The campaign of Carlos Reutemann in 1974, showed the definitive consolidation of the Argentinean in the lot of the leaders. Perhaps first success in the Great Prize of South Africa, 30 of March already three decades ago, arrived later than which their compatriots waited for, coverall if it considers who in its official debut in the maximum category, the Great Prize of Argentina in 1972, the “Lole” obtained extraordinary “pole position”, ahead, nothing less than of the World-wide Champion Jackie Stewart, a only even landmark to date by Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve. This expectation was increased when eight days later it gains the first edition of the Great Prize of Brazil, without points by the Championship, although in this opportunity equipment like Tyrrell, McLaren and Ferrari did not appear.

The Argentinean of Brabham obtained three triumphs during 1974, and surpassed with clarity all companions

Lamentably for Reutemann the panorama during the rest of the season was well different. The sale of Brabham, equipment in which competed the Argentinean, on the part of its designer Rum Tauranac to Bernie Ecclestone, had left to escudería without a leader experienced in the technical part. To make matters worse the new B37 designed by Ralph Bellamy, that appeared with the championship already begun, was a car that could not to fight by the end. The best benefit of Reutemann, that did not run the complete championship by an accident in Formula Two, was a fourth position in Canada, penultimate date of the season. In 1973 Integra to the equipment South African engineer Gordon Murray, and in the fourth test, the Great Prize of Spain, appears his first creation, BT 42. The debut was more than favorable, Reutemann leaves while it came approaching the leader Emerson Fittipaldi. The balance of the year was positive, with two third parties put in France and the United States and culminating seventh in the match with 16 points.

The Brabham of “Lole” is directed towards its first triumph of F1, the 30 of March of 1974

The new BT44 was the weapon that the Argentinean needed for fight by the end. In the Great prize of Argentina, inaugural date of the 1974 championship, the santafesino one takes the end after surpassing the Lotus of Ronnie Peterson, moving away of the rest of the competitors resolutely. For when Dennis Hulme manages to exceed the Swedish, Reutemann already had an advantage of 20 seconds to its favor. But it was written that the Great Argentine Prize would have never it between its winners, to a return of the end, before the consternation of a whole country, the Brabham number seven even pauses flank of the track without fuel, while Dennis Hulme with its McLaren took the last one of its eight victories in the category. Periplo Brazilian would not either bring better luck to him, after leading “Lole” finalizes seventh in Interlagos, whereas in Brasilia, nonvalid test by the contest left again when it went in end, this time by breakage of the motor. To a new it would have it frustration like protagonist in the “Race of the Champions”, disputed in Brands Hatch, where Reutemann deserted when it commanded under rain. In spite of the thin final results, the performance of the Brabham- conjunction

The Argentinean crosses the victorious goal almost 34 seconds of advantage on the BRM of Beltoise

Reutemann, made foretell that the coming of the first triumph was time only question. The great day arrived, finally, in already mentioned Great Prize of South Africa, disputed in the circuit of Kyalami. The santafesino had classified in the third place, behind the Surtees de Pace and of the Ferrari de Lauda. In the released one it was located second, advancing to the Brazilian that it had left slow, and in that position stayed until the tenth return, when it gained the braking to him to the Austrian and took the end, place that in this occasion would not leave until the end. Thus after 28 Great Prizes, another Argentinean entered the privileged circle of the winners of a race in Formula One, after 17 years from the last victory of Fangio in 1957 in that one remembered race of Nurburgring. “that triumph in South Africa was more important him of my campaign simply for being first, that is the one that broke the “curse” that has all pilot until winning. That victory is special because you remove a great weight from above.” That profit was also first like “team to manager” of Bernie Ecclestone, present big shot of the category. A remarkable bassoon of yield underwent the equipment to its return to European continent, where Reutemann underwent nothing less than six abandonments, three by I touch, Spain, Montecar it and France, two by problems in the line of fuel, Belgium and Sweden, and one by problems of box in Italy. The panorama begins to improve in England, where it finalizes sixth, whereas in Germany it returns to thirdly raise podio behind the winner Gian-Claudius Regazzoni and of his escort Jody Scheckter.

In Austria Reutemann it will secure to his second triumph surpassing the McLaren de Denny Hulme

The 18 of August arrive the second victory in the Great Prize from Austria, according to santafesino one of their better tasks along with the triumph of Brands Hatch in 1978. “Lole” started off in first row next to “poleman” Niki Lauda. The Austrian, who was “neat” with the largador of the race, could not avoid that “he rose early it to the Argentinean” in the game and course to another victory went of final way. On the end nevertheless, the ghost of Buenos Aires returned to sift itself on the santafesino, since it almost remains without gasoline while he was followed, also in this occasion by Dennis Hulme, although in this time the luck was of its side.

The remarkable amount of abandonments let to Reutemann without chances fight by the crown of the '74

In the following race, the Great Prize of Italy, returns to classify itself second next to Lauda, but it leaves in 12º returned by problems in the gear box. After a intrascendente ninth position in Canada, arrives the closing from the match in Watkins Glen, where after obtaining his second “pole”, the Brabham de Reutemann started off as a whirlwind and dominated the race of end to end, finalizing in front of his coequiper “Snot” Grazes, obtaining this way first one-two of the “era” Ecclestone. The tragic side of the day was the death of the Austrian Helmut Koinning, whose Surtees went of track, it transferred the wire barriers, and happened below the guardrail, which motivated the death of the infortunado pilot of immediate way.

The great deception of the Argentinean: Its abandonment in Buenos Aires after conquering pole the day Saturday

The final position of Reutemann in the championship, sixth with 32 points and three victories (the same amount that the one of the Fittipaldi champion), left a flavor, since of not having half-full so many abandonments (7 on 14 races), the Argentinean could have entered completely the fight by the title, an objective bittersweet that never would get to fulfill in his expanded campaign.