57 replies to this topic

[sabrejet]

I'm sure I heard Justin Bell say that his first Le Mans was '92 in the ADA 962C...

[Barry Boor]

I wonder if anyone who is reading this thread is not aware that not only did a Ferrari win at Le Mans but a Ferrari won the Nurburgring 24 hour race for the very first time during May?

 

I’ve  been enjoying the whole race on You Tube, for about the last three weeks, on and off, and finally reached the end today.

 

Sadly for me, one of the Le Mans commentators gave the result away last weekend….  doh!

[ReWind]

[...] a Ferrari won the Nurburgring 24 hour race for the very first time during May?

 

I’ve  been enjoying the whole race on You Tube [...]

With the stunning in-car-commentary by Dirk Adorf? I think he deserves an award for that.

[sabrejet]

I wonder if anyone who is reading this thread is not aware that not only did a Ferrari win at Le Mans but a Ferrari won the Nurburgring 24 hour race for the very first time during May?

 

I’ve  been enjoying the whole race on You Tube, for about the last three weeks, on and off, and finally reached the end today.

 

Sadly for me, one of the Le Mans commentators gave the result away last weekend….  doh!

 

Yes we watched it live: it was a real nail-biter and its win (for Sabine Schmitz' Frikadelli Racing Team) had the commentary box in tears and struggling to speak. That 296 GT 3 has been described as a prototype with GT bodywork.

[JackburtonF1]

In this race Brunet’s Delahaye led away from the start. He was overtaken by the Talbot of de las Casas, which was itself passed by Sommer’s Alfa before the end of the first lap.

A correction, in the sprit of education - the driver who you refer to above as 'de las Casas' is correctly referred to as "Raph", the well-known pre-war French driver.

[Tim Murray]

Indeed, Adam, thank you. I used ‘de las Casas’ as that was the name used for him by David Hodges in his Le Mans history, which was my source for what I posted.

[moffspeed]

Cunningham! That's what comes of spending 20 years at the Grauniad...

Well deserved victory for Ferrari this year - I've avoided the journey down to Le Mans during the last few Toyota "Demo Run" years but will probably line up my 35th "live" visit next year. I suppose at my stage in life you have to add the "God willing" proviso.

 

Eurosport ? I watched it ad-free (in Portimao) this year via the Discovery+ app, yes commentary was patchy but I thought Alex Brundle and Leena Gade were outstanding.

 

Rindt & Gregory qualified over 12 seconds off pole in 1965 and were the best part of 10 laps behind the quick boys at one stage. It was a race of attrition with just 14 finishers - so the tortoise beat the hares. I guess the equivalent would be the misnomered Vanwall/Vandervell (whatever) winning this year.

 

Incidentally with a slight deviation. My father and I raced dinghies off the Welsh coast in my younger years. Despite dad's ex-Naval status and my teenage enthusiasm we were the Minardis of the Bristol Channel. Our boat was equipped with a device on the mainsail - attached to a down-hauler that allowed the tension of the sail to be adjusted. It was known as a Cunningham hole (or eye). Dad couldn't tell me where the name came from and this youthful petrolhead (already fascinated by LM) failed to make the connection until about 30 years later.

 

Invented by Briggs of course during his America Cup days.

[Michael Ferner]

A correction, in the sprit of education - the driver who you refer to above as 'de las Casas' is correctly referred to as "Raph", the well-known pre-war French driver.

 

About as incorrect as calling "Elvis" 'Presley'?