In 1977, a new team entered the Formula 1 world, initially as a customer team, using Penske PC4 cars, and later as a constructor. The new team, ATS, took its name from the initials of the German alloy wheel brand (Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör), owned by German entrepreneur Günter Schmid, and headquartered in Bad Dürkheim, near the Hockenheim circuit. Schmid’s company manufactured revolutionary lightweight alloy wheels for Porsche and Volkswagen and also produced special aluminum wheels for AMG, the high-performance division of Mercedes-Benz. ATS was also a major sponsor in motorsports, using racing to promote its brand. The natural evolution of this strategy was entering Formula 1.
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| ATS Penske PC4, Hans Binder Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1977 |
Following the Penske team’s withdrawal from Formula 1 at the end of the 1976 season, the newly founded ATS team acquired all the materials needed to compete in 1977, including the Penske PC4 cars. Schmid took over all of Penske’s assets, and starting from the fourth race of the season, at Long Beach, ATS entered a PC4 in new gold-yellow livery, driven by Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier, who finished sixth, scoring a point on debut.
ATS Penske PC4, Jean-Pierre Jarier
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1977
This debut race remained ATS’s best result of the season, as the team failed to score any further points. From the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, ATS entered a second PC4, driven by German driver Hans Heyer, but he failed to qualify. However, on race day, the ATS team illegally placed Heyer’s car on the grid, and he started the race anyway. The organizers only noticed this after the race ended, disqualifying him, though Heyer had already retired on lap nine due to a mechanical failure.
ATS Penske PC4, Jean-Pierre Jarier
Long Beach, USA West GP 1977
For the remaining races, the second PC4 was entrusted to Australian driver Hans Binder, but due to financial constraints, ATS skipped the last three overseas races of the season. As a result, Jarier’s single point from the U.S. Grand Prix West remained ATS’s only score. In the 1977 Constructors' Championship, ATS finished 12th, though officially, the points were credited to Penske, the constructor of the car.
ATS Panske PC4 Interscope Racing, Danny Ongais
Mosport, Canadian GP 1977
Another Penske PC4 was entered in the final two North American rounds by the Interscope Racing team. With American driver Danny Ongais at the wheel, Interscope Racing achieved a respectable seventh place at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park.
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