Stories of 18-19 June... 1966 - Ford wins as Matra begins
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Stories of 18-19 June... 1966 - Ford wins as Matra begins

This year will be the eighth time that the 24 Hours of Le Mans has fallen on the weekend of 18-19 June. In 1966, Ford took the first of four consecutive victories and Matra, an inventive French constructor, made its Le Mans d

In 1963, Ford attempted to buy out Ferrari. But on the day of the signature, Enzo Ferrari refused to sell, famously saying to his right-hand man “Come on, Gozzi, let’s go and have dinner.” Fuelled by humiliation, the American constructor’s desire to beat Ferrari only became greater. Henry Ford chose to attack the Italian on his “home” ground, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race the marque had reigned over since 1960. In 1966, Ford launched an armada of eight Mk. IIs to counter the seven Ferraris.

At the same time, Matra was setting out on its maiden Le Mans voyage. An aeronautics and arms specialist, Matra made a significant contribution to the rejuvenation of French motorsports thanks to its talented drivers, a Formula One world title in 1969 and three victories at Le Mans, in 1972, ‘73 and ‘74.

But let’s go back to 1966. The learning curve for the three Matra cars was a steep one. One of the drivers was a promising 24-year-old Frenchman by the name of Henri Pescarolo. As he ventured out on his first ever lap of the circuit, he was caught up in the Ford-Ferrari battle. “My first lap was during the night practice”, says the man who went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times. "I drove for about half an hour and it’s the only time in my career that I was petrified at the wheel of a car! It was an arduous experience. I didn’t know the car or the circuit and suddenly I was in the middle of the Ford-Ferrari fight for pole position. Ford wanted to win, Ferrari didn’t want to lose and every five minutes I was being overtaken by what seemed like a fleet of fighter planes!"

None of the Matras made the finish line that year. Pescarolo and his teammate Jean-Pierre Jaussaud were the first to renounce following engine trouble. Jo Schlesser and Alan Rees followed just after midnight when the car was involved in an accident. Lastly, Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Johnny Servoz-Gavin pulled out due to transmission problems.

Meanwhile, the head-to-head for the lead turning in favour of the American constructor. Shortly before 02:00 Pedro Rodriguez and Richie Ginther in the only remaining Ferrari capable of beating the Mk. IIs retired due to a gearbox issue. Henry Ford II, who had been invited to be race starter was at the trackside to see his cars finish in a one-two-three sweep, with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon ahead of Ken Miles and Dennis Hulme followed by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson.

In 1969, the year of the fourth and last Ford victory, Matra crossed the finish line for the first time. Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Piers Courage came fourth, Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella fifth and Nanni Galli and Robin Widdows seventh.

The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans: podium
1-Bruce McLaren-Chris Amon (Ford Mk. II #2)
2-Ken Miles-Dennis Hulme (Ford Mk. II #1)
3-Ronnie Bucknum-Dick Hutcherson (Ford Mk. II #5)

Jean-Philippe Doret /ACO – Translated from French by Emma Paulay
 

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