Watch: pole, win and fastest race lap for Ferrari’s Clay Regazzoni | 1976 United States GP. Clay Regazzoni's perfect day.

The 28th March 1976 was a perfect day for Clay Regazzoni. On the Long Beach street circuit, the Swiss driver took pole position in his Ferrari on the Saturday, ahead of Patrick Depailler in the Tyrrell, James Hunt in the McLaren and Niki Lauda in the other 312 T2. In the race, Clay got away well and hung onto the lead. A few laps later Depailler and Hunt collided at the hairpin before the finish line, which cost the whole group a lot of time.

Regazzoni was now heading for the win, but he wasn’t taking it easy. He also set the fastest race lap and crossed the line over 40 seconds ahead of Lauda. The race brought the Swiss driver the great satisfaction of thus taking the first pole, win, fastest lap triple of his career, leading from start to finish. It was on this very track, five years later, that Regazzoni would have the accident in an Ensign that would consign him to a wheel chair for the rest of his life.

— see video above —