Egbert 'Eppie' Wietzes (born May 28, 1938 – died June 10, 2020) was a Dutch-born Canadian former racing driver, notable for having entered two Grand Prix as a privateer, and also being the first Safety car driver.
Career[]
There was a seven-year gap between his first race and his next. His first, the 1967 Canadian Grand Prix saw him disqualified for outside assistance, making Wietzes one of the few drivers in history to have been disqualified from their first Grand Prix.
His next start, at the same race in 1974, saw him enter a non-works Brabham BT42, bearing the Canadian flag. He retired on lap 33 with an engine problem.
Safety car[]
At the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix, won by Peter Revson, Wietzes was the driver of the first ever safety car in Formula One history, a Porsche 914. However, when the car was first used, it took the incorrect position, placing a car 1 lap down. It took several hours after the race to determine the winner and sort out the confusion. The pace car would not be used again for another two decades.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Constructor | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 |  Team Lotus
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Lotus-Ford Cosworth | 0 | NC | Report |
| 1974 |  Team Canada F1 Racing
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Brabham-Ford Cosworth | 0 | NC | Report |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pts | Pos | ||||||||
| 1967 | 
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||
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| 1974 | 
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| Key | |||||
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| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||