The year 1972 marked the beginning of a new era at the 24 Hours. Having won the race the two previous years, the Porsche 917 exiled itself in the U.S. after the Sport class was shut down and the maximum displacement of three liters for prototypes was definitively introduced. Though Alfa Romeo was competitive, Matra proved the undeniable favorite in 1972 in the absence of the new Ferrari 312 PB.

The French constructor left nothing to chance: a car was specifically designed for Le Mans and exhaustively tested at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Four Matra MS670s were fielded for Chris Amon/Jean-Pierre Beltoise (#12), François Cevert/Howden Ganley (#14), Graham Hill/Henri Pescarolo (#15) and David Hobbs/Jean-Pierre Jabouille (#16). The pressure was only heigthened for Jean-Luc Lagardère's drivers since Georges Pompidou, President of France since 1969, was to give the start of the race. In 1967, when he served as General de Gaulle's Prime Minister, the government had granted a loan to Matra for the design of its legendary 3-liter V12, and Georges Pompidou had promised at that time to come and attend the 24 Hours.

The designer of that V12, Georges Martin, suggested the start of the race be entrusted to the French drivers in each of the four crews. Lagardère went even further, promising President Pompidou three Matras in the lead after the first lap, which Henri Pescarolo, François Cevert and Jean-Pierre Beltoise made happen in that order. It was a dream cast: the first became a legend in 1968 by racing at night in the rain without wipers, the second secured at the end of 1971 the first win for a French driver in Formula 1 since 1958 and the third was the indisputable pioneer driver of the revival of French motorsport at the end of the 1960s.

Matra, a duel and a one-two

It's a well-known fact that nothing goes quite as planned at the 24 Hours. After taking the lead, Beltoise's engine broke down at the end of the second lap. In the third hour, Jabouille ran out of fuel with the exception of the few drops used to return slowly to the garage. The misfortune cost the #16 Matra five laps before it was forced to retire with a failed gearbox just 90 minutes from the checkered flag.

However, a long duel between the #14 and #15 Matras added some extra excitement to the 40th 24 Hours. François Cevert and Howden Ganley seemed to be on their way to victory when during the night the rain proved disruptive and caused teams to throw caution to the wind. Like in 1968, Pescarolo soldiered on and and temporarily regained the lead shortly before 02:00.

Not to be outdone, when it began raining again around dawn on Sunday, Hill in second position stopped to switch to rain tires and reduce the gap with Ganley. The New Zealander also changed tires, but was then delayed with lighting problems. Shortly before noon it was still raining. Hill in the lead slowed in the Mulsanne Straight when the downpour became overwhelming. Behind him and trailing by one lap, Ganley did the same, but was struck from the rear by another car.

The incident sealed the fate of the race in the fight for victory. After repairing their car's rear suspension, François Cevert and Howden Ganley finished second behind Graham Hill and Henri Pescarolo. For the first victory clinched by a French constructor since Talbot Lago in 1950, Jean-Luc Lagardère and Matra gave President Georges Pompidou a one-two finish!

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1972 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: Georges Pompidou holding a French flag with the president of the college of stewards Pierre Allanet (to his left) and race director Charles Deutsch; Jean-Pierre Beltoise (#12) and François Cevert (#14) at the wheel of the Matra MS 670 (note the different rear hoods on the two cars); winners Graham Hill (at left) and Henri Pescarolo on the podium. Already a two-time F1 world champion, five-time Monaco Grand Prix winner and Indianapolis 500 winner, Hill added the 24 Hours to his legacy while Pescarolo scored the first of his four victories at the race.