Brancatelli and the Kaushen

Gianfranco Brancatelli, an Italian driver that showed speed in F2, tries to qualify his Kaushen-Ford for the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix held at the Jarama circuit (picture-above). Unfortunately, and despite all his efforts, he did not qualify, posting a time 4 full seconds slower than… the last of the qualifiers.

Kauhsen was a Formula One constructor from Germany, founded by former sports car driver Willy Kaushen. The team started in Formula Two in 1976, purchasing Renault cars, and raced with an assortment of drivers (including a one-off for Alain Prost) with limited success.

Kauhsen then entered the 1979 Formula 1 season, spending 1978 designing their own futuristic -looking chassis (picture-below) 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.