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Duel of the giants - Ford versus BMW

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Created in 2012

Text:

Rainer Braun

Photos:

Hallo Fahrerlager

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Hartmut Schulz - Buch "Hallo Fahrerlager 3"

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Hallo Fahrerlager

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Hartmut Schulz - Buch "Hallo Fahrerlager 3"

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Lauda, Stuck, Mass and Stewart (hidden) in a clinch at the 1973 touring car GP at the Ring

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Ford Head of Sport Michael Kranefuss and BMW Race Director Jochen Neerpasch

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Ford PR Director Klaus-Dieter Banzhaf, his Head of Sport Kranefuss and Formula 1 driver Jackie Stewart lament a total failure at the Ring

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World champion Emerson Fittipaldi in the Capri RS cockpit

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Hans Heyer in a Ford Capri RS and Harald Menzel in a BMW CSL battled for victories in the racing championship

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Start turmoil at the EM race in Zandvoort

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Dieter Glemser wins the Sauerland Bergpreis 1973 by just one point in the Zakspeed Escort RS

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The Capri RS with starting number 1 is shared by Formula 1 world champions Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi

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Niki Lauda, Burkard Bovensiepen, technician Fritz Indra

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Starting grid at the 1973 Touring Car GP

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The two Formula 1 heroes Stewart and Fittipaldi are initiated into the secrets of the Capri RS by Jochen Mass

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Francois Cevert dies in the 1973 Formula 1 race at Watkins Glen

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Helmut Koinigg dies at the 1973 Formula 1 race at Watkins Glen

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Ford works driver Gerry Birrell dies in an F2 race in Rouen in 1973

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BMW talent Hans-Peter Joisten also dies in an accident shortly after Gerry Birrell

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Niki Lauda (front) and Toine Hezemans whistle through the 'Schöller-S' at the Norisring in 1974 with the two works Capri RSs

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Dieter Glemser suffers the worst accident of his career at the 1973 European Championship race at the Nürburgring

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Dieter Glemser suffers the worst accident of his career at the 1973 European Championship race at the Nürburgring

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Dieter Glemser suffers the worst accident of his career at the 1973 European Championship race at the Nürburgring

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Dieter Glemser suffers the worst accident of his career at the 1973 European Championship race at the Nürburgring

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Dieter Glemser suffers the worst accident of his career at the 1973 European Championship race at the Nürburgring

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Klaus Ludwig delights the crowd at Hockenheim in 1975 at the last Capri RS start with wonderful drifts on a wet track

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Summary

The years 1972, 73 and 74 were eventful racing years. Rainer Braun remembers the legendary Ford Capri RS and BMW CSL touring cars and the fierce prestige duels between the two works teams in the European Touring Car Championship and the Racing Championship. This story is taken from the third volume of Rainer Braun's popular book series "Hallo Fahrerlager".

This article contains the following chapters

When Formula 1 stars still drove touring cars...
When two fight...
The mountain is calling
The mother of all battles on the Ring
The disaster takes its course
Mourning for Gerry Birrell and Hans-Peter Joisten
The end of a great era

Estimated reading time: 22min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"You only get an incredibly good season like this once in twenty years," enthused Ford racing boss Mike Kranefuss at a dinner in Cologne in October 1972. Until well after midnight that evening, we review the Capri RS 2.9's magnificent winning streak in the two most important touring car championships of the year. The works cars from Cologne have crushed arch-enemy BMW, winning almost all races in the European Championship and the Racing Championship. "BMW won't take this lying down," my friend Mike says late at night, "next year will be damn hard for us. I'm sure Jochen will think of something."

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