How to impress Colin Chapman

The 1968 United States Grand Prix was held on October 6, 1968, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course. The 108-lap race was won by Matra driver Jackie Stewart, not yet a F1 world champion, after he started from second position.

This was the debut race of future (1978) World Champion Mario Andretti who was driving at Watkins Glen for the first time and who rewarded the partisan crowd by taking pole position in his Gold Leaf Lotus 49 (picture above).

Fantastic achievement for the young American: it was the first time in Formula One history, that someone captured pole on his debut. This feat was later repeated by two drivers only: Carlos Reutemann (Argentina 1972) and Jacques Villeneuve (Australia 1996).

Mario Andretti declared: “I felt right away confortable in the Lotus, and was happy to impress Colin Chapman”

Andretti led for the first six laps of the race before hitting mechanical problems and Jackie Stewart (picture below in his Matra) then easily won the 1968 US Grand Prix from Graham Hill (Lotus).