Of the several races I assisted - and that were several hundreds - there has been only one where I where I could not decide what was my favourite car: the 1973 Le Mans 24 hours. At all other occasions Ferrari was always my favourite. However, 1973 was such a special year, and Ferrari's opponent such a special case: Matra. Normally Matra had everything to hate them: product of a French weapon manufacturer subsidized by a State. Weapons and State. What more an anarchist need to hate such? Matra was the pride of the French army, of the French president, of all what was extreme-right in France. Before 1965 Matra had a serious image problem in France. In a period of Cold War and mutual nuclear threat people dislike weapon manufacturers. That, two major share holders of Matra - Marcel Chassagny and Sylvain Floirat - understood very will when in 1963 they decided to create Matra Sports, a total new and ciivilian branch of their enterprise.  The new division, having bought René Bonnet's automobile manufactory launches not only the Matra Djet sports car in 1964 (1,764 units will be sold), but has from the start one clear goal: bringing an-all French car at the top of motor racing. That Matra succeeded in its ambition, in less than 10 years, was for a great part the work of its race director Jean-Luc Lagardère. He had an incredible talent to place time by time the best man on the best place. What he did was considered by outsiders as the work of a fool. When some new engineer or racer entered Matra Sport it was commonly said: "Il a joint la bande de fous".  Indeed, what they did was completely crazy, their ambition even ... more crazy. Lagardère had three goals: (1) winning the F1 World Championship with an all-French car, included its engine; (2) winning the Le Mans 24 hours with an all-French car and (3) winning FIA's World Championship for Makes with an all French car. More about the Matra legend can be found here.
When in 1969 Matra won the F1 World Championship with Jacky Stewart the complete auto sport world could hardly believe that Matra was able to do so, only four years after their first win ... in F3 (Jean Pierre Beltoise). In 1972 Lagardère & Co stopped investing any longer in F1 racing. All what they did in Vélézy was now in function of the Le Mans 24 hours. Starting the season absolutely nobody believed that a French victory at Le Mans should be possible. Indeed, with his new Ferrari 312PB, with a 3-litre motor directly derived from F1, Enzo Ferrari won all previous rounds of the 1972 FIA World Championship for Makes. But then, he decided (apparently!) at the last minute not to show at La Sarthe, despite the fact that the 312PB entered earlier the Le Mans April tests. There Jacky Ickx was the fastest in 3'40"4, 1.2 second faster than François Cévert in the fastest Matra-Simca MS670B.
The truth, however, is that Il Commendatore knew from the first round of FIA's 1972 Makes Worlds, that his 312PB should never go to that year's Le Mans. So there was no direct confrontation between Ferrari and Matra in 1972. Ferrari won 10 of the 11 rounds for the Worlds (nine times with a 1-2, even once with a 1-2-3-4), and at none of those rounds the Matra-Simca MS670 was present. Matra from their side, absent at those 10 rounds, won the 1972 Le Mans 24 hours. For Jean-Luc Lagardère that victory was not exactly what he wanted. It was something as an empty box, since there was no real competition with all Ferraris stalled at Maranello instead of showing at La Sarthe. A complete survey of the 1972 World Championship for Makes can be found here.
Eventually endurance racing changed dramatically in 1972. From 1963 to 1967, during the high days of the Ford-Ferrari battle for Le Mans, the CSI admitted 7-litre engines in endurance races. Due to the countless fatal accidents in the same period FIA decided to limit up from 1968 until 1971 engine capacity to 5 litres. But top speeds of the cars increased (cf. Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512) despite the lowered engine capacity. So in 1972 engine capacity was again restricted, now to 3 litres. But 3-litre engines where largely available in F1 racing. So the 1972 FIA World Championship for Makes was contested with ... F1 motors. Major victim was Porsche since they had not such 450 bhp 3-litre engine derived from a F1 motor. Let's now have a look what changed starting the 1973 endurance season? A more detailed review of the 1973 cars can be found here.

At Matra they bet more than ever on the French national feelings. This year - and that for the first time in the short history of Matra-Sports - they go for the third goal: winning the WCM. At ten of the eleven rounds two cars (both MS670) will be equipped with the V12 60° 3-litre motor, 485 bhp strong, at Le Mans they will enter four cars, but now with detuned motors of 450bhp. Those cars use the chassis of the previous year but with a restyled MS670B body. They call the team nothing less than L'Équipe de France, a new name for what it always was - La bande de fous. Lagardère insists - and that too seems completely crazy - that only French drivers receive a wheel. For the ten rounds with two cars that are François Cévert and Jean-Pierre Beltoise on the first car, Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larousse on the second car. At Le Mans Jean-Pierre Jabouille/Jean-Pierre Chassaud and Patrick Depailler/Bob Wollek will reveive the other two cars, one of them being the new MS670B, the other being the MS670 of the previous year. For the 1000-km races the car - having originally not been built for such type of races - will be made lighter, and a Porsche gearbox will replace the heavy ZF on the MS670Bs for Le Mans.
At Ferrari they are in serious problems, due to the social strikes in Italy. Those strikes, having started in the winter of 1972, will persist until the early summer. The competition division has financial problems, and three of the nine 312PBs used last year have been sold. The remaining cars are rebuilt with a 12.5 cm longer wheelbase and a wider front track. The maximum rev limit has been increased to 11,600rpm (instead of 10,800rpm). At 1,000-km races power output will be up to 475bhp for 2,998cc. Weight of the car increases from 650 kgs to 690 kgs. Engine torque is improved by fitting a new exhaust system as on the F1 Ferraris. The Firestone tires from 1972 are replaced by Goodyear ones. An airbox has been mounted between the struts of the roll-over body and the the reart wing is now integral with the body.
At Alfa Romeo the consequences of the social unrest in Italy are even more dramatic than at Modena. Last year the competition department - Autodelta - had to wait the whole year on the new flat cylinder motor. The 33TT3 cars having been sold (one of them to Scuderia Brescia Corse) and the new 33TT12 will be not earlier ready than at the mid-season. Since the flat 12 cylinder engine seems unreliable there will be no new Alfa Romeos at Le Mans.
At Gulf-Mirage John Wyer has been replaced as director by John Horseman. The chassis of the M6 has been slightly changed by Len Bailey and the expected new V12 Ford-Weslake engine will never arrive, so that they have to contiinue with the V8 Ford of last year, missing power. With 750 kgs (against 690 for Ferrari and Matra) overweight of the car remains the other big problem.
At Lola they have  after Joachim Bonnier's  no longer a works car. The T282 equipped with a DFV Ford V8 of 470bhp will be confined to the Scuderia Filipinetti havingreceived one works engineer for the whole season. Engine is nothing less than the 3-lire Cosworth used in F1, but in that original form not well adapted for endurance racing.
At Porsche they have no new open prototype for the season. Only some very old prototypes, such as the 908-02 from 1968 and the 908-03 from 1970 will be entered by privateers. Nevertheless Zuffenhausen works on several new 3-litre engines for its Porsche Carrera RSR. Three types of motors, from 308bhp to 330bhp, will be used in the 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR being homologated as a sport-prototype (the new Group 5). Using glass-fibre elements the closed prototype is 70 kgs lighter than the orinary 2.8 Carrera RSR, having been released for GTS at 49 copies. With 830 kgs for 300 bhp the two 3.0 Carrera RSR prototypes seem no match for the 650 kgs 450bhp open prototypes. Fully works cars the 3.0 RSRs will be entered by Team Martini Interna-tional during the whole season.

1973: WCM RACES EARLIER THAN LE MANS

DAYTONA 24 HOURS (ROUND #1) - Victim of the social unrest in Italy Ferrari is absent at the season's curtain raiser. Matra has only one car on the grid - a 1972 MS670 - and will have an 11 lap advance over the rest of the field when, after nine hours, its motor explodes. Since the two Mirages M6 and the Lola T282 are already out, there is no longer a race among sports-prototypes, but among GTS cars. Up from now the two 2.8 Porsches Carrera RSR entered by Roger Penske - but not already homologated as the GTS cars they are - dominatre. After 14 hours the Donohue/Follmer #6 Carrera RSR falls out with a melted piston, sio that the #59 sister car of Peter Gregg/Hurley Haywood takes over the lead. At the finish the car will have a 22-laps lead over the #22 N.A.R.T. Ferrari 365GTB/4 of François Migault and Milt Minter. That means that Ferrari wins here 15 points for the WCM, Matra 0.

VALLELUGNA 6 HOURS (ROUND #2) - Normally the second round of FIA's WCM is always the Sebring 12 hours. This year however the CSI decided to suspend the circuit for security reasons. So the second round goes in Europe on the short and very twisty track of Vallelunga in Italy. Ferrari is present with three machines, Matra and Mirage with two, Lola with one. The new Alfa Romeo 33TT12 is not ready, but Scu deria Brescia Corse enters its sky blue 33TT3. Already at the qualifications it appears that the Ferraris suffer from serious understeer on this very particular track. Due to the strikes in Italy there was no time for a descent set-up of the red bolides and improvements had to be done at the circuit. Meanwhile the Carreras RSR have been homologated in GTS and Martini International shows with two 2.8-litre versions.
Immediately after the start the two Matras MS670 are pulling away whilst the three Ferraris consume tyres after tyres. At mid-race Beltoise/Cévert have already three laps over the 312PBs of Merzario/Pace and Reutemann/Schenken. Shortly after the leading Matra MS670 suffers from a serious oil lake and has to withdraw. Merzario/ Pace are now the new leaders. The remaining Matra MS670 of Larousse/Pescarolo follows at two minutes, since shortly before Larousse had a small collision with Pace, so that he lost two minutes in the pits to replace the car's nose. After four hours one of the Mirages is still third but will be abandoned with less than one hour to go on mechanical woes. Meanwhile the Matra MS670 wins two seconds per lap on the 312PB of Merzario/Pace. When the car has to pit with a flat tyre the Matra can take the lead to maintain it until the finish. Pescarolo/Larousse/Cévert win with 52 seconds from Schenken/Reutemann. One lap further come the two other Ferraris, the one shared by Merzario/Pace as fourth.   

DIJON 1000-KMS (ROUND #3) - The brand new circuit of Dijon-Prenois will be the theatre of the third round for the WMC, now that Brands-Hatch decided being no host for this year. The new track is hardly 3 kilometres long, thus even shorter than the one at Vallelunga. Now not only the Ferraris - being only two at the grid, not three - butt also the two Matras MS670 suffer from understeer and high tyre consumption. At the qualifications the two Matras go under the one minute barrier, with the Merzario/ Pace 312PB following at more than one second, and even preceded by the Mirage M6 shared by Hailwood and Schuppan. 
This time - even sharper than at Vallelunga - the Ferraris are absolutely no match for the Matras, being seriously faster on the new track. Initially Cévert/Beltoise are pulling away with Pescarolo/Larousse developing a slower pace in order to safe their tyres. That seems a policy which pays off, since the tyre consumption of the MS670 by Cévert/Beltoise is so high that they'll loose precious time in the pits, enough to offer Pescarolo/Larousse the first place. They are followed by Ickx/Redman, who could pass the other Matra MS670 in the pits, but who loose nearly two full seconds per lap. At the finish Pescarolo/Larousse will have an advance of nearly two complete laps over the Ferrari 312PB shared by Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman. Cévert/ Beltoise are third on nearly five laps, preceding the second Ferrari 312PB The Mirage M6A of Hailwood/Schuppan is brought home in fifth position, their first finish of the season. The Filipinetti Lola T282 is again sixth, just as at Vallelunga.
In GTS the Martini Racing Porsche Carrera RSR wins again, just as at Vallelunga. Now Van Lennep/Müller go to victory lane, whilst at Vallelunga their team mates Follmer and Kausen were the winners. This time Van Lennep/Müller drove a 3-litre version, not the 2.8-litre version of the previous race. 

LE MANS APRIL TESTS - Four days after the race at Dijon all cars were expected at La Sarthe for the famous April tests. Matra is present with the MS670B equipped with the long rear tail. Ferrari, always suffering from the social strikes in Italy is absent, hoping to be ready for the Monza 1000-kms of next week-end. Jean-Pierre Beltoise improves the Le Mans lap record in 3'36"3, what is seriously faster than the 3'40"4 realised last year by the fastest 312PB at the April tests. Of the two Mirages, the one equipped with the Ford V8 realises the second time with 3'40"7. The other, equipped with the famous Ford-Weslake V12 is again nowhere, just as at the Daytona qualifi-cations, where the V12 was so problematic that the team decided to mount the V8 for the race. Now the V12 comes no further than 3'56"0. The tests are followed by a 4 hour race, won by the Martini 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR with the special rear wing. A N.A.R.T. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 finished as third at one lap.

MONZA 1000-KMS (ROUND #4) - Still no Alfa Romeo 33TT12 at the grid, but now again three Ferraris 312PB against two Matras MS670, two Mirages M6 and the Scuderia Brescia Corse Alfa Romeo 33TT3. The two 3.0 Carreras RSR of the Martini Racing Team are present, but now homologated as sport-prototypes, not in GTS. At the qualifications it is Matra-Ferrari-Matra-Ferrarri-Ferrai-Mirage-Mirage. When the flag drops Beltoise is fastest away, closely Followed by Ickx on the 312PB. After seven laps the Merzario/Pace 312PB is already out with a broken clutch. After two hours the Matra MS670 of Pescarolo/Larousse comes into the pits with a broken front suspension. Repairs cost the car 13 minutes, dropping in third position behind the sister Matra MS670 of Beltoise/Cévert, followed at some seconds by the 312PB of Ickx/Redman. A blocked gear in the pits makes the Beltoise/Cévert Matra loosing the lead, but improving the track record lap after lap, Cévert succeeds in catching the lead back before mid-race. Meanwhile we lost the two Mirages (one on clutch problems, one with a broken motor). Then the clutch is loosing on Cévert's Matra and after 134 laps out of 174 the car is retired. So Ickx/Redman win, ahead over the other 312PB of Reutemann/Schenken. The Pecarolo/Larousse Matra finishes as third on ten laps. The Brescia Corse Alfa Romeo 33TT3 is fifth. The two 3.0 Carreras have been abandoned with a blown-up engine. Schikentanz/Kremer win GTS with a 2.8 Porsche Carrera RSR.  

SPA 1000-KMS (ROUND #5) - Cévert and Beltoise refuse to start, estimating that the ultra fast track is too dangerous. So Gérard Ducarouge opts for Graham Hill and Chris Amon on their Matra MS670. Ferrari has only two cars on the grid. The new Alfa Romeo 33TT12 is at least present, but will be destroyed during the qualifications where Jacky Ickx (Ferrari 312PB) is the fastest.  Immediatekly after the start, under heavy rain, he goes out on the lead but suffers from a wrongly mounted oil radiator. After 11 laps he'll be passed by the Matra MS670 of Pescarolo. A lost tyre at 300 kph during the following lap brings Ickx again on the lead, but he  will be stopped after 37 laps with an oil leak. Meanwhile Pescarolo as well as Amon loose again precious time in the pits with twice a lost tyre. After 48 laps the Amons/Hill Matra is retired with a blown-up motor. Pace/Merzario are now the new leaders, but not for long. They have gearbox bothers and will be passed initially by the two Mirages M6A and later even by the surviving Matra of Pescarolo/Larousse. So Bell/Hailwood will offer Cosworth their first win in endurance racing. The other Mirage M6 of Ganley/Schup-pan completes victory by finishing second, ahead over the Pescarolo/Larousse Matra MS670 and the Ferrari 312PB of Merzario/Pace (finishing with only two gears left). The Martini 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR is fifth at 8 laps, whilst their other Porsche, raced in GTS, wins its class, despite the fact having been preceded by the BMW 3.0 CSL of Lauda/Stuck, finishing as seventh and winning the TS class. Note worth is also that the Lola T282 is destroyed during the qualifications with a broken suspension.

SPA 1000-KMS 1973 - The 3.0 Mirage-Ford M6 caused a stir by the two first places, .First Matra was only third, first Ferrari only third. That implies that for the WCM ferrari has now 75 points, Matra 64.

TARGA FLORIO (ROUND #6) - Matra and Mirage are both absent at the famous Targa Florio - the last (in that form) in history. For Ferrari, counting 75 points in the WCM standings, against 64 for Matra, it's a unique opportunity to increase the lead, since the 312PBs of Merzario/Vaccarella and Ickx/Redman have no serious oppo-nents. Sure, Autodelta is present with two new Alfa Romeos 33TT12, but at the qualifications they are res. 2.6" and 43.3" slower than the fastest 312PB realising a fastest lap in 33'38"5.  One of the Alfas 33TT12, the Regazzoni/Facetti one, will be destroyed at the qualifications and unable to start. Martini Racing Team has three 3.0 Porsches Carrera RSR at the start, all three in class S (sport-prototypes).
Already during the first lap Ferrari runs in problems: Merzario has to come to the pits, running 5 kilometres on a flat tyre. So Stommelen goes out on the lead with the sole Alfa Romeo 33TT12. During the third lap Merzario is definitively out with a broken transmission. Ickx, following in second position, at 45 seconds from Stommelen, hurts a rock, so that at the end of the third lap there are no more Ferraris 312PB in the race. When Andrea de Adamich takes over the wheel from Stommelen, the car has a large advance over the Martini 3.0 Porsche of Van Lennep/Müller and the 2.4 Lancia Stratos prototype, equipped with a 2.4-litre Ferrari Dino V6 (245bhp). During the fourth lap de Adamich hurts a tiny Lancia Fulvia, spins, and hurts a border. The Alfa Romeo 33TT12 is out. Up from now struggle for the first place goes between the Martini Porsche of Van Lennep/Müller and the Lancia Stratos of Munari/Andruet, followed at large distance by the 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR of Kinnunen/Haldi. It looks as if the Lancia, superbly driven by Munari and Andruet, has a fair chance to win, until the seat attachment of the Lancia broke and they had to continue the race with the seat totally backwards. For the tall Munari that's not a problem, but well for the much smaller Andruet. So Munari has to do eight of the eleven laps. Eventually Gijs van Lennep/Herbert Müller win the race, offering Porsche its second success of the season. Sandro Munari/Jean-Claude Andruet will finish at six minutes with their Lancia Stratos prototype. Leo Kinnunen/Claude Haldi are third at 18 minutes with the second 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR of the Martini Racing Team. Winner in GTS is the private 2.8 Porsche Carrera RSR of Borri/Barone, finishing seventh, and headed by a Chevron B23 Ford, a Lola T290 Ford and the third Martini 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR.

NÜRBURGRING 1000-KMS (ROUND #7) - Mirages is not present, preferring to prepare their cars for Le Mans. Missing too is the Filipinetti T282 being rebuilt after its heavy crash at Spa. Ferrari is present with two instead of three 312PBs. The car of Merzario/ Pace comes with a new rear suspension geometry, a displaced oil radiator, a new rear tail and an air-take above the motor. Matra realises the first and the third place on the grid, preceding the first Ferrari - Ickx/Redman's - by 2.7". The Alfa Romeos 33TT12 qualify as fourth and fifth, heading the Merzario/Pace Ferrari 312PB. Martni Racing has one 3.0 Porsche and one normal 2.8 Carrera at the start. BMW Motorsport starts with two works BMWs 3.0 CSL, whilst Ford Motorenwerke has two Capris LW on the grid.
Already in the first lap the Pescarolo/Larousse Matra MS670 is eliminated with a blown motor. one lap later Regazzoni/Facettii and there Alfa Romeo 33TT12 are out for the same reason. Ten laps later the other Alfa is abandoned on an oil leak. Beltoise/Cévert are leading Ickx/Redman, followed all the time at no distance by Merzario/Pace. But at the following round the motor of the Matra explodes and the two Ferraris are on their way for a 1-2. The modified 312PB of Merzario is obviously faster than the Ickx/Redman Ferrari, but team orders make that he cannot pass their order. In his cock pit the hot boiled Merzario is furious. At several occasions he's pushing the leading Ferrari at the rear. Eventually he'll cross the finish line in the same second as the winners Jacky Ickx/Brian Redman. He's so furious that he refuses to show on the podium. Third place goes to the Chevron-Ford B23 of Burton and Bridges, heading the old Porsche 908-03 of Haldi and Chevenière. The Van Lennep/Müller 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR takes the fifth place; But the biggest surprise comes from the Birrell/Fitzpatrick works Capri, finishing sixth overall, with one lap over the works BMW 3.0 CSL. Both TS cars are faster than the 2.8 Porsche Carrera RSR of Keller/Neuhaus/Schickentanz winning in GTS. With still four rounds to go Ferrari counts now 95 points in the provisional WCM standings, 31 more than Matra. Both collected two wins over the seven first rounds, just as ... Porsche. Mirage is the lonely other winner.

1973: THE LE MANS 24 HOURS (ROUND #8)

1973 LE MANS 24 HOURS - The #15 Ferrari 312PB of Ickx/Redman is fastest away, here followed by the #10 Matra MS670B of Beltoise/Cévert, the #11 Matra MS670B of Pescarolo/Larousse, the #12 Matra MS670B of Jabouille/Jassaud, the #17 Ferrari 312PB of Reutemann/Schenken, the #14 Matra MS670 of Depailler/Wollek, the #7 Gitanes Lola-Ford T282 of Lafosse/Wisell/de Fierlant, the #9 Matra-Ford MC6, the #61 Lola-Ford T280 of Rouveyran/Ethuin and the Brescia Corse #60 Alfa Romeo 33TT3 of Facetti/"Pam"/Zeccoli.

THE ENTRY - For the big clash Matra-Simca shows with no less than four cars: three MS670B with a long rear tail, a Porsche gearbox, 13 inch rear wheels and a detuned  motor, developing 450 bhp at 10,500 revs per minute. Fourth entry is an MS670 as raced at the previous WCM rounds, but with a new rear tail. Ferrari shows with three 312PBs, having inboard mounted ventilated brakes, so fitted on the cars that the triangular wishbones of the previous year have been substituted by parallel rods. The cars have a new front section with  integrated lights. The two Mirages-Ford M6 are equipped with a new ZF gearbox. The Filipinetti Lola-Ford T282, having crashed at Spa has been repaired. Other Lola on the grid is the T280 (ex-Bonnier) of the previous year. The Alfa Romeo 33TT12 is not ready for a 24 hour race, so that only the previous year's 33TT3, having been sold to Brescia Corse, is present. There are three old Porsche prototypes, a 908-03 from 1970 and two 908-02 from 168. Two Ligiers JS2 prototypes, a Duckham-Ford and a 2.3 Sigma-Mazda MC73 with a 270 bhp rotor engine complete the 3-litre class of sport-prototypes. In the 2-lire class we note six entries: three Chevron B23, one Chevron B21, a Lola T290 and a Porsche 910. None of those cars will reach the finish.
Group GTS will be the theatre of a gruelling combat among Ferrari-Porsche-Corvette. Indeed, there come no less than nine Ferraris 365GTB/4 at the start: one by Écurie Francorchamps, one by J-C Bamford Excavators,  one by Shark Team, two by Charles Pozzi and four by N.A.R.T. Porsche has nine 2.8 Carreras RSR on the grid: those of Kremer Racing, Gelo Racing, Sonauto, Schiller Racing, Porsche Club Romand, Max Moritz Racing and of the privateerd René Mazzia, Jean Sage and Jean Egréteaud. Corvette is present with tree cars: one by Greder Racing, one by Écurie Léopard anbd one by John Greenwood. An isolated Ligier JS2 GT completes the group.
In Group TS three works BMWs 3.0 CSL will compete with three Capris of Ford Motorenwerke. They are all 360bhp strong enough to compete with the fastest GTS cars. Full evidence of that will be given by the #55 Ford Capri which will lead during the sixth and seventh hour all GTS cars on rank 10. There is also a private BMW at the start, entered by André Wicky (but eliminated at the first hour).

THE QUALIFICATIONS - Contrarily to most other rounds of the 1973 WCM not the Matras but the Ferraris are fastest at the qualifications. Arturo Merzario realises with the #16 Ferrari 312PB the pole 3'37"5 (which is 1.2 seconds slower than what Beltoise did at the April Tests. Second is Jacky Ickx with the #15 Ferrari 312PB in 3'38"5. The #17 Ferrari 312PB realises the fifth time in 3'42"3. The Matras clock the third time (3'39"3 with the #10 by François Cévert), the fourth time (3'41"8 with the #11 by Henri Pescarolo), the sixth (3'44"7 for the #12) and the seventh time (3'45"3for the #14). Then follow the two Mirages M6 with the eighth (3'46"3 for the #8) and ninth time (3'46"6 for the #9). Tenth time is for the Filipinetti Lola-Ford T282 in 3'49"2, eleventh for Rouveyran's Lola-Ford T280 in 3'50"7.The Brescia Corse Alfa Romeo 33TT3 closes the row of cars going under the 4 minutes with 3'50"8. First of the 2-litre prototypes is the Escuderia Montjuich #27 Tergal Chevron-Ford B23 on rank 13 with 4'11"1. We find the two Martini 3.0 Porsches Carrera RSR on spots 18 and 19 with res. 4'14"9 and 4'15"8. Dieter Glemser causes a still by clocking the 20th time with the #55 works Capri, being with 4'15"8 faster than all GTS cars and even faster than the Porsche 908-03 and the two Porsches 908-02. On the grid he precedes Gerry Byrell having clocked the  22nd time. Fastest GTS, on rank 23 Charles Pozzi's #39 Ferrari 365GTB/4 in 4'16"2, followed by the #38 N.A.R.T. Ferrari 365GTB/4 in 4&16"7. The fastest 2.8 Porsche Carrera RSR is only 32nd, preceded by five Ferraris 365GTB/4, by the three works Ford Capris and by one of the works BMWs 3.0 CSL.

HOURS 1-4 - Just as Henry Ford II dropped the flag at the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours (first win for Ford!), now Matra's  Sylvain Floirat   drops the flag for the most crucial race in the history of Matra-Simca. It's the #16 Ferrari 312PB driven by Arturo Merzario pulling away from the rest of the field and building up a considerable advantage. It's obvious that he's SEFAC's pacemaker. Despite a pile-up of the four Matras during the first pit stop, Beltoise on the #10 Matra MS670B leads the pack after Merzario. But shortly after he handles over the #16 to Carlos Pace, the Argentine is at once in a bath of fuel after a broken conduct pipe. Repairs cost the car 25 minutes dropping it in 14th position when it rejoins the track. That means that after three hours the #10 Matra of Beltoise/Cévert is the new leader, followed by the #17 Ferrari of Reutemann/Schenken and two other Matras (#14 and #11). The #15 Ferrari is fifth, followed by the #9 Mirage M6 and the #60 Alfa Romeo 33TT3. That are the positions after four hours. Meanwhile we lost already six cars, among them one of the works Capris, the Lola T280, Ligier's own JS2 prototype, the Chevron B21 and Greenwood's Corvette. All GTS cars are dominated by the Glemser/Fitzpatrick works Capri being 12th. First 2-litre prototype is the #21 Chevron-BMW B23 in 13th position. First GTS is N.A.R.T.'s #6 Ferrari 365GTB/4, superbly driven by Sam Posey and Milt Minter, in 15th position, heading Egrétaud's #49 2.8 Porsche Carrera RS and three other Ferrari Daytonas. The #8 Mirage M6, still eighth after three hours is in the pits with clutch problems and drops to rank 47. Merzario's Ferrar 312PB is back in eighth position, and after a long pit stop the Lola T282 is back in 13th position.

HOURS 5-9 - During the fifth hour Jabouille looses a front tyre on the #12 Matra. The front section is touched and the car must into the pits for repairs. The car will drop into 31st position. Shortly after similar woes for the #10 Matra, rejoining the pits in seventh position. Now the old #14 Matra of Depailler/Wollek leads the #17 Ferrari of Reutemann/Schenken and the #11 Matra by a couple of seconds. A broken oil pipe on the leading car will be its end. That means that after six hours the #17 Ferrari is the new leader, followed in the same lap by the #11 Matra and the #15 Ferrari. The #9 Mirage is now fourth, heading the Merzario/Pace Ferrari and the Brescia Corse Alfa. The Toblerone Porsche 908-03 enters the top-10 in ninth position. The #55 Ford Capri is already tenth. One hour later the Mirage moves into third position, headed by the two Ferraris (#17 and #15). Indeed the #11 Matra of Larousse/Pescarolo had to stop in the pits to replace the rear body since the rear lights didn't work any longer. During the eighth hour they can pass the Mirage for the third place. For Matra things don't work when the #10 of Beltoise/Cévert looses again a tyre, dropping the car in 11th position. An accident during the ninth hour ends in the retirement of the #9 Mirage. After nine hours two Ferraris lead the first Matra (#11) and the vailiant Alfa Romeo, being already fourth The #16 Ferrar looses again 35 minutes in the pits to replace its clutch, so that the #10 Matra moves in fifth position.
We lost again eight cars, among them three 2.8 Porsches, the €47 3.0 Porsche of Martini, the class-leading 2-litre #21 Chevro,n-BMW B23, the #9 Mirage and the #14 Matra MS670. The #55 Capri is no longer faster than all GTS cars, since it dropped into15th position. In GTS the #39 Pozzi Daytona (9th) leads the yellow and green #48 Sonauto Carrea (10th), the Gelo 2.8 Carrera (11th), the #6 N.A.R.T. Daytona (12th), and the the Kremer 2.8 Carrera (13th). In the prototype 2-litre class only two cars are left. The #22 Porsche 910 (22nd) leads here.

HOURS 10-16 - During the long and terrible night the #17 Ferrari, out on the lead, suffers from a descending oil pressure. One hour later the car's motor literally explodes. The #15 Ferrari of Ickx/Redman is now the new leader, followed at one full lap by the #11 Matra-Simca MS670 of Pescazrolo/Larousse. But during the same twelfth hour Matra looses its second car when, due to a new puncture, the #10 Matra of Cévert/Beltoise hurts the barriers. That means that our two protagonists have still two cars on the track: two sound ones and two others having been delayed during a long time in the pits. At 3am, at mid-race, the #15 Ferrari heads the #11 Matra by one lap. The Brescia Corse Alfa Romeo 33TT3 is now third at seven laps, the #16 Ferrari - having lost more than an hour in the pits - is fourth at 15 laps, the Martini 3.0 Porsche Carrera RSR fifth at more than 20 laps. Matra's second horse, the Jabouille/Jassaud #12 follows much further in 17th position, but mounts now steadily in the standings. The car precedes the wounded #8 Mirage having lost more than an hour in the pits on transmission and ignition problems. The Filipinetti Lola T282 is still there, but in a poor 36th position after all kinds of problems. In GTS the #6 N.A.R.T. Ferrari Daytona has passed all is opponents, leading its group from place six. In Ts the #51 works BMW is now 15th, leading the #55 works Capri by four places. The Brescia Corse Alfa maintains its third position until 7am. Then, after more than 16 hours of racing the car suffers at once from a broken gearbox and clutch, loosing two hours in the pits. Wirth still eight hours to go Ickx/Redman lead always Pescarolo/Larousse with one lap. The #16 Ferrari (fourth) and the #12 Matra (sixth) lost too many time on repair to have still any chance on victory. Ten other cars have been meanwhile retired: the first Ferrari Daytona (Shark's), the second Mirage, the second Ligier prototype, the second works Capri, the first works BMW,  Egrétaud's Carrera RSR (already the fourth 2.8 Porsche), the Duckham-Ford, the Japanese Sigma-Mazda, and of course the #17 Ferrari and #10 Matra (two former leaders). The #22 Porsche 910 is also out, so that only one car among the 2-litre prototypes is left, the #25 1.8 Chevron-BMW B23, 25th on 30 cars being still in the2 is 30th and last.race. Of them the Filipinetti Lola-Ford T282 is 30th and last. In GTS there are still eight Daytonas out of nine, against five 2.8 Porsches out of nine.

HOURS 17-24 - In front the leading #15 Ferrari and the #11 Matra are killing each other. During the 18th hour the Ickx/Redman Ferrari passes no longer. the car is in the pits with a serious leak. Repairs cost half an hour and the Pescarolo/Larrousse Matra is at least out on the lead. But then the car at once passes no more since it is in the pits with alarming vibrations. It's noon, and Ickx's Ferrari is undoing his seven laps arrears lap by lap. An endurance race can hardly be more thrilling than that. On the #11 Matra a brakes pipe was broken. The rear tail has been replaced but now the engine refuses to fire. When the Matra rejoins the track it's just ahead of Ickx's Ferrari. Both wounded cars run now during laps nose to tail. With still 1h30 to go the crowd is convinced that both cars are on their way to a 1969 finish, when the same Jacky Ickx, then in a Ford GT40, could beat the Porsche of Hans Hermann in a breathtaking final sprint. But then at once, the #15 comes in the pits, Ickx takes off his helmet, shakes hands with his engineers Colombo and Caliri, whilst his car is pushed in the garage. The wounded #11 Matra of Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larousse continues its march. And this is a march to victory lane, since the #16 Ferrari of Arturo Merzario and Carlos Pace is full five laps down. The other Matra, the #12 moves up in third position, 18 laps behind the Ferrari, but three laps ahead over the #46 Martini 3.0 Porsche of Van Lennep/Müller. Four hours earlier N.A.R.T. lost its GTS leader, the #6 of Posey/Minter, so that Charles Pozzi #39 Ferrari Daytona inherits the GTS lead. The car, shared by Claude Ballot-Léna and Vic Elford will finish as sixth and first GTS. It is preceded by the four years old Toblerone Porsche 908-03 finishing as fifth prototype, and followed by the seven years old Porsche-02 from Ecuador. Second, third a,nd fourth GTS are the 2.8 Porsches of Kremer Racing (8th)à and Gello Racing (10th) and Pozzi's other Ferrari Daytona (#40, 9th). TS is won by the #51works BMW 3.0 CSL, being the lonely finisher in its class. Twenty-one cars reached the finish, among them four Ferraris 365GTB/4 and five 2.8 Porsches Carrera RSR. Of the three Corvettes two are brought home: Greder's in 12th position and Écurie Léonard's in 18th postition. One Ligier JS2, the GTS, is brought home as19th.
During the eight last hours we loose the last niine cars, among them the last surving 2-litre prototype, four Daytona Ferraris, the last works Capri and filipinetti's Lola T282. And what happened with the vailliant ex-Autodelta Alfa Romeo 33TT3, so long in third position? The car finished as 15th after having replaced the gearbox and the clutch. Eventually the 1973 Le Mans was a killing race, won by a wounded car, five laps ahead over a sound car having lost an hour in the pits. La bande de fous scored its second win at Le Mans, it greatest. But with only 84 points against 110 for Il Commendatore, it seemed as if the third goal, winning the 1973 WCM can no more be won.