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| - The 1966 United States Grand Prix, officially known as the 9th United States Grand Prix, was the eighth and penultimate round of the 1966 FIA Formula One World Championship. staged on the 2nd of October, 1966. Using the familiar, and increasingly popular, Watkins Glen circuit, the race would be remembered as the day that Brabham-Repco won their first Constructors' Championship.
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abstract
| - The 1966 United States Grand Prix, officially known as the 9th United States Grand Prix, was the eighth and penultimate round of the 1966 FIA Formula One World Championship. staged on the 2nd of October, 1966. Using the familiar, and increasingly popular, Watkins Glen circuit, the race would be remembered as the day that Brabham-Repco won their first Constructors' Championship. Qualifying/practice saw Brabham's owner/driver Jack Brabham snatch pole position from Jim Clark in the dying moments as circuit records tumbled. Row two would feature Lorenzo Bandini, who just fell shy of the front row by a couple of hundredths, meaning he started alongside former team mate John Surtees. When Tex Hopkins leapt into the air to signal the start, it was Californian Richie Ginther who got the best start, leaping up from eighth to third to slot behind Bandini and Clark on the opening lap. By the second lap Ginther had slipped back behind Brabham and Surtees, with those two also able to get by Clark when his H16 engine hit its usual wave of minor problems. Brabham soon swept into the lead past Bandini on lap 10, before Surtees tangled with back marker Peter Arundell and spun, cutting the quartet down to a trio. Bandini then hit problems and retired to leave Brabham in control, and, with Clark opting to nurse his car to the flag, the Australian slowly pulled out a fifteen second lead. Yet, there was to be one final twist, and as Surtees began to climb back through the order, Brabham's engine expired putting an end to the newly recrowned Champion's race. Clark was left with a 30 second advantage over Jochen Rindt which would end up as a lap in arrears come race end, while Surtees diced his way back up to third a few laps from the end.
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