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Robert Brett Lunger (born November 14, 1945 in Wilmington, Delaware) is a former racecar driver from the United States. Lunger was educated in dancing schools in Wilmington, the Holderness School, and Princeton University. He dropped out of Princeton after three years to enlist for service in Vietnam. He was a political science major.〔''Lunger's Sputtering Career Revives According To Plan'', New York Times, April 11, 1976, p. 164.〕 At the time he was preparing a thesis on U.S. policy on Southeast Asia. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident refuted much of what Lunger contended in his writing.〔''Brett Lunger Story: From Rich Kid To Formula 5000 Driver'', New York Times, January 20, 1974, p. 213.〕 A former US Marine lieutenant〔 who served in the Vietnam war, his racing career was mostly spent in privateer cars, paid for by his family wealth (Lunger was a scion of the DuPont family). He is also known for helping to rescue Niki Lauda from his burning Ferrari in 1976 at the Nürburgring. Lunger was not raised a car enthusiast. He was brought up to enjoy baseball, hockey, and football. He became interested in auto racing when a friend took him to a race in 1965. By 1966 he was the "rich kid" of the Can-Am series. Between 1972 and 1973 he faced the top competition in European Formula Two, from the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson, and Jean-Pierre Jarier. His best finish was a 4th place at Mantorp Park in Sweden, for Space Racing, in their March-Ford BDA 722. The machinery he was in at this juncture did not allow him to do better. On a single weekend in Rouen, France, Lunger blew three Ford BDA engines.〔 He married Jo, the daughter of Sir Leonard Crossland, former chairman of Ford of Britain and an executive with Lotus in 1975. Lunger used his wife's English thatched cottage as a base to court a ride with Formula One teams in 1975.〔''Lunger Qualifies for Glen Race As Lauda Gains Pole Position'', New York Times, October 5, 1975, p. 226.〕 == Racing career synopsis == He participated in 43 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 17, 1975, without scoring any championship during his four seasons in Formula One. Lunger's Formula One career started alongside James Hunt in the Hesketh team in 1975, followed by a season with Surtees in 1976. The 1976 British GP was probably the best race of his GP career, qualifying mid grid, he climbed through the field to challenge his team mate Alan Jones, and Lunger's fastest lap was bettered by only 5 drivers. For 1977, he started the season with a year-old March 761 run by Bob Sparshott and entered under the name of his sponsor, Chesterfield Racing, but switched to a McLaren M23 after three races. In 1978, he stayed with the McLaren M23 and also tried an M26, but now entered by Sparshott's racing outfit, BS Fabrications. After a one-off drive for Ensign at the end of the season, Lunger moved on to sports car racing. Lunger is perhaps most renowned for being one of the drivers, along with Guy Edwards, Arturo Merzario and Harald Ertl, who saved Niki Lauda from his burning car during the 1976 German Grand Prix. Lunger described Lauda's accident which occurred on the 2nd lap. He went off at a speed of between and . ''He had apparently crashed on exit, went through a couple of rows of catch fence, up a relatively steep bank, and back into the middle of the track, the Ferrari on fire.'' Lunger said that Edwards was able to get by Lauda's car to the left but Lunger was unable to avoid the wrecked Ferrari. He made contact about three quarters on because ''I was committed to a line and couldn't make it through the debris.'' Ertl followed, colliding with the Ferrari and knocking it into Lunger's Surtees. Lunger's fire extinguishers were set off by the collision which was fortunate and saved time in the rescue. Lunger got out of his Surtees which was tangled up with the Ferrari. The extinguishers going off had dampened the fire somewhat. Workers arrived and kept the fire down, eventually putting foam on the Ferrari. This enabled Lunger and Merzario to get close to the fire, although they could not free Lauda at first. Lauda was conscious, struggling to get free on his own. Again the fire flared up and kept the men back from the car's side. Lunger jumped on top of the Ferrari and grabbed Lauda by his shoulders. Merzario unbuckled the seatbelts and Lunger and Lauda tumbled out of the car as a portion of the cockpit broke apart. As Lauda and Lunger emerged corner workers put foam on them. They lay for a few seconds in the grass. The burning fuel was moving toward them so Lunger and Lauda walked 6 to 8 steps away from the fire.〔''Ferrari 'Boycott' Is Ending In Dutch Grand Prix Today'', New York Times, August 29, 1976, p. 151.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brett Lunger」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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