Tecno
Encyclopedia
Although Tecno is primarily remembered as an Italian
kart and racing car constructor they started out as a conventional engineering business manufacturing hydraulic pumps. The company eventually became a Formula One
constructor and participated in 10 grands prix, entering a total of 11 cars, and scoring one championship point.
.
Tecno was the first company to build an offset('sidewinder')kart chassis to take advantage of the newly developed air-cooled rotary motors produced by Parilla. Tecno's first chassis was named the Kaimano (a play on the Italian word for the Camen crocodile and the source of the logo). The Kaimano's design was based on the American rear-engine karts of the early 1960's. The second chassis, the Piuma ('Feather'), revolutionized karting design,and was so successful that it won the World Championships in 1964,1965 & 1966.
Tecno was highly successful in junior formulae, and an interested sponsor in the shape of Count Rossi (of Martini and Rossi fame) was prepared to back the brothers in an attempt to build an F1 car and engine.
This made its first competitive appearance at the 1972 Belgian Grand Prix
in the hands of Nanni Galli
. The car was unremarkable, the engine a flat-12 very similar to the contemporary Ferrari unit, although apparently considerably less powerful. During that season, Galli shared the car with Derek Bell
; neither managed to score points. Both chassis and engine were prone to breaking. Ron Tauranac
, freelancing after selling Brabham, made some improvements to the car but performance did not improve significantly.
For 1973 Tecno found itself in the strange position of having two radically different cars, one of them backed by the team's sponsors and the other by the Pederzani brothers. Count Rossi had taken on experienced British racing manager David Yorke and driver Chris Amon
(who had been unable to agree terms with March Engineering
for the season). Yorke and Rossi commissioned a new chassis from designer Gordon Fowell, while the Pederzanis hired Alan McCall to design a new car for them. McCall left before the car was fully developed, just to add to the chaos. Tecno missed the early-season races and used the McCall car to little effect from Belgium on, and by the British Grand Prix both the Fowell "GorAl" car and the McCall car were available.
Having two different, underfunded and underdeveloped cars competing for scarce resources is hardly a recipe for success, and by mid-season there was a virtual civil war between the Pederzanis and Yorke and Rossi. Amon achieved the team's only point in the McCall car in Belgium. (He had severe difficulty even fitting into the cockpit of the GorAl car, which only ever appeared in practice - although Amon claimed that it had the potential to be one of the best chassis that he had ever raced.)
By the Austrian GP, he was disgusted with the whole mess and left the team, which subsequently folded - the Martini & Rossi money would go to Brabham in 1974, the Pederzani brothers retired from competition, and Amon finished the season guesting at Tyrrell
.
In another manifestation of the poor luck and judgment for which Amon was legendary, he returned as a constructor in his own right in 1974, his designer being none other than Gordon Fowell.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
kart and racing car constructor they started out as a conventional engineering business manufacturing hydraulic pumps. The company eventually became a Formula One
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 and participated in 10 grands prix, entering a total of 11 cars, and scoring one championship point.
History
In 1961 Tecno started their motor sport business as a constructor of karts in Bologna, run by the Pederzani brothers. By the mid-sixties the company had moved on up into car racing with Formula 3 (winning several championships in 1968) and Formula 2 chassis, the F2 being good enough to take the 1970 F2 championship in the hands of Clay RegazzoniClay Regazzoni
Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni was a Swiss racing car driver. He competed in Formula One races from 1970 to 1980, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until...
.
Tecno was the first company to build an offset('sidewinder')kart chassis to take advantage of the newly developed air-cooled rotary motors produced by Parilla. Tecno's first chassis was named the Kaimano (a play on the Italian word for the Camen crocodile and the source of the logo). The Kaimano's design was based on the American rear-engine karts of the early 1960's. The second chassis, the Piuma ('Feather'), revolutionized karting design,and was so successful that it won the World Championships in 1964,1965 & 1966.
Tecno was highly successful in junior formulae, and an interested sponsor in the shape of Count Rossi (of Martini and Rossi fame) was prepared to back the brothers in an attempt to build an F1 car and engine.
This made its first competitive appearance at the 1972 Belgian Grand Prix
1972 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1972 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nivelles on June 4, 1972.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...
in the hands of Nanni Galli
Nanni Galli
Giovanni Giuseppe Gilberto Galli, nicknamed Nanni is an Italian former saloon and sports-car racer of the 1960s and 1970s....
. The car was unremarkable, the engine a flat-12 very similar to the contemporary Ferrari unit, although apparently considerably less powerful. During that season, Galli shared the car with Derek Bell
Derek Bell (auto racer)
Derek Reginald Bell MBE is a former racing driver from England who was extremely successful in sportscar racing, winning five times at Le Mans. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams...
; neither managed to score points. Both chassis and engine were prone to breaking. Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac is the former Australian designer for Formula One driver Jack Brabham from 1962 until Brabham's retirement as a driver at the end of the 1970 season. Tauranac briefly owned and managed the Brabham team in 1971, but he sold the team to Bernie Ecclestone in late 1971...
, freelancing after selling Brabham, made some improvements to the car but performance did not improve significantly.
For 1973 Tecno found itself in the strange position of having two radically different cars, one of them backed by the team's sponsors and the other by the Pederzani brothers. Count Rossi had taken on experienced British racing manager David Yorke and driver Chris Amon
Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon MBE is a former motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One - racing in the 1960s and 1970s - and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix...
(who had been unable to agree terms with March Engineering
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
for the season). Yorke and Rossi commissioned a new chassis from designer Gordon Fowell, while the Pederzanis hired Alan McCall to design a new car for them. McCall left before the car was fully developed, just to add to the chaos. Tecno missed the early-season races and used the McCall car to little effect from Belgium on, and by the British Grand Prix both the Fowell "GorAl" car and the McCall car were available.
Having two different, underfunded and underdeveloped cars competing for scarce resources is hardly a recipe for success, and by mid-season there was a virtual civil war between the Pederzanis and Yorke and Rossi. Amon achieved the team's only point in the McCall car in Belgium. (He had severe difficulty even fitting into the cockpit of the GorAl car, which only ever appeared in practice - although Amon claimed that it had the potential to be one of the best chassis that he had ever raced.)
By the Austrian GP, he was disgusted with the whole mess and left the team, which subsequently folded - the Martini & Rossi money would go to Brabham in 1974, the Pederzani brothers retired from competition, and Amon finished the season guesting at Tyrrell
Tyrrell Racing
The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one...
.
In another manifestation of the poor luck and judgment for which Amon was legendary, he returned as a constructor in his own right in 1974, his designer being none other than Gordon Fowell.
Complete Formula One results
(results in bold indicate pole position)| Year | Chassis | Engine(s) | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tecno PA123 | Tecno Series-P Flat-12 Flat-12 A flat-12 is an internal combustion engine in a flat configuration, having 12 cylinders.The flat-12 is wider than a V12... |
ARG 1972 Argentine Grand Prix The 1972 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez on January 23, 1972.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole Position: Carlos Reutemann - 1:12.6* Fastest lap: Jackie Stewart - 1:13.66... |
RSA 1972 South African Grand Prix The 1972 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Kyalami on March 4, 1972.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
ESP 1972 Spanish Grand Prix The 1972 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jarama on May 1, 1972.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole Position: Jacky Ickx - 1:18.43* Fastest Lap: Jacky Ickx - 1:21.01* Last Race: Alex Soler-Roig-Standings after the race:... |
MON 1972 Monaco Grand Prix The 1972 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 14, 1972. This was the last race on the original Monaco circuit, before the swimming pool was installed and the tunnel was lengthened... |
BEL 1972 Belgian Grand Prix The 1972 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nivelles on June 4, 1972.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
FRA 1972 French Grand Prix The 1972 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Charade Circuit on July 2, 1972.Due to cutting the corners, a stone thrown from Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus hit Helmut Marko in the eye during the 1972 French Grand Prix, ending his F1 career. The stones also had caused ten deflated tyres,... |
GBR 1972 British Grand Prix The 1972 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 15, 1972. It was won by Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi driving a Lotus 72D.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
GER 1972 German Grand Prix The 1972 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on July 30, 1972.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jacky Ickx - 7:07.0* Fastest lap: Jacky Ickx - 7:13.6... |
AUT 1972 Austrian Grand Prix The 1972 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One held at Österreichring on August 13, 1972.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
ITA 1972 Italian Grand Prix The 1972 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 10, 1972.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole Position: Jacky Ickx - 1:35.65* Fastest Lap: Jacky Ickx - 1:36.3... |
CAN 1972 Canadian Grand Prix The 1972 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mosport Park on September 24, 1972.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
USA 1972 United States Grand Prix The 1972 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 8, 1972 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
0 | - | ||||||
| Derek Bell Derek Bell (auto racer) Derek Reginald Bell MBE is a former racing driver from England who was extremely successful in sportscar racing, winning five times at Le Mans. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams... |
DNQ | Ret | DNQ | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| Nanni Galli Nanni Galli Giovanni Giuseppe Gilberto Galli, nicknamed Nanni is an Italian former saloon and sports-car racer of the 1960s and 1970s.... |
Ret | Ret | NC | Ret | |||||||||||||||||
| Tecno PA123BTecno E731 | Tecno Series-P Flat-12 Flat-12 A flat-12 is an internal combustion engine in a flat configuration, having 12 cylinders.The flat-12 is wider than a V12... |
ARG 1973 Argentine Grand Prix The 1973 Argentine Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez on January 28, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Clay Regazzoni - 1:10.54* Fastest lap: Emerson Fittipaldi - 1:11.22-Standings after the race:... |
BRA 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Interlagos on February 11, 1973.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
RSA 1973 South African Grand Prix The 1973 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Kyalami on March 3, 1973. The race was won by Jackie Stewart driving a Tyrrell... |
ESP 1973 Spanish Grand Prix The 1973 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Montjuïc circuit on April 29, 1973.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
BEL 1973 Belgian Grand Prix The 1973 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zolder on May 20, 1973. It was won by British driver Jackie Stewart driving a Tyrrell 006.... |
MON 1973 Monaco Grand Prix The 1973 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on June 3, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole Position: Jackie Stewart - 1:27.5* Fastest lap: Emerson Fittipaldi - 1:28.1* 150th Grand Prix start: Graham Hill... |
SWE 1973 Swedish Grand Prix The 1973 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Scandinavian Raceway on June 17, 1973.Ronnie Peterson's success with Team Lotus was the catalyst for a Swedish Grand Prix and the race was held for the first time in 1973 at the grandly-named Scandinavian Raceway.Peterson did not... |
FRA 1973 French Grand Prix The 1973 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Paul Ricard Circuit on July 1, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jackie Stewart - 1:48.37* Fastest lap: Denny Hulme - 1:50.99... |
GBR 1973 British Grand Prix The 1973 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone Circuit on July 14, 1973.The race is known for the first lap pile-up which ultimately caused eleven cars to retire. The accident happened when Jody Scheckter spun out of fourth place and into the center of the track coming... |
NED 1973 Dutch Grand Prix The 1973 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Zandvoort on July 29, 1973. Zandvoort returned to the Formula 1 calendar following a year's absence for extensive safety upgrades to the race track including new asphalt, new barriers and a new race control tower... |
GER 1973 German Grand Prix The 1973 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on August 5, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Lap leaders: Jackie Stewart * Jackie Stewart took his 27th and last grand prix victory in this race... |
AUT 1973 Austrian Grand Prix The 1973 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Österreichring on August 19, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Emerson Fittipaldi - 1:34.98* Fastest lap: Carlos Pace - 1:37.29-Standings after the race:... |
ITA 1973 Italian Grand Prix The 1973 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 9, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Ronnie Peterson - 1:34.8* Fastest lap: Jackie Stewart - 1:35.3... |
CAN 1973 Canadian Grand Prix The 1973 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mosport Park on September 23, 1973.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Ronnie Peterson - 1:13.697* Fastest lap: Emerson Fittipaldi - 1:15.496... |
USA 1973 United States Grand Prix The 1973 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 7, 1973 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
1 | 11th | |||
| Chris Amon Chris Amon Christopher Arthur Amon MBE is a former motor racing driver. He was active in Formula One - racing in the 1960s and 1970s - and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix... |
6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | DNS |