Part 1: Daytona, Se-bring, Le Mans Trials   Part 2: Monza, Targa, Spa   Part 3: Nürburgring & Le Mans   Part 4: Rest of the 1966 season    Part 5: Ford entries at Le Mans 1966   Part 6: Ferrari entries at Le Mans 1966
THE FORD-FERRARI COMBAT (YEAR 1966)
PART 3: FROM THE NÜRBURGRING TO THE LE MANS 24-HOURS

Round #6: ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen, Nürburgring (D)
 WHAT A SURPRISE: CHAPARRAL 2D WINS!

June 5, 1966 - Never, absolutely never before, autosport was so popular as now. Involved in a world wide publicity campaign, praising the firm's total performance, Ford has drawn the attention of the whole word on its project, nl. winning the same year ànd the Indianapolis 500 miles ànd the Le Mans 24-hours. Only twice this year the Dearborn giant and the Modena wizard stood eye to eye with works cars: at Sebring and at Spa. Both they won once. Especially that 1-1 result opens the way for all kinds of speculations. At once autosport is no longer a question of specialised enthu-siasts, no: even mothers and children, grand-fathers and grandchildren, unable to make a distinction between a Ford and a Ferrari prototype, are emotionally interested in what is considered as an unequal combat between the Modena David and the Dearborn giant. This way of presentation is pure romantics. The proud Enzo Ferrari, having won nine times Le Mans, is not the little dwarf in the story. He's backed up by the giant Fiat corporation of the Agnelli Bros, controlling the press in Italy (as editors of La Stampa). In Europe all - except the Britons - stay behind the underdog. They refuse to accept that he, Enzo Ferrari, can be beaten by the dollar-monster from the States. Americans, since long familiar with nationalism, are all as one man behind Ford. All they wish is that the damned red cars, having so often humiliated American machinery, will be destroyed by Ford's army of well-studied computer cars.
For Ford, having withdrawn from popular Nascar

  

racing after a dispute concerning the rules, a victory at Le Mans within two weeks, is an absolute must. Although they won one week earlier Indianapolis, with 7 cars in the top-10, among them the 4 first, nobody will consider it as an all-American triumph. Indeed, the used chassis were all made in England and the race was completely dominated by European drivers: winner Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart (who retired from a winning position) on a British Lola by Eric Broadley, and runner-up Jim Clark on Colin Chapman's Lotus. No wonder that the specialised press doesn't speak of any Ford victory, but of Europe sweeping American cars. John Cowley & Cie know it extremely well: Le Mans has to be the so much needed all-American victory on European soil!  To reach that target Ford will send at least eight 7-litre prototypes to La Sarthe. No, there is no time to go to the Eifel for the Nürburgring 1,000-kms: the risk is too important to destroy one or more valuable prototypes, so much needed at Le Mans.
Enzo Ferrari, perfect show man, knows very well that for him the situation is nearly hopeless. Apart from the 330P3 Berlinetta earlier seen at Monza and Spa, and the 330P3 Barquetta used at Sebring and the Targa Florio, he has just one third prototype ready, that's all. But to win Le Mans one needs one or two hares which can never go to the end. And then one lonely candidate-winner is left. All he thus can do is to pray the Lord that this car doesn't break, and that just as at Spa it will be fast enough to let the horde of American wolves behind.

  



TOP: For the Chaparral 2D, which entered only the first two rounds of the FIA Championship, it was its first show in Europe. Before the start nobody could have believed that this car, so unreliable at the two first rounds, could win an endurance race on such difficult track as the Nürburgring.
BOTTOM: After the suspension problems on the Ferrari 330P3 Barquetta the two fuel-injected Dinos 206S tried to keep up with the 5.4-litre machinery of the Americans. Although seriously handicapped in bhp, they succeeded to finish res. at 41"4 and 1'12"0 behind the Chaparral, taking places 2 and 3.

 

As a superb tactician, playing in on the public's emotions, also with a perfect sense for timing, Il Commendatore publishes in the Italian press himself his Adieu Europe! In the article he lets understand that it isn't impossible that this year he gives ...no show at Le Mans. The social strikes in the Italian steel industry ruined his plans. So it seems him wiser to stay home than undergo a defeat in such unequal combat. Two weeks before the start of the magic 24 hours Europe is inundated with all types of specials presenting their own Le Mans previous. Here one can read the most unbelievable tales. In Belgium e.g. the June issue of Virage Auto is completely dedicated to the Le Mans 24-hours. Here Jacques Swaters, the boss of Écurie Francorchamps (officially Écurie Nationale Belge) tells the world that he has a strategy to win this year's Le Mans with the yellow Ferrari 365P2/P3 - the same car which could hardly follow the Fords GT40, which was completely dominated by the Fords MkII, and which could not finish one single enduro-race this year.
But autosport is cash money this year: never so many specialised magazines were sold at such sale. In Cannes the movie Un homme et une femme by Claude Lelouch wins the highest award, since it mixes a love story with autosport (in casu a Ford factory driver: Jean-Louis Trintignant). Rumours are going that Steve McQueen will go racing himself, and that a movie on the Le Mans 24-hours is already scheduled. Broadcasting stations dedicate hours and hours at the gruelling Ford-Ferrari combat within two weeks. At the same time they are conspicuously silent about American young men, dying in a meaningless war in Vietnam. Enzo Ferrari is the poor underdog threatened by the American enemy. European politicians feel uneasy about the whole situation. The enemy, that's the Soviet Union, that's communism, not their ally, not the US. Others feel that the French general Charles de Gaulle benefits from the situation: did he not warn Europe for a two-power world, with Europe as a buffer between the two sworn enemies? Did he not refuse to enter the NATO? Did he not develop his own nuclear program?
Both in Europe and the US, a more critical youth refuses to follow their parents in the complete Ford-Ferrari madness. Are there no more important things in a social unequal world where materialism is the highest value? Must this sportive war let forget what happened a quarter century ago and what can explode at any moment with the Cold War situation. How close was war at the Pigs Bay incident? And what will be the next incident? Shall it be pure coincidence that at Jefferson Boulevard in Culver City (CA), in a street without the smallest romance and fancy - housing one of America's best motor rebuilders, Traco, one finds the grimy lettering of "What did you in the war, daddy?" Is it pure coincidence that just now, a clever and resourceful young man, arisen from the cubby-holes of Washington bureaucracy to an expert on automotive design and safety, Ralph Nadar, publishes his book Unsafe at any Speed, and declares the war on the complete automobile industry in the US?

The entry
This week-end, nothing of that all is apparent in the German Eifel. Coming with 130,000 cars, a record crowd of 380,000 persons show, five times more than at Spa, six times more than at Monza and - unbelievable - even more than at the Targa Florio, since a half century the best attended race in the world. They are all here to support Europe against ...the American occupant. That same America is present with six ... British Ford GT40s: the #46 (Revson/Scott) and #47 (Whitmore/Neerpasch) being entered by Essex Wire Corporation, the #44 (Ireland/ Amon) by F. English Racing Ltd., the #45 (Ligier/Schlesser) by Ford France,  the #50 (Sutcliffe/John M. Taylor) by Peter Sutcliffe himself and the #49 (Spence/Bond) by Nick Cussom. Tony Settember's #53 Cobra 427 Roadster and a spectacular new #100 Shelby Mustang GT350, entered by Jochen Neerpasch, complete the Ford effectives. Just as in Spa the #52 Cobra 289 Roadster of Nick Granville-Smith fails to start after a broken engine at practice.
A pure American entry, not expected at all, is the #7 5.4 Chaparral-Chevrolet 2D, entered by Chaparral Cars Inc. for Phil Hill and Joachim Bonnier. One week before the start one could read in the leading British Autosport: "The Chaparral failed to materialize at Spa as it was not completed in time. Although we were assured it will be appearing at the Nürburgring we have our doubts as the American team are probably reserving all their energies for Le Mans." The fast Texan bird is here with its two-speed automatic transmission and glass-fibre body weighting hardly the minimum of 750 kgs. It is not the same car which will be raced as Le Mans, since two copies were already sent with team-owner Jim Hall to Le Mans.
SpA SEFAC Ferrari has no less than four works cars down to the Ring. There is a brand new #1 Ferrari 330P3 Barquetta, proving that Il Commendatore has at least three prototypes ready for Le Mans. Race director Eugenio Dragoni assigns John Surtees and Mike Parkes as drivers. The 330P3 Berlinetta, having won Monza and Spa, is here also, but Dragoni received orders than only one of the two prototypes can be used. The two other factory cars are the fuel injected Dinos, the #11 for Scarfiotti/Bandini and the #12 - officially an entry by American N.A.R.T. - for Rodriguez and Ginther. A third #14 Dino entered by Maranello Concessionaires for Attwood/Piper is just as the two others a Barquetta, no longer the Berlinetta used at Spa. Three Ferraris 250LM (#8 entered by Scuderia Filipinetti for Mairesse/Müller, #5 entered by Peter Clarke and #3 entered by Antonio Peixihno for de Siebenthal/de Bandeira) are by a new FIA-frivolity considered as Group 6 prototype, not as Group 4 sportscars. There is also a private #28 Ferrari 275GTB, pretty close to a normal street car.
Porsche Engineering System is here with five works cars. The #5 2.2 906P/F8 goes to Rindt/Vaccarella. Three fuel-injected 906Ps (officially 906E with the E standing for Einspritz) are aligned, the #15 for Hermann/Glemser, the #16 for Schütz/Klass and the #17 for Bondurant/Hawkins.  A #61 906S is entered in S2 for Beltoise/Nöcker. The #18 906P of Vögele/Siffert may be considered as a semi-works Porsche. Among the private Porsches 906S best known are the orange Racing Team Holland #60 for the Van Lennep Bros, the white #64 for Koch/Linge, Mike de Udy's #59, and Team Basilisk #63 for Heini Walther/Kühnis whilst the Swedish #62 for Sten Axelsson/Bo Johansson is the great unknown. Among the other Porsches there is a 904GTS/4, driven by Paul Frère for the Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, filming the race. Two 911S cars, an old GS2000 Carrera 2 and an even older SC complete the entry.
Autodelta SpA is out with three Alfas Giulia TZ2, the #75 for Businello/"Geki", the #77 for Lucien Bianchi/Schulze and #74 for Pianta and Capra (officially a Scuderia San Ambroeus entry). Abarth Corse has five works cars present, four 1300 OTCs and one open 1300 OT. Lancia Corse and British Motor Company and have each one car on the grid, Société Automobiles Alpine two A210 M65s. Of the two Jaguars E type at the start, one is an ex-David Protheroe car. The two Austin-Healeys are private cars. Total entry is up to 77 starters.

 

 


 

Practice
Both practice days pass without a drop of rain falling, undoubtedly a record for the Ring. Good weather and resurfacing of the track are a guarantee for fast lap times. Surtees and Parkes test the two P3 Ferraris, the closed and the open one. Eventually Surtees goes round in 8'31"9 at an average of 100mph. Compared with the absolute circuit record by the Lotus Coventry-Climax of Jim Clark (8'24"1) this is certainly a very sharp time. The only car able to clock a time not too far away is the Chaparral 2D. Although its drivers are not pleased about the handling of the car, having continuous ignition problems, Phil Hill goes round in 8'35"4. The sensation of both practice day, however, is Jochen Rindt in the new flat eight (F8) 2.2-litre Weberized Porsche 906P. On Friday he realises already 8'47"4, knocking it off by 3"3 the second day. His 8'44"4 is good for a third place at the start. Of the other P2 prototypes only Filipinetti's (tired) #8 Ferrari 250LM is able to take a time within the top-20 (11th place). The two other LMs are more than a half minute slower.
Among the under 2-litre prototypes the fuel-injected factory #11 Dino is more than 6 seconds faster than the four fuel-injected works Porsches 906P. In hands of Lodovico Scarfiotti - an experienced hill-climb racer - the diminutive Italian car is pushed around in 8'48"2. Then follow on places 5 to 8, in the same order as their race number, the 906Ps, being all four faster than any of the six Fords GT40. The #12 N.A.R.T. Dino is the last car on rank 9 to beat all Fords GT40. Of them the Essex Wire #47 of sir John Whitmore and Jochen Neerpasch is the fastest in 9'00"4, which is only 0"8 second faster than the Filipinetti Ferrari 250LM. In the other Essex Wire Ford GT40 Skip Scott/Peter Revson blew up the motor on Friday, so that they can set no good time with a motor not even broken in.
Fastest car among the under-2-litres in Group 4 (S2) is the #61 works Porsche 906S of Beltoise and Nöcker going around in 9'10"2, good for rank 16 on the grid. The orange Racing Team Holland #60 Porsche 906S of the Van Lennep Bros is 7"7 seconds slower as second S2, closely followed by the surprising Swedish Porsche of Axelsson/Johansson. Paul Frère shows again his great racing abilities: in the old Porsche 904GTS/4, the television car, he clocks 9'36"2 which is hardly slower than the hairy Cobra 427 Roadster, and even faster than Peter Clarke's Ferrari 250LM! In the under 1.3-litre Group 4 class the #80 works Abarth 1300 OTC goes around in 9'39"2, what is nearly as fast as the two preceding Ferraris 250LM and faster than all works Alfa Romeos GTZ2. The Nürburgring is their real last race since immediately after they are all sold. That implies also that this year Alfa Romeo will be absent at the Le Mans 24-hours. The two works Alpines and the two private entered Austin-Healey sprites are absolutely nowhere in the under 1.3-litre division. They are headed by no less than six Abarths.
Fastest Grand Touring car is the Jaguar E-type of the late Dick Protheroe, now going around in 9'57"3, and being followed by the new Shelby Mustang 350GT in 10'13"0 - an entry by Jochen Neerpasch, himself at the wheel of one of the Essex Wire Fords GT40, for Karl von Wendt and Günther Sellbach. Siggi Greder's Porsche 911, famous from its entries at the European Hillclimb Championship disappoints together with the six Lotuses Elan, being headed in the 1.6-litre class by all Alfa Romeos GTZ2.

#1 Ferrari 330P3 8'31"9              #7 Chaparral 2D 8'35"4
(John Surtees/Mike Parkes)           (Phil Hill/Joachim Bonnier)

#5 Porsche 906P/F8 8'44"4          #11 Ferrari Dino 206S 8'48"2
(Jochen Rindt/Nino Vaccarella)    (Lodovico Scarfiotti/L.Bandini)

#15 Porsche 906P/E  8'54"5         #16 Porsche 906P/E 8'54"5
(Hans Hermann/Dieter Glemser)    (Udo Schütz/Günther Klass)

#17 Porsche 906P/E 8'56"1          #18 Porsche 906P 8'58"9 
(Bob Bondurant/Paul Hawkins)      (Jo Siffert/Charles Vögele)

#12 Ferrari Dino 206S 8'59"4       #47 Ford GT40 Coupe 9'00"4
(Pedro Rodriguez/R. Ginther)        (J.Whitmore/Jochen Neerpasch)

#8 Ferrari 250LM 9'01"2              #14 Ferrari Dino 206S 9'01"8
(Willy Mairesse/Herbert Müller)     (Richard Attwood/David Piper)

#45 Ford GT40 Coupe  9'07"3      #44 Ford GT40 Coupe 9'07"8
(Guy Ligier/Jo Schlesser)                 (Innes Ireland/Mike Salmon)

#46 Ford GT40 Coupe 9'08"7       #61 Porsche 906S 9'10"2 
(Skip Scott/Peter Revson)             (Peter Nöcker/Jean P. Beltoise)

#49 Ford GT40 Coupe 9'17"3        #60 Porsche 906S  9'17"9
(Richard Bond/Mike Spence)     (G.van Lennep/David van Lennep)

#62 Porsche 906S 9'18"3             #50 Ford GT40 Roadster 9'19"2
(Sten Axelsson-Boo Johansson)     (Peter Sutcliffe/John M.Taylor)

The race
On Sunday morning there are blue skies and not a trace of the foreboding atmosphere that the wet and weeping pines cast round the Ring. Seventy-seven cars are lined up in echelon for the Le Mans-type start, with the drivers poised in their little white circles. First away is the #11 Dino with Lodovico Scarfiotti sweeping into the South Turn ahead of Schütz (#16 Porsche 906P) and Hans Hermann (#15 Porsche 906P), who are in front of the #47 Essex Wire Ford GT40 of John Whitmore. John Surtees is in fifth place after an indifferent start, with the Chaparral in seventh. Tony Settember is the last thundering away with the 7-litre #53 Cobra, being left in the pits with wetted plugs. First drama during the first lap when Whitmore looses a rear wheel even before Adenau. The car is undamaged but out. Kurt Ahrens, being the fastest man on the works Abarth 1300 OTC can not finish his first lap, due to a fuel pump failure.
By the time the field reaches Adenau Surtees has moved ahead of Scarfiotti and the Chaparral is challenging the third and fourth place Porsches 906P. Jochen Rindt, having made a poor start in the #5 Porsche 906P/F8, is back in 10th place. As the cars flash past the grandstands at the completion of the first full lap order is Surtees (#1 Ferrari P3), Scarfiotti (#11 Dino), Bonnier (#7 Chaparral 2D), Schütz (#16 Porsche 906P), Hermann (#15 Porsche 906P), Attwood (#14 Dino), Rodriguez (#12 Dino), Skip Scott (#46 Ford GT40), Ireland (#44 Ford GT40), Rindt (#5 Porsche F8) and Bondurant (#17 Porsche 906P). By the following lap the Chaparral has visibly closed on the Dino, passing it at the South Turn and setting off after the engine. Scott is loosing oil from a blown inlet manifold gasket. Two laps later the second Essex Wire GT40 will be retired.
On typical Ring form Surtees is pulling away from everybody, establishing a new sportscars record of 8'37"0 with full tanks! He gets farther away from the Chaparral at every lap. By the third time round Rindt has moved the F8 Porsche up behind the factory Porsches 906P/E of Hermann and Schütz, having swapped places. Pedro Rodriguez (#12 Dino) consolidates his sixth position ahead of Attwood in the colonel's Dino. Innes Ireland (#44 Ford GT40) is leading the sportscars section from Mairesse (#8 Ferrari LM) and Ligier (#45 Ford GT40). Henri Grandsire retires his #88 works Alpine A210 M65 with a broken fan belt. As the race progresses the Ferrari P3 has built up a 1'30" advantage after a mere five laps. The Chaparral is not having it all its own way, Scarfiotti's Dino staying with it lap after lap. Rindt is now fourth with the 2.2-litre F8 Porsche, closely followed by Rodriguez and the #12 N.A.R.T. Dino. Then follow Hermann, Schütz and Attwood (#14 Dino).
Then comes the first big drama. Just before the end of an hour's racing the Ferrari 330P3 comes dashing into the pits with a broken rear shock absorber, the car going back into 22nd place with Parkes at the wheel.  This unexpected turn of events lets the Texan machine with the lead, but having Scarfiotti's Dino to contend with - Rodriguez moving up in the other Dino to join the fun. Rindt drops to fourth place for he is forced to have his windscreen cleaned. At lap 8 the Ferrari P3 is 6'56" down to the leading Chaparral with 36 laps to go. A pit stop for refuelling costs the Chaparral 1"32, Hill guarding the wheel. Pit stops are now two a penny. During a while the Dinos find themselves 1-2-3. After refuelling of the Dinos the Chaparral is again out on the lead, increasing now steadily its advance over the Dino-train having been split by the Rindt-Vaccarella Porsche F8. Parkes is already 8th, just behind the factory Porsches of Hermann/ Glemser and Schütz/Klass. The difference between the Chaparral and the Ferrari P3 is down to 4'16 after 15 laps.
For Ireland and the #44 F. English Ford GT40 the race is already over after a front tire burst and a broken thumb for Innes. There is also a frightening accident before the start and finish straight when Fritz Juttner (#81 Abarth 1300 OTC) hits an almost stationary car. The works Abarth is totally written off, although the driver himself is not too seriously hurt. Porsche lost meanwhile two cars, the #18 of Rindt/Vögele with a broken chassis and the #63 of Kühnis/ Walter with an overheated motor after a broken exhaust pipe. Of the six Lotuses Elan already four are out within 15 laps. The #118 works Lancia Fulvia HF is abandoned after distributor problems and the ex-Protheroe Jaguar E type after a broken head gasket.
John Surtees takes over the Ferrari P3 from Parkes at lap 18. He does one single lap before the suspension collapses again. After a 10-minutes stop Parke takes the car out once more, falling from rank 6 to 18, more than one and a half lap behind the leading Chaparral.. Retirements are now coming thick and fast. A fifth Lotus Elan and two Alfa Romeos Giulia TZ2 are out (the Scuderia Ambroeus #74 with a broken gearbox and the #75 Businello/"Geki" works car with a broken head gasket).

  


TOP: Tony Settember's Cobra 427 Roadster will finish the race as 36th. ROW TWO: A 1.3 Abarth 1300 OTC. The works cars had a fabulous race, finishing at ranks 14, 15 and 17. ROW THREE: Filipinetti's Ferrari 250LM brought home as 9th. ROW FOUR: The Porsche 906P of Bob Bondurant and Paul Hawkins is the lonely works prototype which could finish the race (as 4th). BOTTOM: Peter Sutcliffe's much transformed Ford GT40 finished 6th.


TOP: No success for the Essex Wire Fords GT40, being both out res. at the first and the fourth lap. Car on the picture is the John Whitmore/Jochen Neerpasch entry.
ROW TWO: Of the four works prototypes entered by Porsche Engineering System only one reached the finish, seriously beaten (for the second time in a row) by the Ferrari Dinos. Here the Hans Hermann/Dieter Glemser Porsche 906S which will be written totally off after a spectacular accident by Glemser with still seven laps to go.
ROW THREE: The #64 Porsche 906S of Gerhard Koch and Herbert Linge was dicing at the final stages of the race for outright S2 victory with similar cars of Gijs van Lennep/David van Lennep (#60) and of Sten Axelsson/Boo Johansson (#62). Initially Jean Pierre Beltoise and Peter Nocker were leading this class in a works 906S, but a prolonged pit stop at lap 35 let them loose the lead.
BOTTOM: The #34 Austin-Healey Sebring of Clive Baker and John Moore failed to win among the under 1.3-litre prototypes after a small collision with the leading Chaparral 2D.

  

After 22 laps at mid-race positions are as follows; 1. Hill/Bonnier (#7 Chaparral 2D), 2. Scarfiotti/Bandini (#11 Dino) at 3'11", 3. Rodriguez/Ginther (#12 Dino) at 3'36", 4. Hermann/Glemser (#15 Porsche 906P) at 5'12", 5. Attwood/Piper (#14 Dino) at 6'11", 6. Schütz/ Klass (#16 Porsche 906P) at 7'00, 7. Bondurant/ Hawkins (#17 Porsche 906P), 8. Rindt/Vaccarella (#5 Porsche 906P/F8), 9. Ligier/Schlesser (#45 Ford GT40), 10. Sutcliffe/Taylor (#50 Ford GT40) at 1 lap, etc.
That means that at this stage in the race Porsche has always its four prototypes running, however dominated by the faster Dinos. Except for Ford France's #45 Ford GT40, all S3 cars are following at one lap or more. On the Ring they are fully dominated by the 2-litre prototypes.  The advance of the Chaparral is now sufficient that the car can refuel without loosing the lead. Shortly after mid-race we loose the #59 Porsche 906S of Mike de Udy/Peter de Klerk when the last goes off the road at the Fox Holes. Before this British Porsche was leading in S2. With still 15 laps to go Porsche Engineering System looses its first prototype when Schütz goes out with a broken drive shaft on the #16 906P. During the same lap the colonel's #14 Dino is forced to retire with gearbox trouble. That means that Bondurant/Hawkins are now fifth with the #17 works Porsche 906P. On the 2.2-litre F8 Porsche Rindt has serious brake problems, but can shortly maintain his sixth place, now one lap down to the leading Chaparral. The GT leading #107 MGB MkI of Vernaeve/Hedges blows a bottom hose causing the head gasket to go. Sepp Greger in his #108 Porsche 911, going much faster than at practice is now duelling with the #100 Shelby Mustang for the first place in GT. The Ferrari 330P3 is still there, now as seventh after the 2.2-litre F8 Porsche was dropping in the standings. In S2 the works Porsche 906S of Beltoise/Nöcker is leading the "60 Dutch 906S of the Van Lennep Bros and the Swedish 906S. The Filipinetti Ferrari 250LM enters the top-10 before lap 33.
After 33 laps, at three quarter distance positions are: 1. Hill/Bonnier (#7 Chaparral 2D), 2. Scarfiotti/Bandini (#11 Dino) at 3'01", 3. Rodriguez/Ginther (#12 Dino) at 3'20", 4. Hermann/Glemser (#15 Porsche 906P) at 5'41", 5. Bondurant/Hawkins (#17 Porsche 906P) at 6'55", 6. 6. Ligier/Schlesser (#45 Ford GT40) at 1 lap, 7. Parkes/Surtees (#1 Ferrari 330P3), 8. Rindt/Vaccarella (#5 Porsche 906P/F8),  9. Mairesse/Müller (#6 Ferrari 20LM), 10. Beltoise/Nöcker (#61 Porsche 906S), etc.
Just as it looks that the race is over bar the shouting, the Eifel mountains play their usual trick and it starts to rain heavily. For the leading Chaparral, having just changed its tires before the last stint, with Phil Hill at the wheel, that means that the American glassfibre car has to make an unscheduled pit stop, offering the two extremely agile Dinos a possibility to come closer, especially when Hill has a wiper problem, since he is seen to be wiping the wind screen. The advance goes down from 3 minutes to half of it. The second Dino follows 20 seconds further. Scarfiotti and Rodriguez set their Dinos now fully spurs, coming bit by bit closer to the white car with the periscope cooler. Meanwhile the Ferrari P3 has to abandone the race with clutch failure. At lap 36 Porsche looses two other factory prototypes. Glemser goes off with the #15 906P, writing-off the car, but miraculously the driver is unhurt. Rindt has a small accident with the now totally brakeless #5 Porsche 906P/F8, so that Porsche has only two factory cars left: the Bondurant/Hawkins #17 906P and the #61 906S of Beltoise/Nöcker, loosing its lead position in S2 after a prolonged pit stop. Now the orange Dutch Porsche #60 leads its class. 
With 4 laps to go (40 minutes) Bandini follows the Chaparall at less than one minute, the N.A.R.T. Dino following 50 seconds farther. The Italian has to make a blitz stop at the pits to change spectacles. With two laps to go he's again under one minute behind the Chaparral, now with Rodriguez following within 20 seconds. The public is screaming and yelling where both Dinos pass. One has no eye for the drama with the GT leading Shelby Mustang 350GT making a tête à queue and having been pushed by non-allowed persons. So the car receives the black flag at the real last stages of the race. Pierre de Siebenthal has to retire his clutchless #4 Ferrari 250LM with less than three laps to go. Drama too for the private #34 Austin-Healey Sebring, having led the 1.3-litre class among the prototypes, but being passed by Abels/Bitter in the open #31 Abarth 1300 OT and by Roger Delageneste in the #87 Alpine A210 M65 after a small touch with the Chaparral. In the final laps there is a splendid dice for S2-laurels between the Swedish, the Dutch and the German (#64 Koch/Linge) Porsches 906S. Eventually the Van Lennep Bros will win this battle by finishing 7th overall.
 In front the Scarfiotti/Bandini #11 Dino will fail for 41"4 seconds to catch the winning #7 Chaparral 2D of Phil Hill/Joachim Bonnier. Rodriguez/Ginther finish third in the #12 N.A.R.T. Dino at 1'12"0. First Porsche is the #17 906P of Bondurant/Hawkins, having been seriously threatened by the S3 winning Ford France GT40 during the last lap. Another GT40, Sutcliffe's, can take rank 6 after a consistent race. The trio of S2 Porsches, finishing 7th, 8th and 10th is split by the Filipinetti Ferrari. S1 laurels go to the Ortner/Manzel #83 works Abarth 1300 OTC, finishing 14th. GT is won by the Greger/Auer Porsche 911.

Results
1. Phil Hill/Joachim Bonnier #7 Chaparral 2D 1st P2 Chaparral Cars Inc. 44
2. LScarfiotti/Lorenzo Bandini #11 Ferrari Dino 206S 1st P1 SEFAC Ferrari SpA 44
3. Pedro Rodriguez/R.Ginther #12 Ferrari Dino 206S 2nd P1 N.A.R.T. 44
4. Bob Bondurant/Paul Hawkins #17 Porsche 906P 3rd P1 Porsche Engineering 44
5. Guy Ligier/Jo Schlesser #45 Ford GT40 Coupe 1st S3 Ford France S.A. 43
6. Peter Sutcliffe/P.M. Taylor #50 Ford GT40 2nd S3 Peter Sutcliffe 43
7. Gijs vLennep/D. vLennep #60 Porsche 906S 1st S2 Racing Team Holland 42
8. S.Axelsson/Boo Johansson #62 Porsche 906S 2nd S2 Sten Axelson 42
9. Willy Mairesse/H. Müller #6 Ferrari 250LM 2nd P2 Scud. Filippinetti 42
10. Gerhard Koch/Herbert Linge #64 Porsche 906S 3rd S2 Gerhard Koch 42
11. J.P. Beltoise/Peter Nöcker #61 Porsche 906S 4th S2 Porsche Engineering 42
12. Mike Spence/Richard Bond #49 Ford GT40 Coupe 3rd S3 Nick Cussom 42
13. L. Bianchi/Herbert Schulze #77 Alfa Romeo GTZ2 5th S2 SpA Autodelta 41
14. J. Ortner/W-D Mantzel #83 Abarth 1300 OTC 1st S1 Abarth Corse 40
15. Leo Cella/Anton Fischhaber #80 Abarth 1300 OTC 2nd S1 Abarth Corse 40
16. H-D Dechent/Robert F. Huhn #84 Abarth 1300 OTC 3rd S1 Scuderia Lufthansa 39
17 Manfred Abels/Erich Bitter #31 Abarth 1300 OT 4th P1 Abarth Corse 39
18. Roger Delageneste/J. Patte #87 Alpine A210 M65 5th P1 Automobiles Alpine 38
19. Sepp Greger/Carl-G. Auer #106 Porsche 911 1st GT Sepp Greger 38
20. Clive Baker/John Moore #34 Austin-Healey Sprite  6th P1 Richard Groves 37
most important not-finishers
DNF de Siebenthal/de Bandeira #4 Ferrari 250LM P2 Antonio Peixihno 38
DQF G.Selbach/Karl von Wendt #100 Shelby Mustang 350 GT Jochen Neerpasch 37
DNF Jochen Rindt/Nino Vaccarella #5 Porsche 906P/F8 P2 Porsche Engineering 36
DNF Hans Hermann/Dieter Glemser #15 Porsche 906P P1 Porsche Engineering 36
DNF John Surtees/Mike Parkes #1 Ferrari 330P3 P2 SEFAC Ferrari SpA 35
DNF Peter Clarke/Mark König #3 Ferrari 250LM S3 Peter Clarke 35
DNF Richard Attwood/David Piper #14 Ferrari Dino 206S P1 Maranello Concesc. 27
DNF Udo Schütz/Günther Klass #16 Porsche 906P P1 Écurie Francorchamps 27
DNF J. Vernaeve/Andrew Hedges #107 MGB Mk1 GT Vernaeve/B.M.C. 27
DNF Mike de Udy/Peter Declerk #59 Porsche 906S S3 A.F.N. 24
DNF Girolama Capra/G. Pianta #74 Alfa Romeo GTZ2 S3 Scud. San Ambroeus 20
DNS Paul Frère/R. Guenzler #66 Porsche 904GTS/4 S1 ZDF (TV) 18
DNF Roberto Businello/"Geki" #75 Alfa Romeo GTZ2 S1 SpA Autodelta 14
DNF Giampiero Biscaldi/M.Casoni #44 Ford GT40 Coupe S3 F. English Racing 13
DNF Fritz Jüttner/K. Steinmetz #81 Abarth 1300 OTC P1 Abarth Corse 12
DNF Enrico Pinto/Carlo Zuccoli #48 Alfa Romeo GTZ2 S1 SpA Autodelta 11
DNF A.Marzi/Carlo Facetti #118 Lancia Fulvia HF GT Squadra HF Corse 7
DNF Jean Vinatier/H. Grandsire #88 Alpine A210 M65 P1 Automobiles Alpine 4
DNF Peter Revson/Skip Scott #46 Ford GT40 Coupe S3 Essex Wire Corp. 4
DNF J. Whitmore/J. Neerpasch #47 Ford GT40 Coupe S3 Essex Wire Corp. 0
DNF Kurt Ahrens/Ernst Furtmayr #82 Abarth 1300 OTC S1 Abarth Corse 0

After 6 rounds Ford counts 26 points (10-10-0-0-6) for FIA's International Prototypes Trophy, against 36 points for Ferrari (4-0-10-10-9-7). Only the 4 best results are considered

Round #7: Les Vingt-Quatre Heures du Mans (F)
 ROMAN EMPEROR LOOSES IT ALL IN 24 HOUR

June 18-19, 1966 - This is the hour of the truth - of all truths. Already on Tuesday 14 no less than eight 7-litre Ford MkIIA prototypes arrive at La Sarthe. Never before such millions-of-dollars-road-roller was seen at Le Mans. But there are not only cars and drivers, the Americans brought half of their continent to France: People of Kar Kraft, engineers, techni-cians, employees, translators, journalists of the written press, TV-reporters, camera men, Ford importers and Ford distributors, all officially invited by FoMoCo to witness what it is Total Performance. Not only Carroll Shelby, Leo Holman and Alan Mann and their mechanics are here. No, that's only a minor part of Ford's effort. John Cowley is here with his complete staff, Leo Beebe with a never seen approach of public relations. And on Saturday afternoon the start will be given by Henry Ford II himself. Nobody dares to think what'll happen with all those Americans if on Sunday afternoon 4 p.m. Ferrari obtains his tenth Le Mans win, his seventh in a row. Apart from eight prototypes, Ford has also six GT40s at La Sarthe, entered by its traditional clients, no works cars.
Up from now everybody, from highly specialised motoring journalists to simple moms with the kids on their hands, everybody has his own opinion concerning the force of the Italian Squadra. It's undoubtedly true that there were social troubles in Italy, but despite that all Ferrari is still leader on all fronts. In F1 John Surtees won one week after the Ring the Belgian Grand Prix on a wet-soaked Spa, under relentless rain. By finishing third, Lorenzo Bandini, the   protégé   of  race director Eugenio

  

Dragoni is leader in the provisional ranking. At FIA's International Prototypes Trophy the Prancing Horse leads on two fronts, with an advance of 10 points over Ford in the over two-litre class, and an advance of one point over Porsche in the under-two-litre class. Considered in such a way the waves of social strikes afflicting Italy, seem to be without disastrous consequences for the proud Enzo Ferrari. Speculation is on if yes or not he'll show with at least the five works 330P3 prototypes and with the two works Dinos 206S he entered earlier this year. General opinion is that Enzo Ferrari himself will show as the Roman emperor, having the explosive situation - as always - under control.
More critical observers, however, predict that the entry will be at least one or two cars less than the official entry. Indeed, at the Rossfeld Hill-Climb, the first round of the European Cham-pionship there is even no car available for the defending hill-climb champion Lodovico Scarfiotti!
At noon Ford officials, being around a ninth MkIIA prototype, explain the press that it's only a spar car, the one having finished second at the Daytona 24-hours, because the organising ACO limited Ford's entry to eight prototypes, so that it didn't had any sense to fly over also the two Fords J from Kar Kraft. Exactly at the same moment the rumour is confirmed that Il Commendatore will be absent, that he'll not quit Emilia for Le Mans. It is said that he'll follow the race on TV and on the radio. Is this another weapon in Enzo's psychological war? Nobody to answer.

  


Painting on TOP is from Don Packwood. Painting on BOTTOM is from the famous Graham Turner, well known for his racing works.

  

The entry
Less than ten minutes later, still around noon, any insider knows it: this year Ferrari will not win his tenth Le Mans. At once it appears that Ferrari's works entries hold on ...one single trailer. Only three 330P3s are ready: one Barquetta and two Berlinettas. Officially the spider #27 is an entry by Luigi Chinetti (the American importer of Ferrari) of N.A.R.T., whilst the two coupes #20 and #21 are an entry by SEFAC Ferrari. Four other prototypes are rebodied Ferraris P2 of last year, entered by Jacques Swaters of Écurie Francorchamps (#17), by N.A.R.T. (#18), by Scuderia Filipinetti and by colonel Ron Hoare of Maranello Concessionaires (#16). There is no factory Dino, only three private cars, two of them (#25 and #38) being entered by Chinetti together with a Ferrari 275 GTB/C (#26) [entered in name of Ed Hugus, a client of  N.A.R.T]. The other (#36) is an entry of the colonel together with a second 275 GTB/C (#29). Swaters too has two other Ferraris at the start, a #28 yellow 250LM and a #57 275 GTB/C.  Click here for pics of all entered Ferraris and their drivers. On paper Ferrari has indeed 14 cars at Le Mans, just as Ford, but in reality only 3 have chances to win (the 330P3s) against 8 (the MkIIAs) for Ford.  Click here for pics of all entered Fords and their drivers. Of the six privately entered GT40s two (#59 and #60) are from Essex Wire Corporation, one is from Ford France (#15), one from the colonel (being in the UK importer from both Ford and Ferrari) for his F. English Racing Ltd., one from count Georges Filipinetti (#14) and a sixth one (#63) from Scuderia Bear. The last car will not start, having been written off by Richard Holqvist after a collision with Alan Mann's #7 MkIIA with dr. Dick Thompson at the wheel. It will be the start of a major incident (cf. Ford entry list for more details). Only after Leo Beebe threats ACO to retire all works Fords if the #7 remains excluded, it is decided that only Thompson (who had no part in the accident, since it was fully Holqvist's fault) has to go, not the car. At Ferrari's the incident (cf. the Ferrari entry list) between the imperialist Eugenio Dragoni and n°1 works racer John Surtees will result in the withdrawal from a furious Surtees. One week later he'll announce his definitive withdrawal from Ferrari.
Of the other entered cars - among them three long-tailed Porsches 906P (now called 906LM), three normal Porsches 906S, six Alpines A210 and three Matra-BRMs MS620 - only the #9 5.4 Chaparral 2D, shared by triple Le Mans winner Phil Hill and Joachim Bonnier is, certainly after its win at the Ring, a candidate winner.

Practice
There are two practice sessions, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. Six of the eight Fords MkIIA are faster than the 3'34"3 realised by Ken Miles at the April tests. Its immediately obvious that we find five groups of cars with nearly similar possibilities. In the group of the fastest cars, able to do 3'36" or less we find the eight Fords MkIIA, the three Ferraris 330P3 and the Chaparral2D. None of the Ferraris 365P2/P3 is able to follow those cars. They belong to a second group, not faster than 3'40", not slower than 3'50. It's the group with the five Fords GT40 and the four Ferraris P2/P3. Of those cars none has serious chances to win. Then follows the group with the 2-litre cars: the Porsches 906LM, 906S, the Dinos 206S and the three Matras MS620. They are slower than 3'50", faster than 4'05".  Group 4 is the one of the over 3-litre Grand Touring cars (Ferrari GTB, Bizzarini) not faster than 4'10". The last group contains all small prototypes - the majority of them being Alpines, but also Austin-Healeys, CD, ASA 1300 - going not faster than 4'20". The lonely Porsche 911 at the start is to be situated within this group.
Fastest man on the track is Dan Gurney in the #3 American Shelby Ford MkIIA in an unbelievable 3'30"6 (230.130kph), followed by the two other Shelby Fords, one of them being preceded by an Alan Mann entry, the #8 of Whitmore/Gardner. Fastest Ferrari P3 is the #27 N.A.R.T. Barquetta, fifth in 3'33"0, followed by the second Alan Mann entry (#7 of Graham Hill) and by  the  two  other Ferraris 330 P3 in 3'33"2,

 3'34"4 and 3'34"6. The Chaparral 2D, faster in hands of Phil Hill than in hands of Joachim Bonnier, is 10th on the grid in 3'35"1 and preceded by the first Holman & Moody Ford. Then follow the two remaining Holman & Moody Fords MkIIA in 3'35"2 and 3'36"3.
Leader of the second group and fastest Group 4 is the Essex Wire #59 Revson/Scott Ford GT40 in 3'40"2, followed by the #60 sister car of Ickx and Neerpasch in 3'43"7. That the Ferraris P2 can never win this year's Le Mans is obvious if one realises that the fastest of them, the #19 entry by Filipinetti for Mairesse/Müller, goes not faster than 3'44"6 (15th). Then follows the N.A.R.T. #18 white Ferrari P2, called the "white elephant) in 3'45"0, followed by the F. English #12 Ford GT40, by the #17 yellow Belgian Ferrari P2/P3 (3'46"3), by the two remaining Fords GT40 (Ford France and Filipinetti) and by the colonel's P2/P3 (Piper/Attwood) in 3'49"5.
First Porsche, and fastest in the third group, is the #30 906LM of Jo Siffert/Colin Davis in 3'51"0 (22nd), followed by the #31 Porsche 906LM of Hans Hermann/Herbert Ling, by the first Dino, the #25 N.A.R.T. entry for Nino Vaccarella and Mario Casoni (3'53"5) and by the two fastest Matras MS620, clocking similar times as at the April tests. The #28 Ferrari 250LM, unable to follow any longer the Fords GT40, last year still second at Le Mans, is now a poor 28th on the grid in 3'56"1, which is always 2 seconds faster than last year. It only proves that in one year progress in speed of all works cars seriously increased.

#3 Ford MkIIA Shelby American (Gurney/Grant) 3'30"6
#1 Ford MkIIA Shelby American (Miles/Hulme) 3'31"7
#8 Ford MkIIA Alan Mann (Whitmore/Gardner) 3'32"2
#2 Ford MkIIA Shelby American (McLaren/Amon) 3'32"6
#27 Ferrari 330P3 NART (Ginther/Rodriguez) 3'33"0
#7 Ford MkIIA Alan Mann (Graham Hill/Muir) 3'33'2
#20 Ferrari 330P3 SEFAC SpA (Scarfiotti/Parkes) 3'34"3
#21 Ferrari 330P3 SEFAC SpA (Bandini/Guichet) 3'34"4
#5 Ford MkIIA Holman/M (Bucknum/Hutcherson) 3'34"6
#9 Chaparral 2D (Phil Hill/Joachim Bonnier) 3'35"1
#6 Ford MkIIA Holman/Moody (Hawkins/Donohue) 3'35"2
#4 Ford MkIIA Holman/Moody (Andretti/Bianchi) 3'36"3
#59 Ford GT40 Essex Wire (Scott/Revson) 3'40"2
#60 Ford GT40 Essex Wire (Neerpasch/Ickx) 3'43"7
#19 Ferrari 365P2/P3 Filipinetti (Mairesse/Müller) 3'44"6
#18 Ferrari 365P2 NART (Bondurant/Gregory) 3'45"0
#12 Ford GT40 F. English (Rindt/Ireland) 3'45"6
#17 Ferrari 330P2/P3 Francorchamps (Dumay/Beurlys) 3'46"3
#14 Ford GT40 Filipinetti (Sutcliffe/Spoerry)
#15 Ford GT40 Ford France (Ligier/Grossman)
#16 Ferrari 365P2 Maranello Con. (Piper/Attwood)
#30 Porsche 906LM Porsche Engin. (Siffert/Davis)
#31 Porsche 906LM Porsche E. (Hermann/Linge)
#25 Ferrari Dino 206S NART (Vaccarella/Casoni)		 3'47"6
3'47"8
3'49"0
3'51"0
3'52"2
3'53"5
#42 Matra-BRM MS620  (Schlesser/Rees)
#41 Matra-BRM MS620 (Servos-Gavin/Beltoise)
#58 Porsche 906P Porsche E. (Klass/Stommelen)
#28 Ferrari 250LM Francorchamps (Gosselin/De Keyn)
#36 Ferrari Dino 206S Maranello (Hobbs/Salmon)
#33 Porsche 906P Porsche E. (Axelsson/Gregg)
#32 Porsche 906LM Porsche E. (Schütz/de Klerk)
#38 Ferrari Dino 206S NART (Follmer/Kolb)		 3'53"5
3'54"9
3'55"8
3'56"1
4'00"5
4'02"4
4'02"5
4'02"7

The race [First hour: Ford attacks]
Race day dawns to fine weather on Saturday. A record crowd throngs every vintage point. No figures are released by ACO, but they must be pretty close or over 400,000 people, an absolute record (which never more will be improved!). But when 4 p.m. approaches dark clouds appear in the skies, so dark that many teams are thinking on tyres for the wet. Just before 4 p.m. 56 drivers line up opposite to their motor cars. There can be no doubt that the sentimental favourite of the people is Ferrari. When Henri Ford II drops the tricolore young Pedro Rodri-guez is the fastest sprinter, but he doesn't succeed firing the #27 Ferrari P3 engine. Skip Scott in the #59 Essex Wire Ford GT40 is the fastest away. In the Esses to Mulsanne Graham Hill in the #7 Alan Mann MkIIA and Paul Hawkins in the Holman & Moody MkIIA can pass Scott, later followed by Ronnie Bucknum (#5 Holman & Moody MkIIA) and Mike Parkes in the #20 works Ferrari P3. At Arnage Hawkins misses his gears and is overhauled by more than 30 cars. At the end of the first lap order is Graham Hill (#7 Ford MkIIA), Dan Gurney (#3 Ford MkIIA) at 8", Ronnie Bucknum (#5 Ford MkIIA) at 11", Parkes (#20 Ferrari P3), Whitmore (#8 Ford MkIIA), Bonnier (#9 Chaparral 2D), Scott (#59 Ford GT40), Rindt (#12 Ford GT40), Bondurant (#18 Ferrari P2), etc.  Having had a bad start Jean Guichet (#21 Ferrari P3) passes as 15th, Rodriguez (#27 Ferrari P3) as 21st. Ken Miles (#1 Ford MkIIA) comes in the pits to have his door closed, Hawkins (#6 Ford MkIIA) to have a broken half-shaft repaired. He will be one hour in the pits to regain the race in 51st position.
During the second lap Whitmore moves into third place behind Graham Hill and Gurney. We have now four Fords setting the pace, with the first Ferrari as fifth, the Chaparral as sixth, and Guichet (#21 P3) already as ninth. Meanwhile Gurney passes Graham Hill, setting the hottest pace ever seen at Le Mans. By lap 5 he has pulled out 10 seconds over the former F1 world champion. Bucknum follows already at 32". Guichet is already fifth, but will loose that place on taking more petrol. Now Pedro Rodriguez comes into the picture after his missed start in the #27 Ferrari P3. Before the end of lap 10 he's already fifth, behind the three Fords (Gurney, Hill, Bucknum) and Parke's P3. The colonel's #36 Dino (Salmon/Hobbs) suffers already from a bad suspension, and Nino Vaccarella has already abandoned the #25 Dino with a water leak after only 7 laps. 
Ken Miles, with his door now fully closed, is travelling at a terrific rate of knots, breaking the Le Mans circuit record several times, with 3'34"3 as best (226.13 kph). Rodriguez, rocketing around passes Parkes for the fourth place, followed by the slipstreaming Chaparral of Bonnier. Both they attack continuously Buck-num's third place. After the first hour we note:
 1. Gurney (#3 Ford MkIIA), 2. Graham Hill (#7 Ford MkIIA) at 18", 3. Bucknum (#5 Ford MkIIA) at 45", 4. Rodriguez (#27 Ferrari P3) at 50", 5. Ken Miles (#1 Ford MkIIA) at 57", 6. Bonnier (#9 Chaparral 2D) at 59", 7. Parkes (#20 Ferrari P3), 8. Jean Guichet (#21 Ferrari P3), 9. McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA), 10. Lucien Bianchi (#6 Ford MkIIA), 11. Mairesse (#19 Ferrari P2/P3), 12. Bondurant (#18 Ferrari P2), 13. Scott (#59 Ford GT40, leading Group 4), 14. Neerpasch (#60 Ford GT40), etc.

  

 

Second Hour: Ferrari fights back
For the Dinos the first hour is hardly more than their Waterloo. The colonel's #36 (Salmon/ Hobbs) is retired with a broken axle after 40 minutes, whilst Chinetti's #38 Berlinetta is abandoned by Charlie Kolb after only 9 laps: no more oil pressure. Later Luigi Chinetti will point out that the three motor blocks, used in the three Dinos, are the common cause of their Le Mans disaster. Hurtling behind Rodriguez, to offer Ford a provisional 1-2-3-4, Ken Miles covers his 20th lap in 3'31"9, nearly as fast as at the qualifications! At the Ferrari stand, [where the atmosphere is still heavy after the stupid incident between John Surtees and the total impossible perfume manufacturer, Eugenio Dragoni, now already in his fifth year as race director] everybody expects that the Fords will come in after one hour for refuelling, but nothing happens: they continue 20 minutes more, making their first pit stops together with Parkes #20. Ten minutes earlier, after 19 laps, the Chaparral 2D was the first to come in for fuel.  Phil Hill regained the circuit in 13th position. Five minutes later, also five minutes earlier than the Fords, the white elephant, Chinetti's #18, came in for refuelling. Only then no less than three Ford prototypes come in. With Gurney (#3), Graham Hill (#7), Bucknum (#5), but also Parkes and Rodriguez, all in the pits, the fuel saving Jean Guichet (#21 Ferrari P3) is temporarily out on the lead after 1h 22' of racing. This lasts only one lap, since the French gentleman driver needs petrol too, offering Dan Gurney again the lead, now followed by Miles, Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3) and Graham Hill. 
Meanwhile the first raindrops fall, obliging Phil Hill to come again in for rain tires - a very slow operation at Chaparral's, due to its wheels being fit by several balls. After 25 laps, when all cars had their pit stop, order is: 1. Gurney (#3 Ford MkIIA), 2. Miles (#1 Ford MkIIA) at 22", 3. Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3) at 50", 4. Graham Hill (#7 Ford MkIIA) at 1'13", 5. Parkes/Scarfiotti (#20 Ferrari P3) at 1'24", 6. Bucknum (#5 Ford MkIIA), 7. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3), 8. McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA).
Rain again disappeared, making place for new sunshine before the second hour is finished. It stirs that all teams but Ford and N.A.R.T. changed drivers. In front Gurney and Miles, both in American Shelby machinery, are motoring extremely fast. But Rodriguez, having received order to be Ferrari's hare, succeeds to reduce his arrears on Gurney to 36 seconds after 2 hours. Bucknum, who passed both Parkes and Graham Hill, is now fourth, followed by Gurney, the two Ferraris P3 and McLaren. Those eight are the only competitors having not yet been lapped.
During the second hour it is up to Ford to loose 3 cars. The F. English #12 GT40 was earlier out when Rindt, last year's winner, blew the motor up at Mulsanne. But now Ford's PR people announce that the Holman & Moody #4 MkIIA is definitively out with a differential beyond repair and that Alan Mann's #8 is has serious problems due to clutch problems. Two laps further Ferrari will loose a fourth car, the colonel's #16 P2, stopped after 33 laps by a broken water pump. 

 

Hours 3 to 6: Ferrari conquers the lead
Chased by Rodriguez Ferrari Spider, Gurney and Miles try now to maintain at least the gap. At lap 36 Gurney records 3'31"5 (229.123kph), Miles equalling this one lap further, and Dan Gurney improving it at lap 39 into a fabulous 3'30"6 (230.103kph). But despite all those efforts Mexico's Pedro Rodriguez remains at striking distance. Before the end of the third hour no less than five Ford prototypes come in for refuelling and changing drivers. With Gurney coming in just before the end of the third hour (and loosing valuable time in the pits for a unwilling wheel nut), and Miles still out, positions after 3 hours are:
 1. Miles (#1 Ford MkIIA), 2. Rodriguez (#27 Ferrari P3) at 32", 3. Parkes/Scarfiotti (#20 Ferrari P3), 4. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA), 5. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3), 6. Bucknum/Hut-cherson (#5 Ford MkIIA), 7. L. Bianchi/Andretti (#6 Ford MkIIA), 8. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA), 9. Graham Hill/Muir (#7 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 10. Bondurant/Gregory (#18 Ferrari P2), 11. Scott/Revson (#59 Ford GT40, leader in Group 4), 12. Mairesse/Müller (#19 Ferrari P2/P3), 13. Neerpasch/Ickx (#60 Ford GT40), 14. "Beurlys"/Dumay (#17 Ferrari P2/P3) at 2 laps, 15. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (#14 Ford GT40), 16. Grossman/Ligier (#15 Ford GT40), 17. Davis/Sif-fert (#30 Porsche 906LM, leaders among the 2-litre prototypes), 18. Bonnier/Phil Hill (#9 Chaparral 2D), 19. Buchet/Koch (#34 Porsche 906S, leader among the 2-litre Group 4s), 20. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S), 21. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM), 22. Beltoise/Servoz-Gavin (#41 Matra MS620), 23. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM), 24. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB/C, leader in GT), 25. Noblet/Dubois (#57 Ferrari 275GTB/C), etc.
 With its three P3s in the top-5, Ferrari stands its ground wonderful well. When Miles has to refuel, its up to Pedro Rodriguez to take the lead at lap 46. One lap further, however, he has to come in for fuel and driver's change. Alan Mann's #8 (Whitmore/Gardner) is now already more than one hour standing in the pits with clutch problems added to brake bothers. As time is running out and the clutch still refuses to clutch, the car is withdrawn. Six Ford prototypes remain in competition, against three Ferraris P3.

  

The Chaparral, having lost more than 15 minutes in the pits for two tire changes, tries to come back from its 18th place. Phil Hill is doing a great job now, constantly going round under 3"40 and passing four cars during the fourth hour. Ronnie Bucknum drops in the standings after two cracked brake discs, costing the #5 Holman & Moody Ford some 36 minutes in the pits. Shortly after it is up to Bianchi/Andretti and the other Holman & Moody machine to change its brake discs. This is really alarming Ford people, since the discs were computed to last five hours, not 3h50'. Since only two of the six remaining prototypes have this problem, optimists among the Dearborn army believe that the other cars will respect the disc-changing schedule. Meanwhile Denis Hulme passed the #27 Rodriguez/Ginther Ferrari P3, bringing the Shelby #1 Ford MkIIA back in second position. After four hours of racing difference with the leading Gurney/Grant #3 Ford is 47 seconds. Ginther follows at 59 seconds, heading Parkes and Scarfiotti in the #20 Ferrari P3. Those are the last four cars in the lead lap. Amon/McLaren (#1 Ford MkII) are fifth at one lap, followed by the third Ferrari (#21 Guichet/Bandini).
During the fifth hour the Gregory/Bondurant #18 Ferrari P2, the white elephant, is stationary in the pits with serious clutch problems, making the car dropping in the standings. Around 7.30 p.m. panic at Ford's.  Except for Miles/Hulme's #1, the three other remaining prototypes having not yet changed discs, come in one by one with brake problems, 30 minutes before the most pessimistic schedule of Scussel - Ford's brake specialist. After 5 hours positions are:
1. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA), 2. Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3) at 49", 3. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA), 4. Parkes/Scarfiotti (#20 Ferrari P3), 5. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 6. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3), 7. Graham Hill/Muir (#7 Ford MkIIA), 8. Bucknum/Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA), 9. L. Bianchi/Andretti (#6 Ford MkIIA), 10. Scott/Revson (#59 Ford GT40, leading Group 4) at 2 laps, 11. Mairesse/Müller (#19 Ferrari P2/P3), 12. Bonnier/Phil Hill (Chaparral 2D), 13. Neerpasch/Ickx (#60 Ford GT40), etc.

 

  

For Ronnie Hoare (the colonel, importer of Ford ànd Ferrari in the UK) and Jacques Swaeters (a meriting former racer and grand patron of the Garage Francorchamps, importer of Ferrari in Belgium, June 18 is certainly not their happiest day. Of his four race cars at the start the colonel has only one left after 5 hours of racing, the GT-leading #29, now 24th. For Swaeters, last year still in for a splendid 2-3 at Le Mans, things are less dramatic than for the colonel, but his three yellow cars are loosing ground. the #17 Ferrari 365P2/P3, still 14th after 3 hours, has cooling problems and is loosing oil. It comes to the pit, goes to the track, comes back to the pits in z never ending carousel, making the car loosing 7 places and 5 laps during the last two hours. The yellow 250LM, last year still second, is 33rd after 5 hours, headed by most 1.3-litre Alpines.
When Miles/Hulme have to change their discs, Rodriguez/Ginther go again at the lead, now for much longer than one lap. They are closely followed by the second works Ferrari. At quarter race it seems that Ferrari can do it for the 7th consecutive time: winning Le Mans, and this despite a numerical inferiority and quarrel in the works teams. Positions after 6 hours are:
 1. Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3), 2. Parkes/Scarfiotti (#20 Ferrari P3) at 41", 3. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA), 4. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA), 5. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 6. L.Bianchi/Andretti (#6 Ford MkIIA), 7. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3) at 2 laps, 8. Mairesse/Müller (#19 Ferrari P2/P3), 9. Bucknum/Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA), 10. Hill/Muir (#7 Ford MkIIA) at 3 laps, 11.Scott/ Revson (#59 Ford GT40, leading Group 4), 12. Bonnier/Phil Hill (#9 Chaparral 2D), 13. Neerpasch/Ickx (#60 Ford GT40), 14. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (#14 Ford GT40), 15. Siffert/Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM, leading 2-litre prototypes), 16. Buchet/Koch (#34 Porsche 906S, leading 2-litre Group 4) at 4 laps, 17. Grossman/Ligier (#15 Ford GT40), 18. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S), 19. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM), 20. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM), 21. "Beurlys"/Dumay (#17 Ferrari P2/P3) at 5 laps, 22. Bondurant/Gregory (#18 Ferrari P3), 23. Beltoise/Servoz-Gavin (#41 Matra MS620), 24. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB/C, leading GT), 25. Klass/Stommelen (#58 Porsche 906S) at 6 laps, etc.

Going to Midnight: Grand Prix or Endurance?
Making its way through the field is the Chaparral 2D, winning 4 places during the seventh hour, coming back to place 8. Matra Sports lost already the #43 MS62 with unspecified engine maladies. Comes a blow to Fords, when at 10.30 p.m. the #6 Bianchi/Andretti Ford MkIIA drops a valve and is withdrawn. With only five valuable prototypes left for Ford, the battle, at once seems much more equal. Only the Fords of Miles/Hulme and Gurney/Grant are not already lapped by the two Ferraris P3 setting the pace. The Amon/McLaren Ford, being fifth, is already at two laps. The public's sentimental favourite is undoubtedly the Rodriguez/Ginther #27 Ferrari P3, rocketing around as a devil.
 At Fords euphoria has gone: after seven hours of racing they already lost three of their eight prototypes. Even more problematic is the rapid break pad wear. Here precious time is lost on both Ferraris. With the two Fords hunting the two Ferraris in the lead, the pace gets hotter and hotter, the cars lapping now at 220kph. Everybody is wondering how long this Grand Prix can last. For Chaparral, having just passed  the #7  Graham Hill/Muir Ford; not long. At once the car passes no longer, going out with no electricity. When the two leading Ferraris come in for refuelling, Miles/Hulme and Gurney/Grant move up to the two first places. Rodriguez/ Ginther come back within striking distance, just following both Fords, but no longer attacking since overheating of the engine - already ascertained on the #21 Guichet/Bandini P3, loosing field - is feared. Parkes/Scarfiotti, having the most sound engine of the three, are ordered to slow the pace down and to stay with the Amon/McLaren Ford. Around 11 p.m. rain comes down in earnest and many drivers have a moment. The Alan Mann Ford #7 is slowing down, loosing two places, despite the retirement of the Chaparral. At midnight, after 8 hours of racing, positions are:
 1. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA), 2. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA), 3. Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3) at 1'34", 4. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 5. Parkes/Scarfiotti (#20 Ferrari P3) at 1 lap, 6. Mairesse/Müller (#19 Ferrari P2/P3) at 3 laps, 7. Bandini/Guichet (#21 Ferrari P3), 8. Bucknum/ Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA), 9. G. Hill/Muir (#7 Ford MkIIA) at 4 laps, 10. Scott/Revson (#59 Ford GT40, leading Group 4), 11. Neerpasch/Ickx (#60 Ford GT40), 12. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (#14 Ford GT40), 13. Siffert/Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM) at 7 laps, 14. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S, leading 2-litre Group 4), 15. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM), 16. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM), 17. Grossman/Ligier (#15 Ford GT40), 18. "Beurlys"/Dumay (Ferrari P2/P3) at 9 laps, 19. Buchet/Koch (#34 Porsche 906S), 20. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB/C) at 8 laps, 24. Beltoise (Matra) at 11 laps.

 

 

End of a 12-hour Grand Prix
On paper, with four Ferraris among the top-7, the situation for Ferrari looks better than in reality. On keeping up with the American Shelby Fords - the three fastest of the eight at the start - both Rodriguez/Ginther and Guichet/Bandini were overheating their motors. Especially Guichet slows down to save his engine. But Rodriguez refuses to let go the two leading Fords. Surprisingly one of the four Ferraris P2/P3 at the start, count Filipinetti's #19, is seriously faster than the Fords GT40, and even able to follow the slower Fords MkIIA. A sixth place at mid-race, and a 12th for his Ford GT40 entry, make count Filipinetti a happy man. Meanwhile the #18 Ferrari P2/P3 of Luigi Chinetti (N.A.R.T.) is already two hours immobile in the pits with a broken transmission. The car is eventually retired. Not long afterwards the Buchet/Koch #58 Porsche, having been leading the 2-litre class in Group 4 during six hours, slips in the rain and crashes in the Esses after a spectacular accident. Around 12 a.m. there is a bad shunt at Tertre Rouge, in heavy rain, involving the #53 1.1 CD-Peugeot and Jo Schlesser's #42 Matra-BRM, reversing back on the circuit. Scarfiotti cannot avoid a violent crash with the Matra. The three cars are out. For SEFAC Ferrari this is a real drama, since the #20 P3 Berlinetta showed not the smallest sign of fatigue and was the car planned to beat the two American Shelby Fords after a wise race. The two other P3s are loosing more and more field, especially the #27, falling 2 laps down to the leading Ford in less than one hour. Ford looses a fourth prototype when the #7 MkIIA of Graham Hill/Brian Muir is to be abandoned with a broken front suspension. That reduces the MkII army to four units: three by Shelby American and one by Holman/Moody, the last five laps down to the leader.
Ferrari is left with two sick works cars and two P2 prototypes, but only the  Filipinetti  #19  seems

 

beyond problems, able to follow the #5 Bucknum/Hutcherson Ford after they could pass Filipinetti's. For the #21 works Ferrari P3, the song is over. The car misses some gears and twice a brake canalisation was broken. Handicapped the car can no longer follow the Fords GT40. At 2.00 a.m., after 10 hours, positions are:
1. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA), 2. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 3. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) at 2 laps, 4. Rodriguez/Ginther (#27 Ferrari P3) at 3 laps, 5. Bucknum/ Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA) at 5 laps, 6. Mairesse/Müller (#19 Ferrari P2/P3), 7. Neerpasch/Ickx (#60 Ford GT40, leading Group 4) at 10 laps, 8. Scott/Revson (#59 Ford GT40), 9. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3), 10. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (Ford GT40) at 12 laps, 11. Siffert/Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM, leading 2-litre prototypes), 12. Grossman/Ligier (#15 Ford GT40) at 14 laps, 13. Gregg/ Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S, leading 2-litre Group 4) at 15 laps, 14. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM), 15. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM), 16. "Beurlys"/Dumay (#17 Ferrari P2/P3) at 14 laps, 17. Klass/ Stommelen (#58 Porsche 906S), 18. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB/C leading the GTs), 19. Noblet/Dubois (#57 Ferrari 275GTB/C), 20. Mauro Bianchi/Vinatier (#46 Alpine A210, leading the 1.3-litre prototypes), etc. 
Any insider knows that the battle is lost, with the three American Shelby Fords at the three first places. The two remaining works Ferraris are struggling with gearboxes and overheated motors, and only the Filipinetti Ferrari 365P2/P3 continues without problems, but nearly six complete laps down to the leaders. Meanwhile young Jacky Ickx demonstrates his talents in the #60 Essex Wire Ford GT40. Having passed the Scott/Revson sister car he's now seventh. At 2.30 a.m. comes a real big blow to Ferrari: the #27 Rodriguez/Ginther Ferrari is abandoned with a broken gearbox. The Filipinetti #19 Ferrari 365P2/P3, shared by Mairesse and Müller is now fifth behind four works Fords, but shortly after 3.00 a.m. that car too is abandoned with gearbox and transmission problems, resulting in a real smashing 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 for Ford, after the #21 Ferrari P3 lost five places in the pits with transmission problems.

 

Shortly before midnight the Essex Wire Ford GT40 of Neerpasch/Ickx, having moved into fifth place after the withdrawal of both Ferraris, is abandoned with a broken engine. That reduces number of Fords in the race to seven: four MkIIAs and three GT40s (Essex Wire #59, Filipinetti #14 and Ford France #15), what implies that half of the effective is out, whilst the remaining effective occupies the seven first places. Ferrari has only two ill prototypes left, the #21 works P3 and #17 Francorchamps P2/P3 being more in the pits than on the track. The yellow #28 250LM is still there but more than 20 laps down to the leader. Only the three 275GTBs in Group 3 are doing well, however without the slightest possibility to threat the Fords. Ferrari's effective is reduced to six of the fourteen entries. Porsche has still all its cars, except for Buchet's, and is now moving three cars in the top-10. The rain has stopped and the stars are out. The glimmer of the false dawn comes, with still an amazing number of people around the track. Half-distance official order is:
1. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA) 185 laps, 2. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA) 183 laps, 3. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) 183 laps, 4. Bucknum/Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA) 179 laps, 5. Scott/Revson (#59 Ford GT40, leading Group 4) 172 laps, 6. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (#14 Ford GT40) 172 laps, 7. Siffert/Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM, leading 2-litre Group 6) 172 laps, 8. Grossman/Ligier (#15 Ford GT40) 169 laps, 9. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S, leading 2-litre Group 4) 169 laps, 10. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM) 169 laps, 11. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM) 168 laps, 12. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3) 167 laps, 13. "Beurlys"/ Dumay (#17 Ferrari P2/P3) 166 laps, 14. Klass/Stommelen (#58 Porsche 906S) 165 laps, 15. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB, leading Group 3) 165 laps, 16. Noblet/Dubois (#57 Ferrari 275GTB) 165 laps, 17. Mauro Bianchi/Vinatier (#46 Alpine A210) 164 laps, 18. Grandsire/Cella (#62 Alpine A210) 164 laps, 19. Gosselin/de Keyn (#28 Ferrari LM) 164 laps, 20.Biscaldi/Bourbon-Parma (#26 Ferrari 275GTB) 163 laps.
For the public, massively behind Ferrari, it is a great pity that the double F duel has ended.

 

The long hours before 7 a.m.
From now, the sole interest will rest on whether or not the remaining Fords will all finish, since they have seriously suffered during the more than 10 hours of Grand Prix combat. Should anything happen with the big cylinders Huschke von Hanstein and his Porsches are more than ready to snatch the honours. In their own 2-litre class there was no opposition from the Dinos - all three out during the first hour - but also not of the Matras, still so impressive at the April tests. The third and lonely remaining #41 MS620 of Beltoise/Servoz-Gavin falls out shortly after mid-race: broken gearbox.
In New York it's now 10 p.m. and America discovers no less than six all-American Fords at the six first places. Total performance, yes. One hour later the first Ferrari, Francorchamps's yellow #17, twenty laps down to the leader, is retired from 13th place with a broken head gasket, reducing Maranello's effective to five cars. The same hour the Essex Wire #59 Ford GT40, being fifth and strong leader in Group 4, is abandoned with a broken crankshaft. Ford France's #15 will follow shortly after 7 a.m. with distribution bothers. Meanwhile Gurney and Grant took over the lead and are setting the pace since two hours.  At 7 a.m., after 15 hours of racing, positions are:
1. Gurney/Grant (#3 Ford MkIIA), 2. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA) at 51", 3. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA) at 1 lap, 4. Bucknum/Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA) at 9 laps, 5. Siffert/ Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM, leader 2-litre class Group 6) at 14 laps, 6. Sutcliffe/Spoerry (#14 Ford GT40, Group 4 leader) at 14 laps, 7. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S, Group 4 2-litre class leader) at 16 laps, 8. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM) at 16 laps, 9. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM) at 17 laps, 10. Klass/Stommelen (#58 Porsche 906S) at 18 laps, 11. Guichet/Bandini (#21 Ferrari P3) at 20 laps, 12. Grossman/ Ligier (#15 Ford GT40, in the pits) at 21 laps, 13. Gosselin/de Keyn (#28 Ferrari 250LM) at 21 laps, 14. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari 275GTB, Group 3 leader), 15. Grandsire/Cella (#62 Alpine A210, leader 1.3-litre class Group 6), etc.
The #59 Sutcliffe/Spoerry Ford GT40, leading Group 4, is lost shortly after 8.20 a.m. when Dieter Spoerry - who passed the Porsche for rank 5 - crashes as a result of fuel being splashed on the rear tire, owing to a missing filter cap. That means that at once no more Fords GT40 are left (Ford France's #15 being retired), and that Dearborn's troops have been reduced to four prototypes, the three of Shelby American Inc. and the surviving #5 of Holman & Moody. Ferrari has at 8 a.m. still five cars left: the #21 P3 and #28 250LM, both condemned, and three sane GTB Ferraris. Porsche has now four cars in the top-6, with the Gregg/Axelsson Group 4 906S on place 7 as most stirring performance. In the 1.3-litre class Alpine is dominating with four cars of its six A210 entries the two Austin-Healeys.

From 7 a.m. to noon
Shortly after 7 a.m. Ferrari looses again two cars. The 250 LM, last year still second, having made a come back from rank 49 after 2 hours to rank 12 after 17 hours retires with engine troubles. At 7.15 a.m. the mechanics of SEFAC abandon the deadly wounded #21 330P3 of Guichet/Bandini, being 11th at 24 laps. The three GTBs, directly derived from the street car, are the only survivals of the Prancing Horse. In front the Fords with their heavy weight continue to change their brake discs. When Gurney/Grant are in the pits for new discs Miles/Hulme can recover the first place. However not for long, because at 9 a.m. Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant are again leading the race. It is generally expected that they'll be the winners, when suddenly a holed radiator, followed by a water leak, eliminate the fastest of all Fords. With still seven hours to go the Dearborn giant has only three prototypes left. At Porsches they have good hope that the three remaining American machineries, having motored extremely fast during the ten first hours of the race, will be eliminated the one after the other. Miles/Hulme are again leaders, followed in the same lap by Amon/McLaren.
Alpine-Renault, much better than last year, looses two cars before noon. The 1.0-litre #55 of Hanrioud/Cortanze is disqualified for an insufficient number of laps during the 19th hour, while the #48 of rallymen Jansson/Toi-vonen, 16th, goes off with a broken gearbox.  Shortly before noon the leaders, Miles/Hulme, have again their brakes to be changed, what brings the Kiwis Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren on the lead, followed within 40 seconds by the Miles/Hulme machinery. At noon (after 20 hours) positions of the 18 cars (out of 55) are:
 1. Amon/McLaren (#2 Ford MkIIA), 2. Miles/Hulme (#1 Ford MkIIA) at 36", 3. Bucknum/Hutcherson (#5 Ford MkIIA) at 10 laps, 4. Siffert/Davis (#30 Porsche 906LM, Group 6 2-litre leaders) at 16 laps, 5. de Klerk/Schütz (#32 Porsche 906LM) at 17 laps, 6. Hermann/Linge (#31 Porsche 906LM) at 19 laps, 7. Gregg/Axelsson (#33 Porsche 906S, Group 4 leaders) at 20 laps, 8. Klass/Stommelen (#58 Porsche 906S) at 28 laps, 9. Pike/Courage (#29 Ferrari GTB, Group 3 leaders) at 42 laps, 10. Grandsire/Cella (#62 Alpine A210, leaders in the 1.3-litre class of Group 6) at 45 laps, 11. Noblet/Dubois (#57 Ferrari 275GTB) at 46 laps, 12. Verrier/Bouharde (#45 Alpine A210) at 48 laps, 13. Cheinisse/Delageneste (#44 Alpine A210) at 49 laps, 14. Mauro Bianchi/Vinatier (#46 Alpine A210) at 49 laps, 15. Biscaldi/Bourbon Parma (#26 Ferrari GTB) at 53 laps, 16. Hopkirk/Hedges (#49 Austin-Healey Sprite) at 63 laps, 17. "Franc"/Kerguen (#35 Porsche 911) at 66 laps, 18. Marnat/Ballot-Lena (#50 Mini-Marcos) at 91 laps.
 The Ferrari flags and ribbons have been put away and almost 30,000 excited Americans, congratulating each other - mainly Ford and Goodyear staff, but also many soldiers - and stay watching the race. When Europeans see that the leading #2 Ford is going around at 4'05", more than a half minute under its possibilities, and that the runner-up can undo its 36 seconds arrears in hardly two laps, they understand that this is no longer a race for victory, but that everything here is ordered by Ford's staff and their computer. Compared to last year, when N.A.R.T.'s LM, shared by Rindt and Gregory, was chasing like a devil the yellow LM of Écurie Francorchamps, this type of computer governed racing is annoying. No longer interested in this kind of American show, crowd is going massively home.
America awakes with on TV three Fords on the lead, followed by four Porsches and with the first Ferrari only ninth, 42 laps (= 592 km or at least 3 hour of racing). They know all that this year Ford won the battle for Le Mans.

 

 

The four last hours
Not only the Fords, but also the Porsches and the Alpines are raced during the last four hours following team instructions. It's raining now relentlessly the proverbial pushrods. Hans Hermann and Herbert Linge, much faster under heavy rain, succeed in passing the de Klerk/Schütz Porsche for the fifth place. The #26 Ferrari 275GTB, shared by Giampiero Biscaldi and Prince Michel de Bourbon-Parme is abandoned 3 hours before the end with clutch and gearbox troubles. In front Miles/Hulme pass Amon/McLaren for the first place with still two hours to go. Both Shelby American Fords are now always close to together, but mostly with the #1 preceding the #2. Drama during the last hour when the extremely meriting #33 Porsche 906S (Peter Gregg/Sten Axelsson), having led Group 4 since the withdrawal of the last Ford GT40, has to retire with a burnt valve. The Austin-Healey of Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges, having never been a menace for the works Alpines in the 1.3-litre class, is the last to retire with a broken head gasket. 
The three Fords cross nose-on-tail the finish line, followed by four Porsches, two Ferraris 275 GTB, four Alpines, the valiant 1.3-litre Mini-Marcos and a strictly stock Porsche 911. Several journalists pretend that the finish was a dead hat, but on the picture below one sees clearly that this was not the case: the #2 Ford MkIIA of Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren is more than a complete car length in front of the #1 of Ken Miles and Dennis Hulme. In total 4,843 kilome-tres were covered, an absolute record despite the rain at an average speed of 201.96kph. Although Ford's performance is absolutely total, one never heard a smaller applause at the finish. First Ferrari, winning Group 3 (GT), is the Maranello Concessionaires #29 275GTB/C, only eighth and a full 631 kilometres behind the finish. Of the eleven Group 4 cars at the start, only one reaches the finish, the #58 of Günther Klass and Rolf Stommelen, inheriting victory after the late withdrawal of the #33 906S. By finishing 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, achieving a larger distance than the 1965 winners, Porsche Engineering System gives full evidence that it needs only a higher capacity engine to win Le Mans. Jo Siffert and Colin Davis win not only the 2-litre proto-type class, but also the Performance Index. The Thermal Efficiency Index goes to three Alpines, having their revenge for their serious defeat of last year. Ford wins not only Le Mans, but thanks to 12 extra points against nil for Ferrari, also FIA's International Trophy for Prototypes with 38 points versus 36. Never an inflicted defeat was so total as Ferrari's this year.


Except for the Alpines, realising a good collective performance with four cars out of six at the finish and one car in the top-10 "les bleus" didn't convince. The much too heavy Matra-BRMs MS620 were never in the race and the three aerodynamically well studied 1.1 CD-Peugeots MS66 were all three out within the first quarter of the race.

 Results
1. Chris Amon/Bruce McLaren #2 Ford MkIIA 1st P2 American Shelby 4843
2. Ken Miles/Dennis Hulme #1 Ford MkIIA 2nd P2 American Shelby 4843
3. R. Bucknum/Dick Hutcherson #5 Ford MkIIA 3rd P2 Holman & Moody 4682
4. Jo Siffert/Colin Davis #30 Porsche 906LM 1st P1 Porsche Engineering 4562
5. Hans Hermann/Herbert Linge #31 Porsche 906LM 2nd P1 Porsche Engineering 4548
6. Peter de Klerk/Udo Schütz #32 Porsche 906LM 3rd P1 Porsche Engineering 4534
7. Günther Klass/R.Stommelen #58 Porsche 906S 1st S2 Porsche Engineering 4441
8. Roy Pike/Piers Courage #29 Ferrari 275GTB/C 1st GT Maeanello Conces. 4212
9.