24h Le Mans
Forty years ago, Porsche's first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came off like a true triumph in all the classes. Detailed review of an edition which rewarded 21 years of diligence at Le Mans.
By the end of this edition plagued by extremely difficult rainy conditions, only seven cars were ranked, with the win for the Porsche 917 K of Richard Attwood and Hans Herrmann.
Pole position and lap record - They belonged to British driver Vic Elford (No. 25 Porsche 917 LH), in 3:19:8 (242 km/h average) and 3:21 (241 km/h average in the 24th lap, before the rain), respectively.
Five out of seven - Of the seven cars in the standings, there were five Porsches - in the first, second, third, sixth and seventh places. The "intruders" were two Ferrari 512 Ss, in fourth and fifth.
Class victories - The winner Attwood-Herrmann won in the Sport class, while Helmut Marko and Rudi Lins (third, Porsche 908/2) won in the Sport-Prototype class. The Porsche 914/6s (Claude Ballot Léna-Guy Chasseuil, sixth) and 911 (Erwin Kremer-Nicolas Koob, seventh) won in their respective GT class.
Energy efficiency and performance index - They were won by Gérard Larrousse-Willi Kauhsen (Porsche 917 LH, second) and the 908/2 of Marko-Lins, respectively.
...And seven other Porsches - Nine other cars crossed the finish line, but could not be ranked (insufficient distance). Among them figured seven Porsches: six 911s as well as the 908 of Jonathan Williams and Herbert Linge. Equipped with three cameras, it took shots of the race for the production of Steve McQueen's movie "Le Mans" filmed in the wake of this 38th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: Copyright - ARCHIVES ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 13 & 14 1970. Porsche finished in the top three spots overall with the 917s of Attwood-Herrmann and Larrouse-Kauhsen, and the 908/2 of Marko-Lins (pictured here).
