Le Mans 1977- The head-to-head between Renault and Porsche was as thrilling as usual. The Alpine A442 banked its second Le Mans pole position in a row and Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Derek Bell streaked ahead until their race was cut short on the Sunday morning. Spirits were low in the Porsche 936 garage when the #3 driven Henri Pescarolo and Jacky Ickx withdrew in the early stages. However, Ickx joined Jürgen Barth and Hurley Haywood behind the wheel of the #4, which was also struggling, and made a superb recovery to second place. With the Alpine out of the way, they seemed sure to win, but another engine issue meant Barth had to go slowly on the last lap, his eyes glued to a huge stopwatch counting down the time to the chequered flag that spelled victory.

1977 on the big screen - Star Wars, later renamed Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope, was not the only blockbuster of the year. George Lucas’ friend Steven Spielberg also directed Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the cult science-fiction film. French filmmaker François Truffaut starred in the film just before directing The Man who Loved Women. Late 1977 brought Saturday Night Fever to cinema screens worldwide and the soundtrack by the Bee Gees was an international sensation. Similarly, Martin Scorsese’s musical New York, New York, starring Liza Minelli and Robert de Niro was a big hit, as was the theme tune.

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

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SATURDAY 11 & SUNDAY 12 JUNE 1977. The Porsche 935, which was unveiled in 1976, won its first podium place with a third for Claude Ballot-Léna and Peter Gregg. Victory at Le Mans came in 1979 thanks to Klaus Ludwig and the Whittington brothers.