TECNOMODEL - MARCH - F1 721X STP N 12 BELGIUM GP 1972 NIKI LAUDA

The definitive March car for the 1972 Formula 1 season was to be the 721X, designed on the basis of the 711 and 721. The basic idea was to redesign the entire weight distribution using a gearbox mounted between the engine and the rear axle. The concept could be valid (it was already used by Porsche and Alfa Romeo) but in March its success was heavily penalized by the behavior of the Goodyear tires, unsuitable for this solution. When it became clear that the 721X could not work, March reverted to the traditional scheme by designing the 721G, built in record time.

After racing in Spain and Monaco in 1972 with the March 721X, Niki Lauda was entered with the same car in the Belgian GP in Nivelles. Lauda used the Clarke Mordaunt Guthrie Racing 721G in testing but drove the official 721X for qualifying and the race. Qualifying in 25th place, he managed to finish 12th with a car that was anything but competitive, plagued by serious handling problems. Starting from the French GP, Lauda used the 721G.