1961 24 Hours of Le Mans

29th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race 1960 1961 1962 The 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race for Sports cars and Grand Touring cars staged at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France on 10 and 11 June 1961. It was the 29th Grand Prix of Endurance and the fourth race of the 1961 World Sportscar Championship. Ferrari and Maserati were the main contenders, with Aston Martin an outside chance. thumb|upright=1.3|Le Mans in 1961 Ferrari's competition soon wilted in the race – the Maseratis were fast but fragile. The Aston Martins, though reliable, couldn't match the Italian cars’ pace. In the end it was a race between the two works team cars and the North American Racing Team entry driven by the Rodriguez brothers. When the private entry failed with just two hours to go, it was a clear 1-2 result for the Ferrari works team with the Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill Ferrari 250 TRI/61 winning from the similar car driven by Mike Parkes and Willy Mairesse. A privately entered Ferrari GT 250 was third with an American-run Maserati Tipo 63 fighting it way back up to fourth, a full 22 laps behind the winning car. Regulations The second year of the new FIA regulations did not see significant changes. The controversial windscreen rules regarding minimum height and width were also updated with a maximum slope, which closed the loophole that Maserati had cleverly worked around in the previous year.Spurring 2011, p.51 For its part, race-organisers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) increased the maximum continuous driving stint up from 52 to 60 laps, given the faster speeds the cars were running at. However, the total driving time remained at 14 hours per driver. The time to complete the final lap time-limit was shortened from 30 to 20 minutes to reduce the incidents of slow or stationary cars out on the circuit trying to run down the clock to finish. Scrutineering was moved from the Place des Jacobins in Le Mans city to the circuit. Finally, this year the ACO trialled a new IBM race-timing computer system (which had a few teething problemsClarke 2009, p.79: Autocar Jun16 1961) and opened the first French automobile museum.Moity 1974, p.82 Entries With the dropping interest in the World Championship, from both manufacturers and fans, there were only 65 entries in total for the race. With two entries rejected, there were 55 starters and 8 reserves. It could be said that the modern Le Mans started in 1961 with the presence of significant mid- and rear-engined cars.Clausager 1982, p.111 Official ‘works’ entries numbered 26, although Maserati and Aston Martin both gave support to their customer teams. Biggest team presence was the 5-strong Deutsch & Bonnet team, with 4-car entries from the Scuderia Ferrari, Porsche, Abarth and NART teams. Category Classes Sportsentries GTentries Totalentries Large-engines 5.0+, 5.0, 4.0, 3.0, 2.5L1110 (+2 reserves)21 Medium-engines 2.0, 1.6, 1.3L7 (+1 reserve)11 (+1 reserves)18 Small-engines 1.15, 1.0, 0.85L16 (+3 reserves)016 Total Cars 34 (+4 reserves)21 (+3 reserves)55 (+7 reserves) Once again Ferrari dominated the entry list with 11 cars spreads across both the Sport and GT divisions. The racing division of the company was now entitled Societa Esercizio Fabbriche Automobili e Corse (SEFAC) and it arrived with four cars. Two were the latest iteration of the proven Testarossa race-winner, for their best endurance-racing partnership: Phil Hill / Olivier Gendebien as well as Willy Mairesse with Ferrari-debutante Mike Parkes.Spurring 2010, p.53 There was also the new, very fast, mid-engined Ferrari 246 SP which had already impressed in the season to be driven Ferrari's lead F1 drivers Wolfgang von Trips / Richie Ginther. The 2.4-litre V6 engine developed 270 bhp.Spurring 2010, p.54 The final works entry was a prototype of the new GT car being built for the upcoming 1962 rules changes. It still had the 3-litre V12 engine used in the Testarossa and was driven by Giancarlo Baghetti and Fernand Tavano (who had won the GT-division in the 1960 race as a Ferrari privateer).Spurring 2010, p.55 The North American Racing Team (NART) was also entered, with the TR61 car that had won the Sebring race. It would be driven by the very fast, young, Rodriguez brothers, Pedro and Ricardo Maserati arrived with a new model, the Tipo 63, with a mid-mounted, 3-litre variant of the famous 250F V12 Grand Prix engine. It was said to be capable of 300 kp/h (185 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight.Clarke 2009, p.73: Autocar Jun16 1961 Two were entered by Briggs Cunningham, who had raced it at Sebring and a third for the Scuderia Serenissima, who had run it in the Targa Florio. Camoradi did not send its cars this year. Cunningham himself was entered with Bill Kimberley in a longtail 2-litre T60.Spurring 2010, p.60 Representing Great Britain was Aston Martin and Cooper. Jaguar was a notable absentee for the first time since 1950. The Border Reivers, the only team to break up the Ferrari monopoly at the previous year's results, returned with their DBR1/300. This year Jim Clark was paired with two-time winner Ron Flockhart.Spurring 2010, p.64 His former team, Ecurie Ecosse, ran the new Cooper T57. Running with the 2.6-litre FPF Climax engine it was underpowered on the straights, but excellent handling kept it competitive.Spurring 2010, p.67 Porsche arrived with three of their new RS61 cars, each with a different Flat-four engine. The 2-litre variant now developed 185 bhp with a top speed of 155 mph (250 kp/h). It was driven by Masten Gregory and Bob Holbert. The two coupés were driven by the Porsche F1 team drivers Hans Herrmann / Edgar Barth and Jo Bonnier/Dan Gurney.Spurring 2010, p.62 Completing the 2-litre field, Triumph once again entered three cars in the Sports division, as its TR4 had not been homologated for GT racing as yet.Spurring 2010, p.65 The smaller-engined classes were well supported once again, with Abarth, Austin Healey and OSCA taking on the dominant Deutsch et Bonnet cars. As well as the standard, reliable HBR-4 cars, DB also introduced its new mid-engined HBR-5 spyder for Vidilles/Moynet.Spurring 2010, p.56 Six Abarth entries included four works cars. The little 701cc Fiat engine developed a mere 64 bhp. A special 850cc-variant (developing 73 bhp and doing 120 mph on the Mulsanne straight) was in the reserves to be driven by New Zealanders Denis Hulme/Angus Hyslop.Spurring 2010, p.61 OSCA arrived with one of their successful 750 Sport cars as a works entry and an up-engined 988cc entered by NART for the Index prizes. Once again the GT division was dominated by Ferrari with seven privateer entries. Stirling Moss was back, with Graham Hill, this time in a Ferrari co-entered by Rob Walker and NART. This year, their main competition would come from the Aston Martin DB4s of John Ogier's new Essex Racing Team (who also ran a DBR1/300 in the Sports division) and French privateer Jean Kerguen. Re-styled by Zagato, they were the biggest cars in the field with their 3.7-litre engines. Otherwise, the mid-range GT classes were rather limited. A pair of French AC Aces were the only entries in the 2-litre class, Lotus had the 1.3-litre category to itself with five Elites entered including two works cars. There was competition in the 1.6-litre class though, with Porsche up against Sunbeam returning to Le Mans after over 30 years away Curiously, Chris Lawrence's Morgan 4+4 entry was rejected by the ACO because it looked, essentially, too old-fashioned and not meeting the ‘spirit of the race’.Clarke 2009, p.72: Autocar Jun16 1961 Practice Over the April test weekend, the Ferrari 246 SP was fastest, three seconds ahead of Hill in the Testarossa and fully nine seconds from the Maserati Tipo 63s. The Ferrari 250 GT was fully 20 seconds faster than its Aston Martin competition.Spurring 2010, p.73 However, Jo Schlesser crashed one of the GTs, breaking his arm and leg, keeping him out of the race.Spurring 2010, p.59 In official practice, Ginther in the 246 SP was again fastest. Mike Parkes, who had never driven a Testarossa before, was immediately on the pace with 4th fastest time. Race Start alt=The winning Ferrari 250 TRI/61 of Gendebien and Hill|thumb|The winning Ferrari 250 TRI/61 of Gendebien and Hill The day of the race started with light showers, but by the time 4pm came around the overcast conditions had dried out the circuit.Spurring 2010, p.49 Moss, as always, was quick but by dint of starting further up the grid, Jim Clark's Aston Martin was first car under the Dunlop bridge. Two of the last to get away were Mike Parkes’ Ferrari and Augie Pabst's Maserati. But at the end of the first lap, Ginther in the 246 SP led Hill's Testarossa, Hansgen's Maserati then Pedro Rodriguez in the NART Ferrari, Clark, Moss & Salvadori.Clarke 2009, p.74: Autocar Jun16 1961 Within five laps, Rodriguez had got to the front and together with Ginther and Hill they built a gap from the chasing pack, swapping places often. The first pitstops and driver-changes came after 90 minutes of racing. The 246SP was able to run up to 15 minutes longer before refuelling, therefore building up a bit of a lead. The showers returned around 6pm, wet enough to make the track very slippery.Clarke 2009, p.76: Autocar Jun16 1961 Walt Hansgen went off at speed at Tertre Rouge, while running fourth. The impact broke his arm and cracked some vertebrae.Spurring 2010, p.50 Bill Halford, running 7th in the Ecosse Cooper soon after taking the wheel, went off at the Dunlop Curve, hitting the embankment at nearly 200 km/h (120 mph). The car rolled, throwing Halford out but he luckily escaped with just scratches and bruises. Then Bill McKay crashed the Ecosse Sprite at Maison Blanche also breaking his arm. Stirling Moss & Graham Hill had been putting in incredible lap-times with their Ferrari GT, easily leading the GT division, but also ahead of the Aston Martin and Maserati prototypes. Moss even recorded the 7th fastest racing lap ever on the circuit. By 7pm they were running fifth overall. At 8pm, after four hours and two pitstops, the race order was the Ferraris of von Trips, P.Rodriguez, P.Hill and Parkes. Salvadori was 5th, the last car on the lead lap. Then came the Ferrari GTs of Moss, Tavano and Noblet with Clark in 9th. The UDT Lotus was leading the Index of Performance, with von Trips in second . Night The rain continued into the early evening. Then about 10.30pm Ginther had to pit to have its lights fixed that cost them 10 minutes and several laps. This left Hill/Gendebien ahead of the rival Rodriguez brothers then their teammates Parkes/Mairesse. What prevented the race becoming a dull, repetitive procession was the inter-team rivalry between NART and the works team. Close racing in a damp night meant the lead changed repeatedly through the night. At 1am, after 9 hours, the two leading cars had done 123 laps, Parkes-Mairesse 3 laps back, then Ginther/von Trips, Moss/Hill and Salvadori/Maggs all on 118 laps. Seventh was the Pabst/Thompson Maserati two laps further back.Clarke 2009, p.77: Autocar Jun16 1961 However, at 1.30am the Walker Ferrari was nobbled by a dislodged fan blade slicing a radiator hose, ending its fine run. The Ferrari GT prototype had been running very well, staying in the top ten, stalking the Walker 250 GT, however in the early hours of Sunday it was retired with engine issues. Not long before that Clark's Aston Martin had blown its engine on the Mulsanne straight while he was running 5th. The Essex Aston Martin of Salvadori/Maggs moved up to fifth place. At 4am, the Rodriguez brothers led from the three works Ferraris, then the Aston Martin and the recovering Maserati. Noblet's Ferrari GT was 7th, ahead of Tavano's GT prototype, the leading Porsche (Bonnier/Gurney) and Trintignant's GT. The privateer DB of Masson/Armagnac was leading the Index of Performance from the Contrillier/Foitek Abarth.Clarke 2009, p.78: Autocar Jun16 1961 Morning alt=The Ferrari 246 SP driven by Ginther/Von Trips, which retired after running out of fuel.|thumb|The Ferrari 246 SP driven by Ginther/Von Trips, which retired after running out of fuel. By dawn the track was drying again. But at 7.30am, the NART car came into the pits with a bad misfire, and it took half an hour to fix. Von Trips and Ginther had driven hard after their delay and managed to get back up to second place, four laps behind Hill/Gendebien. But then at 8am, another bad miscalculation by the Ferrari team ran von Trips out of fuel in consecutive Le Mans.Spurring 2010, p.51 The Essex Aston Martin had been lapping consistently, moving up to 4th when the Ferrari retired. However it was retired mid-morning with a split, leaking, oil tank. Another hard pursuit, this time by the NART Ferrari trying to make up their lost half hour, kept the spectators interested. By midday they had overtaken Mairesse and was in second. But the strain finally told on the engine and at 2pm, with just 2 hours to go, the Rodriguez’ Ferrari crawled into the pits with terminal engine issues. Bonnier and Gurney had been running a strong 5th but became the first Porsche retirement when its engine broke after 12.30pm. The French Aston Martin GT had been running well, 3rd in class behind the Ferraris and 9th overall. But with an hour to go, at its last pitstop, a mechanic left a spanner in the engine and it short-circuited the battery.Spurring 2010, p.66 Finish and post-race thumb|The Ferrari 250 GT which placed third outright and won the GT 3000 class in the hand of Pierre Noblet and Jean Guichet. From there on, the team Ferraris held station with the race finishing under soft rain. Hill and Gendebien, the 1958 winners, won again finishing three laps (37.86 km on) ahead of their teammates Parkes/Mairesse.Spurring 2010, p.344 Third place, and thirteen laps further back, was the privateer Ferrari GT of Noblet/Guichet ahead of the Pabst/Thompson Maserati. Porsche had a better race this year, with the all-American Gregory/Holbert works car finishing an excellent 5th, after consistently running in the top-10 from Saturday night. The Herrmann/Barth car came in 7th, while the Porsche GT of Linge/Pon was 10th, easily winning its class. Briggs Cunningham had an uncomplicated race in the 2-litre Maserati, never missing a beat as it finished 8th. In fact, it was the car that spent the shortest time in the pits during the race. Triumph again staged a formation finish, however this year its three cars were classified, the best one finishing 9th. In the competitive 850cc class, it was the two ‘Kiwis’ in the Abarth 850 that beat the chasing DBs home by a clear six laps. The Foitek/Condrillier Abarth had the great misfortune to break an oil-pipe on the penultimate lap preventing the Italian marque claiming a 1-2 class finish. This 5th win for Ferrari put it on equal footing with Bentley and Jaguar for most victories.Clausager 1982, p.115 The win contributed to a significant year for Ferrari. Bandini and Scarfiotti won the final round at the new race at Pescara securing the World Championship. Baghetti went on a purple streak winning his first three F1 races and becoming the only driver to win an F1 World Championship race in his first opportunity, at Reims. Ferrari won the F1 Constructor's Championship and Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips were the two contenders for the Driver's title that was sadly decided when von Trips was killed at Monza. This was also the last Le Mans for Stirling Moss who had a career-ending crash at Goodwood early in the next year. In his ten appearances he never won, but his speed and competitiveness was always a highlight for the spectators. The Index of Performance again went to a DB, but not the works team. Instead it was the small Equipe Chardonnet which won the prize. The special Sunbeam coupé won the Index of Thermal Efficiency, and the company promptly produced a short run of the “Harrington Le Mans” model to capitalise on its success.Spurring 2010, p.58 This was the last year of the Sportscar World Championship (in its current form) as the FIA had decreed that going forward, the Championship would be based around GT cars.Spurring 2011, p.78 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 S3.0 10 ITA SEFAC Ferrari BEL Olivier GendebienUSA Phil Hill Ferrari 250 TRI/61 Ferrari 3.0L V12 333 2 S3.0 11 ITA SEFAC Ferrari BEL Willy MairesseGBR Mike Parkes Ferrari 250 TRI/61 Ferrari 3.0L V12 330 3 GT3.0 14 BEL P. Noblet(private entrant) BEL Pierre NobletFRA Jean Guichet Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 317 4 S3.0 7 USA Briggs Cunningham USA Augie PabstUSA Dick Thompson Maserati Tipo 63 Maserati 3.0L V12 311 5 S2.0 33 FRG Porsche KG USA Masten GregoryUSA Bob Holbert Porsche RS61 Spyder Porsche 1967cc F4 309 6 GT3.0 20 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge USA Bob GrossmanBEL André Pilette Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 309 7 S2.0 32 FRG Porsche KG DEU Edgar BarthDEU Hans Herrmann Porsche RS61 Coupé Porsche 1606cc F4 306 8 S2.0 24 USA B.S. Cunningham USA Briggs CunninghamUSA Bill Kimberley Maserati Tipo 60 Maserati 1989cc S4 303 9 S2.0 27 GBR Standard Triumph Ltd GBR Peter BoltonGBR Keith Ballisat Triumph TR4S Triumph 1985cc S4 284 10 GT1.6 36 FRG Porsche KG DEU Herbert LingeNLD Ben Pon Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth Porsche 1588cc S4 284 11 S2.0 26le mans results GBR Standard Triumph Ltd GBR Les LestonNLD Rob Slotemaker Triumph TR4S Triumph 1985cc S4 279 12 GT1.3 38 GBR Team Lotus Engineering GBR Trevor Taylor GBR Bill Allen Lotus Elite Coventry Climax 1216cc S4 268 13 GT1.3 40 FRA Ecurie Edger FRA Bernard KosselekFRA Pierre Messenez Lotus Elite Coventry Climax 1216cc S4 267 14 S850 60(reserve) ITA Abarth & Cie NZL Denny HulmeNZL Angus Hyslop Abarth 850S Fiat 847cc S4 263 15 S2.0 25 GBR Standard Triumph Ltd FRA Marcel BecquartUSA Mike Rothschild Triumph TR4S Triumph 1985cc S4 262 16 GT1.6 34 GBR Sunbeam Talbot GBR Peter HarperGBR Peter Procter Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Sunbeam 1592cc S4 261 17 GT2.0 28 FRA Equipe Chardonnet FRA Jean-Claude MagneFRA Georges Alexandrovitch AC Ace Bristol 1971cc S6 261 18 S850 53 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Gérard LaureauFRA Robert Bouharde D.B. HBR-4 Spyder Panhard 702cc F2 257 19 S850 45 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA André MoynetFRA Jean-Claude Vidilles D.B. HBR-5 Spyder Panhard 848cc F2 243 20 S850 48 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA André GuilhaudinFRA Jean-François Jaeger D.B. HBR-4 Panhard 848cc F2 243 21 S850 47 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Edgar RollinFRA René Bartholoni D.B. HBR-4 Panhard 848cc F2 239 22 S850 52 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Jean-Claude CaillaudFRA Robert Mougin D.B. HBR-4 Rallye Panhard 848cc F2 237 Did not finish Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps Reason DNF S3.0 17 USA North American Racing Team MEX Pedro RodríguezMEX Ricardo Rodríguez Ferrari 250 TRI/61 Ferrari 3.0L V12 305 engine (23hr) DNF GT4.0 1 FRA J. Kerguen(private entrant) FRA Jean KerguenFRA "Franc" (Jacques Dewez) Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Aston Martin 3.7L S6 286 battery (24hr) DNF S2.0 30 FRG Porsche KG SWE Joakim ‘Jo’ BonnierUSA Dan Gurney Porsche RS61 Coupé Porsche 1679cc F4 262 engine (23hr) DNF GT1.6 37 FRA A. Veuillet(private entrant) FRA Pierre MonneretFRA Robert Buchet Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth Porsche 1588cc S4 261 engine (23hr) DNF S850 55 ITA Abarth & Cie FRA Paul CondrillierCHE Karl Foitek Abarth 700S Fiat 701cc S4 255 oil pipe (24hr) DNF GT3.0 21 GBR Ecurie Chiltern GBR John BekaertGBR Richard “Dickie” Stoop Austin-Healey 3000 BMC 2.9L S6 254 engine (23hr) DNF S3.0 4 GBR Essex Racing Team GBR Roy SalvadoriZAF 1928 Tony Maggs Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L S6 243 split oil tank (19hr) DNF S2.5 23 ITA SEFAC Ferrari DEU Wolfgang von TripsUSA Richie Ginther Ferrari 246 SP Ferrari 2.4L V6 231 out of fuel (17hr) DNF S850 54 FRA R. Masson(private entrant) FRA Roger MassonFRA Paul Armagnac D.B. HBR-4 Panhard 702cc F2 208 engine (20hr) DNF GT1.3 39 GBR Team Lotus Engineering GBR John ‘Mac’ WyllieGBR David Buxton Lotus Elite Coventry Climax 1216cc S4 193 overheating (20hr) DNF S3.0 12 ITA SEFAC Ferrari FRA Fernand TavanoITA Giancarlo Baghetti Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 163 engine (13hr) DNF GT3.0 16 ITA Scuderia Serenissima FRA Maurice TrintignantITA Carlo Maria Abate Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 162 transmission (13hr) DNF S3.0 5 GBR Border Reivers GBR Jim ClarkGBR Ron Flockhart Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L S6 132 clutch (11hr) DSQ GT1.6 35 GBR Sunbeam Talbot GBR Peter JoppGBR Paddy Hopkirk Sunbeam Alpine Sunbeam 1592cc S4 130 premature refill (12hr) DNF S1.0 43 USA North American Racing Team USA Ed Hugus USA David Cunningham O.S.C.A. Sport 1000 OSCA 988c S4 125 clutch (13hr) DNF S850 8 ITA Scuderia Serenissima ITA Piero FrescobaldiITA Raffaele Cammarota Abarth 700 S Spider Fiat 701cc S4 124 suspension (12hr) DNF GT3.0 18 USA North American Racing TeamGBR Rob Walker Racing Team GBR Stirling MossGBR Graham Hill Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 121 water hose (10hr) DNF GT2.0 29 CHE Ecurie Lausannoise CHE André WickyCHE Edgar Berney AC Ace Bristol 1971cc S6 115 overheating (11hr) DNF S850 56 ITA Abarth & Cie ITA Giancarlo SalaITA Giancarlo Rigamonti Abarth 700S Fiat 701cc S4 111 dynamo (13hr) DNF S850 51 GBR UDT Laystall Racing Team GBR Cliff AllisonGBR Mike McKee Lotus Elite Coventry Climax FWMC 742cc S4 102 engine (11hr) DNF GT1.3 41 FRA Ecurie Los Amigos FRA Jean-François MalleGBR Robin Carnegie Lotus Elite Coventry Climax 1216cc S4 86 out of fuel (10hr) DNF S850 50 Italy Automobili OSCA FRA Jean LarocheGBR Colin Davis O.S.C.A. Sport 750 OSCA 746cc S4 85 overheating (10hr) DNF GT3.0 19 USA North American Racing Team USA George ArentsUSA George Reed Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 76 electrical (7hr) DNF S1.0 42 GBR Donald Healey Motor Company USA John K. Colgate Jr.AUS Paul Hawkins Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite BMC 994cc S4 64 engine (8hr) DNF GT3.0 15 BEL Ecurie Francorchamps BEL Lucien BianchiBEL Georges Berger Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 60 clutch (7hr) DNF S3.0 9 ITA Scuderia Serenissima ITA Ludovico ScarfiottiITA Nino Vaccarella Maserati Tipo 63 Maserati 3.0L V12 53 engine (7hr) DNF S1.0 46 GBR Ecurie Ecosse GBR Ninian SandersonGBR Alan McKay Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite BMC 994cc S4 40 accident (4hr) DNF S3.0 22 GBR Ecurie Ecosse GBR Tommy DicksonGBR Bruce Halford Cooper T57 ‘Monaco’ Coventry Climax 2.6L S4 32 accident (3hr) DNF S3.0 6 USA B.S. Cunningham USA Walt HansgenNZL Bruce McLaren Maserati Tipo 63 Maserati 3.0L V12 31 accident (3hr) DNF GT4.0 3 GBR Essex Racing Team AUS Lex DavisonAUS Bib Stillwell Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Aston Martin 3.7L S6 25 engine (3hr) DNF GT4.0 2 GBR Essex Racing Team GBR Jack FairmanFRA Bernard Consten Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Aston Martin 3.7L S6 22 engine (3hr) DNF S850 49 ITA Abarth & Cie ITA Teodoro ZeccoliFRA Jean Vinatier Abarth 700 S Spider Fiat 701cc S4 15 accident (2hr) DNF S2.0 58(reserve) GBR T. Lund(private entrant) GBR Ted LundZAF 1928 Bob Olthoff MG MGA Twin Cam MG 1762cc S4 14 engine (2hr) Did not start Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Reason DNS GT1.3 31 GBR Team Lotus Engineering GBR Trevor TaylorGBR Peter Arundell Lotus 19 Coventry Climax 1964cc S4 Withdrawn DNS S1.0 44 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge BEL Claude DuboisFRA Gerhard Langlois van Ophem Abarth 1000S Fiat 982cc S4 Withdrawn DNS GT3.0 57(reserve) FRA R. de Lageneste(private entrant) FRA Roger de LagenesteFRA “Loustel” (Pierre Dumay) Ferrari 250 GT SWB Ferrari 3.0L V12 Notrequired DNS S850 59(reserve) FRA M. Martin(private entrant) FRA Maurice Martin FRA Jean-François Jaeger D.B. HBR Panhard 851cc F2 Notrequired DNS GT3.0 61(reserve) GBR Cambridge Racing GBR Jim ClarkGBR Trevor Taylor Austin-Healey 3000 BMC 2.9L S6 Notrequired DNS GT1.3 62(reserve) FRA M. Porthault(private entrant) FRA Maurice PorthaultFRA Jean Devos Lotus Elite Coventry Climax 1216cc S4 Notrequired DNS S850 63(reserve) FRA C. Faucher(private entrant) ITA Christian FaucherFRA J-J Petit BMW 700S BMW 700cc S4 Notrequired alt=The winner of the Sports 2000 cc class, a works Porsche 718 RS61 Spyder driven by Gregory and Holbert|thumb|The winner of the Sports 2000 class, a works Porsche 718 RS61 Spyder driven by Gregory and Holbert Class winners ClassWinners! Sports 4000 not eligible Grand Touring 4000 no finishers Sports 3000#10 Ferrari 250 TRI/61Gendebien / Hill Grand Touring 3000#14 Ferrari 250 GT SWBNoblet / Guichet Sports 2500 no finishers Grand Touring 2500 no entrants Sports 2000#33 Porsche RS61 SpyderGregory / Holbert Grand Touring 2000#28 AC AceMagne / Alexandrovitch Sports 1600 no entrants Grand Touring 1600#36 Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL AbarthLinge / Pon Sports 1300 no entrants Grand Touring 1300#38 Lotus EliteTaylor / Allen Sports 1150 no entrants Grand Touring 1150 no entrants Sports 1000 no finishers Grand Touring 1000 no entrants Sports 850#60 Abarth 850SHulme / Hyslop Grand Touring 850 not eligible Index of Thermal Efficiency Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 GT1.6 34 GBR Sunbeam Talbot GBR Peter HarperGBR Peter Procter Sunbeam Alpine Harrington 1.07 2= GT1.3 40 FRA Ecurie Edger FRA Bernard KosselekFRA Pierre Messenez Lotus Elite 1.03 2= S850 48 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA André GuilhaudinFRA Jean-François Jaeger D.B. HBR-4 1.03 4 S2.0 32 FRG Porsche KG DEU Edgar BarthDEU Hans Herrmann Porsche RS61 Coupé 1.02 5= S850 47 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Edgar RollinFRA René Bartholoni D.B. HBR-4 0.99 5= GT1.6 36 FRG Porsche KG DEU Herbert LingeNLD Ben Pon Porsche 356 B Carrera GTL Abarth 0.99 7= S850 60 ITA Abarth & Cie NZL Denny HulmeNZL Angus Hyslop Abarth 850S 0.98 7= S2.0 33 FRG Porsche KG USA Masten GregoryUSA Bob Holbert Porsche RS61 Spyder 0.98 9 S3.0 10 ITA SEFAC Ferrari BEL Olivier GendebienUSA Phil Hill Ferrari 250 TRI/61 0.93 alt=Winner of the Index of Performance, a DB Panhard HBR4 driven by Laureau/Bouharde.|thumb|Winner of the Index of Performance, a DB Panhard HBR4 driven by Laureau/Bouharde. Index of Performance Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 S850 53 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Gérard LaureauFRA Robert Bouharde D.B. HBR-4 Spyder 1.265 2 S3.0 10 ITA SEFAC Ferrari BEL Olivier GendebienUSA Phil Hill Ferrari 250 TRI/61 1.228 3= S850 60 ITA Abarth & Cie NZL Denny HulmeNZL Angus Hyslop Abarth 850S 1.219 3= S2.0 32 FRG Porsche KG DEU Edgar BarthDEU Hans Herrmann Porsche RS61 Coupé 1.219 5 S3.0 11 ITA SEFAC Ferrari BEL Willy MairesseGBR Mike Parkes Ferrari 250 TRI/61 1.218 6 S2.0 33 FRG Porsche KG USA Masten GregoryUSA Bob Holbert Porsche RS61 Spyder 1.194 7= GT3.0 14 BEL P. Noblet(private entrant) BEL Pierre NobletFRA Jean Guichet Ferrari 250 GT SWB 1.168 7= S2.0 24 USA B.S. Cunningham USA Briggs CunninghamUSA Bill Kimberley Maserati Tipo 60 1.168 9 S3.0 7 USA B.S. Cunningham USA Augie PabstUSA Dick Thompson Maserati Tipo 63 1.146 10 GT3.0 20 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge USA Bob GrossmanBEL André Pilette Ferrari 250 GT SWB 1.138 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 – Ginther, #23 Ferrari 246 SP – 4m 02.8s; 199.59 km/h on Fastest lap – Ricardo Rodriguez, #17 Ferrari 250 TRI/61 – 3:59.5secs; 201.20 km/h on Distance – 4476.58 km on Winner's average speed – 186.53 km/h on FIA World Sportscar Championship: post-race standings Pos Championship Points 1 ITA Ferrari 24 (30) 2 ITA Maserati 14 3 West Germany Porsche 11 Citations 30em References Clarke, R.M. - editor (2009) Le Mans 'The Ferrari Years 1958-1965' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books 1-85520-372-3 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 Spurring, Quentin (2010) Le Mans 1960-69 Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing 978-1-84425-584-9 Wilkins, Gordon - editor (1961) Automobile Year #9 1961-62 Lausanne: Edita S.A. External links Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1961 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 21 November 2017 Le Mans History – Le Mans History, hour-by-hour (incl. pictures, YouTube links). Retrieved 21 November 2017 Sportscars.tv – race commentary. Retrieved 21 November 2017 World Sports Racing Prototypes – results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 21 November 2017 Team Dan – results & reserve entries, explaining driver listings. Retrieved 21 November 2017 Unique Cars & Parts – results & reserve entries. Retrieved 21 November 2017 Formula 2 – Le Mans 1961 results & reserve entries. Retrieved 10 August 2017 YouTube - Race highlights, in colour with French commentary (20min). Retrieved 25 May 2025 YouTube “Corvette at Le Mans” colour documentary by GM (35 mins). Retrieved 12 November 2017 Category:24 Hours of Le Mans races Le Mans Category:1961 in French motorsport