24h Le Mans
The 24 Hours Museum is currently celebrating the anniversary of the 1967 Formula One Grand Prix, the only one to have taken place in Le Mans, on the Bugatti track. In this third part of a series of articles to accompany the exhibition we salute some of the drivers who raced that Grand Prix and took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Looking back, sixteen winners of the of the 24 Hours of Le Mans were also victorious in a Formula One Grand Prix: Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Maurice Trintignant, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Lorenzo Bandini, Jochen Rindt, Bruce McLaren, Dan Gurney, Pedro Rodriguez, Jacky Ickx, Graham Hill, Didier Pironi, Jochen Mass, Johnny Herbert and Michele Alboreto. Of those sixteen drivers, five - Gonzalez, Trintignant, Scarfiotti, Bandini and Phil Hill - achieved both wins in a Ferrari.
Gonzalez and Trintignant, two firsts and a second for Ferrari - The Argentine and the Frenchman clinched Ferrari’s second ever win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1954. Three years earlier, Gonzalez (1922-2013) had given the Italian marque its first Formula One victory at Silverstone. In 1955, Trintignant (1917-2005) became the first Frenchman to win in Formula One, leading the field home in Monaco.
Scarfiotti and Bandini, the patriots - In 1963 the pair formed the only all-Italian team to date to have won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Ferrari. Both drivers also claimed Formula One trophies - Scarfiotti in Italy in 1966 and Bandini in Austria in 1964. Unfortunately, both drivers died tragically. After a record-breaking lap in the run-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Ferrari P4, Bandini was injured in an accident at the Monaco Grand Prix on 7 May and died three days later. Scarfiotti raced his last 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 and was killed in a hill race the following June.
Phil Hill (1927-2008), the American pioneer - With a sparkling career in both Formula One and endurance, Hill is an undisputed member of the motorsports hall of fame. The first American to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he raised the trophy three times in all: 1958, 1961 and 1962. In 1961, he became the only driver ever to win both Le Mans and the Formula One world championship in the same year - both in a Ferrari. Trintignant retired in 1967, having added another Grand Prix win to his record in 1964, and went on to spend his time restoring classic cars.
Yet more Le Mans winners were successful with Ferrari in Formula One. Read the next instalment in the series to find out more.
If you missed the beginning of the series, catch up here:
1967, 24 Hours, a Grand Prix (1) - Six Winners, six stories
1967, 24 Hours, a Grand Prix (2) - Five drivers who competed in both
Photo (Copyright ACO Archives): Gonzalez and Trintignant took Ferrari’s second ever win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1954.
