Ford GT40 - 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans

you burn in the lomarr pits the 24 hour endurance circuit and almost immediately you have a very difficult corner you are a little blind you can't see very far so you are speeding up your game after the first time you don't brake and you go down the hill and you enter the gist: you raise your right hands very quickly, you are really using the brakes and all around, and I mean all the way over the white lines on both sides and right next to the banks, you move away towards Corto Calle so that the game of the bracelet go through it, it is a very slow corner, in fact, the sandbank on the left comes out of there and now we start with the most straights, this is the real straight, hold the gear, this is where the speeds really increase. 150 miles per hour now and yet you can see the way the white line crushes the car.

Now we are moving away towards the middle of the road, the force approached the maximum speed of over 200 pounds, it drops before here at night when you can see a couple of red lights. Okay, you can't tell if you're chasing the crowd on the slope, ooh, let's say a hundred and ten miles, now it's fast. Of course, the militia will catch up and during the 24

hours

you will break about 2500 times. The fast Hola Vida GT car weighs over 2 pounds, which means that during the race the brakes would be running at over 600 degrees Celsius for over 24

hours

, except of course it didn't stop when I reduced the map size. . near the end of the street we are in full swing here are the curves to the right, should take very fast just before the fort lord on the landing about 500 yards from the corner, starts to go down from about 200 miles per hour plus to 45 or 50 tonight, they are on the right, the corner stays in contact with the field throughout the race, so now with the sandbank on the left, lucky, we are now in third, up to about 180,000, we are here to break the dross. before a couple of icy nightclubs on the right leading to the second, receive the board at the end marked in the right corner.

Indianapolis is two really small corners, right, first two, four slow and then it breaks hard for this, the main corner goes around Annapolis. the force too short, the artillery is parked to break with the same force again for the tight corner. Arnage, our huts that have a slow right hand side with a sandbank that for some reason people don't seem to enter as often as the others. Anavar does not accelerate and build up. for the second fastest editor, approaching 190 miles per hour, you will have slight cornering when the fast traveling corner beckons, earn some money, the next is without a doubt the most difficult section of the circuit, up to 190 in some places and applied slightly to the corner of the white house here is the White House, we are not accelerating now until we reach the new chicane which slowed down to about 50 miles per hour before entering the pits.

I was sure you could change the braking technology a little, but you have to do it right the first time, otherwise you won't come back. Everything usually starts in April, unless there is an earthquake or similar inconvenience for motoring enthusiasts. April is practically

1968

and is no exception, although the actual race took place in September instead of June for the superbly organized professional teams, as well as for all participants, it is more than practice time: it is time to check all innovations and justify all the hard work that has gone into building completely new cars or improving existing ones since the last race of the private entry and those with less generous financial support, practice time can also feel like time to build a car fast in the paddock with whatever parts are on hand, but the LeMond 24 Hour is a bit like the Grand National, it's not always the favourite.

Whoever wins or even survives this car will qualify and compete, all teams must guarantee the efficiency of their brakes here the Swiss Ferrari of the Scuderia Philippa Nettie prepares to accommodate the disc pads with a couple of smooth movements and to ensure the correct adjustment of the Auto Delta brake mechanism from Italy ahir - of course, with a strong intake usual for the two-liter alfas, the alfa are using the recently developed farrotto formula - for the disc pads that wait throughout the life of each pad set that could mean perhaps two instead of three pad changes over 24 hours and a lot of time saved, but a lot will depend on the technique of each individual rider. 50 of the 54 who started in the

1968

DeMar race will depend on Perotta and from them, everyone except the alphas sticks with the good guys.

Farrotto DSM demonstrated that sometimes it takes time until a new product replaces one that has already been successful, judging by past and present performance, the original Porsches are probably the favorites for this race, gathered commentators, journalists and personalities from the world of motorsports. watch and comment, then sometimes race time comes too soon and the moment of truth approaches in the picturesque towns and villages around Lamar the racing teams set up their headquarters the drivers try to relax in a tense atmosphere when There is always talk of technical problems and tactics, there is Lucien Bianchi, who will drive a Ford

gt40

for John Wyer and his co-driver Rodríguez, with the experience of many LeMond races behind him, Jacky Oliver, another

gt40

driver who takes a few moments alone just 24 hours before the many hours of maximum solitude in Behind the wheel, the drivers of two privately entered Fords are Mike Salmon on the right and his list with dark glasses John Wyer watches carefully while the finishing touches are put on to the three GT forties in the colors of Gulf oil, all the lessons learned from April training have been applied and will soon join the battle with the official Porsches and the rest of the race day.

Now the track comes to life, the official Porsche identification numbers and all the cars no longer have race numbers. practice now, this is real, a 23rd American participant who made an experimental turbine with his unmistakable jet wine and another helmet. They are both unknowns in this most important automobile race in the world and that is Bob Tullius, who will drive one of the turbines, the most revolutionary of all the American participants, the factory Porsches are now lined up from 31 to 34 and the two girls are outside with publicity material on their backs, which may be the wrong side, the show is really about to begin, the interviewers and interviewees are everywhere. and the television and radio guys are in force both on the track and above it, there is no doubt that the official Porsches are the big favorites for this race.

There is civet in the wind. Cheetah co-pilot of the official Porsche number 31 preparing for Lamar's famous exit. but the drivers run across the track and get into the car and start with the button and there is the co-driver Herman with the plaid jacket. The beautiful clear morning that promised at least a dry and sunny start has given way to cold, torrential rain. The Porsche team, with just minutes to go, has switched to rain tires and looks more than a little nervous about its entire reputation for efficiency, and yes, John Meyers' fawns are switching and looking much calmer about it, even if they don't feel it so close.

From the beginning, Brian Muir, they are making sure everything is ready for a quick getaway and now, with so little time to go, he moves to the press box to see a common starting tree in place, the light It is very poor. on the track full of water and I can see Rodríguez there waiting under the umbrella, a real veteran above them, all the drivers are just beginning to take their positions in front of the pits, now on the side of the track, far from the cause Of course, a clue. which must be as slippery as an i-strip.

I'm seeing that it can't be more than a minute and a half until the three o'clock stop instead of the traditional one for the exhausting 24 hours, the students will still be in the rain. in brief scoops cut, so king MERS to the spectators with nothing to protect but their enthusiasm, the sound of the crowd now reduced to a faint expectant murmur of French rhubarb and they are out, no data for Scott, no, they are off the flag. and all the drivers so fast because the most powerful cars will try to escape first and it is sure that it is a super number 31, but 24 hours is a lot, eh, and the maximum force of the missile another 30 tunics fail slightly with little power on the wet surface and the other two reporters away and force close to number 11, but a little surrounded by the rest, but they are only now and for once no one was left sweating from the events of the storm, they expanded visibility, but the drivers must be closed up to less than four minutes the leaders surpassed the fixed point for the first time and in less than competition those who remained are already far behind, they will be in the Mulsanne curve after reaching more than 200 miles per hour even with this weather on the straight , so from an inaudible song here it continues under the sun now we expect the leaders on the grout at any moment and there they are and it is a Porsche that works and another in a cloud of stress and yes, another one that is three parts water that work off the track, there are no others However, yes, it is still another Porsche that does not allow itself the luxury of internal horses one, two, three and four, decelerating now in the curve that is not allowed in sight and Back at the base he preferred that Maris' Ford already crashed with the force of Mulsanne, but first from the pits he is still alert. one two three and four with spa maja at number 33, that is, of the fragment at number 31 there are no signs of the gt40 or the Metra in fifth place is the alpha 39 but the al p number 27 of Mauro Bianchi is 6 then the Swiss Ferrari and yes, finally John wires Ford gt40 approaching the never followed almost lost in the spray there by Rodríguez in number 9 there is the problem the French favorite is already entering the pits after only one was left looking towards the s now I can see that Mauro Bianchi's album is moving away followed by Branmer's Ford who has already passed the Ferrari and in seventh place, gap and it is for number nine, the following driving conditions must be terrible there and for number 10, now line 10 passes through the pits for the second time and they are still working quarters in the first four places. but it is spreading more and we just heard that the Metra only has problems with the windshield wipers, although that could make it impossible to drive today, the needy and a lien also have problems, but the other two strong closed a year in the seventh and eighth position and then sailed to anyone to visit more Sun much better conditions now at Mo's in progress The Porsches after starting to let the tail in on the third lap are on the fourth lap still far ahead, but win carefully in this corner west and slippery number 31 not taking the lead is working particularly well, and pizzetta at number 34 took the escape route to visit her off the circuit, no harm, but she could lose her fourth base with an Anna for the newer ones, He has already passed the alpha and is now in fifth place.

The doll now passes and the visitor has slipped. there, just in front of the number 11 Merlin and the other two Fords are right behind, so all the John Wires GT40s are together fifth, sixth and seventh, now back to Robin Richard, it's back to the race, now somewhere on the circuit and advancing like this with the Fords they put strong pressure on the official Porsches, they are not going to get their way, it is still anyone's race, we are all very far away on the fifth lap, now we do the other two GPs forty behind , is still simply number 11, threatening the visitors. boxes, but on lap six he surprisingly falls to the back of the tree behind Rodriguez number nine, but he did it, he did it, yeah.

Rodríguez in number nine now in fourth position after seven laps was ahead of the presenters, but for every victory there is more. more than one tragedy just across the track from the press box. I can see that the unfortunate Jean Max will be Moyne, a number 54 simcha almost exhausted after pushing the car to pit road from far down the field, where his foil contacted the ruse. of this race are quite complicated for a night study but at least two points are abundant here the driver must take his car to the pits with help and the car must start with the button only refreshments, applause and sympathy are allowed until the throws are equal then disqualification is possible or blame can result in terror, but meanwhile the number 10 Ford has pitted after eight laps for a tire chain, leaving the top three factory teams chased by Rodriguez in number nine for just at number eleven.

Back in fifth place in the final pass, Pourcel now appears on lap 12 with Rodríguez Bianchi in number nine. Far behind after tire changes, only the Muir Oliver FordNumber 11 is on the same map as the leaders with Hobbs walking towards number 10 next. because Brad knows that he went to the sand at Mo's and it seems like a long job to get that one out that will have put the factory Porsches back in the top four positions with, I think, the number 13 Alber shorts back in fifth place. place and the number twenty nine 3 liter alpena with six megs is the number fourteen seventh Ferrari with a lola and another Ferrari eight tonight so no Ford for the leaders at the moment it's five o'clock and there are a lot of changes in the works.

The Porsches are still going, but Vaad Regas Bianchi's number nine Ford moved up to third on the same lap as Vic El

ford

. In the second part on the same lap is the Hawkins and Hobbs gt40 and the fourth phase and the stop of the number 34 Porsche of Bazzetta Patrick. return to the fifth key Shay's alkene number 29 is 6 and 14 Gregory's Ferrari is 7, the empty alpha number 39 has fallen again, but Fiscarlos' mattress is shown again and is in a position too late, so which gives them all the lights of the survivors. Setting sun Four of the 24 hours have not yet passed, but the leaders have covered about 60 laps more than 500 miles for the cars 20 hours left for the drivers 11 hours of total darkness allowed by the insomniac technician Night Watch is a good night 200,000 Evan spectators flow in the dark enjoying the attractions around the circuit and the carnival atmosphere of the fairgrounds that lasts for justice a special night every year at midnight the entertainments are in full swing but only 38 of the 50 remain to start 15 hours to go Ford number nine is in the lead but only two laps ahead of the French expect subway number 24 the Porsches are in trouble surrounded by the total darkness of early morning in the oasis of brilliance at the fairgrounds dies slowly as pleasure seekers begin to seek rest the renewed rain dampens their spirits and combines with darkness to increase the dangers of the track at 1:00 a.m. position has changed dramatically three of the four works Porsches have failed, but so have all but one of the John wires gt40, although the number nine still clings to the lead with a second alpha meter line.

The number 39 is in third place, but the surviving factory Porsche after dropping to ninth place due to technical problems is close. Quick, it's still a race for anyone. AM's number nine Ford continues to lead the issue where the alpha is third, but the number 33 Porsche has regained fourth position at 230. The rain is torrential. The visibility for the driver is horrible and at 3:00 a.m. a total of 20. Cars have been left on the road, some literally in the cold, dark open concrete pits, man a mechanic's stand ready for short bursts of essential activity and, in the meantime, chart the progress of the remaining cars at 5:00 a.m. m. in the darkest hours before dawn.

I have completed 200 laps with 22 cars. They left. It seems unlikely that the sun will be able to roll again. The dawn has not interrupted it. Lamarr. Rather, there has been a weakening of the darkness. It's cold and humid. The rain has stopped, but it would dry out. Take your time, life slowly returns to the track area known as the village, where all the amenities of a resort town are available to spectators who wake up and return. The melancholy air of the deserted fairground has not yet been dissipated by the enthusiasm of the race. Once again finding their favorites well placed, still with small signs of movement in the usually busy areas of the track, only the surviving cars put resolute pressure on John Wires.

The number nine Ford has survived the night leading from the number 39 Alfa with the affair. In third place and fighting hard for second place, already won and lost in the hours of darkness, now in fourth place is the Swiss Porsche number 66, the only preserved factory Porsche is fifth and winning at 8 o'clock Life in the town returns to normal. A restless sun crosses the track and together with cognac coffee and the news that the matter is second again raises the hopes of the predominantly French public. At nine, Matt, confident in second place, is just six laps behind the Ford to close the gap on the Alfa.

On the same lap he is in third position, behind these ingenious drivers, in sixth place is the alkene Renault 27, then come two more Alfas, seventh and eighth, and David Piper's Ferrari, tenth at night, is the French of 2 liters that entered with number 45 and then in 11. place another 3d on the beam with another LP number 57 12 in the shopping center 32 cars are out of the race and the day is still young less than five hours to go and Lucien Bianchina Ford still leaves the 22 survivors 100 laps of more than 800 miles separating the leaders from the last car, but just six laps behind the Ford lies the matte wig for the French crown, which delights a considerable lead over the number 39, although is still in third place after an unscheduled 22-minute pit stop, quickly closing in on other Swiss Porsches. fourth and Porsche number 33 from the factory fifth another alfa 38 is sixth Mauro Bianchi in Alpine Renault 27 is 725 laps behind his brother in the Ford but remains a strong leader and contender for one of the awards awarded for performance or class after complicated efficiency calculations not to mention the possibility of finishing well among the leaders, some of whom still might not complete the 24 hours, but just four hours left Lucien Bianchi in the Ford classes of the rubble of the Alps without knowing that his brother survived the accident.

The leaders, including Metro, emerged apparently unscathed, but Metro ran over some of the remnants of the Alps, sustaining damage that eventually proved fatal. French fans will wait in vain for the return of their favorite, with only an hour to go. Now alpha number 39 had unexpectedly dropped to fourth place, but two other alpha teams are fifth and sixth. 17 turns separate alphas 39 and 40 with 38 somewhere in between, the most surprising of all of these. Swit surely the number 66 has moved up to second place two laps ahead. Porsche and hot on the heels of the four, but the one who survived, Porsche is still closing in on the two leaders and has risen dramatically from fifth and then fourth to third place and discovers that restraint must be affecting all the survivors with the Most of the grueling 24 hours behind them are clearly shown during the inevitable pit stops just minutes from the end, so, in the pits for the end of what is undoubtedly the toughest motorsport race in the world, an expectant silence falls. has seized the densely populated for you.

John wires poured the number. nine pass through the pit area to waste time before completing another lap, the checkered flag will be raised and this tough race will have been won for the third time in a row by a Ford cop and thanks to John Wyer this means that the world championship of sports car manufacturers continues. to Ford for the first time the championship that would otherwise have reached proportions in the pits now the flag is already raised with the winning car still in the city but it is the distance traveled in the next 24 hours and without a doubt that means that the fall is Rodriguez and Bianchi's car that the crowd loves most, meanwhile finishing in second place are Thorian Steinem and Swift Porter number 66, the one that survives runs safely number 33 takes third place with the splendid trio of alphas in Linus.

They are 4th, 5th and 6th and that is David Piper's Ferrari now number 21 after finishing seventh and finally there is number nine the fourth the gt40 and rarely they are giving a great welcome to the drivers Belgian lucia VIP and federal Mexican rodríguez for whom winning at lamar is also the fulfillment of their life's ambition, a triumph for JW automotive engineering, the winning Ford has completed three hundred and thirty lakhs, more than 2700 miles in 24 hours, maintaining an average speed of more than 115 miles per hour despite torrential rain during the additional hours of darkness. and the need to brake hard 330 more times for the new chicane before entering the pits or, altogether, the brakes were applied about 2,800 times during the race, often during the car's descent at more than 200 miles per hour ( 250 miles per hour still).

Farrotto's essential data was only changed twice on the front wheels and only once on the rear wheels. Strength tests such as the 24-hour race are an invaluable test for the quality of the friction material. Farrotto leading Lamar's challenge further ensures his safety throughout the journey. watch around the world why