Watch: Clay Regazzoni takes masterful victory for Ferrari at Nurburgring | 1974 German GP. Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari flies to victory at the Nurburgring .

On 4th August 1974, Clay Regazzoni won the German Grand Prix. The Swiss driver led from start to finish at the Nurburgring, having started from the front row alongside his team-mate Niki Lauda. Clay made the most of a bad start from the Austrian, who then went off the track immediately, after colliding with Scheckter in the Tyrrell, who was second at the flag. The 312 B3-1974 was a very quick car, as evidenced by its ten pole positions that year, but not that reliable, which meant the championship title slipped away right at the end, with Fittipaldi taking the title by just three points from Regazzoni.

Between 1970 and 1976, Clay Regazzoni took part in 74 Grands Prix with Ferrari, winning four and taking the same number of pole positions. In total he finished on the podium 23 times (apart from those wins, there were eleven seconds and eight third places) and 13 fastest race laps. His record also features wins in the 1972 Monza 1000 Kms, teamed with Ickx and in the 1971 Kyalami 9 Hours, with Redman and the following year with Merzario.

“Bon viveur, footballer, tennis player and, when nothing better to do, a driver: that’s how I described Clay Regazzoni, the brilliant and timeless Clay, the ideal guest of honour for any sort of fashionable event and a great resource for women’s magazines,” wrote Enzo Ferrari in his book ‘Piloti, che gente,’ – “he honed his skills in style and temperament, which was among the most audacious, until he became a great professional. His rivals always respected him.”

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