When he debuted at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, Anthony Joseph "A.J." Foyt was already, at 32 years old, one of the most popular drivers in the U.S. Still today, if one asks an American to name a motorsports driver on the spot, three names come to mind: A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty and Mario Andretti. Foyt had just won his third victory in his favourite race, the Indianapolis 500. "I had known about Le Mans for years and I knew it was a high-speed circuit, explains Foyt. I had been asked several times to participate in the 24 Hours, but I wanted to go when I could be competitive. Ford had already contacted me in 1966, but I was severely burned afterwards at a race in Milwaukee. Ford called me again in 1967, and it was good to go!"

At the wheel of the No. 1 Ford Mk IV, Foyt was one half of a 100% American duo with Dan Gurney. But their journeys were not at all the same. Foyt had pratically never raced outside the U.S., and Gurney, at 36 years old, was one of the top American drivers in Europe "Of course, it was known I had already won at Indianapolis, but Dan was racing in Formula 1 and at Le Mans, he was much more known than I in Europe," remembers Foyt.

What united the two drivers was Ford's American challenge. Foyt was born in Texas (where he still lives today) and is called "Super Tex" at American circuits. Gurney is a veteran of the Korean War. When he became a constructor in 1966, he called his team All American Racers and his chassis Eagle, in reference to the bald eagle, symbol of the U.S.

Another notable difference between Foyt and Gurney: their size. Which no matter what had to fit in the cockpit of their Mk IV. "Since bucket seats adapted to the shape of the driver did not yet exist, we had to find a compromise, recalls Foyt. Dan is much taller than I am, so our car had a hump on the roof above the driving position! His arms were very long and I had to keep mine extended the whole time I was behind the wheel!"

Of his experience with the 24 Hours circuit, the Texan has very precise memories: "We were heading down the Mulsanne Straight, then we crossed under a bridge before the White House, and it was like a kind of tunnel. It was a very tricky place. I also remember trees covered with a kind of whitewash. The markings had to have been two meters tall and when you approached them at night, the headlights reflected off of them. I told myself it would be a good idea not to have an incident in that area!"

Off his experience in the 24 Hours (10 participations by 1967), Gurney took the start, then Foyt followed him behind the wheel. A unique memory, and also a way to assimilate on the job the 24 Hours circuit: "I will never forget my first stint. I was overtaken by Dennis Hulme (driver of the No. 4 Ford Mk IV, editor's note). Since I knew he was very familiar with the circuit, I followed him for seven or eight laps, then I overtook him. Dan and I had taken the lead and kept it for nearly 23 hours, it was super !"

Despite the return of the Ferrari driven by Ludovico Scarfiotti-Michael Parkes, Foyt and Gurney established a new record, exceeding for the first time 5,000 km raced at the 24 Hours. When he was given a magnum reserved for the winners, Gurney spontaneously sprayed his teammate, the photographers, his team manager Carroll Shelby, and even Henry Ford II and his spouse! And so was born the Champagne shower, a tradition from that day forward on motorsports podiums all over the world!

Foyt is the only driver in history to have won in the same year the two races at the oldest circuits on the planet. "I arrived at Le Mans as a newcomer, and I left a winner. I am very proud to be the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans in the same year. But records are meant to be beaten. It hasn't been done yet, but time will tell."

Ten years after that one-two, Foyt became the first driver to win four victories at the Indianapolis 500, at which he still holds the record for participations with 35 consecutive starts from 1958 to 1992! During the 1980s, he even added to his record in endurance with a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring (1985) and at the Rolex 24 at Daytona (1983 and 1985). Today, at 81 years young, Foyt is still involved in racing as a team owner in American single-seaters, with every year a major goal: victory at the Indianapolis 500 at which he remains the prodigal son.