Sebring 12 hour race in 1965

Chaparral 2A

Ford GT40, built in 1965

The 14th Sebring 12 Hour Race , also The Florida 12 Hour Grand Prix of Endurance, Sebring , took place on March 27, 1965 at the Sebring International Raceway and was the second round of the World Sports Car Championship of that year.

The race

Since more spectators than usual wanted to attend this 12-hour race, all entrances to the racetrack were so clogged that thousands of fans only arrived hours after the start. The organizers stated 100,000 spectators on site on race day.

The great interest was primarily attributed to the US teams and their racing vehicles. In addition to the large-displacement Shelby Daytonas , these were above all the Ford GT40 , which were already registered in 1964 , but did not make their Sebring debut until 1965. After the failure of the Ferrari purchase , Henry Ford II decided to set up his own ambitious sports program to beat Ferrari in the Le Mans 24 Hours , Sebring and World Sports Car Championship races. A special development team was set up for this in Slough, England. They enlisted the help of Eric Broadley , who was already working on a prototype with a V8 engine at Lola Cars , and then hired John Wyer (formerly Aston Martin ) to lead the program. The result was the GT40 in 1964. In 1965 the decision was made to put a limited number of units on sale. Under the brawny body was a sturdy frame made of steel. A 4.2-liter V8 with Colotti transmission from Ford USA worked in the prototypes. Two GT40s, registered by Al Dowd and Ken Miles, were at the start. Of the two Chaparral 2A with automatic transmission and Chevrolet -Zweiventil- suction - V - eight-cylinder in the art was not expected on the part that they get through the 12-hour ordeal on the uneven slopes of Sebring.

The Scuderia Ferrari opted not to race participation because they did not agree with the division of racing classes and once again could not settle the dispute with the organizers before the race. Nevertheless, a large number of Ferrari 250LM and 275P were at the start. American Ferrari dealers financed the use of the cars, staffed by Ferrari factory drivers, among others. The only Italian-speaking mechanics in black army overalls soon turned out to be Ferrari employees.

The training was dominated by the Chaparral with Jim Hall at the wheel, who clearly undercut the 3-minute limit in qualifying. The two 2As were also the measure of all things in the race. At the beginning, Jim Hall could only follow Richie Ginther in the GT40 and Dan Gurney in the lightweight Lotus 19J , but soon dropped out. The race was heavily influenced by a heavy thunderstorm after about five hours of driving. The rain was so heavy that within a few minutes the pit lane was several feet high under water. And although the track was quickly flooded, which resulted in countless spins and slips, the race was not interrupted. Amazingly, the open Chaparral from Hall and Hap Sharp, which is difficult to drive in the rain due to its automatic transmission, survived the thunderstorm unscathed and won the race with four laps ahead of the GT40 of Ken Miles and Bruce McLaren , cheered by the spectators .

Results

Final ranking

Item	class	No.	team	driver	vehicle	Round
1	SR + 2.0	3	Chaparral Cars	Jim Hall Hap Sharp	Chaparral 2A	196
2	P + 4.0	11	Al Dowd	Ken Miles Bruce McLaren	Ford GT40	192
3	P 4.0	31	David Piper Auto Racing Ltd.	David Piper Anthony Maggs	Ferrari 250LM	190
4th	GT 5.0	15th	Shelby-American Inc.	Bob Bondurant Jo Schlesser	Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe	187
5	GT 2.0	40	Porsche Automobile Co.	Lake Underwood Günter Klass	Porsche 904 GTS	185
6th	GT 2.0	39	Porsche Automobile Co.	Joe Buzzetta Ben Pon	Porsche 904 GTS	185
7th	GT 5.0	14th	Shelby-American Inc.	Bob Johnson Tom Payne	Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe	185
8th	SR + 2.0	33	Small Racing Enterprises	Umberto Maglioli Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari 275P	184
9	P 2.0	38	Porsche Automobile Co.	Gerhard Mitter Herbert Linge	Porsche 904/8	184
10	GT 2.0	38	Precision Motors	Scooter Patrick Dave Jordan	Porsche 904 GTS	183
11	P 4.0	29	Mecom Racing Team	Walt Hansgen Mark Donohue	Ferrari 250LM	183
12	P 4.0	32	Ed Hugus	Ed Hugus Tom O'Brien Charlie Hayes Paul Richards	Ferrari 275P	182
13	GT 5.0	12	Shelby-American Inc.	Ed Leslie Allen Grant	Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe	178
14th	P + 4.0	2	George Wintersteen	George Wintersteen Peter Goetz Ed Diehl	Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport	175
15th	P 2.0	61	Donald Healey Motor Co.	Clive Baker Rauno Aaltonen	Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite	175
16	GT 1.6	58	Autodelta SpA	Jean Rolland Bernard Consten	Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ	175
17th	GT 3.0	34	Donald Healey Motor Co.	Paul Hawkins Warwick Banks	Austin-Healey 3000	175
18th	P 2.0	62	Donald Healey Motor Co.	Paddy Hopkirk Timo Mäkinen	Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite	175
19th	GT 5.0	17th	Shaw Racing Team	Dick Thompson Graham Shaw	Shelby Cobra	173
20th	GT 2.0	44	Briggs Cunningham	Briggs Cunningham John Fitch Bill Bencker	Porsche 904 GTS	173
21st	GT 5.0	16	Shelby-American Inc.	Lew Spencer Jim Adams Phil Hill	Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe	173
22nd	SR + 2.0	4th	Chaparral Cars	Ronnie Hissom Bruce Jennings	Chaparral 2A	173
23	P 4.0	81	Fong Racing Associates	Willy Mairesse Mauro Bianchi	Ferrari 275P	171
24	GT 1.6	56	Autodelta SpA	Roberto Bussinello Andrea de Adamich	Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ	170
25th	P 2.0	49	British Motor Corp.	Frank Morrill Merle Brennan	MGB	169
26th	GT 1.3	68	British Motor Corp.	Andrew Hedges Roger Mac	MG Midget	168
27	GT 1.6	57	Autodelta SpA	Bruno Deserti Teodoro Zeccoli	Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ	167
28	GT 2.0	53	RBM Motors	Jack Ryan Ted Tidwell	Porsche 904 GTS	163
29	GT 1.3	67	Standard Triumph Inc.	Ed Barker Duane Fire Helmet Mike Rothschild	Triumph Spitfire	163
30th	GT 1.3	66	Standard Triumph Inc.	Bob Tullius Charlie Gates	Triumph Spitfire	162
31	GT 1.6	54	David McClain	David McClain Leland Dieas	Porsche 356SC	158
32	GT 2.0	48	British Motor Corp.	Brad Picard Al Pease	MGB	151
33	GT + 5.0	5	George Robertson	George Robertson Dick Boo	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray	145
34	P 2.0	60	Turner Cars Ltd.	Al Rogers George Waltman	Turner Sprint Special	143
35	P + 4.0	1	Ridgeway Racing Inc.	Delmo Johnson Dave Morgan	Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport	137
36	GT 1.6	59	Duchess Auto Inc.	Peter Pulver Lance Pruyn Newton Davis	Lotus Elan	127
37	GT 1.3	69	Societe des Automobiles Alpine	Frank Manley Kenneth Sellers	Alpine A110	99
38	GT 2.5	37	Barry Martin	Barry Martin Craig Hill	Triumph TR4	95
39	GT 1.3	71	Howard Hanna	Howard Hanna Richard Toland	René Bonnet Djet	95
40	GT 2.4	25th	Jaguar Car Inc.	Dave Hull Bob Kingham	Jaguar E-Type	95
Failed
41	P 4.0	26th	Scuderia Bear	Bob Grossman Skip Hudson	Ferrari 330P	143
42	SR + 2.0	30th	Mecom Racing Team	Pedro Rodríguez Graham Hill	Ferrari 330P	133
43	P + 4.0	9	Bizzarini Automobili	Charlie Rainville Mike Gammino	Iso Grifo A3C	122
44	P 4.0	27	John Fulp	Charlie Kolb John Fulp	Ferrari 330P	104
45	GT 2.0	45	Peter Gregg	George Barber Peter Gregg	Porsche 904 GTS	99
46	GT 5.0	18th	Ed Lowther	Ed Lowther Bob Nagel	Shelby Cobra	93
47	P 2.0	52	Ginetta Cars Ltd.	Jack Walsh Gordon Browne Peter Keith	Ginetta G4R	82
48	SR + 2.0	21st	Greenwich Autos Inc.	Sherman Decker Oscar Koveleski	Cooper T61 Monaco	70
49	GT 1.6	55	Autodelta SpA	Gaston Andrey Chuck Stoddard	Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ	66
50	GT 5.0	20th	Gerber-Payne Ford	George Reed Dan Gerber	Shelby Cobra	64
51	GT + 5.0	6th	Ken Hablow	Donald Yenko John Bushell	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray	61
52	SR + 2.0	22nd	Mecom Racing Team	John Cannon Jack Saunders	Lola T70	55
53	GT 1.3	70	Fred Baker	Fred Baker Bill Kirtley	Alpine A110	53
54	GT 2.0	51	Kind Riley	Art Riley Nick Cone	Volvo P1800	51
55	GT 1.3	64	Crespi Motors	John Norris Roger Heftler	Lotus Elite	46
56	SR + 2.0	23	All American Racers Inc.	Dan Gurney Jerry Grant	Lotus 19J	43
57	P + 4.0	10	Ken Miles	Richie Ginther Phil Hill	Ford GT40	37
58	GT 2.0	46	Kind Swanson	Art Swanson Robert Ennis	Abarth-Simca 2000GT	36
59	GT 2.0	42	Carl Lindell Co.	David Lane Chuck Cassel	Porsche 904 GTS	36
60	GT 3.0	35	Peter Clarke	Skip Scott Peter Clarke	Ferrari 250 GTO	35
61	GT 1.3	63	Scuderia Bear	Richard Holquist Millard Ripley	Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero	27
62	GT 4.0	28	Richard Robson	Richard Robson Art Baggely	Jaguar E-Type	26th
63	P 2.0	53	Competition Components Inc.	Ray Cuomo John Bentley	Beach Mk.8	16
64	P + 4.0	8th	Bizzarini Automobili	Silvio Moser Mario Casoni	Iso Grifo A3C	16
65	GT 1.3	82	British Motor Corp.	Chuck Tannlund John Wagstaff	MG Midget	7th
66	GT 1.3	65	Standard Triumph Inc.	Peter Bolton Mike Rothschild	Triumph Spitfire	5
Not started
67	GT + 5.0	7th	Jack Wybenga	Jack Wybenga Harry Jackson	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray	1
68	GT 5.0	19th	Arthur Harrison	Pete Harrison Lin Coleman	Shelby Cobra	2
69	GT 2.0	47	Faza Motorsport	John Wagstaff Jody Porter	Abarth-Simca 2000GT	3
70	P 2.0	50	Abglian Racing Dev.	Richard Wrottesley Trevor Taylor	Elva Mk.8	4th
71	GT 2.0	T	Porsche Automobile Co.		Porsche 904 GTS	5

¹ reserve ² reserve ³ reserve ⁴ not started ⁵ training car

Only in the entry list

Here you will find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race but did not take part for a variety of reasons.

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis
72	SR + 2.0	24	Team Lotus	Jim Clark Jack Sears	Lotus 30
73	P 4.0	33	E. de Vroom	E. de Vroom Tom O'Brien	Ferrari 275 GTB
74	GT 2.5	36	ARCO Inc.	Anatoly Arutunoff Bill Pryor Dick Irish	Lancia Flaminia Zagato

Class winner

class	driver	driver	vehicle	Placement in the overall ranking
SR + 2.0	Jim Hall	Hap Sharp	Chaparral 2A	Overall victory
P + 4.0	Ken Miles	Bruce McLaren	Ford GT40	Rank 2
P 4.0	David Piper	Anthony Maggs	Ferrari 250LM	Rank 3
P 2.0	Gerhard Mitter	Herbert Linge	Porsche 904/8	Rank 9
GT + 5.0	George Robertson	Dick Boo	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray	Rank 33
GT 5.0	Bob Bondurant	Jo Schlesser	Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe	Rank 4
GT 3.0	Paul Hawkins	Warwick Banks	Austin-Healey 3000	Rank 17
GT 2.0	Lake Underwood	Günter Klass	Porsche 904 GTS	Rank 5
GT 1.6	Jean Rolland	Bernard Consten	Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ	Rank 16
GT 1.3	Andrew Hedges	Roger Mac	MG Midget	Rank 26

Racing data

• Registered: 74
• Started: 66
• Rated: 40
• Race classes: 10
• Spectators: 100,000
• Race day weather: hot, with heavy thunderstorms in the middle of the race
• Route length: 8.369 km
• Driving time of the winning team: 12: 00: 00,000 hours
• Total laps of the winning team: 196
• Total distance of the winning team: 1640.243 km
• Winner's average: 136.348 km / h
• Pole position: Jim Hall - Chaparral 2A (# 3) - 2: 57.600 = 169.633 km / h
• Fastest race lap: Jim Hall - Chaparral 2A (# 3) - 2: 59.300 - 168.025 km / h
• Racing series: 2nd round of the 1965 World Sports Car Championship

literature

• Ken Breslauer: Sebring. The official History of America's Great Sports Car Race. David Bull, Cambridge MA 1995, ISBN 0-9649722-0-4 .
• Peter Higham: The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. A complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .

Web links

• Results at Racing Sports Cars

Previous race 2000km Daytona 1965

Sports car world championship

Follow-up race Coppa Bologna 1965