24h Le Mans
It’s 1976 and the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is imminent. There is fierce rivalry on the starting grid, where two endurance racing titans are gearing up for the twice-round-the-clock battle. It is a scorching hot day as Renault-Alpine lines up in pole position, ahead of Porsche. True to the race’s tradition for innovation, both manufacturers are testing out technology that has rarely been seen at this level of competition: the turbocharger. Who will be the first to harness its full potential?
By the mid-1970s, everyone was talking about the turbocharger. But what was it exactly? In essence, a turbo consists of a turbine which is spun by the flow of the car’s exhaust gases. This force-feeds air into the engine via a compressor connected to the turbine; the more air pushed into the engine, the greater the power. This kind of supercharging is now extremely widespread and is an effective means of boosting power in smaller engines, thereby improving efficiency.
Porsche first tested this innovation in La Sarthe in 1974 and the cars it brought to the race in 1976 proved that they meant business. Two models were in with a chance of winning: the 936, designed using components from previous cars to meet the new Group 6 regulations, and the 935, a formidable machine that struck fear in Group 5. The 936 was powered by a turbocharged flat-six, which with the supercharger was equivalent to 3000 cc, delivering 540 bhp.
Meanwhile, Renault-Alpine was aiming to make a significant impact. The two French carmakers (who officially joined forces in 1973) were fine-tuning a new prototype that met Group 6 standards. The A440 became the A441, then the A441 T during tests in the 1975 season, the inclusion of the letter “T” indicating the addition of a turbo. In early 1976, the Renault-Alpine A442 was unveiled, with its 500bhp, 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 engine.
The teams were battle-ready.
The prospect of a miracle emerged, even before the race began on Saturday. On the first day of testing, Jean-Pierre Jabouille set a time of 3:33.100 at the wheel of the #19, the only Renault-Alpine A442 entered. Porsche immediately realised that there was no point in challenging him for pole position. In the #20 936, Jacky Ickx could only take P2, trailing by a full six seconds. As the race got underway, the crowd couldn’t help but dream of a French victory. The A442 was in the lead, with the two 936s giving the chase. In the meantime, the 935s soon started to lag behind, eliminating the other German threat.
However, the unforgiving law of Le Mans spares no one. From its very first pit stops, the French car appeared to be in serious trouble. Which, of course, worked in favour of Ickx in the Porsche. Jabouille put in a masterful performance to stage a comeback during the night, but was once again plagued by mechanical issues. A blown piston at 1:11 am… Although a turbo increases power, it also compromises reliability, especially when the cars are pushed to their limits. From then on, Ickx and Gijs van Lennep in the #20 936 were poised for an easy victory. The team’s progress was only hindered by a crack in the exhaust on Sunday morning, preventing the turbo from operating as it should. It took a good half hour to fix, but the team went on to secure the 1976 24 Hours win with an eleven-lap lead. Porsche had made history by becoming the first marque to set the turbocharger as the new standard at Le Mans. It was a shame that the French firm had been less well prepared as they performed admirably and given the rapidity of the A442, it really was a missed opportunity. Another chance would come…
There were changes in-house at Renault-Alpine in 1977. This was the year that the firm introduced its turbo technology into Formula 1, and that Jean Rédélé, iconic founder of Alpine in Dieppe, departed the company. Meanwhile, Porsche had been back at work developing the 936/77, an upgrade on its predecessor with sleeker lines and, crucially, two turbos instead of one. All eyes were on the 24 Hours. Porsche withdrew from the Group 6 championship, deemed to have too few competitors, and Renault-Alpine, heavily involved in single-seater racing, focused its endurance efforts solely on the French classic. Despite only competing in a single race, the French outfit had considerably stepped up its game. It clocked up over 11,000 km during tests, recruited sixty men and invested three million francs in its bid to win the world’s greatest race.
Renault-Alpine increased its entry to four cars. The crews were outstanding, undoubtedly among the strongest ever seen at Le Mans. In the #7 A442, Patrick Tambay and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. In the #8, Patrick Depailler and Jacques Laffite. In the #9, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Derek Bell. Finally, a fourth car numbered #16 was entered on a semi-private basis to give the young Didier Pironi, René Arnoux and Guy Fréquelin the chance to compete. Stellar line-ups.
Porsche was also back, with two cars this time. Once again, Jabouille put a Renault-Alpine on pole, ahead of stablemates Depailler/Laffite. Could a French victory be within reach?
One of the greatest ever 24 Hours races got off to a thrilling start. Jabouille immediately took the lead, with the #16 A442 just behind. But just as the last lot of competitors were entering the track, a sudden announcement from the loudspeakers caused an uproar: the private Renault-Alpine entry with Pironi at the wheel had caught fire at Mulsanne! A year’s work wiped out in just a few seconds of racing. The worried looks on the faces of the yellow and black-clad mechanics were soon forgotten, however, as Jabouille put in a magnificent performance, holding firm at the front. Luck seemed to be on the French side. Shortly afterwards, the #4 936 driven by Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood ran into serious trouble and the team lost half an hour as it changed the injection pump. Porsche persisted, pressed on with the repairs and got their car back on the track in P41. Elsewhere, in the #3 936, Ickx and Pescarolo were doing all they could to fend off the Renault-Alpines.
Shortly before 8 pm, coming out of the pit lane, “Pesca” and Jabouille went head-to-head in a battle for top spot. However, between Indianapolis and Arnage, Pesca revved the flat-six too hard and broke a connecting rod, forcing the prototype to retire amidst a cloud of thick blue smoke. The trio of A442s remained unchallenged in the top three positions, with none of their German rivals able to catch up. The perfect scenario.
Until Porsche decided to add Jacky Ickx as a driver in the #4 936. He had been named as a sub on this car, so was authorised to take the wheel alongside Barth and Haywood. The Belgian put in a string of fast laps, and clawed his way back up the rankings, putting on an extraordinary display of skill and determination. At 8 pm, when he first climbed into the car, it was 14th. An hour later, he had already pushed it up to ninth place. The instructions were clear: “Win the race or break the car trying”.
He stayed at the wheel for most of the night and kept up a blistering pace. Renault began to shake with fear, and for good reason. At midnight, Ickx was back hot on the heels of the front-runners. Le Mans has apparently chosen its hero. At 4 am, the #8 Renault-Alpine was forced to pull up in its garage with a faulty gearbox, losing 30 minutes in the process. Then, just as the sun was starting to break over the horizon, Tambay, in the #7 A442 suffered engine failure at Indianapolis.
In just one night, Ickx had earned legendary status in La Sarthe. Shortly after 9 am, he finally handed the wheel back to Barth. Barely a few minutes later, the #9 Renault-Alpine which had led from the start of the race, started to give off smoke and began floundering, as if beaten by the spirit of Le Mans. Jabouille got it back to the garage, but the skilled mechanics didn’t take long to pinpoint the fault: a damaged piston which meant retirement. The #4 936 had pulled off its gamble and was heading for an easy victory. In a final blow, the last Renault-Alpine also succumbed to a broken piston.
But Le Mans is not easily impressed by individual exploits. With less than an hour to go, Haywood was forced back to the pits, trundling along at a snail’s pace. The folks at Porsche were in disbelief when they realised that a valve had perforated a piston. Despite their substantial lead, they were going to have to complete the last lap within a given time or risk being disqualified. The mechanics swiftly isolated the faulty cylinder, removing the ignition and power supply. The more experienced Barth took over driving duties with a stopwatch fastened to the steering wheel to keep an eye on the time.
At 3.50 pm, he started the car up again. The tension was palpable, evident to all. He completed the lap in six minutes, which meant he could go round a second time. Thankfully, he made it to the finish, stopping the car just after the line. Heroes Ickx, Barth and Haywood had triumphed in an absolutely astonishing race.
Renault-Alpine made a hushed exit from Le Mans that year. The team led by Gérard Larrousse hadn’t just lost the 24 Hours: it had suffered a major disappointment. The French firm returned in 1978, at a time when it was also struggling in Formula One. It came with another four twin-turbo prototypes, including a slightly longer A443 with an even more powerful engine. The drivers were more or less the same, but the line-ups had been reshuffled. The #2 Renault-Alpine featured an aerodynamic body, designed for extra straightline speed on the Mulsanne. It was a big gamble and the car’s name was even changed to A442B, with B for “bubble” in reference to its distinctive canopy. In all, no fewer than thirty developments had been trialled in over 30,000 km of testing in another attempt to secure victory at the 24 Hours.
However, Porsche was still in the game with two upgraded 936s, benefiting from a significant increase in power and an array of other technical modifications. The 1977 winning chassis was also entered, along with a 935/78 nicknamed “Moby Dick”, giving the German fleet a total of four high-performance cars. And this time, a 936 started from pole position after Ickx wiped out the competition with the kind of lap of which he holds the secret. The top eight spots on the grid were occupied by the four Renault-Alpines and the four factory Porsches. It was time for the show to begin!
As Raymond Poulidor released the pack, a peculiar scene unfolded. Jabouille, in the #1 A443, left Ickx and the #5 936 well behind as soon as they hit the gas. Strange. After a full lap, Jabouille had a 12-second lead over Ickx. Even stranger. The mystery was solved when the Porsche stopped in the pits. Once the problem was fixed, Ickx was off again. At 9 pm, he was forced to stop to change his fifth gear. The team lost 37 minutes and Porsche decided to repeat the feat of 1977, moving the Belgian driver to the #6 936 shared by Bob Wollek and Jürgen Barth. And, just like in 1977, it worked. Ickx gave us a repeat performance, moving back into second place shortly after midnight.
Renault-Alpine held on, even though all the cars were experiencing unexpected vibrations. In the night, however, the race commentator sent shivers down the spines of the French fans. Derek Bell, in the #3 A442A, had dropped out of the race with a broken gearbox. Misfortune had struck the favourites once again. Meanwhile Wollek was forced to take the #6 936 back to the garage with the same fifth gear problem that had struck his teammate, while Jochen Mass, now in the #5 936 abandoned by Ickx, lost control and smashed his car. Elsewhere, Depailler, leading the race in the #1 A443, headed back to the pits in a cloud of thick smoke that reeked of defeat.
Nobody could be sure of anything anymore, except for two men. In the #2 A442B Jaussaud and Pironi were seven laps ahead of their closest rivals. But what a rival. Ickx – yes, him again – had not yet had his final say. Who would prevail in this gruelling but absolutely breathtaking race? The leading Renault-Alpine ran into issues with its clutch, but Pironi was a quite the master, and managed the car with care. The poor guy was shattered but managed to clinch the 24 Hours win. The aerodynamic bubble boosted the top speed but starved the drivers of air, and Pironi needed to be lifted out of the car. He was unable to step up on the podium so Jaussaud picked up the trophy alone, in a ceremony filled with emotion. The top 3 was completed by two Porsche 936s but, finally, years of hard work had paid off and Renault-Alpine was on top of the world.
They had achieved their goal and the race to conquer the turbo was over. That same evening, Renault’s Bernard Hanon announced that the manufacturer would withdraw from sportscar racing to focus its efforts on Formula 1. Porsche also pulled out – officially at least – but the 936 continued to thrill race fans. That golden era of turbocharged racing will remain forever etched in the 24 Hours history books, with the legacy of two iconic brands defying one another against a backdrop of innovation – the hallmark of Le Mans.
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