1971 24 Hours of Le Mans
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1971 24 Hours of Le Mans |
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The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 39th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1971. It was the ninth round of the 1971 International Championship for Makes. This year would be the swansong of the mighty engines – the incoming regulations would put a 3-litre limit on engine capacity. As it turned out, there was a perfect confluence of the most powerful racing cars yet seen, a long fast track and extended good weather to produce the fastest race in the event's history to date setting a record that would stand for almost 40 years. Although there were few accidents this year, there were many cars delayed or forced to retire with mechanical problems and only twelve cars were classified at the finish. Winners, at a record speed, were Gijs van Lennep and Helmut Marko in their Team Martini Porsche 917. With the imminent ban of engines over 3-litres for the upcoming 1972 season, the FIA made no changes to their standing regulations. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) likewise made very few changes. The experiment of the standing-start in echelon from the previous year was discarded. A 2-by-2 rolling start behind a safety car became the most preferred way, which remains the tradition up to the modern day. This allowed an Armco guardrail to be erected between the pits and the main straight, greatly increasing the safety of the pit-crews. Drivers were also now permitted to stay in their cars during refuelling. On race-week plans were unveiled for an extensive realignment of the circuit, making it self-contained. It included a new Mulsanne straight alongside the public highway and a new series of curves to cut out the dangerous Maison Blanche corner – the scene of many major race accidents over the years. This year, first prize for outright victory was US$13000 – barely the cost of a top-tier racing engine, and not reflecting the huge preparation and work required. But such was the stature of the race it kept drawing strong fields. Finally, after fourteen years, the ban on female drivers was lifted with the ACO accepting top French rally-driver Marie-Claude Beaumont in the Greder Corvette entry – the first female driver at Le Mans since 1951. Where we have not had a model of the car through the business as raced I've added another example of the car as an illustration (where I have one)
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| Last Edit: 23/04/2022 | Page Created 22/04/2022 |
