LeMans

[irlricefan13]

I have been watching the LeMans 24 hours over the past few hours. Maybe some of you are doing the same.
As you know AJ Foyt won LeMans with Dan Guney in the Ford in 1967. Maybe someone has some interesting stories of AJ's LeMans adventure. I read somewhere that AJ used the term 'smelly Europeans' in an interview and a lot of people took it seriously. What he had in mind was that the European drivers would not take a shower after a stint. Is that true?
Actually there were a lot of American drivers in LeMans that year. The second Ford, which finished 4th was co-driven by Bruce McLaren and Mark Donahue. Roger McCluskey and Lloyd Ruby were the other Indy car racers in that race but both their Fords crashed and retired. Does anyone know what happened to them?

[Vitesse]

McLuskey was one of three Ford drivers who went out in a single incident just before dawn on the Sunday. Andretti crashed at the Esses and Jo Schlesser and McCluskey, running close behind, both did the same.

Ruby just overcooked it and buried the car in a sandbank, which were - at the time - the most effective way of keeping errant cars away from the crowd. There are plenty of tales of drivers digging their cars out and some teams actually used to include a shovel as part of the on-board toolkit! But, even if they did get the car free, there was usually so much sand in the engine or the throttle slides that they seldom got much further ..

[theunions]

The alleged comment from Foyt - which he denies - was substantially harsher and less politically correct than "smelly Europeans."

[NoviVespa]

I lend credence to the comments by A.J. Foyt. I remember reading something along that line in NSSN, about that time.

[irlricefan13]

So what are the odds that AJ really said it and what exactly was the statement?
Anyway, is LeMans big in America or was it ever big in America?

[theunions]

Originally posted by irlricefan13
What exactly was the statement?

I don't think the moderators would allow me to repeat the statement here...and if they would, they shouldn't.

AJ does quote it in his book.

[irlricefan13]

Originally posted by theunions
I don't think the moderators would allow me to repeat the statement here...and if they would, they shouldn't.

AJ does quote it in his book.

Too bad! I do not have the book. Nonetheless AJ drove an awesome race in LeMans in 1967 and proved that he was just as good on road tracks as on the ovals.

[NoviVespa]

I rememeber reading an article in NSSN, don't know if it was Chris Economaki, or not. But the story went on that A.j. Foyt was about to take over a car for a night sprint. The driver exiting the car, which was 6 laps ahead, said to Foyt, "Please don't lose too much ground to the other cars." When A.J. Foyt handed back the car to another driver, they were 35 laps ahead.

It will be pointed out that things like this happen in 24 hour races, where cars keep having very long pit stops.

[IndyJim]

AJ claimed in his book that he came in ready for some relief but Gurney was off sleeping or hiding so he had to go back out again for another stint. They both did the 24 hours by themselves, today you have at least 3 if not 4 guys doing it.

[Indyot]

Originally posted by IndyJim
AJ claimed in his book that he came in ready for some relief but Gurney was off sleeping or hiding so he had to go back out again for another stint. They both did the 24 hours by themselves, today you have at least 3 if not 4 guys doing it.

Three.
Daytona is for four guys nowadays.
Three became more commin in the early eightties, almost without notice and without objection.

Regards,

Indyot

[Bob Riebe]

Originally posted by irlricefan13
So what are the odds that AJ really said it and what exactly was the statement?
Anyway, is LeMans big in America or was it ever big in America?

IN the sixties when Ford and Ferrari were having their personal dispute, it was very big.

It was not until the nineties that it really started to fall off.
When they started to butcher the track, some interest was lost , as one could no longer see who was going get down the Mulsanne at speeds that were once only equaled at Daytona.
Bob

[lanciaman]

The multiplicity of drivers at Daytona and even LeMans has come about because of wealthy team owners who want to drive a stint or two in their cars, but still would like the best hired shoes to keep them competitive. Invariably the 4-team drivers include the guy paying the bills. Nothing wrong with that mind you.

[FLB]

Originally posted by IndyJim
AJ claimed in his book that he came in ready for some relief but Gurney was off sleeping or hiding so he had to go back out again for another stint. They both did the 24 hours by themselves, today you have at least 3 if not 4 guys doing it.

'Two' is an exaggeration in some cases.

Lord Seldson *maybe* drove 30 minutes to win Le Mans 1949, co-driving with Luigi Chinetti who drove the other 23 hours 30 minutes. Louis Rosier, Sr. won the race with his son co-driving, who drove a single race lap IIRC.

Of course, they were nearly beaten by Pierre Levegh, who tried to win it by himself in 1952. Unfortunately, he missed a gear change and blew his engine with one hour to go.

[IndyJim]

Originally posted by FLB
'Two' is an exaggeration in some cases.

Lord Seldson *maybe* drove 30 minutes to win Le Mans 1949, co-driving with Luigi Chinetti who drove the other 23 hours 30 minutes. Louis Rosier, Sr. won the race with his son co-driving, who drove a single race lap IIRC.

Of course, they were nearly beaten by Pierre Levegh, who tried to win it by himself in 1952. Unfortunately, he missed a gear change and blew his engine with one hour to go.

Are you kidding? He tried to run the 24 hours himself?

[irlricefan13]

Originally posted by IndyJim
Are you kidding? He tried to run the 24 hours himself?

Yeah, it is true. Pretty strange, isn't it? He's the same guy who was killed in the 1955 LeMans disaster.

[Vitesse]

Originally posted by FLB
'Two' is an exaggeration in some cases.

Lord Seldson *maybe* drove 30 minutes to win Le Mans 1949, co-driving with Luigi Chinetti who drove the other 23 hours 30 minutes. Louis Rosier, Sr. won the race with his son co-driving, who drove a single race lap IIRC.

Of course, they were nearly beaten by Pierre Levegh, who tried to win it by himself in 1952. Unfortunately, he missed a gear change and blew his engine with one hour to go.

One driver did actually complete Le Mans solo. That man was the Englishman Eddie Hall (then already approaching veteran status) in 1950, when he finished eighth. Some results include his co-driver Tom Clarke, but according to contemporary reports Eddie refused to give up his seat each time he pitted. Denis Jenkinson once enquired how he'd managed his toilet arrangements: "Green overalls, old boy ....."

[D-Type]

To be fair to 'Pierre Levegh' : At Le Mans in 1952 his car developed a, shall we say, strange vibration (I forget the precise detail); he did not consider that his co-driver, René Marchand, was sufficiently familiar with the Talbot, to 'drive around' the problem. He therefore opted to keep on driving. It was not simply egotism.

As for 1955, there is no way that he was culpable. Although one of the oldest drivers, he was, by the same token, the most experienced driver in the field in respect of driving at Le Mans.

Vitesse,
Are you certain that Eddie Hall did it solo in 1950? Martin and Stefan list Clarke as co-driver on their websites, but don't list René Marchand. This could, of course, simlply reflect the publicity that each drive generated.