Jackie Oliver first made his bones in touring cars, then in Formula 3 and Formula 2. He joined the Lotus Formula 1 team in 1968 after the death of two-time world champion Jim Clark and also took his rookie start in the 24 Hours.

For his first appearance in the race, Oliver shared with Brian Muir one of three blue and orange Gulf Oil Ford GT40s fielded by John Wyer. The sister cars were driven by Paul Hawkins/David Hobbs and future winners Lucien Bianchi/Pedro Rodríguez on 28-29 September 1968 after the race was postponed due to the social protests of May in France.

Qualified ninth, the #11 GT40 proved one of the fastest cars in the top 10 before Australian driver Muir, in fifth position at the time, left the track at the Mulsanne Corner on the 13th lap. After three hours of digging effort, he managed to free the car and return to pit lane. But, the clutch had been damaged from repeated restart attempts in the sand and gave up in the fifth hour with Oliver at the wheel.

1969-1971 | Seeking victory and going after a record

In 1969, Oliver returned to Wyer's team and the Ford GT40 with a new teammate, Jacky Ickx, back at Le Mans after a fractured leg prevented him from taking the start in 1968.

Qualified 13th, the #6 Ford took off in last position after Ickx walked to his car in defiance of the Le Mans-style start he considered dangerous. Jacky and Jackie made a phenomenal, but difficult, climb in the classification facing night fog, a slippery track and threats of rain.

On Sunday at 11:10, less than three hours from the chequered flag, Oliver passed the wheel to Ickx for a stunning finale that saw the Belgian driver snatch victory from Hans Herrmann (Porsche) in the last lap. Oliver had helped earn the most important win of his career, but an even more outstanding achievement awaited him at the same circuit two years later.

In 1971, he again represented John Wyer who the previous year had teamed with Porsche to run the 917 in competition. He formed a formidable duo with Rodríguez, winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 1000 km of Spa and 1000 km of Monza earlier in the season.

For the 1971 24 Hours, the British team manager put his trust in the promising performances of the new long body 917, and Oliver confirmed the decision expertly on the track.

On 18 April, during the preliminary track session (predecessor to Test Day) at the 39th running, Oliver made it into the record books at the 24 Hours. In 03:13.6, he became the first driver to exceed an average of 250 kph and establish a speed record of 386 kph in the Mulsanne Straight. Rodríguez then scored the pole in 03:13.9 (at an average 250.069 kph) during qualifying.

Taking the lead in the second hour, the Brit and the Mexican driver held the top spot until Oliver lost nearly 30 minutes in the garage shortly after 03:00 for a complete replacement of the rear left hub carrier. The #18 917 was in third position trailing by five laps when a ruptured oil line forced Rodríguez to retire less than two hours later. It was the last time Oliver would race in the 24 Hours.

During the first half of the 1970s, he became a major player in the Can-Am Challenge Cup and pursued a long career in Formula 1. After 49 Grand Prix with two podium finishes, Oliver joined the management of the Shadow and Arrows teams.

After leaving F1 in 1996, he made regular appearances in vintage car events and rejoined Ickx at Le Mans in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their win. His speed record in the Mulsanne Straight held 17 years until 1988. More on that later as the Centenary approaches.

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1969/1971/2019 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: the #18 Porsche 917 LH, and the #6 Ford GT40 from his win in 1969, the two cars driven by Jackie Oliver across his three participations in the race (Copyright - ACO Archives); 50 years after their shared victory, Jackie Oliver (at left) and Jacky Ickx attend pre-race ceremonies in 2019 along with Grand Marshal and three-time winner Hurley Haywood as well as HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco who served as official starter (Copyright - Louis Monnier/ACO).