1968 24 Hours of Le Mans

36th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race 1967 1968 1969 The 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 36th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 28 and 29 September 1968 on the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France. A significant change was the introduction of a 3 l cuin 0 on engine limit on Group 6 cars, to lower overall track speeds. Originally scheduled for the weekend of 15 and 16 June, the race had to be delayed until September due to protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France during the spring of 1968. The rescheduled race increased the chances of the Group 6 Prototypes against the Group 4 Sports cars, as the new Prototype cars had matured during the season. It also increased the amount of darkness that drivers would be racing in compared to June, by about three hours: a total of 11 hours. Its new date made it the tenth and final round of the 1968 World Sportscar Championship of a tense and close championship between Ford and Porsche. The winners were Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi, in the J.W. Automotive Gulf-Oil Ford GT40. Despite Porsche finishing second and third, the victory was enough to give Ford the manufacturer's title. There were also two major accidents during the race ending the racing careers of Willy Mairesse and Mauro Bianchi (Lucien's younger brother), who both suffered severe burns in the crashes. Regulations thumb|upright=1.3|Le Mans in 1968. Traffic flow is clockwise. Straight after the 1967 race, the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale - the FIA’s regulatory body) convened to discuss ways to limit the increasingly dangerous speeds in Sports car racing, mindful of what led to the 1955 disaster.Laban 2001, p.153 It was decided to impose a 3-litre (120-litre fuel tank) on Group 6 Prototypes and a 5-litre limit (160-litre fuel tank) on Group 4 Sports. There remained no engine limit on the Group 3 GTs. It effectively banned the big-block Fords and Chaparral, as well as the big Ferraris and the new Mirage and Lola-Aston Martin and marked the end of an era. The theory was that manufacturers would turn to the use of 3-litre Formula One engines to save development costs. However, it was the immediate implementation in the next year that caused much unrest with the companies. The CSI cited ‘safety concerns’ justifying the rapid action. Enzo Ferrari cancelled his Prototype program. He was not alone in believing a 5-litre Sports car would outperform a 3-litre Prototype, and that only the big manufacturers would be able to make the minimum 50 big-engined cars to get Group 4 homologation.Spurring 2010, p.272 Because the race was rescheduled and the longer period of darkness, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) permitted one battery change.Clausager 1982, p.153 With high speed being such a talking point, Ford volunteered to sponsor a major road realignment on the main straight, installing a chicane just before the pitlane. The changes added at least 10 seconds to a lap, as well as causing greater wear on tyres and brakes. Although the track had been widened and safety features of the track improved in the aftermath of the 1955 disaster, this was the first significant layout-change to the circuit since 1932. Diverting the racing away from the pits also significantly increased the safety of the pit-crews. Finally, in line with the global racing trend, commercial advertising was now allowed on cars. Entries Although devoid of the big team entries from Ford and Ferrari there were still 94 applications for this year's race, and 58 cars arrived to qualify for the 54 starting places. Into that space the biggest entries were from Porsche and Alpine with 13 and 11 cars respectively. The new regulations did have a positive impact on redressing the imbalance of the Prototypes to the other two categories Category Classes PrototypeGroup 6 SportsGroup 4 GTGroup 3 TotalEntries Large-engines >2.0L classes12 (+2 reserves)11 528 (+2 reserves) Medium-engines 1.6 / 2.0L classes11 (+2 reserves) 1 2 (+2 reserves)14 (+4 reserves) Small-engines 1.15 / 1.3L classes 6 (+1 reserve) 0 1 (+1 reserve) 7 (+2 reserves) Total Cars29 (+5 reserves)12 8 (+3 reserves)49 (+8 reserves) With the withdrawal of the Ford factory teams, J.W. Automotive had bought the rights to racing the GT40 and took over the Ford Advanced Vehicles facility at Slough.Clarke 1997, p.50: Motor Sep28 1968 Backed by Gulf Oil and its distinctive light blue and orange livery. One of the previous year's Mirages was reverted to a GT40 while two new cars were built, this time all running a 5-litre V8, generating 415 bhp. The Gulf GT40s received some of the improvements of the Mirage, and a significant effort was made to reduce the weight of car using high-tech materials. A large part of the body was made of a very thin polyester sheet reinforced with carbon fibre. The cars were very competitive having already won four races. Wyer's two best drivers however weren't present: Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman, winners at Brands Hatch and Spa, had both broken limbs from Formula 1 accidents (at Mont Tremblant and Spa respectively) Former Ferrari-stalwart Pedro Rodriguez, and Alfa Romeo team-driver Lucien Bianchi were brought in for the race. Paul Hawkins / David Hobbs (race winners at Monza) had their regular car while Brian Muir / Jackie Oliver had the new chassis.Spurring 2010, p.275-8 There were also regular GT40 privateer entries, from Claude Dubois (with drivers Willy Mairesse/”Beurlys”), and Mike Salmon, having recovered from the burns he got in his Ford the previous year. Ferrari was true to his word and boycotted Le Mans, which also left several of his customer teams stranded, like the Equipe Nationale Belge and British Maranello Concessionaires. Ferrari hopes therefore fell back onto the four-year old 275 LM in Group 4. The North American Racing Team (NART) entered three different Ferraris: 1965 race-winner Masten Gregory re-joining his winning 275 LM car, a 275 GTB in the GT category and a Dino 206 S in the 2-litre Prototype class. Similarly, Scuderia Filipinetti had several options and also settled on running a 275 LM and a 275 GTB. The Swiss team also ran a pair of the latest 7-litre Corvette Stingrays in the GT division. There were two British privateer Ferraris. David Piper had done a major rebuild of his car, replacing most of its aluminium body with a polyester/fiberglass shell to reduce weight. A number of manufacturers stepped up to fill the leading prototype positions vacated by Ford and Ferrari: Porsche's ongoing development program wound up a notch with the new Porsche 908 fitted with a new 3-litre flat-8 producing 330 bhp and over 310 km/h (190 mph), the first time Porsche competed in the largest engine class of the regulations. Still quite unreliable, Porsche had to rely on their 907s to give them race victories early in the year, but the 908 came good at the Nürburgring race. Due to their low profile, the cars used small, but very bright quartz-iodine headlights, but this necessitated two alternators in each car rather than dynamos.Automobile Year 1968, p.201 With 5 wins to Ford's 4, Porsche had a narrow lead in the Championship coming into this final round, looking for its first overall FIA Championship.Spurring 2010, p.280 So four 908s were prepared for the works team, in langheck (longtail) form for the long fast straights. Their top pair were Jo Siffert (4 wins) and Hans Herrmann (2 wins). Rising sports-car start Vic Elford (the other race winner) was with Gerhard Mitter, Porsche regulars Rolf Stommelen and Jochen Neerpasch had the third while the Americans Joe Buzzetta/Scooter Patrick the fourth. The company also supported three privateers running the reliable 907 'langheck': Spaniard Alex Soler-Roig, Frenchman Philippe Farjon and the new Swiss team Squadra Tartaruga of Rico Steinemann.Spurring 2010, p.282-5 The new Matra 3-litre V12 had its race debut simultaneously in May at the Monaco F1 GP and the Spa 1000 km. Capable of a powerful 380 bhp, the company was initially not going to run at Le Mans, however the deferred date allowed for more testing and a single MS630 longtail was prepared for team drivers Henri Pescarolo and Johnny Servoz-Gavin.Spurring 2010, p.290-1 alt=Alpine A220 driven by Grandsire/Larrousse.|thumb|The Alpine A220 driven by Grandsire/Larrousse, photographed at the 2015 Le Mans Legends race French hopes for outright victory mainly rested on Alpine. A proven record in the smaller classes encouraged Jean Rédélé to move up to the main category. But the new Gordini-prepared Renault 3-litre V8 only produced 310 bhp for the new A220 design. After racing earlier in the year, the car now had a rear spoiler to try to correct a dangerous aerodynamic fault: at the Nürburgring the Alpine of Henri Grandsire had got airborne and done a 360˚ loop.Spurring 2010, p.286-9 Jacques Cheinisse retired from racing to manage the racing team, and a big effort put eleven cars on the grid, second only to Porsche. The works team ran three A220s for Grandsire and Gérard Larrousse, Jean Guichet/Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Alpine engineer André de Cortanze/Jean Vinatier. Regular customer team Ecurie Savin-Calberson also entered one for Mauro Bianchi and Patrick Depailler and they also put an A210 in the 2-litre category. Alpine also ran the A210 in the 1300cc and 1150cc Prototype classes, including a debut for 30-race Le Mans veteran Bob Wollek. Finally, two of the homologated A110 were run in the GT category by French privateers. British entries were limited. The Lola T70 now had a 5-litre Chevrolet engine in the Sports category. John Woolfe commissioned Chevron to build a new car. The B12 was a one-off design with a fibreglass body and carrying a modified version of the 3-litre Formula 1 Repco-Brabham V8 engine developing 330 bhp.Spurring 2010, p.297Moity 1974, p.112-115 Austin-Healey, as well as their regular Le Mans Sprite entry, developed a new 2-litre prototype with the Coventry Climax FWMV V8 engine that put out 240 bhp.Spurring 2010, p.291 It was run by Healey's regular drivers Clive Baker and Andrew Hedges. thumb|Howmet TX of Heppenstall/Thompson. It retired due to an accident. In line with the ACO's commitment to technological development, there were two turbine-powered Howmet TXs entered in the prototype class, following on from the Rover-BRM last run in 1965. Ray Heppenstall designed a car on a Group 7 Can-Am chassis, with an aluminium shell from Howmet Castings. The Continental turbine was from a helicopter and rated as an equivalent to 3-litres with 325 bhp. It was very light but thirsty on its paraffin fuel. After a 3rd place at Watkins Glen it had shown reliability. Heppenstall drove one with race-veteran Dick Thompson while Bob Tullius/Hugh Dibley had the other.Spurring 2010, p.295 For two years Autodelta, the racing division of Alfa Romeo, had had a difficult time developing a new sports prototype. Both Jean Rolland and Leo Cella had been killed in testing accidents. The Tipo 33/2 was the new evolution and its 2-litre V8 engine put out 260 bhp. Autodelta had four cars entered including works drivers Nino Vaccarella/Giancarlo Baghetti and ‘Nanni’ Galli/Ignazio Giunti. It also supported two cars entered by the Belgian VDS customer team.Spurring 2010, p.292 Practice This year, for an unknown reason, the test weekend coincided with the British round of the International ChampionshipClarke 1997, p.53-4: Car & Driver, Jul 1968 and with the Formula 2 event at the Hockenheimring on Sunday April 7 in which Jim Clark was killed. Jacky Ickx set the test benchmark for JWA, with a 3:35.4 lap, then promptly left for Brands Hatch to win the endurance race. It was also the first appearance of the new Porsche 908, in the hands of Rolf Stommelen. It was found to need major aerodynamic refinement, but Stommelen eventually got a time of 3:44.1. On race-week, Jo Siffert matched Ickx's test time exactly with his Porsche 908 to take pole position. The next day Stommelen and Elford claimed the next places, ahead of Rodriguez's Ford and Servoz-Gavin's Matra. The best Alpine was Bianchi's 3:43.2 in 8th, Vaccarella got his Alfa in 14th while the Howmet clocked 20th with 3:56.0. The best Ferrari was Müller's down in 27th (4:01.8).Spurring 2010, p.301 The Belgian Ford lost its oil through a faulty connection but was able to get a replacement engine from the JWA team.Clarke 1997, p.56-61: Autocar Oct3 1968 During the April test many drivers had complained about the layout of the new chicane, being too tight. By September it had been redesigned to greater satisfaction. Race Start This year the start time was moved forward to 3pm for the spectators’ sake due to the earlier onset of darkness. The honorary starter was Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli.Spurring 2010, p.270 Race-day was showery and most of the cars started on wet tyres with a heavy shower just ten minutes before the start. Siffert, among a few others, started on pole with slicks however.Spurring 2010, p.273 In his rush to get away, Willy Mairesse did not shut his door properly. At the end of the Mulsanne Straight at a speed of over 150 mph (241 km/h), it flew open. Trying to close it he lost control and the Ford careered off the track into the trees. Mairesse suffered broken bones and head injuries which left him in a coma for two weeks and ended his racing career.https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/willy-mairesse Willy Mairesse 2017-06-12 Motor Sport Magazine 2018-02-03 en At the end of the first lap, Porsches were in the top four places, with Stommelen in the lead. Siffert took the lead on the fourth lap (already lapping tailenders), with the Fords running in 5-6-7. Johnny Servoz-Gavin brought the Matra in with a malfunctioning windscreen-wiper. The rain had stopped and the track was drying. Soon Hawkins and Rodríguez were in, with their wet-weather tyres ruined. Then on lap 12, the lap it was due in, the third Ford went off when Muir planted it in the sand at the Mulsanne corner. After three hours of digging he burned the clutch out in his departure. By the end of two hours Siffert had lapped the field. Teammate Elford was second, with the two Gulf-Fords, Buzzetta's 908 and the Alpines of Guichet and Bianchi next. Eighth was the leading 2-litre car, Giunti's Alfa with the Matra and Piper's Ferrari filling out the top-10. Porsche then also started having problems as Stommelen and Elford both had electrical issues delaying them. Worse though was when the leading car's clutch broke just before 7pm, stranding Siffert out on the track unable to get back to the pits for repairs. Night This left the two Gulf Fords of Rodriguez/Bianchi and Hawkins/Hobbs swapping the lead going into the night. Then at 9pm Hobbs came into the pits also with a faulty clutch and they lost nearly 2 hours repairing it. Although they got going again, the engine soon expired spectacularly at the end of the Mulsanne Straight, just after midnight. During the night the Guichet/Jabouille Alpine had pitted from 6th but lost three-quarters an hour getting a new starter motor fitted. Approaching 9pm, with the Fords and Porsches now all back on the same lap, the order was changing as often as the pitstops took place. The four Alfas had a stranglehold on the Index of Performance. Soon after, Henri Grandsire had another accident in the Alpine, when it got airborne over the hump at the end of the Mulsanne straight. Again, he was fortunate to be able to walk away uninjured. Then the Mitter/Elford Porsche snapped its alternator belt. When the officials found that the team had changed the alternator they were disqualified (much to the chagrin of team manager Huschke von Hanstein) as that was a part not permitted to be replaced during the course of a race. Just before 11pm another alternator problem took out the Buzzetta/Patrick team car too (from 4th) and Porsche's hopes of outright victory were gone. Yet JWA could not be complacent, as they were also down to one competitive Ford with two-thirds of the race still to run. Early in the second hour the second Howmet turbine had been in the pits for three hours fixing its rear suspension. Consequently, at 11pm it was disqualified for having not covered sufficient distance. The leading Howmet was also hobbled, running at 70% power, due to faulty fuel-control.Parker 2016, p.207 Around midnight Dick Thompson hit oil at the Indianapolis corner, lost control and rolled the car. The Howmets never raced again. The rain returned about 2.30am, got heavier and stayed for the rest of the night. Servoz-Gavin bought the Matra in with the windscreen-wiper faulty again. The Matra crew could not access the motor and were considering retiring until Henri Pescarolo angrily jumped in and took off in the rain, still with the faulty wiper. At the 3am halfway point, the Ford (177 laps) had a comfortable 4-lap lead over the surprising next pair: the new Matra was scrapping with the 2-litre Alfa Romeo of Giunti/Galli. Meanwhile, Stommelen's delayed Porsche 908 was back on song and closing in fourth (170 laps). Fifth, on the same lap, was the Swiss Porsche 907 of Squadra Tartaruga with the Bianchi/Depailler Alpine (169 laps - back after falling to 15th to fix their exhaust) leading the Alfas of Facetti/Dini and Casoni/Biscaldi. The Cortanze/Vinatier Alpine had moved up to 9th ahead of the three Ferrari 275s of David Piper, NART and Scuderia Filipinetti. There were still 30 cars classified as runners. The first two Alfas still led the Index of Performance, narrowly ahead of the Andruet/Nicolas Alpine and the Swiss Porsche. Soon after 5am Sylvain Garant aquaplaned and lost control of the big Corvette at the end of the pit straight in the rain.Automobile Year 1968, p.196 It slammed into the track-walls on both the left and right sides, strewing metal, wood and earth across the track. The injured Garant was taken to hospital. At 4.30am, the 3rd-place Alfa Romeo was delayed in the pits which gave Matra the chance to also pit, losing 3 laps and finally fix the wiper-motor. Just before dawn the Guichet/Jabouille Alpine, that had been fighting back from the back of the field after its delay had almost made it back into the top-10 when an alternator failure stopped their charge. Morning Dawn at 6.30am was gloomy and very wet, however the rain did eventually cease. The Ford now had a 7-lap lead over the Alfa Romeo and Matra, both on the same lap, delighting the French spectators. The Andruet/Nicolas Alpine had also now taken over the Index lead Soon after 11am, with less than four hours left in the race, the most serious accident of the race occurred. Mauro Bianchi, running 6th, had recently left the pits when he crashed heavily approaching the Esses. The full fuel tank exploded in a fireball setting alight the car and the bordering straw bales.Automobile Year 1968, p.195 Bianchi was lucky to survive, although he had severe burns to his face and arms.https://in.reuters.com/article/motor-racing-bianchi-profile/profile-bianchi-had-a-bright-future-idINKCN0PS03B20150718 https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180113/https://in.reuters.com/article/motor-racing-bianchi-profile/profile-bianchi-had-a-bright-future-idINKCN0PS03B20150718 dead February 10, 2018 Profile: Bianchi had a bright future Reuters IN 2018-02-10 en-IN Another casualty was the Matra which got a puncture going through the debris. Servoz-Gavin got back to the pits, losing a place. Then with only 3 hours to go there was a sudden change at the top. The Alfa Romeo came into the pits with suspension failure losing 30 minutes, and 4 laps, getting it repaired. Then more dramatically at 12.30, the pursuing Matra got another puncture. In getting it back to the pits the disintegrating tyre damaged the battery, causing an electrical fire and putting it out of the race. The Swiss Porsche that had been running so reliably inherited second. Finish and post-race alt=The winning GT40 of Rodriguez/Bianchi. It wore #9 during the race.|thumb|The winning GT40 of Rodriguez/Bianchi. It wore #9 during the race. alt=Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 of Giunti/Galli, which finished 4th overall and won the P 2.0 class.|thumb|Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 of Giunti/Galli, which finished 4th overall and won the P 2.0 class. In the end it was a comfortable 5-lap victory to the GT40 of Rodríguez and Bianchi. For Pedro Rodríguez, it was only his second finish after 11 attempts. For Lucien Bianchi it was his 13th Le Mans. In an excellent run for the new Squadra Tartaruga team, Steinemann and Spoerry came in second just a lap ahead of the Stommelen/Neerpasch works car. The repaired Alfa Romeo of Giunti/Galli was fourth, leading a formation finish of their Autodelta teammates coming in 4-5-6, the three of them separated by seventeen laps. Seventh was the green Ferrari of English privateer David Piper, delayed by overheating issues but surprisingly was the only Ferrari finisher this year. Eighth was the remaining 3-litre Alpine, driven by co-designer André de Cortanze and Jean Vinatier. It headed home three of the smaller Alpines, two of which (the Thérier/Tramont 1.3-litre A210 and the Andruet/Nicolas 1-litre works cars) won the two lucrative Index prizes. The leading GT car was the Belgian Porsche of Jean-Pierre Gaban, giving the 911 the first of many overall GT wins for the model. The final classified car, and the only British entry to finish, was the Austin-Healey Sprite in 15th. The Matra board was very satisfied with its new car's promising performance and therefore decided to expand its racing programme. Rico Steinemann, second-place winner and a former racing journalist went on, later in the year, to succeed Huschke von Hanstein as Porsche's Racing Manager.Automobile Year 1968, p.200https://files.porsche.com/filestore/download/usa/none/e92c9626-d185-4784-8aa6-69ec63767a6e/default/36e6f875-1c36-44d2-90fe-886c882018bf/News.pdf Mourning "Rico" Steinemann files.porsche.com 2018-04-29 2018-05-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20180504011159/https://files.porsche.com/filestore/download/usa/none/e92c9626-d185-4784-8aa6-69ec63767a6e/default/36e6f875-1c36-44d2-90fe-886c882018bf/News.pdf dead 1968 would be a terrible year for racing accidents. As well as the career-ending injuries to Willy Mairesse and Mauro Bianchi at this race, a number of other Le Mans veterans were killed or seriously injured over the racing season. These included Ludovico Scarfiotti (Rossfeld hillclimb), Jo Schlesser (French Grand Prix), Brian Redman (injured at Belgian Grand Prix), Mike Spence (Indianapolis), Chris Irwin (Nürburgring) and the great Jim Clark at Hockenheim. Circuit safety would become a greater and greater priority at Le Mans and in motor-racing in the next few years. Official results Finishers Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACOSpurring 2010, p.2 Class Winners are in Bold text. Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps 1 S5.0 9 GBR JW Automotive Engineering MEX Pedro RodriguezBEL Lucien Bianchi Ford GT40 Ford 4.9L V8 331 2 P3.0 66(reserve) CHE Squadra Tartaruga CHE Hans-Heinrich ‘Rico’ SteinemannCHE Dieter Spoerry Porsche 907LH Porsche 2.2L F8 326 3 P3.0 33 DEU Porsche System Engineering FRG Rolf StommelenFRG Jochen Neerpasch Porsche 908LH Porsche 3.0 L Flat-8 325 4 P2.0 39 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Ignazio GiuntiITA Giovanni ‘Nanni’ Galli Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V8 322 5 P2.0 38 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Carlo FacettiITA Spartaco Dini Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V8 315 6 P2.0 40 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Mario CasoniITA Giampiero Biscaldi Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V8 305 7 S5.0 21 GBR D. Piper(private entrant) GBR David PiperGBR Richard Attwood Ferrari 250LM Ferrari 3.3L V12 302 8 P3.0 30 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA André de CortanzeFRA Jean Vinatier Alpine A220 Renault-Gordini 3.0L V8 297 9 P2.0 57(reserve) FRA Ecurie Savin-Calberson FRA Alain LeGuellecFRA Alain Serpaggi Alpine A210 Renault-Gordini 1470cc S4 289 10 P1.3 52 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Luc ThérierFRA Bernard Tramont Alpine A210 Renault-Gordini 1296cc S4 288 11 P1.3 53 FRA Trophée Le Mans FRA Bob WollekFRA Christian Ethuin Alpine A210 Renault-Gordini 1296cc S4 282 12 GT2.0 43 BEL J.-P. Gaban(private entrant) BEL Jean-Pierre GabanBEL Roger van der Schrick Porsche 911 T Porsche 1991cc F6 281 13 GT2.0 64(reserve) FRA C. Laurent(private entrant) FRA Claude LaurentFRA Jean-Claude Ogier Porsche 911 T Porsche 1991cc F6 276 14 P1.15 55 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Pierre NicolasFRA Jean-Claude Andruet Alpine A210 Renault-Gordini 1005cc S4 272 15 P1.3 50 GBR Donald Healey Motor Company GBR Roger EneverIRL Alec Poole Austin-Healey Sprite Le Mans BMC 1293cc S4 255 N/C * P2.0 46 FRA Ecurie Fiat-Abarth France FRA Marcel MartinFRA Jean Mésange Fiat Dino Ferrari 1986cc V6 253 N/C *GT1.361(reserve) FRA Ecurie Léopard FRA Jacques BourdonFRA Maurice Nussbaumer Alpine A110 Renault-Gordini 1296cc S4215 N/C *GT1.351 FRA B. Collomb (private entrant) FRA Bernard CollombFRA François Laccarrau Alpine A110 Renault-Gordini 1296cc S4167 'Note *: Not Classified because Insufficient distance covered. Did Not Finish Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps ReasonDNFP3.024 FRA Equipe Matra Sports FRA Johnny Servoz-GavinFRA Henri Pescarolo Matra MS630 Matra 3.0L V12283 Puncture/fire (22hr)DNFP3.027 FRA Ecurie Savin-Calberson BEL Mauro BianchiFRA Patrick Depailler Alpine A220 Renault-Gordini 3.0L V8257Brakes/accident (22hr)DNFP2.045 FRA J.-P. Hanrioud(private entrant) FRA Jean-Pierre HanrioudCHE André Wicky Porsche 910 Porsche 1991cc F6248Rocker arm (24hr)DNFGT2.044 FRA Auguste Veuillet FRA Guy ChasseuilFRA Claude Ballot-Léna Porsche 911 T Porsche 1991cc F6224Engine (24hr)DNFS5.020 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti CHE Herbert MüllerGBR Jonathan Williams Ferrari 250LM Ferrari 3.3L V12212Wheel bearing (18hr)DNFS5.014 USA North American Racing Team USA Masten GregoryUSA Charlie Kolb Ferrari 250LM Ferrari 3.3L V12209Accident (18hr)DSQS2.042 FRA C. Poirot(private entrant) FRA Christian PoirotFRA Pierre Maublanc Porsche 906 Porsche 1991cc F6202Pit violation (19hr)DNFP3.029 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean GuichetFRA Jean-Pierre Jabouille Alpine A220 Renault-Gordini 3.0L V8185Electrics (16hr)DNFGT+2.04 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti CHE Jean-Michel GiorgiFRA Sylvain Garant Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet 7.0L V8157 Accident (14hr)DNFP2.041 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Nino VaccarellaITA Giancarlo Baghetti Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V8150Fuel pump (12hr)DNFP3.035 ESP 1945 A. Soler-Roig(private entrant) ESP 1945 Alex Soler-RoigAUT Rudi Lins Porsche 907LH Porsche 2.2L F8145Oil leak/camshaft (13hr)DNFS5.06 GBR J. Epstein(private entrant) GBR Jackie EpsteinGBR Edward Nelson Lola T70 Mk. III Chevrolet 5.0L V8143Final drive/camshaft (17hr)DNFS5.012 GBR Strathaven Ltd GBR Mike SalmonGBR Eric Liddell Ford GT40 Ford 4.7L V8131Gearbox (19hr)DNFP3.034 DEU Porsche System Engineering USA Joe BuzzettaUSA Scooter Patrick Porsche 908 LH Porsche 3.0L F8115Alternator (9hr)DSQP3.032 DEU Porsche System Engineering FRG Gerhard MitterGBR Vic Elford Porsche 908 LHPorsche 3.0L F8111Mechanical violation (9hr)DNFS5.010 GBR JW Automotive Engineering AUS Paul HawkinsGBR David Hobbs Ford GT40 Ford 4.9L V8107Engine (10hr)DNFP2.037 BEL Racing Team VDS BEL Teddy PiletteNLD Rob Slotemaker Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V8104Drive shaft (9hr)DSQP3.067(reserve) FRA P. Farjon FRA Robert BuchetFRG Herbert Linge Porsche 907/8Porsche 2.2L F6102Mechanical violation (9hr)DNFS5.019 GBR P. Vestey(private entrant) GBR Paul VesteyUSA Roy Pike Ferrari 250LMFerrari 3.3L V1299Gearbox (11hr)DNFP3.022 USA Howmet Corporation USA Ray Heppenstal USA Dick Thompson Howmet TX Continental Turbine (3.0L equiv)84 Accident (9hr)DNFGT+2.017 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti CHE Jacques ReyCHE Claude Haldi Ferrari 275 GTBCompetizione Ferrari 3.3L V1278 Accident (8hr)DNFP1.1556 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Louis MarnatFRA Jean-François Gerbault Alpine A210 Renault-Gordini 1005cc S471Ignition (9hr)DSQP3.023 USA Howmet Corporation USA Bob TulliusGBR Hugh Dibley Howmet TX Continental Turbine (3.0L equiv)60Insufficient distance (9hr)DNFP3.031 DEU Porsche System Engineering CHE Jo SiffertFRG Hans Herrmann Porsche 908 Porsche 3.0L F859Clutch (5hr)DNFP3.028 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Henri GrandsireFRA Gérard Larrousse Alpine A220 Renault-Gordini 3.0L V859Brakes/ Accident (7hr)DNFP2.036 USA North American Racing Team FRA François ChevalierFRA Bernard Lagier de Giuseppe Dino 206 S Ferrari 1986cc V654Engine (7hr)DNFGT+2.03 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti ITA Umberto MaglioliFRA Henri Greder Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet 7.0L V853Head gasket (6hr)DNFP2.049 GBR C. J. Lawrence(private entrant) GBR Chris LawrenceGBR John Wingfield Deep Sanderson 302 Ford 1598cc S435Fuel injection (6hr)DNFGT2.060(reserve) CHE Wicky Racing Team FRG Willy MeierFRA Jean de Mortemart Porsche 911 T Porsche 1991cc F630 Accident (3hr)DNFP3.025 GBR J. Woolfe(private entrant) GBR John WoolfeGBR Digby Martland Chevron B12 Repco 2,996cc V827Head gasket (3hr)DNFP2.047 GBR Donald Healey Motor Company GBR Clive BakerGBR Andrew Hedges Healey SR Coventry Climax 1968cc V820Clutch (3hr)DNFS5.011 GBR JW Automotive Engineering AUS Brian MuirGBR Jackie Oliver Ford GT40 Ford 4.9L V815Accident/clutch (5hr)DSQS5.07 SWE Sportscars Unlimited SWE Ulf NorinderSWE Sten Axelsson Lola T70 Mk. III Chevrolet 5.0 L V847Abandoned car (5hr)DNFP2.065(reserve) BEL Racing Team VDS BEL Serge TroschAUT Karl von Wendt Alfa Romeo T33/2 Alfa Romeo 1996cc V87Conrod (2hr)DNFP1.354 FRA André Moynet(private entrant) FRA Max JeanFRA René Ligonnet Moynet XS Simca 1204cc S46Oil pump (3hr)DNFS5.08 BEL C. Dubois(private entrant) BEL Willy MairesseBEL “Beurlys” (Jean Blaton) Ford GT40 Ford 4.7L V8used Ford 4.9L V80 Accident (1hr) Did Not Start Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Reason DNSGT+2.0 5 ITA Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus ITA Giorgio PiantaITA Enrico Pinto Iso Rivolta GT Chevrolet 5.4L V8 Practice accident DNQP2.0 48 GBR Marcos Racing Ltd. GBR Jeremy ‘Jem’ MarshGBR John Quick Marcos GT Volvo B20 1998cc S4 Did not qualify DNQ P1.3 68(reserve) FRA H. Giraud(private entrant) FRA Patrick ChampinFRA Philippe Marchesi Hrubon Renault 1296cc S4 Did not qualify DNP GT+2.0 15 USA North American Racing Team USA Bob GrossmanCHE Edgar Berney Ferrari 275 GTBCompetizione Ferrari 3.3L V12 Failed scrutineeringDNAGT+2.01 USA Sunray DX Oil Company Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet 7.0L V8 WithdrawnDNAGT+2.02 USA Sunray DX Oil Company Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet 7.0L V8 WithdrawnDNAS5.016 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti Ferrari 275LM Ferrari 3.3L V12 WithdrawnDNAS5.018 CHE Scuderia Filipinetti CHE Edgar BerneyPRT Francisco de Heredia Ferrari 250LM Ferrari 3.3L V12 WithdrawnDNAP3.026 ITA Automobili Serenissima GBR Jonathan Williams Serenissima Mk.168 ATS 3.0L V8WithdrawnDNAP2.045 NLD B. Pon(private entrant) NLD Ben PonNLD Gijs van Lennep Porsche 910 Porsche 1991cc F6Withdrawn Class Winners ClassPrototypeWinners ClassSportsWinners ClassGTWinners Prototype 5000 #66 Porsche 907 LH Steinemann / Spoerry Sports5000 #9 Ford GT40 Rodriguez / Bianchi Grand Touring2000 no finishers Prototype 2000 #39 Alfa Romeo T33/2 Giunti / Galli Sports 2000 no finishers Grand Touring 2000 #43 Porsche 911 T Gaban / Schrick Prototype 1600 #57 Alpine A210 LeGuellec / Serpaggi Sports 1600 no entrants Grand Touring 1600 no entrants Prototype 1300 #52 Alpine A210 Thérier / Tramont Sports 1300 no entrants Grand Touring 1300 no finishers Prototype 1150 #55 Alpine A210 Nicolas / Andruet * Sports 1150 no entrants Grand Touring 1150 no entrants Note: setting a new Distance Record. Index of Thermal Efficiency Spurring 2010, p.171 Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 P1.3 52 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Luc ThérierFRA Bernard Tramont Alpine A210 1.16 2 P2.0 57 FRA Ecurie Savin-Calberson FRA Alain LeGuellecFRA Alain Serpaggi Alpine A210 1.07 3 P1.3 53 FRA Trophée Le Mans FRA Bob WollekFRA Christian Ethuin Alpine A210 1.06 4 S5.0 9 GBR JW Automotive Engineering MEX Pedro RodriguezBEL Lucien Bianchi Ford GT40 1.04 5 P1.15 55 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Pierre NicolasFRA Jean-Claude Andruet Alpine A210 0.94 6= P1.3 50 GBR Donald Healey Motor Company GBR Roger EneverIRL Alec Poole Austin-Healey Sprite Le Mans 0.91 6= GT2.0 64 FRA C. Laurent(private entrant) FRA Claude LaurentFRA Jean-Claude Ogier Porsche 911 T 0.91 8 P2.0 39 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Ignazio GiuntiITA Giovanni ‘Nanni’ Galli Alfa Romeo T33/2 0.86 9= P3.0 66 CHE Squadra Tartaruga CHE Hans-Heinrich ‘Rico’ SteinemannCHE Dieter Spoerry Porsche 907LH 0.82 9= P3.0 33 DEU Porsche System Engineering FRG Rolf StommelenFRG Jochen Neerpasch Porsche 908LH 0.82 Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings. Index of Performance Taken from Moity's book.Moity 1974, p.176 Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 P1.15 55 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Pierre NicolasFRA Jean-Claude Andruet Alpine A210 1.197 2 P2.0 39 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Ignazio GiuntiITA Giovanni ‘Nanni’ Galli Alfa Romeo T33/2 1.175 3 P3.0 66 CHE Squadra Tartaruga CHE Hans-Heinrich ‘Rico’ SteinemannCHE Dieter Spoerry Porsche 907LH 1.170 4 P1.3 52 FRA Société AutomobilesAlpine FRA Jean-Luc ThérierFRA Bernard Tramont Alpine A210 1.159 5 P2.0 38 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Carlo FacettiITA Spartaco Dini Alfa Romeo T33/2 1.149 6 P1.3 53 FRA Trophée Le Mans FRA Bob WollekFRA Christian Ethuin Alpine A210 1.136 7 P2.0 57 FRA Ecurie Savin-Calberson FRA Alain LeGuellecFRA Alain Serpaggi Alpine A210 1.127 8 P3.0 33 DEU Porsche System Engineering FRG Rolf StommelenFRG Jochen Neerpasch Porsche 908LH 1.117 9 P2.0 40 ITA Autodelta SpA ITA Mario CasoniITA Giampiero Biscaldi Alfa Romeo T33/2 1.113 10 P1.3 50 GBR Donald Healey Motor Company GBR Roger EneverIRL Alec Poole Austin-Healey Sprite Le Mans 1.098 Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings. A score of 1.00 means meeting the minimum distance for the car, and a higher score is exceeding the nominal target distance. Statistics Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO Fastest Lap in practice – J. Siffert, #31 Porsche 908 LH – 3:35.4secs; 225.11 km/h on Fastest Lap – R. Stommelen, #33 Porsche 908 LH– 3:38.1secs; 222.32 km/h on Winning Distance – 4452.88 km on Winner's Average Speed – 185.54 km/h on Attendance – 300 000 http://www.wsrp.cz/wsc1968.html#10 1968 24 h Le Mans World Sports Racing Prototypes.com 2018-04-24 http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1968-09-29.html 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours Racing Sports Cars.com 2018-04-24 International Championship for Makes Standings As calculated after Le Mans, Round 10 of 10 http://www.wsrp.cz/tablewscmakes.html#1968- International Championship for Makes World Sports Racing Prototypes.com 2018-04-24 Pos Manufacturer Points 1 USA Ford 45 2 West Germany Porsche 42 3 ITA Alfa Romeo 15½ 4= FRA Alpine 4 4= USA Chevrolet 4 4= USA Howmet 4 7 ITA Ferrari 2 4 GBR Lola 1 Citations 30em References Armstrong, Douglas – English editor (1968) Automobile Year #16 1968-69 Lausanne: Edita S.A. Clarke, R.M. - editor (1997) Le Mans 'The Ford and Matra Years 1966-1974' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books 1-85520-373-1 Clausager, Anders (1982) Le Mans London: Arthur Barker Ltd 0-213-16846-4 Laban, Brian (2001) Le Mans 24 Hours London: Virgin Books 1-85227-971-0 Moity, Christian (1974) The Le Mans 24 Hour Race 1949-1973 Radnor, Pennsylvania: Chilton Book Co 0-8019-6290-0 Parker, Paul (2016) Sports Car Racing In Camera Vol 2 1960-69 Wincanton: Behemoth Pumblishing 978-0-99287-694-4 Spurring, Quentin (2010) Le Mans 1960-69 Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing 978-1-84425-584-9 External links Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1968 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 24 April 2018 Le Mans History – Le Mans History, hour-by-hour (incl. pictures, YouTube links). Retrieved 24 April 2018 World Sports Racing Prototypes – results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 24 April 2018 Team Dan – results & reserve entries, explaining driver listings. Retrieved 24 April 2018 Unique Cars & Parts – results & reserve entries. Retrieved 24 April 2018 YouTube – Race highlights with English commentary (35min). Retrieved 25 May 2025 YouTube – Race highlights, in colour but with music accompaniment (8min). Retrieved 25 May 2025 YouTube – Black & white coverage of the exciting final laps with English commentary (10min). Retrieved 25 May 2025 Category:24 Hours of Le Mans races Le Mans Category:1968 in French motorsport