1970 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps

none September 2012 thumb|right|Spa-Francorchamps in 1970 The 1970 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps was an endurance race held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium on May 17, 1970. It was the sixth round of the 1970 International Championship for Makes.Season: 1970 (International Championship for Makes), www.racingsportscars.com Retrieved 31 January 2014 Pre-race Prior to Formula One boycotting and then cancelling the 1969 Belgian Grand Prix, because of the dangers of the ultra-high speed 8.7 mi (14.1 km) Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the track was fitted with Armco barriers in some places and was generally made safer. The layout had not been changed, and the circuit was still extremely fast and demanding; racing records were smashed at this race by the prototypes. The old Spa layout was just about flat out for the entire 8.7 mile distance and the circuit sped into the rural countryside; whereas now, the circuit stays inside a part of the mountainous Ardennes forest. Lost corners like Burnenville, Malmedy, the Masta Kink, Stavelot and La Carriere were all 180+ mph and corners like Eau Rouge, Blanchimont and Clubhouse were 150+ mph. So every corner except the ultra-slow La Source hairpin was fast and there was never any let-up for the cars on this circuit aside from La Source. To add to the mental challenge, most of those corners had to be taken just slightly under flat out. Spa was the fastest circuit in Europe at that time, and the mental challenge of this Belgian circuit was that every corner was just as important as the next; if a driver lifted even just a little bit through any of the high-speed bends, they would lose 2–3 seconds from their lap time. If a driver made even the slightest mistake, they were very likely to have a high speed accident which in those safety-absent days almost always meant serious injury or death. The works Porsche teams brought the 917K's back into action for this race. They had used the new 908/03's previously at the Targa Florio. In qualifying, pole position went to the Gulf-Porsche 917K of Pedro Rodriguez/Leo Kinnunen, followed by the other Gulf-Porsche 917K of Jo Siffert/Brian Redman, the works Ferrari 512S of Jacky Ickx/John Surtees, a privately entered 917K of Helmut Kelleners/Jürgen Neuhaus, and another works Ferrari 512S of Ignazio Giunti/Nino Vaccarella. Rodriguez averaged over 157 mph (253 km/h)- a new average speed record on road circuits. Both the Wyer Porsches and the Ferraris encountered problems. The Ferrari was unstable at medium speed; the Porsches shredded their tires at the very fast bends. Both Siffert and Redman had very hairy moments. Rodriguez was aware of them but, according to John Horseman, he just responded by driving even faster. Race It rained before the start of the race, but by the time the race started, the track was already drying. The teams had to decide on what kind of tires to use. Siffert, Rodriguez and Ickx chose mix condition tires; most of the big bangers chose rain tires. At the start, Siffert and Rodriguez were banging wheels going into Eau Rouge, with Siffert coming out best. At the second lap Ickx managed to get in touch with the Porsches. As at the third lap the big sports cars were lapping slower GTs, some changes in the lead happened. Siffert was passed by Rodriguez and Ickx, and then he got the lead again. He opened a gap of some seconds but never a large one. Rodriguez, trying hard, shred a tire. After one hour, the first pit stops took place. Siffert's pitstop was slow one and Ickx took the lead. For a while Siffert could not get near the Ferrari. But towards the end of his double stint, he got a message from the pits: an arrow was shown, meaning he was told to speed up and catch the Ferrari. Siffert did come closer to the Ferrari, and Rodriguez had also came closer, but neither were within striking distance. At the second pitstop, Ickx switched with John Surtees and Siffert with Redman. That day Surtees had, apparently, difficulty to deal with traffic and Redman had a very good stint. After some very exciting laps, Redman went ahead, Rodriguez came close, but he had to pit and later Kinnunen abandoned (gearbox). Redman took a large lead. At the last stint, Siffert was very far away but Ickx nevertheless tried hard to gain time. He did gain, but Siffert was informed of it by the pits and responded; the gap was stable from then on. The race featured several prominent drivers of the era, including Jo Siffert, Jacky Ickx, Pedro Rodriguez, Brian Redman, and Vic Elford, and included competition between Ferrari and Porsche. During the event, Rodríguez recorded a lap of the Spa circuit in 3:16.5, averaging 160.513 mph (258.321 km/h). The Porsche driven by Siffert and Redman won the race, while the Ferrari shared by Ickx and John Surtees finished second. Once the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix was held 3 weeks later (a race that Rodriguez won for BRM), Formula One cars struggled to get within 12 seconds of this time; although there was a chicane at Malmedy Corner just for the F1 race. This was the 4th victory in a row for Wyer's team, so far they had won 5 of the 6 races in the championship. This event set a record for the fastest ever road race in history, and the record would be broken twice more in successive years at the same circuit; and the eventual record stood for decades. Official results Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps 1 S5.0 24 United Kingdom John Wyer Automotive Engineering Switzerland Jo SiffertUnited Kingdom Brian Redman Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 71 2 S5.0 20 Italy SpA Ferrari SEFAC Belgium Jacky IckxUnited Kingdom John Surtees Ferrari 512 S Ferrari 5.0L V12 71 3 S5.0 28 Austria Porsche Salzburg United Kingdom Vic ElfordGermany Kurt Ahrens Jr. Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 70 4 S5.0 22 Italy SpA Ferrari SEFAC Italy Ignazio GiuntiItaly Nino Vaccarella Ferrari 512 S Ferrari 5.0L V12 68 5 S5.0 43 Finland Racing Team AAW Finland Hans LaineNetherlands Gijs van Lennep Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 68 6 S5.0 29 Austria Porsche Salzburg United Kingdom Richard AttwoodGermany Hans Herrmann Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 68 7 S5.0 21 Italy SpA Ferrari SEFAC Switzerland Peter SchettyItaly Arturo Merzario Ferrari 512 S Ferrari 5.0L V12 66 8 S5.0 23 Belgium Ecurie Francorchamps United Kingdom Derek BellBelgium Hughes de Fierlant Ferrari 512 S Ferrari 5.0L V12 64 9 P3.0 6 Germany Martini International Racing France Gérard LarrousseAustria Rudi Lins Porsche 908/02 Porsche 3.0L Flat-8 64 10 S5.0 33 Sweden Ecurie Bonnier Sweden Jo BonnierSweden Reine Wisell Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet 5.0L V8 63 11 P3.0 5 Germany Martini International Racing Germany Hans-Dieter DechentAustria Helmut Marko Porsche 908/02 Porsche 3.0L Flat-8 62 12 S2.0 31 United Kingdom John L'Amie United Kingdom John L'AmieUnited Kingdom Brian Nelson Porsche 910 Porsche 1.9L Flat-6 59 13 P2.0 15 Germany Hans-Dieter Blatzheim Germany Hans-Dieter BlatzheimGermany Ernst Kraus Porsche 907 Porsche 1.9L Flat-6 59 14 S2.0 32 United Kingdom Paul Vestey United Kingdom Peter SadlerUnited Kingdom Paul Vestey Porsche 910 Porsche 1.9L Flat-6 56 15 P2.0 14 Belgium Levi's International Racing Belgium Yves DeprezBelgium Julien Vernaeve Chevron B16 Mazda 1.0L 2-Rotor 55 16 GT+2.0 59 Switzerland Bernard Cheneviére Switzerland Bernard CheneviéreSwitzerland Claude Haldi Porsche 911S Porsche 2.2L Flat-6 55 17 S5.0 30 Germany Gesipa Racing Team Germany Helmut KellenersGermany Jürgen Neuhaus Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 54 18 GT+2.0 53 Germany Kremer Racing Germany Erwin KremerGermany Karl von Wendt Porsche 911S Porsche 2.2L Flat-6 54 19 GT2.0 95 France Jean-Marie Jacquemin France Jean-Marie JacqueminFrance Bernard Palayer Alpine A110/1300S Renault 1.3L I4 52 20 GT2.0 52 Belgium Jean-Pierre Gaban Belgium G. van ButselBelgium Robert Moerenhout Porsche 911S Porsche 2.0L Flat-6 52 21 GT2.0 60 Switzerland Georges Duvingeaud Switzerland Georges DuvigneaudSwitzerland Camille Demoulin Porsche 911S Porsche 2.0L Flat-6 50 22 P3.0 37 United Kingdom Tony Goodwin United Kingdom Tony GoodwinUnited Kingdom Peter Taggart Chevron B6/8 BMW 1.9L I4 48 Not classified Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps GT2.0 58 Switzerland Andre Wicky Racing Team France Sylvain GarantItaly Mario Ilotte Porsche 911S Porsche 2.0L Flat-6 41 Did not finish Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps Reason S5.0 25 United Kingdom John Wyer Automotive Engineering Mexico Pedro RodríguezFinland Leo Kinnunen Porsche 917K Porsche 4.5L Flat-12 44 Gearbox oil pipe S2.0 40 United Kingdom Worcestershire Racing Association United Kingdom James TangyeUnited Kingdom Paul Ridgway Chevron B8 BMW 1.9L I4 40 Oil pressure P2.0 10 United Kingdom Philips Autoradio Racing United Kingdom Guy EdwardsGermany Roger Enever Astra RNR2 Ford 1.6L I4 37 Engine mountings GT2.0 51 Belgium Jean-Pierre Gaban Belgium Jean-Pierre Gaban Belgium Willy Braillard Porsche 911S Porsche 2.0L Flat-6 33 DNF S5.0 35 Belgium Racing Team VDS Belgium Teddy PiletteBelgium Gustave Gosselin Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet 5.0L V8 31 Puncture/Suspension S2.0 39 United Kingdom Intertech Steering Wheels United Kingdom Angus ClydesdaleUnited Kingdom John Markey Chevron B8 BMW 1.9L I4 22 Oil and water leak S2.0 38 United Kingdom Martin Blackie United Kingdom Martin BlackieUnited Kingdom Peter Humble Chevron B8 BMW 1.9L I4 18 Overheating GT+2.0 54 Switzerland Jacques Rey Switzerland Jacques ReySwitzerland Edgar Berney Porsche 911S Porsche 2.2L Flat-6 12 Engine P2.0 12 United Kingdom Stanley Robinson United Kingdom Stanley RobinsonUnited Kingdom John Blanckley Unipower GT BMC 2.0L I4 10 DNF S2.0 41 United Kingdom Worcestershire Racing Association United Kingdom John BamfordUnited Kingdom Peter Creasey Chevron B8 BMW 1.9L I4 10 Oil pump P3.0 7 United Kingdom Keith Grant United Kingdom Keith GrantUnited Kingdom Gerry Marshall Brabham BT8 Climax 2.7L V8 4 Electrical S5.0 35 Switzerland Racing Team VDS Switzerland Gérard PillonSwitzerland Louis Morand Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet 5.0L V8 2 DSQ (outside assistance) Statistics Pole position: #25 John Wyer Automotive Engineering Porsche 917K (Pedro Rodriguez) - 3:19.8 (157.861 mph/254.054 km/h) Fastest lap: #25 John Wyer Automotive Engineering Porsche 917K (Pedro Rodriguez)- 3:16.5 (160.513 mph/258.321 km/h) Time taken for winning car to cover scheduled distance: 4 hours, 9 minutes and 47.8 seconds Average Speed: 240.46 km/h (149.419 mph) Weather conditions: Cloudy, wet at start; later drying References 1970 World Sportscar Championship Targa Florio 1000km of Nürburgring 1000km Spa Category:6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps