<< Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >> The high speed Rouen track had revealed the Dino's weakness, which surprisingly was its engine. Compared to the four cylinder Cosworth it was considerably down on power. Ferrari did not enter another Formula 2 race in 1967 and instead spent much time developing and testing the car. Needless to say much of the work was focused on the engine. The single biggest improvement was a new 4-valve per cylinder head. At the start of the 1968 the diminutive engine's output was up to 225 bhp. Alongside the Formula 2 Dino, Ferrari also developed a closely related 'Tasman' version. Built for Works racer Chris Amon to race in the popular off-season series in Australia and his native New Zealand, the car featured a 285 bhp 2.4 litre version of the Dino engine.
Down Under the Tasman Dino faced much of the same opposition. Amon's fiercest challenger was Jim Clark in a Lotus 49T, equipped with a downsized version of the Cosworth DFV engine. At the first of eight rounds, Amon clinched the pole and went on to score the Tasman's maiden victory. He took another victory and two further podiums and finished runner-up. Encouraged by the success of the previous year, Ferrari sent a two car team for the 1969 Tasman Series. Amon was the lead driver, backed up by Derek Bell in the second car. This time round Amon won four races and was crowned champion. The winning machine was sold to local racer Graeme Lawrence, who raced the car to its second Tasman title in 1970 even though he won only one race.
Ferrari's extensive development and testing work had almost bridged the gap with the other Formula 2 manufacturers. For the 1968 season Williams was replaced by the team's Formula 1 drivers Chris Amon and Jacky Ickx. Most meetings consisted of two races with the final result decided on aggregate. Ferrari came close on winning their first round of the European Championship on the Belgian track of Zolder. Rindt had won the first heat ahead of Amon. In the second heat the Austrian made a mistake and dropped down to third behind race leader Ickx and Amon. The team signaled Ickx to let Amon by, but the local driver refused. He won the heat, but Rindt's first and third place finishes were rated higher than Amon's two second places. Later in the season Derek Bell claimed a pole position at Zandvoort and won a heat, but the Ferraris struggled to run a faultless weekend. << Prev Page 2 of 3 Next >>
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The high speed Rouen track had revealed the Dino's weakness, which surprisingly was its engine. Compared to the four cylinder Cosworth it was considerably down on power. Ferrari did not enter another Formula 2 race in 1967 and instead spent much time developing and testing the car. Needless to say much of the work was focused on the engine. The single biggest improvement was a new 4-valve per cylinder head. At the start of the 1968 the diminutive engine's output was up to 225 bhp. Alongside the Formula 2 Dino, Ferrari also developed a closely related 'Tasman' version. Built for Works racer Chris Amon to race in the popular off-season series in Australia and his native New Zealand, the car featured a 285 bhp 2.4 litre version of the Dino engine.