Dynamite recovery at Le Mans in June and arrive, covered in glory, on Formula 1’s doorstep in July. It seemed so neat – and simple – for two French industrial giants: Renault and Michelin. But, as their Alpine A442 Turbos had proved so conclusively in 1976, beating Porsche is never easy.

Ickx had fallen out of love with Formula 1 and in-turn fallen out of favour for 1977. (Was he the first real superstar to suffer burnout?). So, back to his happy hunting ground at Le Mans and seeking a third win on the bounce, Ickx was paired with fellow three-time Le Mans winner Henri Pescarolo in a Porsche 936. However, the plan backfired when they retired from second after 45 laps because of a holed piston.

It was decided to plug the redundant Ickx into the other car, and as Ickx remembers, the effect on it was electric.