I took part in the 69 Sebring race and lined up with the 70 other drivers with much aniticipation. For some reason, there was a false countdown and after we had sprinted across the track, were called back to do it all over again. Don't remember what went wrong, but it was the last year of the Le Mans start at Sebring.
It made sense to me not too get involved in any first lap nonsense, so I waited untill most of the cars were already off and running. In later years while doing some club racing at Westwood, I believe there was someone waiting at your car to help you buckle in, or at some events apparently you sat in your car already bucled up, while a crew member actually did the run across the track and then touched your car before you could leave. I think Le Mans generally were outlawed at some point in the seventies.
I always enjoyed these starts and thought it added to the race excitement.
Robert Barg
Here's my page on the Sebring '57 start as depicted on the cover of
1958's program:
Took some kind of ego and misfocus to stand on a race track under those conditions.
When I helped organize the Tijuana Bullring-by-the-Sea races I instituted the Le Mans start for production cars wherein the driver was buckled in and a crewman ran across and handed him the ignition key. That seemed to work good once; probably wouldn't have over time, as potential unfair advantages abounded.
The "TASC" (Tijuana Auto Sport Club) fellow is president of that group and leader of an international car theft-to-order ring. To his left, the then-
Presidente Municipal of Tijuana, who waved the green flag from up there on the
banqueta.
Fred Puhn of Chassis Engineering and Maserati fame won in his MG TF, from Mickey Pleasant, bugeye Sprite, after a marvelous race-long battle. Weekend immortalized by Gus Vignolle in his
Sports Car Graphic article.
