3.0 Ferrari 312PB
By restricting the engine capacity of the new Group 5 (pro-totypes & sports cars) to 3,000cc the FIA took a serious risk concerning endurance racing. How be sure that those cars, equipped with F1 engines, could stay reliable during 24 hours? So it was decided to restrict all rounds but Le Mans to 6 hour races. In the States, Bill France sr - owner of the Daytona track - accepted, but the IMSA, organiser of the Sebring 12 hours, refused to apply the new rule. Another problem was how to obtain complete starters fields now that the 8 regular Porsches 917K and 12 regular Ferraris 512M, filling in 1971 still the fields, could no longer come at the start. An inadequate number of competitive cars for the 1972 season was thus the immediate result.
SpA SEFAC Ferrari let build 6 new 312PB prototypes with chassis 0884, 0886, 0888, 0890, and 0892. Later in the season the 0894 was added. It was the intention to send 3 cars to each round, except the Targa Florio (a race hated by Enzo Ferrari). But early during the season there were rumours that the Prancing Horse should stay absent at Le Mans, despite the fact that at the March Le Mans Trials Jacky Ickx clocked the fastest time at the wheel of a long tail 312PB. At SEFAC they decided to take no risks and wait the results before taking the firm decision to go to La Sarthe. Only if the gap with Alfa Romeo - in 1971 still winner of 3 rounds - should be narrow enough, the Le Mans entry should be confirmed.
The racing department was thoroughly changed. SEFAC remembered the disastrous racing organisation under Mauro Forghieri - having lost in 1970 at least 3 rounds by major racing strategy errors - so he was replaced by Paul Schetty, in 1969 still a factory driver involved in the 312P project.
It's absolutely untrue that the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB, already raced in 1971, was a further development of the 3.0 Ferrari 312P with its fragile 48 valve V12 F1 engine. The 312PB used the widened chassis of the 312 F1 car, but was powered by a horizontally opposed 12-cylinder boxer engine with twin overhead camshafts per bank of cylinders. In 1971 power output was 440bhp at 10,800rpm . Left of the driver in one of the wide sponsons a 120-litre fuel tank was installed, counterbalancing the weight of the driver and of the right sponson. At the end of 1971 two 312PB cars took the two first places at the Kyalami 9 hours. In 1972, after a full year of testing in major races, the 2,991 cc engine capacity was increased to 460bhp at 10,800rpm. The car was widened, rear fins were added, and dry weight increased from 632 to 650 kg. Later during the season the cars received a closed rear tail with complete wing.

                      3.0 Alfa Romeo 33TT3
Just as Ferrari, Autodelta tested its 3.0 Alfa Romeo T33/3 during a complete season, having beaten the works Por-sches 917K or 908-03 and the private owned Ferraris 512M at 3 rounds of the Manufacturer's Worlds. In view of the new season Autodelta developed a flat-12 3-litre engine, but this was not ready to race in 1972 and throughout the year the old V8 engine was used. In its 1972 specification this 2,992cc engine developed between 430 and 440bhp at 9800rpm. Dry weight of the car was 650 kg - figures all very close to those of its direct opponent, the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB. Before the start of the season the monocoque chassis, used in the T33/3 was replaced by a tubular chassis (Telaio Tubolare, from where the TT in 33TT3). To improve the balance of the car the gearbox was moved ahead of the differential. The new car was called 3.0 Alfa Romeo 33TT3.
In total 6 such cars were built with chassis numbers 002, 003, 004, 005, 006 and 009. Only at Buenos Aires and Daytona we noted a mixed entry of 33TT3s and the older 33T3. Initially Autodelta's main goal was to win the Manufacturer's Worlds, now officially called the F.I.A. World Championship for Makes. When the new car was beaten by the Ferrari 312PB at the four first rounds, Autodelta changed its politics, aiming at the Targa Florio (already won last year), the Nürburgring 1,000-kms and the Le Mans 24 hours. In order to prepare its cars for those events Autodelta declared forfeit for the Monza 1,000-kms and the Francorchamps 1,000-kms.
The 33TT3 was raced with several rear tails. At Buenos Aires one used the open rear of the T33/3. At Daytona, Sebring, Brands Hatch and the Targa Florio one raced with a closed rear. At the Nürburgring fins were added. At Le Mans a long tail rear with fins was used.

                      3.0 Lola T280 Ford
Under the new FIA rules, and with the financial help of Karl von Wendt, Sweden's Joachim Bonnier, living in Switzer-land, decided to use the chassis of the 2.0 Lola-FVC T212 to build a new car, the 3.0 Lola T280 Ford. Bonnier, a good racer, was the European agent for Lola in Geneva. He contributed in 1968-1969 to the development of the 5.0 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Mk3 GT and Mk3B. In 1971 he raced with success the Scuderia Filipinetti 1.8 Lola-FVC T212. It was an ultra light car, using a full aluminium monocoque chassis and had a dry weight of 460 kg. In 1971 it won the European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship.
Bonnier, having entered earlier 12 times the Le Mans 24 hours, created at the age of 42 his own Écurie Bonnier, selling and running two new versions of the T212, nl. the 1.8 Lola-FVC T290 and the 3.0 Lola T280 Ford. In the last car he installed a 2,993cc Ford-Cosworth DFV, a 90° 4-valve V8 with 64.3mm stroke and 85.72mm bore, good for 450bhp at 10,000rpm. In principle it was the same motor as used by Emerson Fittipaldi in the F1 Lotus Type 72 D. Although Bonnier and Hughes de Fierlandt won the Le Mans 4-hour race with the new car, it was fully unreliable and missed the experience Ferrari and Alfa Romeo had after having raced their 3-litre cars during the full season in 1971. In total 9 cars of type T280 were sold, one of them to Japan's Noritake Takahara, who won 3 of the 5 rounds of the Fujimi Grand Champion Series with it.
The Écurie Bonnier was short of finance, leading to inade-quate preparation of the cars and increasing their unreliabi-lity. For the Le Mans 24h a new sponsor was found: Switzer-land Cheese. At the start of the race Bonnier had enjoyed a few moments of lost glory, holding an early lead in the Lola T280 he shared with Gérard Larrousse and Gijs van Lennep. The end came around 8a.m. on Sunday as he went to overtake a slower Ferrari 365GTB-4 on the approach to Indianapolis corner. He mistimed his manoeuvre, touched the Ferrari and lost control of his car, which flew into the air, threw him out and exploded on impact with the ground. Bonnier was killed. After this fatal race, he rest of the season of the T280 was half-hearted.

                   3.0 Mirage Gulf M6 Ford
Mid-1971 Pieter Falk of A.G. Porsche published a press release, stating that Porsche could not enter the 1972 F.I.A. World Championship for Makes. Indeed, by stipu-lating a minimum weight of 650 kg for a 3-litre prototype the 3.0 Porsche 908-03 lost its complete light weight advantage. That implied also that the contract linking Porsche with JWA Gulf of John Wyer expired at the end of the year. January 1972 Gulf Oil Corporation announced that a new company was created, nl. Gulf Research Racing with John Wyer as director and John H. Horsman technical head. In close co-operation with FoMoCo Ford's Len Bailey designed the new 3.0 Mirage Gulf M6 Ford. The car used a semi-monocoque aluminium chassis with a polyester roadster body finishing in a an imposing movable rear spoiler. Two copies of the car were built with chassis M6.01 and M6.02. It was John Wyer's intention to power the car with the 2,995cc (75 x 56.5) V12 Weslake motor, developing 465bhp at 10,600rpm. However, Ford GB lost too much time in developing the new motor, so that the new M6 was to be raced with the same 2,993cc Ford-Cosworth DFV, a 90° 4-valve V8 motor as the Lola T80, thus the F1 one with 64.3mm stroke and 85.72mm bore, good for 450bhp at 10,000rpm.
In order to receive that engine the rear of the monocoque chassis was a tubular construction. As gearbox Wyer used a 5-gang Hewland DG300. Dry weight of the car was 650 kg, the minimum scheduled by FIA's CSI.
None of the cars was ready for the two first rounds of the World Championship for Makes, and the M6 made its first show at the Sebring 12 hours. One had to wait the real last round to see the second car in action. After Sebring and Brands Hatch Wyer gave forfeit for Monza and the Targa Florio in order to prepare the car better for the rest of the season. Since the V12 Weslake engine was not ready for Le Mans, the M6 was withdrawn weeks before the start. Eventually the car was only raced at six of the eleven rounds of the World Championship for Makes. 

          3.0 Matra-Simca MS670 & MS660C
Before the start of the 1972 season Matra's Jean-Luc Lagardère decided that the new 3.0 Matra-Simca MS670 should be built exclusively in function of the Le Mans 24 hours. At all other rounds of the 1972 World Championship for Makes the car was absent. The car is powered by the new detuned 2,992cc V12 MS72 motor used by Matra in F1. Compression ratio is 11:1. Power is up to 450bhp at 10,500rpm. Dry weight is 675 kg, 25 kg more than the CSI minimum reached by Matra's opponents (Ferrari 312PB, Alfa Romeo 33TT3, Lola T280 Ford and Mirage Gulf M6 Ford). The Hewland gearbox has been replaced by the new ZF box.
As the new car is not ready for the March Le Mans Trials, a transition machinery is sent to La Sarthe, the 3.0 Matra-Simca MS660C. There the car is tested with three different rear tails: the short one used at the 1971 Montlhéry 1,000-kms, the long tail used at last year's Le Mans 24 hours and a total new one of the "pedalo" type with a wing on top. Only on March 23, 1972, race director Gérard Ducarouge receives the new MS670 with chassis 670/01. The car will be raced on Goodyears and with Shell sponsorship.
Eventually four cars will be sent to the Le Mans 24 hours, two of them equipped with the 450bhp MS72, and two with the 415/420bhp MS12 motor giving its maximum power at 10,500rpm. Of the four cars three are equipped with the new long tail of the "pedalo" type, one with the old short tail. Three are type MS670, one is type MS660C. Eventually none of the four entered cars is similar to the other, due to the different engines and different tails.

                     3.0 Porsche 908-03
Developed in 1970 by Ferdinand Piech the 3.0 Porsche 908-03, built to be used on the twisty circuits of the Targa Florio and the Nürburgring, was a fantastic car with its 2,999cc 85 x 66 engine good for 350bhp at 9,000rpm, and this for a weight of only 500 kg. Under the new CSI rules, however, it was 150 kg too light. Adding weight was no problem, but in comparison with the other competitors, all using F1 engines, it was at least 100bhp short to be competitive. Building a new air cooled motor (obligation by VW) with 450bhp was nearly impossible, so A.G. Porsche decided to withdraw from competition, at least from the World Championship for Makes. (Porsche's new goal was to win the CANAM with its 917-10). An air cooled compe-titive motor, using cylinder heads with four valves was impossible due to a matter of space and heat transfer. But also the fact that after family disputes Ferdinand Piech - the father of the Porsche 908-03 - had withdrawn from Porsche's racing department, was one of the reasons why the development of the 908-03 was stopped in 1971.
Several former factory cars were sold to privateers. The one with chassis 908 03 013, having finished second at the 1971 Nürburgring 1,000-kms, went to Juan Fernandez of the Escuderia Montjuich. Another with chassis 908 03 008, having won the 1970 Targa Florio and the 1970 Nürburgring 1,000-kms went to Reinhold Jöst (who tuned its engine up to 380bhp). He bought also the 908 03 012 with its unusually fuel tank at the right side. Another 908-03 was sold to the Hollywood Team in Brazil, but not raced. A last one was bought by Ennio Bonomelli, who entered it at the Nürburgring 1,000-kms, but failed to qualify.
Eventually only the Porsches of the Escuderia Montjuich and of Reinhold Jöst entered more than one round of the 1972 World Championship for Makes. Underpowered they had not the smallest chance on victory. Nevertheless Jöst caused a stir to finish second at the wet-soaked Monza 1,000-kms. His car was also entered at the Interserie for "big bangers". There too he finished once as runner-up. 

                     3.0 Porsche 908-02
Developed in 1969 as a works car, the 3.0 Porsche 908-02 was no longer used by Porsche's works team after 1969. The car was equipped with a 2,999cc flat-8 engine which featured a larger 84mm bore to go with the 911's 88mm crank, pushing 320bhp towards the rear wheels. The flat eight-cylinder was initially connected to the 907's six-speed transaxle. However, from 1969 the factory used a newer, heftier five-speed instead. At the end of the 1969 season several 908-02 cars were sold to privateers. In 1972 still eight of them - all more than four years old - were raced in competition at the World Championship for Makes.
The 908-02-008, having finished third at Brands Hatch in 1969, was used by the Bosch Racing Team at Brands Hatch, Monza and Le Mans (finishing not once). The 908-02-009, never raced by Porsche's works team, was entered by André Wicky Racing at Monza, the Nürburgring and Le Mans (also without finishing once). The 908-02-015, having finished second at the 1969 Watkins Glen 6 hours, was entered by Tony Dean at Daytona (#82) and Watkins Glen, finishing fourth in this last race (best result of a 908-02 in 1972). The 908-02-016, bought by Christian Poirot from Asahi Pentax Racing, entered the Le Mans 24 hours (finishing without being classified). It was also seen at the Le Mans 4 hours at the end of the March Trials. The 908-02-022 of Hans-Dieter Weigel was entered by Team Auto Usdau with #6 at the Le Mans 24 hours (without finishing). The 908-02-025 of Jacques Egreteaud entered the Le Mans 24 hours (without finishing). Two other 908-02s, with unknown chassis number, one of the Scuderia Brescia Corse and one of Brazil's Hollywood Racing, were seen res. at Monza and Zeltweg (without finishing). The last one won in Brazil several rounds of the Campeonato de Protótipos.

                     3.0 Porsche 908-01LH
The 3.0 Porsche 908-01LH was used by A.G. Porsche's Racing Department as a works car in 1968 and 1969. At the end of the 1969 season some cars were sold to privateers. In 1972 only one of them was still entered at the World Championship for Makes. It concerned the personal car of the late Seppie Siffert, fully prepared at Zuffenhausen by works mechanics.
Reinhold Jöst entered this works 908-01-26, having won in 1969 the Monza 1,000-kms, at the 1972 Le Mans 24 hours. With only 320bhp for a car of 720kg Jöst & Cie succeeded to bring the machine home in an unbelievable third position. Only one other 3.0 Porsche 908-01 was seen in competition in 1972: Albert Pfuhl's, having finished 9th at the Südwest Pokal at Hockenheim. Of this car the chassis number could not be found.

                     2-litre Group 5 Cars
Although the 2-litre Group 5 cars had their own champion-ship - The European Sports Car Championship - several 2-litre cars were also entered at the 1972 World Champion-ship for Makes. Most interesting car was without the smallest doubt the 2.0 Abarth-Osella SE-021. Equipped with a mid-rear longitudinal 1,946cc motor with 88mm x 80mm bore and stroke and a compressing ratio of 11.5:1, it developed 260bhp at 8,800rpm for a dry weight of 525 kg. At the European Championship the car won 5 of the 9 rounds, giving Arturo Merzario the overall win. SE-021s were raced by the Canon Team, by the Escuderia Nacional CS, by the Scuderia Brescia Corse and by the works team of Abarth-Osella. The last team entered the SE-021 at the Temporada, Daytona and Brands Hatch. The Scuderia Brescia Corsa entered its car(s) at Monza, the Targa Florio and the Nürburgring. At four occasions the SE-021 qualified among the top-10 overall. At all six races it was by far the fastest 2-litre car.
The 1.8 Chevron-FVC B21 was a further development of the 1.8 Chevron-FVC B19 seen for the first time at the 1970 London Racing Car Show. More reliable in endurance racing than the Abarth SE-021, the Chevron B21, equipped with a 235bhp Cosworth FVC engine, obtained 6 top-10 places at rounds of the World Championship for Makes. Another Chevron B21, equipped with a 2-litre 240bhp BMW engine finished 5th at Zeltweg. The older Chevron B19 with its 235bhp 1.8-litre FVC engine collected also 7 top-10 places at rounds for the 1972 World Championship for Makes. At the European Nats the B21 won 2 of the 9 rounds.
The 1.8 Lola-FVC T212 was entered at the four first rounds of the World Championship for Makes, finishing twice in the top-10 (Daytona). A T212 with a 1.3 Alfa Romeo engine of 135bhp finished 8th at the Targa Florio. Up from Brands Hatch the T212 was systematically replaced by the 1.8 Lola T290 Ford, developing 235bhp for a weight of 500 kg. The car, distributed by Bonnier, finished five times in the top-10. It won also one round at the European Championship.

                     1972 Group 4 Cars
Although there was no official championship for GT cars (Group 4) 1972 was an interesting year in GT racing. Indeed the new 5.8 De Tomaso Pantera GT4 with its 440bhp at 7,000rpm Bud Moore prepared Ford Boss 351 5,763cc motor (470bhp for the Le Mans cars) was a real challenger for the Corvettes, Daytona Ferraris and Por-sches 911. Especially Porsche was unhappy with the new car of Alessandro de Tomaso from Modena. They insisted upon the FIA to refuse the homologation of the 1,100 kg version, enforcing De Tomaso to deliver a 1,250 kg race version of the standard 330bhp Group 3 street car. At five rounds the GT4 Panteras were real works entries, whilst the opponents were restricted to private entries.
It seems forgotten that GT4 Panteras won more than half the World Manufacturers Championship races they contes-ted in 1972. This was the only year there was any real presence from the De Tomaso factory which generally ran works-owned (but not openly sponsored) entries for Roberto Businello's Escuderia Montjuich and Herbie Muller. Factory supported GT4s were also run under the Scuderia Citta del Mille and Brescia Corse banners, the CdM entry stealing the show on the GT4s WMC debut: the 1972 Monza's 1000-km race, being finished as 5th overall. The following round in Spa was again won in Group 4 by the Pantera GT4, now Claude Dubois's, finishing 7th. At the Le Mans March Trials Herbert Müller clocked 4'16"3 with the Escuderia Montjuich car, fifth best time overall. At the eventual 24 hour race, only one of the four Panteras could be brought home, the Belgian one, using a standard 330bhp Group 3 engine after the 470bhp works engine was blown up during practice. Zeltweg was again won by a Pantera GT4, bringing its total up to three wins.
Direct opponents were the 7.0 Chevrolet Corvette ZL1 of David Heinz, the 7.4 Chevrolet Corvettes L88 of John Greenwood 500bhp for 1,250 kg), the 4.4 Ferraris 365GTB-4 (352bhp to 400bhp) of N.A.R.T. and the Michael Keyser 2.5 Porsche 911S (225bhp for 980kg). All those cars were regular entrants at the SCCA series. They were not only seen at the three American rounds of the WMC, but also at Le Mans. At the European rounds the fastest Group 4 car was Erwin Kremer's 2.5 Porsche 911S. At the Le Mans 24 hours no less than nine Ferraris 365GTB-4 were entered: three by N.A.R.T., two by the Scuderia Filipinetti, two by Charles Pozzi, one by Maranello Concessionaires, and one by the Écurie Francorchamps. By collecting ranks 5-6-7-8-9 they took the five first places in Group 4. Of the nine rounds of the WMC where Group 4 cars were allowed, the Corvette ZL1 won twice (Daytona, Sebring), the Ferrari 365GTB-4 twice (Le Mans, Watkins Glen), the Pantera GT4 three times (Monza, Spa, Zeltweg) the 2.5 Porsche 911S twice (Targa Florio, Nürburgring).
[New too was the 2.4 Ferrari Dino 246GT entered by N.A.R.T. at the American races and Le Mans. It finished 17th at the Le Mans 24 hours.]

                    1972 Group 2 Touring Cars
Filling their grids after the disappearance of the Porsches 917K and Ferraris 512M was the major care of most organisers in 1972 and 1973 [Especially 1973 was a disaster with less than 20 starters in some races.] So Group 2 cars - i.e. much improved touring cars - were allowed to enter at such races as Daytona, Sebring, Nürburgring and Le Mans. In the States it allowed owners of a 5.0 Chevrolet Camaro SS396, 1.6 Ford Escort RS1600, 5.3 Ford Mustang, etc. to enter their cars. In Europe it was a unique opportunity for owners of a 1.6 Alfa Romeo GTAm or for the tuning specialists Alpina and Schnitzer to enter their 2.0 BMW 2002TI or 2.8 BMW 2800CS. Most of those cars were nothing more than moving chicanes and simple back benchers.
This, however, was certainly not the case with the full works 2.9 Ford Capri 2600RS entered by Ford Deutschland. The preparation started already in 1970 when Ford Deutschland decided to race a Kugelfisher injected 230bhp 2.3 Ford Capri 2300GT at the European Touring Championship. In 1971 that became the famous 2.9-litre car with a 280bhp at 7000rpm engine for a car with a weight of 950 kg (900 kg being the limit by the CSI). Against this car the BMW 2800CS with its 275bhp for 1200kg had not the smallest chance. At the 1971 European Touring Championship the new Capri won 6 of the 8 rounds, among them the 24 hours of Francorchamps. The car was also raced with success in rallies and at the Springbok Series in South-Africa.
For 1972 a 305bhp at 7,500rmp was tested reaching a top speed of 280kph. In view of the Le Mans 24 hours however - where 3 works Capris were entered - a detuned 280bhp engine was installed in the cars. The car used a plexi windscreen, plexi windows, polyester doors and bonnet, all manufactured at 1,000 copies as required by the 1972 CSI rules. At the qualifications at Le Mans the works Capris were faster than all Porsches (except Erwin Kremer's) and all Panteras GT4. During the first hours they were even ahead of most of the Ferraris 365GTB-4. After Le Mans they realised a 1-2-3 at the Francorchamps 24 hours. Eventually the Capris were the only Group 2 cars able to fight against the fastest Group 4 cars.

round #1: BUENOS AIRES 1,000-km (Jan. 9, 1972)

In 1971 the legendary Temporada was again a round for the Manufacturer's World Championship. However, the unbelievable stupidity of Jean Pierre Beltoise, pushing his Matra MS630-650 over the track, and so provoking the fatal accident of Ignazio Giunti, enforced the organisers in 1972 to modify the circuit, making it wider at some places, adding chicanes on the main straight and before the pits lane, taking better care over fire precautions and replacing the marshal's flags by lights.
Today there are 80,000 spectators. Prior to the race there was a heavy discussion between Ferrari's race director Peter Schetty and the organisers. Indeed, SEFAC installed 10ft-high refuelling towers, exactly as allowed by the CSI rules, but the organisers were ignorant about it and wished to ban them. Under pressure of the CSI representative the towers were eventually admitted (and hastily adopted by Autodelta). At the start we find the three works Ferraris 312PB, three works Alfa Romeos 33TT3, one works Alfa Romeo T33/3, two works Lolas T280, and three works Chevrons B19. A fifth Alfa, also an older T33/3 was loaned to Giovanni Alberti. There are 23 starters after the withdrawal of the 3.0 Berta LR Ford, having realised the slowest time at the qualifications.
On the front row we find the 3.0 Ferrari 312PB of Peterson/Schenken and the 3.0 Alfa Romeo 33TT3 of Hezemans/Stommelen. On the second row we find the two other works Ferraris 312PB.
Andretti is the fastest away and leads the race, followed by the Ferraris of Regazzoni and of Peterson. But at the driver's change the car suffers from electrical problems.  A deficient battery isolator switch is changed and Ickx rejoins the race in ninth position. Meanwhile Regazzoni/ Redman moved into the lead, closely followed by the 312PB shared by Peterson and Schenken. The Hezemans/Stommelen Alfa Romeo 33TT3, holding the third place, is eliminated by accident after 71 laps. Another Autodelta entry, the 33TT3 of de Adamich/Galli is already out with a blown engine.

When Ickx comes in to refuel he's already fifth. Unfortunately the starter motor bracket sheared off, cutting through the cable. Repairs cost 20 minutes (10 laps), so that a new come-back is impossible. Setting the pace Regazzoni/Redman at once are victim of a puncture, dropping them behind the #30 Ferrari 312PB of Peterson/Schenken.
Wisell/Larousse, on the fastest of the two works Lolas, loose their third position, when after 106 laps their gearbox is broken. So Elford/Marko can move in third position with the lonely surviving Alfa Romeo 33TT3. However not for long, since they too are victims of a tire puncture, loosing their third place to the privately entered Alfa Romeo T33/3 of Facetti/Alberti.
In the two-litre class the fastest works #22 Abarth 2000SP-71 is out with a blown-up gearbox, shortly after followed by the #24 sister car, victim of ignition problems. That brings two of the three works Chevrons in the two first places, the fastest of them, shared by John Hine and José Juncadella, having already moved into sixth position. When the #14 Lola T280 is victim of a loosening clutch, they can even take the fifth place, and maintain it until the end.
In front Peterson/Schenken have no problems to conserve the lead, especially since they find the #32 Ferrari 312PB, running in second position, nearly lapped in front of them. They will win the race at an average speed of 108.05mph (173.85kph). Third place goes to the privately entered 3.0 Alfa Romeo T33/3 of Giovanni Alberti and Carlo Facetti.
Only 12 of the 23 starters reach the finish. Among them Juan Fernandez and Jorge de Bagration finishing sixth overall with a three years old 3.0 Porsche 908-03. The unlucky Andretti/Ickx Ferrari 312PB will be brought home as tenth, sixteen laps down to the winners. Disappointing were the two-litre Lolas T212, all private entries. Of the five cars at the start only two reach the finish, but more than forty laps down to the winners.

At Sebring 55,000 spectators are out to see among others the F1-powered European cars, although most of them being here to watch the struggle between the Dave Heinz Chevrolet Corvette L88 and the John Greenwood Corvettes ZL1.
Ferrari is present with the three works cars having been raced at Buenos Aires for the three same pairings. Still waiting on the famous 12 cylinder engine Autodelta sends no less than six 33TT3 cars to Sebring, two of them to be used at practice as spare cars. Écurie Bonnier has only one Lola T280 on the track, the second car having been sent to Le Mans for the Trials and the 4 hour race. John Wyer is here with his new 450bhp 3.0 Mirage Gulf M6 Ford with Derek Bell and Gijs van Lennep as drivers. The lonely other S3000 Group 5 car at the start is Vasek Polak's Porsche 910, equipped with a three litre engine. In S2000 Carlo Abarth was so furious about the disqualification of his 2.0 Abarth-Osella SE-021 at Daytona, that he refuses to send any works car to Sebring.  So the small Group 5 class is restricted to nine cars: one new Chevron B21, two Chevrons B19, two Lolas T212, a two-litre Porsche 910, an old closed Chevron B16 Ford and Chevron B8 (which will be refused at the start for an illegal fuel cell), and an even older Porsche 906 from 1966, Among the 15 Group 5 cars at the start the Dave Heinz and John Greenwood Corvettes have the N.A.R.T. and Kirk F. White entered Ferraris 365 GTB-4, the Erwin Kremer Porsche 911S and the Brumos Porsche 911S as most important opponents. There are also 20 Group 2 cars, except for some Camaros, hardly more than simple field fillers. Eventually 61 cars will take the start.
Of them the #2 Ferrari 312PB of Ickx/Andretti is the fastest qualifier, followed by the #4 of Regazzoni/Redman, the #31 Alfa Romeo 33TT3 of Stommelen/Revson and the #3 Ferrari 312PB of Peterson and Schenken. In S2000 the #25 Chevron B21 of Kleinpeter/Belcher is fastest, more than five seconds faster than the Lola T212 of the Canadian McCaig Bros. In Group 4 the Rinzler Motorracing Corvette of Kemp/Kovaleski is two seconds faster than Dave Heinz's.
First away at the start is the #31 Alfa Romeo 33TT3 of Rolf Stomme-len (together with Vic Elford the fastest Autodelta works driver). But before the end of the first laps the three Ferraris 312PB have passed the German, passing the line with Andretti leading Regazzoni and Peterson. During the first hour we loose the Lola T212 of the McCaig Bros, the fastest Group 4 qualifying #23 Corvette and the Camaro SS of Roberto Quintanilla jr, all three after accidents. After 90 minutes the three Ferraris come into the pits for refuelling and leave the pits a 1-2-3, followed by three Alfa Romeos. A fourth one, the #34 of Galli/de Adamich is already out after a puncture. The #7 Mirage Gulf M6 is out with differential bothers. After the third hour the three Ferraris are always in the same lap, having lapped the rest of the field. During the fourth hour Ronnie Peterson (on the #3 Ferrari) runs out of fuel because the pumps are not drawing the last of it from the tanks. He runs to the pits for a can of oil and back to the car, loosing four places.
Ickx punctures a tire during the fourth hour, the replacement of which lets the #4 Regazzoni/Redman #4 Ferrari 312PB into the lead. Nevertheless race director Peter Schetty is in troubles when he sees that all three his Ferraris have oil leaks, especially the Andretti/Ickx one, loosing two laps in the pits. Before mid-race Alfa Romeo looses two other cars: Stommelen's on clutch failure and Elford's with a blown engine. The #1 Ferrari 365 GTB-4 of Kirk F. White is also out with a broken gearbox. At mid-race Regazzoni/Redman and their #4 Ferrari lead with two laps over the #2 Ferrari of Andretti Ickx.

Six laps further we find Vaccarella/Hezemans in the lonely surviving Alfa Romeo 33TT3 and five laps further the #3 Ferrari of Peterson/Schenken, being in the pits with a broken brake pipe. Regazzoni/Redman can increase their lead when Ickx burns out a battery lead and has to replace it. During the ninth hour the Group 4 leading Greenwood #50 Corvette falls out together with the Group 2 leading Mitchell Camaro. Less than a half hour later the #18 Ferrari 365GTB-4 falls out, whilst the other Greenwood #48 Corvette suffers from an overheating engine, letting the Heinz Corvette taking the lead in Group 4. In Group 2 the Vince Gimondo Camaro SS is the lonely survival. The S2000 cars run all in troubles, eventually only one of them, the Chevron B16 will reach the finish, however so far away to be not classified.
With two hours to go a broken battery lead on the #4 Ferrari of Regazzoni/Redman provokes a fire. The car burns out before the fire fighters arrive. Ickx, on fresh tires, is now the new leader, whilst Petterson/Schenken pass the #33 Alfa Romeo, immobile in the pits since more than one hour. Order will no more change and Andretti/ Ickx win the race, two laps ahead over Peterson/Schenken in the #3 Ferrari. Vaccarella/Hezemans will rejoin the track shortly before the end to finish third. In Group 4 the Heinz Corvette finishes as fourth overall, six laps ahead over the Brumos Porsche 911S and eleven over the N.A.R.T. Ferrari 365 GTB-4, finishing eight.