Motor racing -- and Argentina driver Carlos Reutemann drove his Ferrari to an easy victory in the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on Sunday (1 October) -- completing a clean sweep of the two American Formula One races.

SYNOPSIS: 1978 World Championship leader Mario Andretti of the United States was first off from the start in the number two Lotus after knocking a wheel off his own car in the final warm-up before the race. But Reutemann and his Canadian team-mate Gilles Villeneuve swept past him on the second lap.

From then onwards, to the disappointment of the 100,000 strong home crowd, it was all over for the American -- who has already clinched this year's championship but is trying to equal the late Jim Clark's record of seven Grand Prix wins in a season. Meanwhile, Reutemann was forging ahead, all out to establish a big lead.

And while others struggled he did just that. Early in the race Reutemann was almost thirty seconds in front and cruised easily to victory. Australian Alan Jones moved into second place on the 27th lap in his Williams-Ford.

It was a bad day for Austrian ace Niki Launda too. He now ties for third place in the World Championships with Reutemann, with the late Ronnie Petersen still second on the list. A victory for either Reutemann or Launda in the final Grand Prix of the season in Montreal, Canada, would put the winner in second place with 53 points.

As he passed the chequered flag Reutemann was just over nineteen seconds ahead of Alan Jones. South African Jody Scheckter captured third place in a Wolf-Ford, four laps from the end. After the race Reutemann said he had been "extremely confident". "I know the track", he explained, "Once I established a big lead I knew I could drive easily the rest of the way". Reutemann will be joining the Lotus team next year-- and may well have his sights set on Championship honours.