Tyrrell 004 Cosworth V8 F1 Blignaut Lucky Strike South African GP 1973

Eddie Keizan had been competing in the domestic South African Touring Car Championship with Alfa Romeos since the late 60s and switched to the sports car scene with Lola and Chevron in the early 70s. With the support of Lucky Strike and the organisers of the South African GP, he acquired a decommissioned Tyrrell 004 from the British F1 team for the 1973 season. Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert had mainly used this chassis #004 the previous year as a T-car in practice for some Grand Prix and Patrick Depailler had competed with it in Clermont-Ferrand and Watkins Glen in 1972. By the beginning of 1973, the car had long since become obsolete and went to South Africa as a used car.

Logically, the man from Johannesburg therefore already lost 2.6 seconds to the fast new Lotus 72D and pole-setter Denny Hulme in the McLaren M23 in qualifying. In the race, however, Keizan kept the used Tyrrell car running and was in 12th position after 30 laps until a puncture forced him to pits. With new Goodyears, the local hero returned to the track to the delight of the fans, even though a respectable result was no longer possible. Twelve laps down in the end, he dropped out of the official classification, but the old Tyrrell 004 chassis #004 was to line up on the grid again in 1974 with Eddie Keizan at the South African Grand Prix in Kyalami.