Denny Hulme won the 1972 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, the second round of the 1972 Formula One World Championship.
Key Facts
- Race winner
- Denny Hulme (McLaren)
- Race distance
- 79 laps
- Winner's starting position
- 5th on the grid
- Second place
- Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus)
- Third place
- Peter Revson (McLaren)
- Championship round
- Race 2 of 12
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1972 Formula One season scheduled twelve rounds for the World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Kyalami in South Africa hosted the second round, as it had done in several prior seasons, bringing top constructors including McLaren and Lotus to compete.
On 4 March 1972, the Sixth AA Grand Prix of South Africa was held at Kyalami over 79 laps. Denny Hulme, starting from fifth on the grid, drove his McLaren to victory. Emerson Fittipaldi of Lotus finished second, and McLaren's Peter Revson claimed third place.
Hulme's victory awarded McLaren valuable constructors' points and put Hulme in contention early in the 1972 drivers' championship standings. The result also demonstrated McLaren's competitive strength with two cars finishing in the top three, while Fittipaldi's second place kept Lotus in the hunt for both titles.