Niki Lauda Closes In on Formula One Mark

Nine years ago, Niki Lauda was virtually a basket case. He was the victim of a flaming crash during the 1976 German Grand Prix at Nurburgring and still bears scars from that near-fatal accident.

The pain lingered for years. Skin from his thigh covers part of his face, but the pixie grin that emerges after winning a race takes one’s glance away from the scar tissue. His lungs were seared and only an intense physical training program enabled Lauda to rebuild his strength and stamina.

Despite winning a second Formula One Grand Prix championship in 1977, the strain and pain became intolerable for this affable Austrian driver and he abruptly announced his retirement after taking a practice lap for the 1979 Canadian GP.

Sitting out 1980 and 1981, however, was too much for the action-oriented Lauda, and he made a comeback in 1983. He climaxed the return with five victories a year later to win his third Grand Prix title.

Lauda, in explaining his retirement and comeback, said he had quit four years earlier “because I was just fed up after 10 years of racing, driving around in circles.

“I had it in my mind to build my own airline in Austria, so I got involved in buying aircraft. Then the recession hit Europe and the United States and there was no way I could expand Lauda Air.

“Midway through 1981 I realized I had a lot of time left and motor racing was always in the back of my mind. I thought it would be a challenge to see what had changed in two years, whether I could compete with the new drivers and the ones I knew from past racing experience. That’s the real reason I came back--the challenge.

“The way I feel now, I’ll go until I get fed up,” said the 35-year-old driver, who needs three more victories to pass Jackie Stewart’s career-leading 26 Formula One wins recorded between 1965 and 1973.

The late Jim Clark of Britain won 25 races between 1962 and 1968, one of the greatest checkered flag onslaughts in the history of Formula One racing.

Lauda currently ranks in a third place tie with the legendary Juan Fangio at 24 victories. Fangio, the speedy Argentine, won the title five times during the 1950s. Lauda, Stewart and Jack Brabham of Australia each won the championship three times.

“The situation in Formula One racing is very different than it was in Fangio’s time,” said Lauda as he prepares his McLaren team car for the 1985 Grand Prix inaugural race on April 7 in Rio de Janeiro. “There’s no doubt this year will be more difficult to win a fourth title. The other teams have had seven months to catch up to us.”

Lauda and teammate Alain Prost of France were the scourge of the 1984 Grand Prix field. Between them they won 12 of the program’s 16 races.

The McLaren team accomplished its victory surge on Michelin tires last year, but the French tire manufacturer dropped out of Formula One this season. The Lauda-Prost duo is scheduled to drive on radial racing Goodyears. The American firm boasts its tires have been on winning Formula One cars 154 times since 1964.