1970 12 Hours of Sebring

The 19th 12 Hours of Sebring race took place on March 21, 1970 held at the Sebring International Raceway and was the second championship round of the World Sportscar Championship this year.

  • 2.1 Final ranking
  • 2.2 Only in the message list
  • 2.3 Class Winner
  • 2.4 racing data

The race

Before the race

The World Sportscar Championship 1970 began on 1 February 1970 with the 24 - hour race at Daytona. The event ended with a double victory of the team of John Wyer. Pedro Rodríguez, Leo Kinnunen, and Brian Redman won before the second Porsche 917K in the next Redman, the Swiss Joseph Siffert reached into the control. The factory Ferrari 512S of Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx and Arturo Merzario placed at the third position.

For the Scuderia was the appearance at Sebring of particular importance. Since 1964, the Italian team had not won on the airfield in Sebring ( At the time, Mike Parkes and Umberto Maglioli won on a Ferrari 275 ). Since the success of Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini in February 1967 at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Scuderia had remained ever without a win in race of the World Sportscar Championship. A circumstance which caused at the company management in Maranello bad mood. Since even in the Formula 1 World Championship the last years were marked by failures, the pressure on the factory team was great. In the previous year, and Amon Andretti achieved in 312P even the second place overall. The fact that the winning car of Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver, a prepared when John Wyer Ford GT40, already was four years old, was felt in the Ferrari factory as particularly humiliating. At the start there were four 512S, three models had the Spyder hardtop roof. Three vehicles were reported by the Scuderia, the fourth car was brought from the North American Racing Team at the start. The team of Luigi Chinetti also appointed an 312P.

The strongest competition grew from the commitment of Ferrari Porsche. At the start there were four 917K; two of them, driven by Pedro Rodríguez, Leo Kinnunen, Brian Rebmann and Joseph Siffert, were by JW Automotive Engineering Ltd. used, reported the other two from the Porsche - Audi - General Importer, but cared for and maintained by the Porsche factory team. These prototypes drove Vic Elford, Hans Herrmann, Rudi Lins and Kurt Ahrens. However, the factory team had a total of seven race cars at the start. Among the 917 models came two 908/ 03 and a Porsche 906 Porsche 908 A further had the special attention of the public. In the car with the number 48 next to Peter Revson also attacked the U.S. actor Steve McQueen at the wheel.

Also, Matra and Alfa Romeo Motorsport were represented at Sebring with vehicles. The Matra MS650 drove Henri Pescarolo, Johnny Servoz - Gavin, Dan Gurney and the young François Cevert. At Alfa Romeo, among others Toine Hezemans, Masten Gregory and Rolf Stommelen were engaged.

New start procedure

The 1925 introduced the 24- hour race at Le Mans Le Mans start was common since 1952 in Sebring. After the fatal accident of John Woolfe at Le Mans in 1969 this starting procedure was violently criticized. The protests of the driver had heaped up, running across the street to their stationary vehicles, and these had to start first. The main criticism was that the driver could not belt properly and to have some of them created without the belt, drove up to the first pit stop in the race.

At Sebring, was omitted from 1970 entirely on this tradition and the Indianapolis start over, in which the vehicles lap behind the pace car cover and are sent with the crossing the starting line at full speed into the race.

The race course

In retrospect, of Sebring race is the most exciting in the long history of this event and one of the scarcest endurance race at all. Training fastest was Arturo Merzario in the works Ferrari 512S, the one time of 2.33,500 minutes is required for the 8,369 lm long distance. This period corresponded to an average speed of 196.266 km / h They were followed by tight spacing the two Porsche 917 by Siffert / Redman / Kinnunen and Elford / Ahrens.

After the Indianapolis start Mario Andretti took the lead ahead of Ferrari in the two Porsches by Jo Siffert and Vic Elford. From the midfield came in the top curves to chaotic scenes. Because behind the much too slow-moving pace car on the formation lap impounded the vehicles that were in the first led to car in a confined space on the slopes, which fell to evasive maneuvers outside the railway. Prompt collided the two Lola T70 by Bob Brown and Mike De Udy; but both cars were able to continue. Where de Udo, of the cockpit with Mike Hailwood divided, still had to give up in the first round because of a brake defect.

Almost the entire race dominated the Andretti / Merzario Ferrari the race involved in tough battles with the two Wyer Porsche. Meanwhile, the Scuderia factory car had 1 1/2 laps ahead. Then Merzario came with gearbox problems to the box and had to tasks; thus took over the Wyer Porsche with it number 15, the guide at the wheel sat there the Swiss Jo Siffert. 30 minutes before the end of the race Ferrari team manager Mauro Forghieri decided Andretti behind the wheel of the Ferrari with the number 21 to set. However, the car had a lap behind the Wyer Porsche. The American pilot began a daring chase and rounded back. A few laps with engine problems Siffert had to pit and fell back. This led Peter Revson before Andretti. On Revson / McQueen Porsche 908 neither tire nor brake pads were changed throughout the race: this saved during the pit stops time brought the car to a top position. Four laps to go overtook Andretti his compatriot and took the lead, but had two laps to go, but for a brief pit stop because the 512S ran out of fuel. Refueled he stormed out of the box, Revson overtook on the last lap just before the finish line and secured a highly acclaimed Ferrari victory.

Results

Final ranking

1zurückgezogen 2zurückgezogen 3zurückgezogen 4zurückgezogen 5Trainingswagen 6Trainingswagen

Only in the message list

Here are the teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the competition, but it did not participate for various reasons.

Class winner

Race data

  • Reported: 83
  • Started: 68
  • Counted: 28
  • Racing classes: 9
  • Attendance: 60000
  • Weather on race day: warm and dry
  • Track length: 8.369 km
  • Travel time of the winning team: 12:01:11,300 hours
  • Total rounds of the winning team: 248
  • Total distance of the winning team: 2075.410 km
  • Winners section: 172.667 km / h
  • Pole Position: Arturo Merzario - Ferrari 512S Spyder (# 19) - 2.33.500 - 196.266 km / h
  • Fastest race lap: Leo Kinnunen - Porsche 917K (# 14) - 2.32.770 - 197.204 km / h
  • Racing series: 2nd round of the World Sportscar Championship in 1970
John Surtees Ferrari 312P Kurt Ahrens, Jr. 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance racing (motorsport) Italy Ignazio Giunti Nino Vaccarella Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Finland France Richard Attwood Piers Courage Peter Gregg (racing driver) Don Yenko Austin-Healey Sprite Ford Mustang MG MGB Lancia Fulvia The Bahamas BMW 2002tii Gijs van Lennep MG Midget Sam Posey Chevron Cars Ltd Volvo Amazon Porsche 910 AMC AMX Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina Ferrari 365 Jim Hall (racing driver) Hap Sharp Claude Haldi 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans
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