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We had a blast...

Good friends, awesome cars, and great French food. It was not the same as going to the Le Mans Classic, but as close as we can get - here in the southwest....

Participants:


  • Chuck & Linda - '73 Pantera & Sienna Minivan
  • Andy & Tina - Hybrid 240Z (LS-1 Powered)
  • Wade - 429 Super Cobra Jet Model A Hot Rod
  • Spike - '33 Vicky Hot Rod
  • Dave - '72 Ferrari 365 GTB (Daytona)
  • Stephen - Alfa Spider Veloce
  • Axel & Amy - Porsche Cayenne Hybrid
  • Chris
  • John H & Janet

    Menu:

  • French Wine
  • Beouf Bourgeon
  • Fromage
  • Pain
  • French Wine
  • Biere
  • Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Onion Torte
  • Wiene Dogs in Croissants
  • French Wine
  • Fromage Cake
  • Cake du Chocolate

    We had a great turnout, with a BUNCH of super cars. We met the Tucson area Porsche club president (appropriately named "Axle"). It was a great event, with good food, great company, supercars, and a thrilling, play by play review of the 1969 Le Mans win by the Gulf / Wyer racing team chief engineer.




    PS - If you look at this rendition of the course, it has been modified to illustrate what it was like "back in the day". The chicane in the middle of the Mulsanne Straight is not there, and neither is the Porsche Chicane prior to White House (Maison Blanche). Check out the spot where the cars hit "Top Speed" on the Mulsanne Straight, and carry it for another 2 miles into the "Kink".

    OBTW: John said a "good driver" would take that Mulsanne Kink at top speed - without lifting off the gas. Can you imagine? Unbelievable!


    Here is a slideshow of the event...

    24 Hrs of Le Mans with John Horsman

    More pictures to follow...
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Fascinating update from "The Man" himself (John H.).

quote:
Thank you for inviting us to the show last Saturday evening. It is always for me good to see that film again! I hope everyone else enjoyed it.

(Editor Note: In the '69 film) There is a long wait before a blue and orange Gulf GT40 heaves into view but then it becomes exciting!

One aspect which was not explained was how the Hobbs/Hailwood #7 car finished up behind #6 when early on it had a lap lead.

Of course the lap lead was due to Hobbs getting away (beltless) very well and catching up with Ickx, who was held up at the crash site.

(Ed: there was a flaming crash early in the race - at the end of the first lap - in which John Woolfe was killed in his Porsche 917).

So why did Hobbs not win?

Firestone knew full well where NOT to put the wheel weights for our cars but sadly one got through, on to #7 car, and the misplaced weight sawed through the rear brake caliper cross-over tube with each wheel revolution, resulting in Hobbs arriving at Mulsanne corner with no brakes! Slow return to pits plus replacement of tube put them a lap behind Ickx, otherwise they (Hobbs / Hailwood) would have won.

But we would not have had the exciting finish with Ickx v Hermann (Ed: Hans Hermann was driving the Porsche 908). They (Ickx/Oliver) would have been fighting for second place, not so exciting!



Little known information - straight from someone who was there, and made it happen!

Rocky
Last edited by rocky
5 Pictures of John Horsman surfaced from "back in the day"... So I thought I'd post them here.

Taken at Spa, Nürburgring, and Zeltweg.

Zeltweg - John is in the black sweater behind the guy in shorts, waiting for their winning Porsche 917 to take the chequered flag.

Here's the details on this photo, and on this race from John H. himself....

Pit wall, Austria, 1971. You had most of the guys names but here are all I know, L to R.

The first guy on the left is one of our mechanics, I forget his name but he was fired for stealing… then comes myself (JHH) with “Clive” of Firestone in shorts, who was a very good tire tech.

Then David York, I cannot see the man he is talking to, then Richard Attwood and Arnold Stafford (who drove as an amateur in races in New Zealand in his youth), Arnold was a good time keeper and Parts Manager.

Next to Arnold is Peter Davies, the top mechanic who was with me and Cuoghi at Zeltweg when I fixed the 917 - that's a story in itself (Editor Note: see "Racing in the Rain"), then Derek Bell as you say.

Holding pit board and eating is Ray Jones, with Alan Hearn. Both these guys stayed with me until Gulf withdrew from racing in 1975, both excellent mechanics, Alan became Chief Mech.

And as you say, Jo Ramirez. We knew he would not stay with us very long (this was his second stint with us) as he had ambitions beyond working on the cars.






Zeltweg, with John Wyer

Here's the details on THIS photo, and on this race from John H. himself....

Now R to L, in the photo where I have an odd expression, we have Piech head of Porsche Racing on far right, smiling. I cannot identify the guy behind us with dark glasses, then Pedro Rodriguez, JW, Self.

I believe this is the moment when Pedro came up to JW and famously said, “If we want to win this race I must have my car back!” Attwood, who was filling in for Oliver (who had deserted us for the money of the Can-Am) was only on his 10th lap but was four seconds a lap slower than Pedro. We brought Richard Attwood in and off went the Mexican, now 3 laps behind the leading Ferrari.

Pedro had led the race from the start to lap 30 when he came in with electrical trouble. Some time was lost in diagnosis, battery and regulator being replaced.

Pedro made up one lap on sheer speed, another lap by staying out on slicks when it rained and everyone else came in for intermediates, and then he had to come in again when it dried out. He passed the Ferrari to un-lap himself in front of the pits.

Now there were 25 laps remaining, Pedro was gaining on the Ferrari at the rate of 4 seconds per lap, and his lap time was 1 mi. 40 seconds. So at that rate he would catch the leader at the last corner of the last lap of the race! Or Not!

In the event the Ferrari finished up in the guard rail and Pedro sailed past, much to his disappointment as he wanted to take the win in dramatic fashion at the line.

As he took off his helmet I could see not a drop of sweat, his hair was perfect, it was just a drive in the park for him!

A few weeks later he was dead.





Nürburgring with Jo Siffert




SPA with John Wyer

More Authentic detail from the Man...

Now the two color photos taken at Spa in 1967 are interesting in that this race was to be the first victory for the new Gulf sponsored JWAE Team. It was was won by Jacky Ickx driving the company’s new endurance car, the M1 Mirage, a variation of a Ford GT40 with modified body designed by Len Bailey.

Len can be seen in the photo wearing a red sweater.

The other item of interest is that his co-driver was American, Dr. Richard Thompson, an amateur driver who had driven cars for the VP of Gulf Oil, Grady Davis, in US events.

The Doctor was to be the only American driver ever to win a 1000 Km. Race at Spa.

He is the guy in the lower picture in white overalls with his name embroidered on them, as can be clearly seen.

In the same photo we can see a blurred shot on right of Ermanno Cuoghi, who joined us (JWE) in 1965 as a “helper" and soon became Chief Mechanic for the Team, and much later, Nicki Lauda’s mechanic at Ferrari.

Also in the shot is Bill Milligan with his right hand on his hip, and on the right, a partial picture of David Yorke.





SPA with John Wyer

Last edited by rocky
I hope you guys aren't getting tired of this stuff!

I just got a couple of more cool pix from Pebble Beach, 2016.

I'll post them up if you are interested.

Rocky

OK - You all asked for it. Due to popular demand... from Pebble Beach, 2016....

Class Winner at Pebble Beach
1966 Le Mans Winning GT-40 Mark II


- I think the guy in the Panama Hat is someone I should recognize, but I am not sure who he is....

ANSWER: The guy wearing Panama is me (John Horsman)! I bought it in Carmel to fit in with the other Judges, but only two out of 4 of the GT40 Judges wore their Panamas on that day.




GT50P-1075 - Double Le Mans Winner GT-40





Bob Bondurant, David Hobbs, Jacky Iyxx, John Horsman, Kenny G (Organizer) and the Great Dan Gurney

Follow-Up: “The Great Dan” is of course Dan Gurney, who it was suggested by many, should have stood for President at one time in his life. You must recall the “Dan Gurney for President” banners!


Last edited by rocky
This is an experiment, I believe you can follow along, reading the separate captions, and looking at the pictures in a separate tab......

Again, I got the words from John Horsman. I hope you find it interesting.

Slideshow of more pictures, with captions from the Man, himself....


Picture No. 1 is of two 917’s but not ours, probably Porsche Austria. I see they have copied out 1970 Spa set-up with a flap all the way across the tail, more rear downforce but no rear vision, hence mirrors on roof. I cannot i.d. location.

(At Spa 1970 our drivers had no rear vision (due to this aero mod) but we felt they would be so far ahead they did not need any rear view! And that was the case, another 1-2 for Gulf).

No. 2. Nice shot of the revised tail.

No. 3. Mike Hailwood’s car after sliding off the road on slicks during a sudden shower at LM 1970… Another potential winner gone.

No. 4. Over-sharpened in photoshop! Don’t know where or when.

No. 5. GT40 looks nice but black striping between the blue and the orange missing, see 917 above. Also we never painted our wheels orange. Obviously not a Team car.

No. 6. Interesting shot of our Hotel at Le Mans, the Hotel de France at La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, which JW found and was used by “us” from 1952 to 1982, 27 miles from circuit! Photo must be about 1948 judging by cars outside and lack of ivy on the front of hotel.

No. 7. Taken by Janet (John's Wife), Amelia Island Judging.

No. 8. Taken in our house in 2015, used in Tucson Newspaper, 11/22/15.

No. 9. JW and his wife Tottie - timekeeping circa 1950.

No. 10. A Gulf-Mirage M1 being raced in private owner’s hands at Silverstone some time about 1968-75.

No. 11. JW with Porsche Team Manager and ex-Race Driver, Rico Steinemann at a cold Press Release late 1969 or early 1970 when Porsche-JWAE deal was announced.

No. 12. JW obviously but where, Daytona? and with whom? Fellow on left could be Laurie Bray, ex Aston Martin, ex FAV, with Eric Broadly of Lola Cars thereafter.

No. 13. A copy, or could be actual one, of our third car at Le Mans 1971 for Attwood and Mueller, finished second, should have won but delayed by transmission fault and subsequent rebuild. (sychro cones came unscrewed, as they had done at Daytona and Porsche swore problem was fixed…).

Porsche produced a modified short-tail which we used only at Monza and LM in 1971. Slightly less downforce and slightly less drag.

No. 14. A well used and worn photo taken at the Hotel de France in 1965 of the FAV entered GT40 with the new Len Bailey designed front body panel, which became standard on all cars as it truly balanced the car well for front and rear down force. This was first time this front panel was raced. Not taken up by Shelby etc, as NIH, not until their own attempts were found lacking…

With JW are our two drivers, Innes Ireland and (Sir) John Whitmore, plus son of Hotel owners, Francis or Tierry.

No. 15. An Aston Martin gathering of the ’50’s. L to R. Peter Collins, Reg Parnell, Tony Brooks and JW, maybe at Aintree, England. Collins and Brooks were outstanding drivers. Sadly Collins was killed at the ‘Ring in 1958 but Brooks is still going strong.

No. 16. No idea of when or where or who the girl is.

No. 17. End of Daytona 24 Hours, 1970, or is it 1971 ! Same driver same dirty mechanics! Is the co-driver Kinnunen (1970) or Oliver (1971)? My bet is 1971 when syncro cone(s) came un-screwed…

No. 18. See No 17!

No. 19. Nearing the end of the 1968 Le Mans, with Roy Lunn on Wyer’s left, dark glasses, white shirt. Roy pushed for the 427 engine cars in place of the small blocks, 289, 302 or 351. I was in the original photo but have been cropped out as being of no interest!

No. 20. Pit stop for the Siffert/Redman 917 at Spa 1970. JHH with lap chart just below the Martini sign, Nigel Bennett and Clive Miller check rear tires, David Yorke walks around front of car, Siffert strides past R.F. of car as Redman is ready to jump in when Peter Davies finishes fueling.

No. 21. A staged photo for Ford publicity in the FAV Shop at Slough of self, Ermanno Cuoghi and John Collins.

No. 22. The great conductor, Herbert Von Karajan, takes delivery of his street GT40 Mark 3 at Slough, as JW and JH tell him what not to do!

No. 23. Siffert and Redman in one of our 917’s win again, but where? Buenos Aires 1971 I think (Note, the picture's caption says Targa Florio - but I won't argue with John!).

I added three more pix, two John Wyer's and a Pedro Rodriguez.

Enjoy!
Last edited by rocky

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