There was that too - DAF in Formula 3
04/20/2013
In 1965, DAF wanted to prove the sportiness of the Variomatic automatic transmission in racing and installed a larger version of its V-belt automatic transmission in an older Alexis Mk5 Formula 3 monoposto with a Ford Holbay engine. The Dutch racing driver Henk van Zalinge was behind the project and he also carried out the first test drives in the spring of 1965.
This first attempt was not really successful, but the outdated chassis was only to a limited extent to blame; a lot of improvements were also needed on the drive side.
For 1966, the DAF drivetrain was then installed in a Brabham BT18 and at least achieved several top six positions and a third place in Zolder.
In 1967, the Chequered Flag Team then developed a DAF chassis based on the Brabham model. The car had a particular advantage in damp and wet conditions, when the friction loss of the belt drive was less important than the gentle and constant application of power. Mike Beckwith (Brands Hatch) and Gijs van Lennep (Skarpnack, Sweden) took two victories.
In 1968, Tecno Monoposti with DAF drives were launched and there were again some notable successes with second places in Zolder and Jarama by Mike Beckwith. At the end of the year, DAF retired from formula racing, having proved that the DAF Variomatic could also be used in motorsport.
Our pictures show the first DAF Formula 3 based on the Alexis in 1965. The pictures can of course also be found in the Zwischengas archive .
