As can be seen from the results appended below this year’s opening round of World Manufacturers Championship turned out to be little more than an American club race. Daytona Organiser Bill France, for some reason, decided to revert back to the original 24-hour format despite the fact that last year’s 6-hour event proved popular. This, coupled with a marked reluctance to offer sufficient starting money, reduced the serious competitors to a total of only four fully-fledged 3-litre Group 5 cars. Ferrari and Alfa Romeo decided to Stay away leaving Matra to field a single car for Cevert/Pescarolo/Beltoise (actually the exGanley/Cevert Le Mans second placed MS670), Gulf Research Racing to field two Mirages for their new pairings of Ganley/Bell, and Watson/Hailwood and there was the latest Lola T282, sponsored by Gitanes cigarettes, for Wisell/Lafosse/de Fierland. The rest of the field was completed by a couple of older Porsche 908s, umpteen Porsche 911s, a quartet of Ferrari GTB4s from NART, a couple of Chevron B19s, various Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes and a few other motley machines. Amongst the Porsche 911s were two of the latest Carreras loaned by the works to the Roger Penske and Brumos Porsche teams, for Donohue/Follmer and Gregg/Haywood respectively. Both cars were included in Group 5 as their Group 4 homologation does not officially become effective until March 1.
Statistics are never the whole story. But they are often a good place to start, so here’s a man who won the Le Mans 24 Hours at his first attempt…
