24h Le Mans
Sixty years ago, Ferrari scored the first of its six consecutive wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1960 to 1965. An unmatched feat that – along with the successes of 1949, 1954 and 1958 – allowed the Italian marque to surpass Bentley and Jaguar (co-holders of the win record at the time with five each). The first installment in this series focuses on nine key figures and stories in this historic winning streak.
9 – The number of drivers to win with Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1960 and 1965: Olivier Gendebien (1960, 1961, 1962), Phil Hill (1961, 1962), Paul Frère (1960), Lorenzo Bandini (1963), Ludovico Scarfiotti (1963), Jean Guichet (1964), Nino Vaccarella (1964), Masten Gregory (1965) and Jochen Rindt (1965).
3 – Thanks to two consecutive victories in 1961 and 1962, Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill (already winners in 1958) became the first driver line-up to reach the top step on the podium three times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
4 – Winner in 1958, 1960, 1961 and 1962, Belgian driver Olivier Gendebien set a win record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that would remain unbeaten until 1981 when his fellow countryman Jacky Ickx clinched his fifth victory
1 – Phil Hill is the only driver in auto racing history to win the 24 Hours and become Formula 1 World Champion in the same year. In 1961, in addition to his second victory at Le Mans, Hill became the first American to win the F1 title, and with Ferrari.
3 – Between 1960 and 1965, Ferrari beat the distance record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times: in 1961, Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill with 4,476.58 km; in 1963, Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti with 4,561.71 km; and in 1964, Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella with 4,695.31 km.
5893 – The chassis number of North American Racing Team's (NART) 250 LM driven by Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt. It was the last Ferrari to win at Le Mans (1965) though the team did go on to field two other versions in the 24 Hours. In 1968, Gregory shared the wheel with Charlie Kolb (retirement). In 1969, this 250 LM finished eighth thanks to Sam Posey and Teodoro Zeccoli and was the only Ferrari to reach the chequered flag that year.
24 – The most coveted racing number at Le Mans, the 24 owes Ferrari its best finish ever at the race: second place overall in 1963 thanks to Belgian duo Jean Blaton-Gérald Langlois von Ophem.
10 – The racing number of the Ferrari to clinch the first pole position in the history of the 24 Hours. Timed qualifying sessions began at the race in 1963. Up until that year, the starting grid had been established in descending order of engine power. That first pole was earned by Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez en 3:50.9 (average 209 kph) at the wheel of a 330 TRI/LM fielded by the NART. His teammate Roger Penske was forced to retire during the eighth hour of the race after the rupture of an oil pipe caused the car to leave the track. This 330 TRI/LM was also the last Ferrari prototype with a front engine at the start of the 24 Hours.
32 – Both prototypes and GTs considered, this is the number of Ferraris to finish in the overall top 10 at Le Mans during this period: six in 1960, four in 1961, five in 1962, six in 1963 then 1964, five in 1965. The Italian marque's domination was also marked by a one-two (1960), four hat tricks (1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965) and six cars in the top six spots (1963).
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: Above, the Ferrari of Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frère, the winning Belgian duo in 1960 (#11). Below, the last Ferrari winner at Le Mans, still on the track in 1969 (#17). The car is pictured ahead of the Porsche 908 of Gérard Larrousse and Hans Herrmann, second that year.
