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Scheckter and the P34

09. Nov 2023 
by Ziv Knoll
2728 views

For all the success Jody Scheckter had in the six-wheeler Tyrrell P34 – one win, one pole, five podiums, third in the world championship – the South African has not often spoken favourably of the P34, reserving particular scorn for the car’s brakes.

Picture above: Jody Scheckter, en route for a superb second place aboard the Tyrrell P34, designed by Derek Gardner for Ken Tyrrell, at the British Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch in 1976.

With four front tyres and three axles, brake balance was no longer just a matter of front-to-rear, but rather front-to-front-to-rear – something which would seriously complicate the car’s handling, as the wheelbase effectively lengthened or shortened depending on which axle locked.

“The braking was supposed to be better: well, it was when you were braking in straight line, but as soon as you turned in, the little wheels slid and you had to come off the pedal, so there was no advantage there,” Scheckter, picture below on his way to fourth at Zandvoort, told Motorsport magazine in 2008. “It really worked on very smooth surfaces and, back then, there just weren’t many of those around.”

Source: Ian Wagstaff

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