One of the Porsches was driven by Hollywood idol Steve McQueen who would star in the movie Le Mans that year and was a very competent amateur racer. McQueen was co-driving a 908 that weekend with Peter Revson but McQueen had broken his foot in a motorcycle accident. He was on crutches and wearing a cast so Revson did most of the driving at Sebring.
“The only reason I went into the other Ferrari was because I was tired of hearing the guy on the PA system talking about Steve McQueen,” Mario says. “That was all they talked about. It’s still ringing in my ears. Poor Peter Revson drove his ass off, and even at his best McQueen was well off Revson’s pace, but Revson wasn’t even mentioned.
“When Forghieri first asked me I was very lukewarm. The car was running third and I knew I wasn’t going to fit the car. I was ready to get out of there but this guy on the PA system was going on and on about McQueen and how he was going to win the race. I said, ‘To hell with it. I’m going to get in this thing.’”
Ferrari failure put Andretti and Merzario out of the 1970 race, but Steve McQueen-heavy commentary provided the inspiration to rejoin
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Vaccarella brought the third-placed Ferrari in for fuel with 45 minutes to go, and Andretti climbed aboard, intent on catching and beating the second-placed Revson/McQueen Porsche, if not the Pedro Rodríguez/Leo Kinnunen 917 which now led by a lap.
“I knew I had a shot at catching Revson, and I went for it,” Mario says. “I was driving like a man possessed. I was on a mission, I really was. I was lapping five or six seconds quicker than Vaccarella, and I was doing the kink past the pits flat, which I had never done with my car. I couldn’t reach the pedals very well, and I didn’t have the proper support in the seat for braking so I was sliding forward, but I hunted Revson down, passed him and pulled away.”
Just after Andretti passed Revson’s 908, Rodríguez’s leading 917 suddenly ground to a halt because of a broken wheel hub and Mario drove home to a victory he often refers to as the most satisfying of his long career. “It was a very satisfying race,” he says. “Mission accomplished there. I felt really good about that win.”
Revson and McQueen had to settle for second place in 1970 race
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In 1971 Porsche won again at Sebring with a factory 917 driven by Vic Elford and Gérard Larrousse while Andretti scored his third win at Sebring in 1972 sharing a factory Ferrari 312P with Jacky Ickx. Andretti qualified the F1-based car on the pole and led the opening laps only to run into a series of problems. He and Ickx lost time with a cut tyre, a broken battery cable and an oil leak, but they were able to come back in style beating team-mates Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson. It was Andretti’s third win at Sebring in six years.
“I really enjoyed those races with Ickx,” Mario says. “Jacky was one of the best team-mates I ever had. He would let me qualify, which I loved to do, and physically, we were about the same size, other than his arms were longer than mine. I used to set-up the car to suit me, and he would never change a thing. He was a great team-mate.”
Ferrari 312PBs in formation: Jacky Ickx leads Clay Regazzoni in 1972
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Of course, the great thing about Sebring is it’s just about the same today as it was in Andretti’s heyday. It may be a little tatty, if not crude, but the place resonates with the spirits of more than 60 years of motor racing. The USC may not be the WSC of old, or even the WEC of today, but Sebring is a special race. If you get the chance, be sure to go and soak it all in.