the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
by Kauhsen however led to downturns in performance, and the car's original performance turned to successive failures to qualify; the poor results making Ludwig leave the squad mid-season. The second seat was then rotated between José Dolhem
José Dolhem
Louis José Lucien Dolhem was a racing driver from France, and the half brother of Formula One driver Didier Pironi ....
, Vittorio Brambilla
Vittorio Brambilla
Vittorio Brambilla was a Formula One driver from Italy who raced for the March, Surtees and Alfa Romeo teams. Particularly adept at driving in wet conditions, his nickname was "The Monza Gorilla", due to his often overly aggressive driving style and sense of machismo.-Career:Born in the town of...
and Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
for the remainder of the season. Brambilla achieved a third place in the second round at the Misano Circuit
Misano World Circuit
The Misano World Circuit and before 2006 called Circuito Internazionale Santamonica, is an Italian racetrack located next to the town of Misano Adriatico in the frazione of Santamonica. Originally designed in 1969 as a length of , it hosted its first event in 1972...
, which was the team's best result in the Formula Two championship. Subsequent races saw a best result of 10th for Prost, and with successive retirements and failures to qualify Kauhsen gave up on the championship before the final races.
Formula One
Although unsuccessful in Formula Two, Kauhsen decided to enter Formula One in , and after failing to secure a deal to run the Kojima cars used in the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix1977 Japanese Grand Prix
The 1977 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 23 October 1977 at Fuji.-Report:Mario Andretti and James Hunt continued their late-season battle, with the American pipping Hunt to the pole, with John Watson heading the second row...
, Kauhsen spent 1978 designing their own chassis. Bringing in designer Klaus Kapitza from Ford, Kauhsen planned to construct a copy of the Lotus 79
Lotus 79
The Lotus 79 was a Formula One car designed in late 1977 by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge, Martin Ogilvie, Tony Rudd and Peter Wright of Lotus. It is considered by many to be one of the most significant and respected racing car designs of all time....
, a car that had dominated the 1978 championship due to the use of ground effects. Apart from the chassis, Kauhsen brought the rest of the components from suppliers, including the Cosworth DFV
Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. Named Four Valve because of the four valves per cylinder, and Double as it was a V8 development of the earlier, four-cylinder FVA , making it a Double Four Valve engine...
engine utilised by the majority of the teams at the time, and an outdated five-speed gearbox from Hewland
Hewland
Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British engineering company specialising in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland was the first company to manufacture a bespoke racing-car gearbox....
. Having planned to follow the then-advanced use of ground effects by Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
, initial testing of the prototype revealed fundamental design issues; the designers failed to take account of the variable ride height of cars during braking and acceleration, stopping the ground effects functioning correctly. These problems forced the team to redesign the entire car, bringing in drivers Patrick Nève
Patrick Nève
Patrick Marie Ghislain Pierre Simon Stanislas Nève de Mévergnies is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 14 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 16 May 1976. He scored no championship points....
and Harald Ertl
Harald Ertl
Harald Ertl was an Austrian motorsport journalist and racing driver.-Career:Ertl was born in Zell am See and attended the same school as drivers Jochen Rindt and Helmut Marko, so he had an early relation to motorsports. In 1969 he bought a Formula 5, won six races, but also rolled at the Nürburgring...
to develop a new car with the limited funds available in the months before the Formula One season was to begin.
The problems in getting working ground effects on the chassis led to the team abandoning the concept, and returning to the older "wing car" that had been in prevalence before. These redesigns drained the team of funds; Kauhsen struggled to pay the entry fee for the championship, and only managed to acquire older tyres from Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
. After obtaining some sponsorship, and signing Italian driver Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli
Gianfranco Brancatelli is a former racing driver from Italy. His racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing...
, the Kauhsen WK004 made its début appearance at the first race of the 1979 British Formula One season
1979 British Formula One season
The 1979 British Formula One season was the 2nd British Formula One Series season. It commenced on April 1, 1979 and ended on October 7 after fifteen races.-Races:- Drivers :...
in Zolder, albeit retiring early in the race due to engine issues. Kauhsen's first World Championship appearance was at the , using another redesigned car. Brancatelli failed to qualify for the race, being the slowest out of the 27 entries, the closest competitor being three seconds quicker. Running an updated car at the next race in Belgium
1979 Belgian Grand Prix
- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Patrick Depailler 25 laps ; Jacques Laffite 12 laps ; Alan Jones 16 laps ; Jody Scheckter 17 laps .-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings...
, Brancatelli again failed to qualify, with a broken clutch preventing an improvement in pace. After the two successive failures, and a lack of funds, Willi Kauhsen withdrew from Formula One and closed the team.
The team's assets were purchased by Arturo Merzario
Arturo Merzario
Arturo Francesco "Little Art" Merzario is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 85 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 15, 1972...
, and was merged with his own eponymous Merzario
Merzario
Merzario was a Formula One and Formula Two team and constructor from Italy. They participated in 39 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix but scored no championship points.-1977:...
team, which had been having a similar lack of success with the A2 chassis. The Kauhsen WK was used as the basis for the Gian Paolo Dallara
Gian Paolo Dallara
Gianpaolo Dallara is an Italian businessman and motorsports engineer. He is owner of Dallara Motorsports, a company that develops racing cars.-Biography:Dallara was born in Parma....
designed Merzario A4 car, but this did not improve from the performance of either of the cars, failing to qualify at the remaining World Championship rounds. The A4's only racing appearance was at the non-championship Dino Ferrari Grand Prix
1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix
The 1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix was a non-championship Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Dino Ferrari on September 16, 1979. The event was held to to practice a Formula One race at the circuit, that was supposed to hold the Italian Grand Prix every two year in turns with Monza...
, finishing in 11th place. Merzario later left Formula One at the end of 1979, and moved to the Formula Two championship.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK... Cosworth DFV Cosworth DFV The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. Named Four Valve because of the four valves per cylinder, and Double as it was a V8 development of the earlier, four-cylinder FVA , making it a Double Four Valve engine... 3.0 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
ARG 1979 Argentine Grand Prix The 1979 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 21 January 1979 at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez in Buenos Aires.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Patrick Depailler 10 laps ; Jacques Laffite 43 laps .... |
BRA 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1979 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 4 February 1979 at Interlagos.-Race report:The Ligier team dominated the race weekend with their superior ground-effect JS11... |
RSA 1979 South African Grand Prix The 1979 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 3 March 1979 at Kyalami.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Jean-Pierre Jabouille 1 lap ; Gilles Villeneuve 39 laps ; Jody Scheckter 38 laps .... |
USW 1979 United States Grand Prix West The 1979 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One race held on April 8, 1979 at Long Beach, California.__FORCETOC__-Summary:Canadian Gilles Villeneuve captured pole, fastest lap and the win for Ferrari, followed by teammate Jody Scheckter, as the Prancing Horses took a big step toward... |
ESP 1979 Spanish Grand Prix The 1979 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 29 April 1979 at Jarama.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
BEL 1979 Belgian Grand Prix - Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Patrick Depailler 25 laps ; Jacques Laffite 12 laps ; Alan Jones 16 laps ; Jody Scheckter 17 laps .-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
MON 1979 Monaco Grand Prix The 1979 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 27 May 1979 at Monaco.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Jody Scheckter 76 laps .* Last race - James Hunt-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
FRA 1979 French Grand Prix The 1979 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 1 July 1979 at Dijon.It marked the first victory of a turbocharged car in Formula One, with Renault overcoming the reliability problems that had initially plagued their car... |
GBR 1979 British Grand Prix The 1979 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 14 July 1979 at Silverstone. It marked the Williams team's first GP pole position and win .- Classification :- Notes :... |
GER 1979 German Grand Prix The 1979 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 29 July 1979 at Hockenheimring.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
AUT 1979 Austrian Grand Prix The 1979 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 12 August 1979 at Österreichring.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap Leaders: Gilles Villeneuve 3 laps ; Alan Jones 51 laps .* First pole position: René Arnoux-Standings after the race:... |
NED 1979 Dutch Grand Prix The 1979 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 26 August 1979 at Zandvoort.-Summary:René Arnoux put his Renault on pole position but the slow start of the turbocharged car allowed Alan Jones to break free. Arnoux and Clay Regazzoni collided, eliminating the Williams on the spot while the... |
ITA 1979 Italian Grand Prix The 1979 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 9 September 1979 at Monza.Monza was revamped for 1979, including a re-surfaced track; and run-off areas were added to the Curva Grande and the Lesmo Curves.... |
CAN 1979 Canadian Grand Prix The 1979 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 30 September 1979 at Montreal.During practice Niki Lauda announced his retirement from Formula One. Ricardo Zunino replaced him for the race. The organizers would not let the Alfa Romeo team compete unless they pre-qualified... |
USA 1979 United States Grand Prix The 1979 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 7, 1979 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York... |
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| Gianfranco Brancatelli Gianfranco Brancatelli Gianfranco Brancatelli is a former racing driver from Italy. His racing career began in 1973, in the Formula Abarth series. In 1975, he advanced to Italian Formula 3 racing... |
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