1968 Daytona 24 hour race
The third 24-hour race of Daytona , also Seventh Annual 24 Hours of Daytona, International Road Race, Daytona International Speedway , took place on February 3 and 4, 1968 at Daytona International Speedway and was the first race of the sports car world championship this year.
Before the race
For the 1968 season , new technical regulations came into force in the world championship. The main content was the reduction of the engine displacement of the prototypes to a maximum of 3 liters. The upper limit for sports cars was 5 liters. During the 1967 World Cup , there had been more and more discussions among CSI officials about the top speed of the most powerful sports car prototypes. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans , Bruce McLaren drove an average of 236.082 km / h in practice in the Ford GT40 Mk.IV. In the race, Denis Hulme and Mario Andretti were one kilometer per hour faster in their MK.IV. The winner section of Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt was 218.038 km / h. 1968 allowed the Mk.IV that a 7-liter Ford - V engine had, are no longer used. The Chaparral 2F and the Lola T70 with their 7-liter Chevrolet engines were also affected by the change announced at very short notice . However, the new regulations hit Scuderia Ferrari particularly hard . The 330P4 had 4.4-liter V12 engines, but were homologated as prototypes and not as sports cars. The reigning world champion in 1968 was thus without a car.
The race
The change in the regulations did not cause Porsche any problems. The 907 with the long-tail body used in Daytona had 2.2-liter six - cylinder boxer engines . Four 907 were registered for the race, with a chassis having to be rebuilt at the turn of the year after Jochen Neerpasch had a serious accident during test drives in the autumn. In addition to Neerpasch, the driver team included Jo Siffert , Hans Herrmann , Vic Elford , Gerhard Mitter , Joe Buzzetta , Rolf Stommelen and Jo Schlesser . Also Alfa Romeo came with the factory team to the event. Autodelta reported five vehicles; the Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 were driven by Udo Schütz , Nino Vaccarella , Mario Andretti, Lucien Bianchi , Mario Casoni , Giampiero Biscaldi , Teodoro Zeccoli , Ignazio Giunti and Nanni Galli . Only four cars entered the race because the Giunti / Galli T33 / 2 could not be repaired in time after an accident during the preliminary tests.
With his team's GT40, John Wyer used the original configuration and thus the 4.7-liter Ford V8 engines. A completely new vehicle was built for Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman . Paul Hawkins and David Hobbs received a Mirage M1 that had been dismantled to GT40 specifications . The speed reduction requested by the CSI did not have any effect on the GT40s. Jacky Ickx drove a pole position time of 1: 54.910 minutes and was thus faster than Dan Gurney in the Mk.II the year before . Next to him in the front row was his teammate David Hobbs. The two GT40s also set the pace in the early stages of the race, but Hawkins had to drive into the pits with his GT40 due to misfiring on lap three and lost a complete lap to replace an ignition cable. At the end of the first hour, the two Wyer GT40s were in first and sixth place in the overall classification, with the four Porsches in between.
When night fell, David Hobbs, who had taken over the car from Hawkins, had driven the GT40 to second position and took the lead when teammate Redman had to park the second GT40 on the track due to a gearbox failure. Hobbs and Hawkins held the lead until midnight, when a series of technical problems began that set the car far behind and resulted in failure on Sunday.
This cleared the way to victory for the Porsche. For a long time, Siffert and Herrmann led safely until a bracket on the brake pedal broke and the team lost 22 minutes due to the necessary repairs to the pits. Race director Fritz Huschke von Hanstein intervened and, in accordance with the regulations, allowed Siffert and Herrmann to drive five laps each in Neerpasch and Elford's cars. Rolf Stommelen, who after an accident with Gerhard Mitter (who was the only Porsche driver not on the podium of the top three), also drove five laps in the winning car, so that five Porsche drivers won the race. Absurdly, Siffert and Herrmann were both first and second on the podium.
Results
Final ranking
Item | class | No. | team | driver | vehicle | Round | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P | 54 | Porsche Works Team |
Vic Elford Jochen Neerpasch Rolf Stommelen Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann |
Porsche 907 LH 2.2 | 673 | ||
2 | P | 52 | Porsche Works Team |
Jo Siffert Hans Herrmann
|
Porsche 907 LH 2.2 | 659 | ||
3 | P | 51 | Porsche Works Team |
Jo Schlesser Joe Buzzetta |
Porsche 907 LH 2.2 | 659 | ||
4th | TA + 2.0 | 1 | Shelby Racing |
Jerry Titus Ronnie Bucknum |
Ford Mustang | 629 | ||
5 | P | 20th | Autodelta Spa |
Udo Schütz Nino Vaccarella |
Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 | 617 | ||
6th | P | 23 | Autodelta Spa |
Mario Andretti Lucien Bianchi |
Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 | 609 | ||
7th | P | 22nd | Autodelta Spa |
Mario Casoni Giampiero Biscaldi Teodoro Zeccoli |
Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 | 594 | ||
8th | S. | 34 | Raceco Miami |
John Gunn Guillermo Ortega Fausto Merello
|
Ferrari 250LM | 592 | ||
9 | TA 2.0 | 69 | Brumo's Porsche |
Peter Gregg Sten Axelsson |
Porsche 911 | 589 | ||
10 | GT | 31 | DX Sunray Oil Co |
Jerry Grant Dave Morgan
|
Chevrolet Corvette | 586 | ||
11 | T 2.0 | 77 | Lewis Williams |
Robert Stoddard George Drolsom Marty Gifford Lewis Williams
|
Porsche 911 | 575 | ||
12 | T + 2.0 | 6th | Roger Penske Racing Ent. |
Mark Donohue Bob Johnson Craig Fisher |
Chevrolet Camaro | 565 | ||
13 | T 2.0 | 56 | Ship Sharpe Maintenance |
Jim Netterstrom John Kelly John Sabel
|
Porsche 911 | 565 | ||
14th | P | 3 | HRH Corp. |
Jim McDaniel Glen Sullivan
|
Porsche 911R | 562 | ||
15th | TA 2.0 | 36 | Wilbur Pickett |
Wilbur Pickett Bill Bean Bill Bencker
|
Porsche 911 | 545 | ||
16 | TA + 2.0 | 68 | Bill Boye |
Bill Boye Billy Yuma
|
Chevrolet Camaro | 540 | ||
17th | TA + 2.0 | 71 | Joie Chitwood Thrill Show |
Joie Chitwood junior Buzz Barton Richard Hoffman
|
Chevrolet Camaro | 536 | ||
18th | GT | 61 | Jean-Pierre Hanrioud |
Jean-Pierre Hanrioud Sylvain Garant |
Porsche 911S | 534 | ||
19th | TA 2.0 | 64 | Myers Construction |
Del Russo Taylor Bob Pratt Bruce Myers Brad Brooker
|
Alfa Romeo GTA | 533 | ||
20th | TA 2.0 | 24 | Autodelta Spa |
Leo Cella Teodoro Zeccoli Giampiero Biscaldi
|
Alfa Romeo GTA | 529 | ||
21st | TA + 2.0 | 78 |
Sam Posey Jim Kauffman
|
Ford Mustang | 523 | |||
22nd | GT | 28 | Corvette Racing Associates |
Ed Ross Craig Pelouze
|
Chevrolet Corvette Roadster | 515 | ||
23 | TA + 2.0 | 15th | Randy's Auto Body |
Bob Grossman Bob Dini
|
Ford Mustang | 514 | ||
24 | P | 10 | Nomad Cars |
Tony Lanfranchi Mark Konig
|
Nomad MK.1 | 506 | ||
25th | GT | 29 | DX Sunray Oil Co. |
Peter Revson Don Yenko |
Chevrolet Corvette Roadster | 496 | ||
26th | TA 2.0 | 73 | Valvoline Opert Racing |
Fred Opert Joe Grimaldi
|
Porsche 911 | 471 | ||
27 | GT | 30th | DX Sunray Oil Co. |
Jerry Thompson Tony DeLorenzo
|
Chevrolet Corvette Roadster | 470 | ||
28 | TA 2.0 | 32 | RBM Motors |
Jack Ryan Pete Harrison
|
Porsche 911 | 393 | ||
29 | GT | 44 | American International Racing |
Dick Guldstrand Ed Leslie Scooter Patrick Dave Jordan
|
Chevrolet Corvette | 373 | ||
30th | GT | 35 | Aztec Motor Racing | George Waltman | Morgan Plus 4 | 338 | ||
Disqualified | ||||||||
31 | GT | 48 | Doyle Poole |
Doyle Poole Stott Bruce Morehead
|
Triumph TR4A | 179 | ||
Failed | ||||||||
32 | GT | 67 | Port of Entry Motors |
Hugh Kleinpeter Ray Mummery Bruce Hollander
|
Shelby GT350 | 510 | ||
34 | S. | 18th | Edward Nelson Racing |
Edward Nelson Mike Hailwood |
Ford GT40 | 507 | ||
35 | S. | 9 | JW Automotive Eng. |
Paul Hawkins David Hobbs |
Ford GT40 | 430 | ||
36 | P | 12 | Paul Vestey Racing |
Paul Vestey Roy Pike Paul Ridgway
|
Ferrari 250LM | 264 | ||
37 | GT | 45 | American International Racing |
Scooter Patrick Dave Jordan Herb Caplan
|
Chevrolet Corvette | 262 | ||
38 | TA 2.0 | 25th | Autodelta Spa |
Enrico Pinto Spartaco Dini |
Alfa Romeo GTA | 235 | ||
39 | GT | 41 | Thomas Harris |
James Rushin Thomas Harris Chris Waldron
|
MGB | 226 | ||
40 | TA 2.0 | 49 | Ike Maxwell |
Ike Maxwell William Martin
|
Volvo 122S | 188 | ||
41 | P | 27 | Algar Enterprises |
Carlo Facetti Giancarlo Baghetti Ove Andersson |
Lancia Fulvia HF | 180 | ||
42 | TA + 2.0 | 2 | Shelby Racing |
Allan Moffat Horst Kendung George Follmer |
Ford Mustang | 176 | ||
43 | GT | 43 | Cannons Auto Service |
Carl Schwenker Ara Dube Dana Kelder
|
Triumph TR4A | 166 | ||
44 | GT | 57 | Rick cline |
Rick Cline Michael Pickering
|
Triumph GT6 | 120 | ||
45 | TA + 2.0 | 7th | Billy Hagan |
Billy Hagan John McVeigh Francis Gillebard
|
Mercury Cougar | 119 | ||
46 | P | 11 | Chevron Cars |
Digby Martland Brian Classic
|
Chevron B6 | 118 | ||
47 | GT | 58 | Rick cline |
Fred Andrews Richard Kondracki
|
Triumph Spitfire | 106 | ||
48 | P | 53 | Porsche Works Team |
Gerhard Mitter Rolf Stommelen
|
Porsche 907 LH 2.2 | 104 | ||
49 | S. | 81 | NART-Harrah Racing |
David Piper Masten Gregory |
Ferrari 250LM | 101 | ||
50 | P | 55 | Squadra Tartaruga |
Rico Steinemann Dieter Spoerry |
Porsche 907 LH | 100 | ||
51 | GT | 47 | John Cameron |
Milo Vega John Witt
|
Triumph TR4A | 96 | ||
52 | T + 2.0 | 65 | Rigid Racing |
George Wintersteen Malcolm Starr
|
Ford Mustang | 90 | ||
53 | GT | 17th | Arthur Mollin Racing Ent. |
Arthur Mollin Nick Cone
|
TVR Mk.IV | 86 | ||
54 | T 2.0 | 72 | Davidson Enterprises |
Paul Richards Tony Adamowicz Marvin Davidson
|
Porsche 911T | 71 | ||
55 | S. | 8th | JW Automotive Eng. |
Jacky Ickx Brian Redman |
Ford GT40 | 58 | ||
56 | GT | 46 | WROD radio |
Steven Payne-Herbert Grant Miller Roger Walton
|
Porsche 356B Carrera 2 | 46 | ||
57 | P | 80 | NART-Harrah Racing |
Pedro Rodríguez Charlie Kolb |
Ferrari Dino 206S | 45 | ||
58 | GT | 42 | Coquina Motors |
Rajah Rodgers Richard Robson Bill Buchman
|
Jaguar XKE | 43 | ||
59 | S. | 37 | William Wonder Inc. |
William Wonder Ray Cuomo
|
Ford GT40 | 42 | ||
60 | TA + 2.0 | 4th | HRH Corp. |
John Moore Jim Murphy
|
Chevrolet Camaro | 34 | ||
61 | P | 76 | Howmet Corp. |
Ray Heppenstall Ed Lowther Dick Thompson |
Howmet TX Continental | 34 | ||
62 | TA + 2.0 | 5 | Bud Sherk Auto Fair |
Bud Sherk Billy Diehl
|
Dodge darts | 20th | ||
63 | P | 26th | Algar Enterprises |
Claudio Maglioli Ove Andersson Giancarlo Baghetti
|
Lancia Fulvia Zagato | 6th | ||
64 | TA 2.0 | 14th | Bob Holbert's Garages |
Bert Everett Bruce Jennings Bob Bailey
|
Porsche 911S | 3 | ||
Not started | ||||||||
65 | TA + 2.0 | 13 | Samato Ltd. Smokey Yunick |
Bruce McLaren Jim Hall |
Chevrolet Camaro | 1 | ||
66 | S. | 19th | DK Racing |
Dale Keenan Dan Torpy James Sutter
|
Chevrolet Corvette | 2 | ||
67 | P | 21st | Autodelta Spa |
Nanni Galli Ignazio Giunti |
Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 | 3 | ||
68 | GT | 96 | Vince Gimondo |
John Tremblay Billy Dingman Vince Gimondo
|
Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray | 4th | ||
69 | P | 22T | Autodelta Spa | Mario Casoni | Alfa Romeo T33 / 2 | 5 | ||
70 | EXP | 76T | Howmet Corp. |
Ray Heppenstall Ed Lowther Dick Thompson
|
Howmet TX Continental | 6th |
1 disqualified before the race 2 not started 3 accident during the pre-test 4 not started 5 replacement car 6 turbine damage during the pre-test
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
71 | TA + 2.0 | 16 | Roger Penske Racing Ent. | Craig Fisher | Chevrolet Camaro |
72 | P | 50 | Hrubon |
Johnny Rives Philippe Marchesi
|
Hrubon |
73 | P | 51 | Marcos |
Jean-Pierre Jabouille Jean-Claude Guenard
|
Marcos Mini GT |
74 | TA + 2.0 | 60 | Earle Canavan |
Earle Canavan Bill Kane Ray Sitterly
|
AMC Javelin |
75 | TA + 2.0 | 75 | Mastandrea Mar Shipping |
Norberto Mastandrea Ralph Noseda
|
Chevrolet Camaro |
76 | S. | 82 | NART-Harrah Racing | Ferrari 275 GTB / 2 |
Class winner
Racing data
- Registered: 76
- Started: 64
- Rated: 30
- Race classes: 6
- Spectator: unknown
- Race day weather: cool and dry
- Route length: 6.132 km
- Driving time of the winning team: 24:02:04,000 hours
- Total laps of the winning team: 673
- Total distance of the winning team: 4126.567 km
- Winner's average: 171.695 km / h
- Pole position: Jacky Ickx - Ford GT40 (# 8) - 1: 54.910 = 192.096 km / h
- Fastest race lap: Jacky Ickx - Ford GT40 (# 8) - 1: 56.860 = 188.890 km / h
- Racing series: 1st round of the 1968 World Sports Car Championship
Web links
Previous race 500 km race on the Nürburgring in 1967 |
Sports car world championship |
Successor to the 12-hour race at Sebring in 1968 |