1974 24 Hours of Le Mans

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1974 24 Hours of Le Mans
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Index: Races | Winners

The 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 42nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 15 and 16 June 1974. It was the fifth round of the 1974 World Championship for Makes. After Alfa Romeo had won the first race of the season at Monza, it had been Matra all the way and they came to Le Mans as firm favourites for a third consecutive outright victory, especially after Alfa Romeo withdrew its cars just before raceweek.

Contents

In a fairly lacklustre race, the Matra of Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse led virtually from start to finish for their second successive victory. [1] It was also the third in a row for Pescarolo and the Matra team. The race was enlivened on Sunday morning when the leading car was delayed for a long time by engine and gearbox troubles. But such was the lead they had built up that they were not headed. Second place, six laps back was the works-supported Martini Porsche 911 turbo of Gijs van Lennep and Herbert Müller while third went to another Matra of Jean-Pierre Jabouille and François Migault.

The Group 4 (GTS) category was a battle between Porsche and Ferrari. It was won by the French-privateer Ferrari of Cyril Grandet and Dominique Bardini as the leading Porsches fell out with problems.

Le Mans in 1974 Circuit de la Sarthe Le Mans 1972-1978.png
Le Mans in 1974

Regulations

There was negligible change to the regulations this year. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) reduced the eligible classes back to six, removing the intermediate divisions of Group 2 and 5. [2] Qualification was tightened, such that each driver, not just each car, had to be within 133% of the fastest times of the top three different car types. [3]

Modern Motor magazine reported at the time that the event cost near to £1 million to hold. Of that, most was paid by Chrysler-France (£500000) and the French government (£300000) with the rest coming from sponsorship. It also noted the declining interest in the racing formula by the manufacturers and fans alike. [4] John Wyer had noted that it cost more than a full season of Formula One to put one of his cars on the grid. [5]

Entries

The fuel crisis triggered by the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East had dramatically affected motor-racing, including the cancellation of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The lack of interest in the 3-litre “universal race-engine” formula was evident and the ACO received only 81 applications, and just 50 turned up for qualification on race-week. Ferrari had quit Sports cars at the end of 1973 to focus on Formula One and Autodelta, the Alfa Romeo works team, again withdrew this time just days before the event. This left only eleven works entries, all from Group 5. [2] This year there were six female drivers across three teams, the most since 1938's six female starters. [6]

CategorySports-Prototype
Group 5
Special GT
Groups 4
Special Touring
Group 2
Total
Entries
Large-engines
>2.0L classes
2422445
Medium-engines
< 2.0L classes
10005
Total cars3422460
Matra-Simca MS670C 1974MatraSimcaMS670C.jpg
Matra-Simca MS670C

With the non-appearance of the Alfa Romeo works team, Matra became the strong favourites. They arrived confident, holding a firm command of the Manufacturers’ Championship, with a strong 4-car line-up. Three of them were the long-tail MS670B, while the fourth chassis was modified with side radiators allowing a more aerodynamic nose. It was called the MS680 and driven by Jean-Pierre Beltoise/Jean-Pierre Jarier. Although slower on the straights it made up time being quicker through the corners. [7] The others were also manned by all-French driver lines-ups, including the 1973 race-winners Henri Pescarolo/Gérard Larrousse and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud/Bob Wollek/José Dolhem, Jean-Pierre Jabouille/François Migault. The V12 engines got tuned down to 460 bhp to better preserve them, but still gave about 320 kp/h (200 mph). [8]

In Alfa Romeo's absence, Matra's biggest challenger would be from John Wyer’s Gulf Research Racing. The company had dropped the Mirage name and the new car was called the Gulf GR7 designed by Len Bailey, [9] a much lighter version of the M6, but still 40 kg heavier than the Matras. [10] Although the Cosworth V8 (with 450 bhp) gave away acceleration torque to the Matra V12, [11] reliability would be the biggest concern although they had traded up to stronger ZF gearboxes. [12] Two cars were at Le Mans, driven by team regulars Derek Bell/Mike Hailwood and joined by Vern Schuppan/Reine Wisell.

Gulf GR7 1973MirageCosworthGR7.jpg
Gulf GR7

After a successful foray into the Can-Am scene, Porsche returned to Sports-car racing this year. The Martini-sponsored works team bought the evolution of the Carrera RSR. It was now powered by a new 2142cc flat-6 engine, augmented by the exhaust-driven KKK (Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch [13] ) turbo used in their Can-Am cars, that pushed out 490 bhp (and was equivalent to 2999cc using the x1.4 equivalency). It also featured improved aerodynamics (front spoiler, wider wheel arches, full rear wing) and upgraded transmission and braking which all made them slightly quicker than the Matras in a straight line. [14] [12] The two cars were driven by Gijs van Lennep/Herbert Müller and Manfred Schurti/Helmuth Koinigg. There were also older Porsches in the Group 5 field: including a non-turbo RSR special from Mexican Héctor Rebaque and two 908/02s returning from the previous year run by Swiss André Wicky and Ecuadorian Guillermo Ortega.

Porsche 911 RSR Turbo Porsche 911 RSR LM24.jpg
Porsche 911 RSR Turbo

Guy Ligier arrived with a much-improved version of his JS2 sports car, still running in the prototype class. Designer Michel Têtu had done much with the aerodynamics including a big rear aerofoil and flared wheel arches allowing wider tyres. The Maserati engine had been developed to put out 300 bhp. The team was also encouraged by finishing second in the two heats of the March Testing Weekend race, and being declared overall winner. This year the team-owner was not racing, and the two cars were driven by veteran Guy Chasseuil with Michel Leclère, and Jacques Laffite with Alain Serpaggi. [15]

There were also several one-off prototype specials: Alain de Cadenet was back at Le Mans, having fixed the aerodynamic problems that plagued him the year before. It was now in British racing green without its Duckhams Oil sponsorship. However, after being injured in a motorcycle accident, his place alongside Chris Craft was taken by McLaren and Cosworth-engine developer John Nicholson. [16] [7] A new Lola, the T284 (also running a Cosworth engine), was entered by Michel Dupont Racing alongside his Chevron in the 2-litre category. [7] Unable to secure a new 312PB from the factory in 1971, the North American Racing Team (NART) had developed their own spyder version of the 312P. This was subsequently developed in-house to PB-specification in 1972 and arrived at this year's race for Jean-Claude Andruet/Teodoro Zeccoli. [16] The successor to the Dino 246 was the 308 GT4 and NART also prepared a special racing version using engine components taken from the 512BB and 365 GTB/4. The 3-litre engine now pushed out 250 bhp, capable of 285 kp/h (175 mph). [17] The Japanese Sigma rotary returned with an updated model, and now with stronger financial backing from Mazda. Their drivers included the debut race for future Le Mans stalwart Yojiro Terada. [18]

Once again there was a small turnout for the S2.0 class. One of the Chevrons featured the first all-female driver line-up since 1951, led by Belgian Christine Beckers. After getting frustrated with the unreliability of the 2-litre racing engines, French privateer Fred Stalder set up his own company, Société Racing Organisation Course (ROC) to build engines. His first engine, designed by Mario Illien and based on a Chrysler-Simca block, [7] could develop 280 bhp and was put into his Lola T292 as well as a French GRAC car. [19]

The Group 4 GT category would be a battle between Ferrari and Porsche. NART had three of the five 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” entries alongside Charles Pozzi, the French importer who had won the previous year's GT prize (using Raymond Touroul's entry-card). [20] With Porsche's refocus on production racing, they had manufactured the requisite 1000 copies of the Carrera RS cars to get homologation in Group 3. The Group 4 RSR version was very popular with privateers and no less than 13 arrived for the race. Cars included the now-regular team-entries from Kremer and Gelo (West Germany), ASA-Cachia and Claude Buchet (France), Porsche Club Romand and Claude Haldi (Switzerland), Ecurie Francorchamps of Belgium and the Spanish Escuderia Montjuïch. [21] Henri Greder again had his Corvette, now starting to show its age, and the Wicky team also entered a De Tomaso Pantera. [17]

With the withdrawal of the Ford and BMW works teams because of reduced racing budgets, [22] this year the Group 2 class comprised just four entries: two BMWs for the Italian Jolly Club team and Frenchman Jean-Claude Aubriet (giving up his Corvette), the Ford Capri of the Shark Team [22] and Claude Buchet's Mazda twin-rotary RX-3.

Practice

The Alfa Romeos had been the fastest cars at the March test weekend, with Arturo Merzario recording a 3:31.0, but then they failed to arrive. [12] So, unsurprisingly, the Matras were the fastest cars in qualification. Pescarolo got pole position as early as Wednesday night, with a lap of 3:35.8 and teammate Jarier in the new MS680 claimed second on Thursday with a 3:36.8. The Gulfs were third and fourth, Schuppan ahead of Bell with the other two Matras next. [23] There was then a sizeable eight-second gap back to Müller's Porsche turbo and Craft in the De Cadenet (both recording 3:52.4). [2] The Ligiers really impressed themselves, qualifying 10th and 12th on the grid with Chasseuil a full 27 seconds faster than the previous year proving the new aero pack was working and the run at the Test Weekend was no fluke. [15]

The Lola-ROC was quickest of the 2-litre class with 4:07.9 (14th). Fastest GT was the Kremer-Porsche (15th with 4:11.3) not far ahead of the Jolly Club Group 2 ex-works BMW (17th with 4:14.2). [24] Disappointments were the NART-Ferrari specials with the 312P recording 4:18.0 and the 308 GT4 down in 38th with 4:25.3. The big old Corvette was in the middle of the GT-pack (4:24.7 for 36th) while the De Tomaso was last qualifier with a sluggish 4:43.6. Of the two rotaries, the Sigma had a number of problems during practice and its 4:20.4 was nine seconds slower than the year before; [18] while the RX-3 was the only car too slow to qualify. [25]

Race

Start

Once again, like the previous year's race, the sunshine in race week became dark clouds on race-day. [26] [24] Henri Pescarolo moved into the lead from the start but Jarier overtook him at Mulsanne corner just as the rain started on the first lap. But it didn’t last and no-one came in to change tyres. By the fourth lap, Matra were running 1-2-3-4 when Schuppan had already bought his Gulf in to change sparkplugs and Jabouille and Jaussaud had overtaken Bell in the other Gulf. [26] One of the NART Ferraris left its braking too late and clouted both barriers at the Esses putting it out. [20] Chasseuil also brought the leading Ligier in for a plug change early on. [24]

Pescarolo retook the lead and the Matras kept their positions beyond the first driver changes, a lap ahead of the Gulf. Schuppan's day never improved as the other Gulf's ongoing issues culminated in a broken CV-joint after three hours, stranding Wisell out on the track. In fact a number of cars had early mechanical issues, spreading the field wide apart. [24] The GT battle was very close, with the Buchet Porsche running just ahead of the Montjuïch, Kremer and ASA-Cachia cars. But the troubles that were to afflict most of the Porsches started early when Ballot-Lena and Haldi brought the leading two cars in for repairs. [21] Then in the fourth hour, just as Jarier blasted out of the pits to start his second stint, he collided with the GT-leading Kremer Porsche (leaving twin 22m lines of rubber as it tried to stop [27] ). While the Matra was losing 45 minutes getting repaired, Jabouille's car also came in the pits with water leaking from its engine. When the remaining Gulf also broke its CV joint (fortunately, within coasting distance of the pits, but dropping it to 12th after 45 minutes), it was the turbo Porsches that moved up to 3rd and 5th, split by the De Cadenet now running well after an initial delay to fix a loose wheel. [24] [26]

Night

At 11pm, the engine of Schurti/Koinigg's Porsche, running 5th, blew up on the Mulsanne Straight. Such was the smoke trail that officials initially put its retirement down to a fire. [14] [27] Within the hour, the Matras of Jarier (12th) and Wollek (2nd) also lost their engines. [26] By 1am Pescarolo had a 6-lap lead over the Müller/van Lennep Porsche, with the De Cadenet four laps further back in third. After its delays, the Gulf of Bell/Hailwood had got back up to fourth, ahead of the Gelo Porsche of Loos/Schickentanz/Barth (leading the GT class in a surprising fifth overall) and the Jabouille/Migault Matra also coming back through the field. Consistency had got the Romand Porsche up to seventh ahead of the Pozzi Ferrari. [25]

Then shortly after 1.30am Craft brought the De Cadenet in with suspect handling. As he was leaving a suspension bolt broke but, not being allowed to reverse up the pitlane, Craft had to spend half an hour changing the steering arm himself. After some cautious laps and further repairs he resumed in 11th place and carried on through the night. [16] [27] At 2am, the Gelo Porsche (now running 4th) was out with engine problems – when a loose screw fell into the distributor. [21] [28]

So by halftime at 4am, Pescarolo/Larrousse had done 179 laps, with a comfortable lead over the Porsche (172) and the Gulf (166). Jabouille/Migault had fought back up to fourth (165 laps). Just two laps back the Swiss Romand Porsche was fifth, pursued by the Pozzi Ferrari and the Francorchamps Porsche. The NART Ferraris were eighth (312P) and tenth (365 GT) with the second Gelo Porsche splitting them. [28] [25]

Morning

Just as dawn came at 5.30am, the De Cadenet's suspension broke again. However, this time Nicholson was travelling at speed down the pit straight and it slammed him into the pit-barriers and slid 200 metres down the road. Nicholson was able to get out unhurt. [16] [27] The Jolly Club BMW had been the fastest of the Group 2 cars in practice but had been slowed in the very first hour with a gearbox issue. Having driven back through the field up to 17th, it was forced to retire just after dawn when the engine overheated. [22] The Ford Capri leading the class broke its clutch after 7am while running 13th overall.

The back-and-forth Porsche-Ferrari battle in GT got clearer at 7am when the 5th-placed Romand Porsche had to spend a half-hour repairing a universal joint, handing the class lead back to the Pozzi Ferrari. [21] [28] After a four-hour engine rebuild, the Sigma got back into the race, much to the appreciation of the crowd. Although unlikely to be classified, the team were determined to get to the finish. [28]

At 8am, the trouble-free run of the leading Matra ended when Larrousse bought the car in with a misfire. Several stops were needed to fix the issue, costing three-quarters of an hour, but they were able to keep their lead. [29] The Gulf then also lost almost 45 minutes fixing its starter motor, dropping to fourth. [28] Around 10am the Porsche developed a steering problem and then lost all but its fourth and fifth gears. Running around 40 seconds a lap slower, it fell eleven laps behind the leading Matra. [14] [23]

Then just before 11am, Pescarolo had a gearbox failure. The Porsche-designed Matra gearbox problem was easy to repair, but it still took 45 minutes. When Larrousse resumed, their 11-lap lead had been cut to just one. [26] [30]

Finish and post-race

However, from then on, the Matra ran smoothly and between them Pescarolo and Larrousse rebuilt their lead over the ailing Porsche. Their pursuers were in damage-control mode, just trying to limp to the finish. The Gelo Porsche's engine finally gave out with less than three hours to go. [30] Even though rain briefly returned in the last hour, Larrousse took the chequered flag [31] a full six laps ahead of Müller and van Lennep. The remaining Matra of Jabouille/Migault, which had kept its third place since daybreak, was a further ten laps behind with a four-lap margin over the Bell/Hailwood Gulf. Both cars had endured troubles right through the race, and every pit-stop needed attention – extra water for the Matra's leaking engine and grease added to the Gulf's fragile CV-joint. [10]

First GT home from a close race-long battle was the Charles Pozzi Ferrari 365 of Cyril Grandet/Dominique Bardini finishing fifth. They had had a very reliable run, spending only 30 minutes in the pits over the whole race. [20] Sixth was the NART Ferrari of Dave Heinz/Alain Cudini that had managed to chase down and pass the ailing Porsche Club Romand car of Chenevière / Zbinden / Dubois in the last quarter-hour. [26]

Jacques Laffite and Alain Serpaggi gave Ligier its best finish to date coming in eighth, [15] despite a fuel-fire at the last pit-stop. [30] Ninth was the NART Ferrari 312 special, having endured six broken throttle cables. The sole surviving Group 2 car was Jean-Claude Aubriet's BMW finishing fifteenth. [16] Likewise, there was only a single finisher in the S-2000 class. The all-female crew in the third Dupont entry ran a conservative race but outlasted all their opposition to finish 17th and, perhaps more importantly, prove that the fragile engines could run 24 hours. [19] They finished ahead of the Corvette of Marie-Claude Beaumont, which had numerous issues and ran 49 laps less than it had completed the year before. [17]

Technically, the Matra mechanics had replaced the gearbox housing on the winning car, which was against regulations. The officials decided not to disqualify the car unless someone protested, and no team did. It was a Porsche gearbox. [32] Henri Pescarolo became only the third driver to win three Le Mans in a row, after Woolf Barnato (1928–30) and Olivier Gendebien (1960-62). Having won Le Mans those three years in a row, and then the World Championship (with nine wins out of ten), Matra announced its retirement from racing at the end of the season with mission accomplished. [23] [29]

Official results

Finishers

Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO [33] Class winners are in Bold text.

PosClassNo.TeamDriversChassisEngineTyreLaps
1S
3.0
7 Flag of France.svg Équipe Gitanes Flag of France.svg Henri Pescarolo
Flag of France.svg Gérard Larrousse
Matra-Simca MS670C Matra 3.0L V12 G 338
2S
3.0
22 Flag of Germany.svg Martini Racing Porsche System Flag of the Netherlands.svg Gijs van Lennep
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Herbert Müller
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR TurboPorsche 2.1L F6 Turbo D 332
3S
3.0
9 Flag of France.svg Équipe Gitanes Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Jabouille
Flag of France.svg François Migault
Matra-Simca MS670C Matra 3.0L V12 G 322
4S
3.0
11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf Research Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Bell
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mike Hailwood
Gulf GR7 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 F 318
5GTS
5.0
71 Flag of France.svg Automobiles Charles Pozzi
Flag of France.svg R. Touroul
Flag of France.svg Cyril Grandet
Flag of France.svg Dominique Bardini
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Ferrari 4.4L V12 M 314
6GTS
5.0
54 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of the United States.svg Dave Heinz
Flag of France.svg Alain Cudini
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Ferrari 4.4L V12 G 313
7GTS
3.0
66 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Porsche Club Romand Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bernard Chenevière
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Peter Zbinden
Flag of France.svg Michel Dubois
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 313
8S
3.0
15 Flag of France.svg Automobiles Ligier Flag of France.svg Jacques Laffite
Flag of France.svg Alain Serpaggi
Ligier JS2 Maserati 3.0L V6 M 311
9S
3.0
1 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Andruet
Flag of Italy.svg Teodoro Zeccoli
NART-Ferrari 312P Ferrari 3.0L V12 G 299
10GTS
3.0
70 Flag of France.svg ASA Cachia-Bondy Flag of France.svg Henri Cachia
Flag of France.svg Raymound Touroul
Flag of France.svg Dennis Rua
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 289
11GTS
5.0
56 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of France.svg Christian Ethuin
Flag of France.svg Lucien Guitteny
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Ferrari 4.4L V12 G 286
12GTS
3.0
69 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg C. Haldi
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Lucien Negeotte
Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Laffeach
Flag of France.svg Jean- François Jaunet
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 277
13GTS
3.0
59 Flag of France.svg P. Mauroy
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Pierre Mauroy
Flag of France.svg Anne-Charlotte Verney
Flag of France.svg Martine Rénier
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 2.8L F6 D 277
14GTS
3.0
63 Flag of France.svg J.-C. Lagniez
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Lagniez
Flag of France.svg Gérard Meo
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 275
15TS
5.0
86 Flag of France.svg J.-C. Aubriet
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Aubriet
Flag of France.svg "Dépnic" (Jean-Claude Depince)
BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 M 270
16GTS
5.0
57 Flag of France.svg M. Mignot
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Marcel Mignot
Flag of the United States.svg Harry Jones
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Ferrari 4.4L V12 M 267
17S
2.0
30 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Michel Dupont Scato
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Écurie Seiko-Scato
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Christine Beckers
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Yvette Fontaine
Flag of France.svg Marie Laurent
Chevron B23 Cosworth FVC 1790cc S4 F 266
18GTS
+5.0
51 Flag of France.svg Greder Racing Team Flag of France.svg Henri Greder
Flag of France.svg Marie-Claude Beaumont
Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet 7.0L V8 M 254
19S
3.0
65 Flag of France.svg C. Poirot
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Christian Poirot
Flag of France.svg Jean Rondeau
Porsche 908/02Porsche 3.0L F8 D 252
20GTS
3.0
73 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Paul Blancpain
Flag of the United States.svg Toad Hall Racing
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Paul Blancpain
Flag of the United States.svg Michael Keyser
Flag of the United States.svg Milt Minter
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 G 247
N/C *S
3.0
25 Flag of Japan.svg Sigma Automotive Flag of Japan.svg Yasuhiro Okamoto
Flag of Japan.svg Harukuni Takahashi
Flag of Japan.svg Yojiro Terada
Sigma MC74 Mazda 12A 2-Rotor
(2.3L equiv.)
D 156

Did not finish

PosClassNoTeamDriversChassisEngineTyreLapsReason
DNFGTS
3.0
72 Flag of Germany.svg Polifac Gelo Racing Team Flag of Germany.svg Jürgen Barth
Flag of Germany.svg Franz Pesch
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 F 232Engine
(23hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
62 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Ecurie Francorchamps Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Baron Hughes de Fierlandt
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Bond
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 227Transmission
(19hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
67 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Porsche Club Romand Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg William Vollery
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Eric Chapuis
Flag of France.svg Roger Dorchy
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 225Engine
(19hr)
DNFTS
5.0
90 Flag of France.svg Shark Racing Team
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Guérie
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Serge Godard
Flag of France.svg Dominique Fornage
Ford Capri RSFord 3.0L V6 D 186Transmission
(16hr)
DNFS
3.0
10 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg A. de Cadenet
(private entrant)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chris Craft
Flag of New Zealand.svg John Nicholson
De Cadenet LM72 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 F 168Accident
(15hr)
DNFTS
5.0
87 Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Jolly Club Flag of Italy.svg Martino Finotto
Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Facetti
Flag of Germany.svg Manfred Mohr
BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 D 155Engine
(14hr)
DNFS
2.0
43 Flag of France.svg Société Racing Organisation Course Flag of France.svg Fred Stalder
Flag of France.svg Robert Mieusset
Flag of France.svg François Sérvanin
Lola T292 Simca-ROC 1994cc S4 F 145Electrics
(13hr)
DNFS
2.0
44 Flag of France.svg G. Cuynet
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Gérard Cuynet
Flag of France.svg Yves Evrard
Flag of France.svg Jean-Louis Gama
Porsche 910 Porsche 1991cc F6 G 143Out of fuel
(17hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
64 Flag of Germany.svg Polifac Gelo Racing Team Flag of Germany.svg Georg Loos
Flag of Germany.svg Clemens Schickentanz
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 F 134Electrics
(14hr)
DNFS
3.0
17 Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador Marlboro Team
(private entrant)
Flag of Ecuador.svg Guillermo Ortega
Flag of Ecuador.svg Fausto Merello
Flag of Ecuador.svg Lothar Ranft
Porsche 908/02KPorsche 3.0L F8 G 122Accident
(11hr)
DNFS
3.0
8 Flag of France.svg Équipe Gitanes Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Jaussaud
Flag of France.svg Bob Wollek
Flag of France.svg José Dolhem
Matra-Simca MS670B Matra 3.0L V12 G 120Engine
(9hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
61 Flag of France.svg R. Buchet
(private entrant)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Vic Elford
Flag of France.svg Claude Ballot-Léna
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 117Transmission
(11hr)
DNFS
3.0
6 Flag of France.svg Équipe Gitanes Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Jarier
Matra-Simca MS680 Matra 3.0L V12 G 104Engine
(9hr)
DNFS
3.0
21 Flag of Germany.svg Martini Racing Porsche System Flag of Austria.svg Helmut Koinigg
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Manfred Schurti
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR TurboPorsche 2.1L F6 Turbo D 87Engine
(8hr)
DNFS
3.0
14 Flag of France.svg Automobiles Ligier Flag of France.svg Guy Chasseuil
Flag of France.svg Michel Leclère
Ligier JS2 Maserati 3.0L V6 M 82Engine
(9hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
68 Flag of Germany.svg Samson Kremer Racing Flag of Germany.svg Erwin Kremer
Flag of Germany.svg Hans Heyer
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Paul Keller
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 65Engine
(6hr)
DNFS
3.0
46 Flag of Mexico.svg Rebaque-Rojas Racing Team
(private entrant)
Flag of Mexico.svg Héctor Rebaque
Flag of Mexico.svg Guillermo Rojas, Sr
Flag of Mexico.svg Freddy Van Beuren
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 G 60Electrics
(7hr)
DNFS
3.0
12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf Research Racing Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vern Schuppan
Flag of Sweden.svg Reine Wisell
Gulf GR7 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 F 49Engine
(5hr)
DNFS
2.0
23 Flag of France.svg M. Mamers
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Marcel “Max” Mamers
Flag of France.svg Xavier Lapeyre
GRAC MT20 Simca-ROC 1994cc S4 G 45Transmission
(5hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
58 Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Escuderia Montjuïch Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Claude Haldi
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg José-Marie Fernández
Flag of France.svg Jean-Marc Seguin
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 43Engine
(4hr)
DNFS
3.0
19 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Wicky Racing Team Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg André Wicky
Flag of France.svg Jacques Boucard
Flag of France.svg “Nouvestille” (Louis Cosson)
Porsche 908/02Porsche 3.0L F8 F 41Gearbox
(6hr)
DNFS
3.0
28 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Michel Dupont Scato Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Heinz Schulthess
Flag of France.svg Michel Lateste
Lola T280/284 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 F 32Engine
(8hr)
DNFS
3.0
18 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of France.svg Jean-Louis Lafosse
Flag of Italy.svg Giancarlo Gagliardi
Dino 308 GT4 LMFerrari 3.0L V8 G 30Transmission
(4hr)
DNFGTS
3.0
60 Flag of France.svg L. Meznarie
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Hubert Striebig
Flag of France.svg Hugues Kirschoffer
Flag of France.svg Jean-Louis Chateau
Porsche 911 Carrera RSRPorsche 3.0L F6 D 23Accident
(4hr)
DNFGTS
+5.0
52 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Wicky Racing Team Flag of Morocco.svg Max Cohen-Olivar
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Philippe Carron
De Tomaso Pantera Ford 5.8L V8 F 16Engine
(4hr)
DNFS
3.0
31 Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Escuderia Tibidabo
(private entrant)
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Francesco Torredemer
Flag of Spain (1945-1977).svg Juan Fernández
Flag of France.svg Bernard Tramont
Porsche 908/03Porsche 3.0L F8 G 12Gearbox
(3hr)
DNFGTS
5.0
55 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Paoli
Flag of France.svg Alain Couderc
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Ferrari 4.4L V12 G 4Accident
(2hr)
DNFS
2.0
27 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Michel Dupont Scato Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Michel Dupont
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Gregor Fischer
Flag of France.svg Daniel Brillat
Chevron B23/26 Cosworth FVC 1790cc S4 F 3Engine
(3hr)

Did not start

PosClassNoTeamDriversChassisEngineTyreReason
DNQTS
5.0
98 Flag of France.svg C. Buchet
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Claude Buchet
Flag of France.svg Jean-Paul Agères
Flag of France.svg Frederic Canal
Mazda RX-3 Coupé Mazda 124A 2-Rotor
(2.3L equiv.)
D Did not qualify
DNAS
3.0
3 Flag of Italy.svg Autodelta SpA Flag of Germany.svg Rolf Stommelen
Flag of Italy.svg Andrea de Adamich
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 Alfa Romeo 3.0L F12 F Withdrawn
DNAS
3.0
4 Flag of Italy.svg Autodelta SpA Flag of Italy.svg Arturo Merzario
Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Facetti
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 Alfa Romeo 3.0L F12 F Withdrawn
DNAS
3.0
5 Flag of Italy.svg Autodelta SpA Flag of Germany.svg Rolf Stommelen
Flag of Italy.svg Carlo Facetti
Flag of Italy.svg Teodoro Zeccoli
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT12 Alfa Romeo 3.0L F12 F Withdrawn
DNAS
3.0
24 Flag of Italy.svg Lancia Marlboro Team Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Andruet
Flag of Italy.svg Sandro Munari
Flag of Italy.svg Umberto Maglioli
Lancia Stratos Ferrari 2.4L V6Withdrawn
DNAS
2.0
26 Flag of France.svg P.-M. Painvin
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Pierre-Marie Painvin
Flag of France.svg Lucien Guitteny
Flag of France.svg Guy Fréquelin
GRAC MT20 Simca-JRD 1994cc S4Withdrawn
DNAS
2.0
29 Flag of France.svg R. Touroul
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Raymond Touroul March 74S BMW 1994cc S4Withdrawn
DNAS
2.0
32 Flag of Spain.svg J. Uriarte
(private entrant)
Flag of Spain.svg José Uriarte
Flag of France.svg Hervé LeGuellec
Lola T292 Cosworth FVC 1790cc S4Withdrawn
DNAS
2.0
33 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg P. Blancpain
(private entrant)
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Paul Blancpain Chevron B23 Cosworth FVC 1790cc S4Withdrawn
DNAS
2.0
34 Flag of France.svg M.Lateste
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Michel Lateste
Flag of France.svg Michel Dufust Flag of France.svg Robert Nee
A.C.E. PB2 Cosworth FVC 1790cc S4Withdrawn

Class winners

ClassGroup 5 Sports
Winners
ClassGroup 4 Special GT
Winners
ClassGroup 2 Special Touring
Winners
Sports
3000
GTS
>5000
#51 Chevrolet Corvette C3Greder / Beaumont
Sports
3000
#7 Matra-Simca MS670CPescarolo / LarrousseGTS
5000
#71 Ferrari 365 GTB/4Grandet / BardiniTS
5000
#86 BMW 3.0 CSLAubriet / Depince
Sports
2000
#30 Chevron B23Beckers / Fontaine / LaurentGTS
3000
#66 Porsche 911 Carrera RSRChenevière / Zbinden / Dubois

Index of Thermal Efficiency

For Group 2 and Group 4 cars. [34]

PosClassNoTeamDriversChassisScore
1GTS
5.0
71 Flag of France.svg Automobiles Charles Pozzi
Flag of France.svg R. Touroul
Flag of France.svg Cyril Grandet
Flag of France.svg Dominique Bardini
Ferrari 365 GTB/41.05
2GTS
5.0
54 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of the United States.svg Dave Heinz
Flag of France.svg Alain Cudini
Ferrari 365 GTB/40.94
3GTS
3.0
66 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Porsche Club Romand Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Bernard Chenevière
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Peter Zbinden
Flag of France.svg Michel Dubois
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR0.90
4TS
5.0
86 Flag of France.svg J.-C. Aubriet
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Aubriet
Flag of France.svg "Dépnic" (Jean-Claude Depince)
BMW 3.0 CSL0.83
5GTS
3.0
69 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg C. Haldi
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Lucien Negeotte
Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Laffeach
Flag of France.svg Jean- François Jaunet
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR0.78
6GTS
3.0
63 Flag of France.svg J.-C. Lagniez
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Jean-Claude Lagniez
Flag of France.svg Gérard Meo
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR0.74
7=GTS
3.0
70 Flag of France.svg ASA Cachia-Bondy Flag of France.svg Henri Cachia
Flag of France.svg Raymound Touroul
Flag of France.svg Dennis Rua
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR0.74
7=GTS
3.0
59 Flag of France.svg P. Mauroy
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Pierre Mauroy
Flag of France.svg Anne-Charlotte Verney
Flag of France.svg Martine Rénier
Porsche 911 Carrera RSR0.74
9GTS
5.0
57 Flag of France.svg M. Mignot
(private entrant)
Flag of France.svg Marcel Mignot
Flag of the United States.svg Harry Jones
Ferrari 365 GTB/40.69
10GTS
5.0
56 Flag of the United States.svg North American Racing Team Flag of France.svg Christian Ethuin
Flag of France.svg Lucien Guitteny
Ferrari 365 GTB/40.64

Statistics

Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO

International Championship for Makes Standings

As calculated after Le Mans, Round 5 of 10 [36] [37]

PosManufacturerPoints
1 Flag of France.svg Matra-Simca80
2 Flag of Italy.svg Alfa Romeo50
3 Flag of Germany.svg Porsche49
4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf45
5 Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari8
6= Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lola6
6= Flag of France.svg Ligier6
6= Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chevron6
9 Flag of Germany.svg BMW3
10= Flag of France.svg Alpine-Renault1
10= Flag of Italy.svg AMS1
Citations
  1. Laban 2001, p.173-4
  2. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.143
  3. Spurring 2011, p.144
  4. Clarke 1997, p.165: Modern Motor Aug 1974
  5. Clarke 1997, p.170: Motor Trend Sep 1974
  6. "Women in the 24 Hours". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Clarke 1997, p.160: Autosport Jun20 1974
  8. Spurring 2011, p.146
  9. Wimpffen 2007, p.130
  10. 1 2 Spurring 2011, p.150
  11. Automobile Year 1973, p.145
  12. 1 2 3 Clarke 1997, p.158: Autocar Jun15 1974
  13. Wimpffen 2007, p.126
  14. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.152
  15. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.156
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Spurring 2011, p.154
  17. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.162
  18. 1 2 Spurring 2011, p.164
  19. 1 2 Spurring 2011, p.160
  20. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.151
  21. 1 2 3 4 Spurring 2011, p.158
  22. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.163
  23. 1 2 3 Clausager 1982, p.166-7
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 Clarke 1997, p.161: Autosport Jun20 1974
  25. 1 2 3 Spurring 2011, p.167
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Spurring 2011, p.145
  27. 1 2 3 4 Clarke 1997, p.162: Autosport Jun20 1974
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Clarke 1997, p.163: Autosport Jun20 1974
  29. 1 2 Spurring 2011, p.148
  30. 1 2 3 Clarke 1997, p.164: Autosport Jun20 1974
  31. Clarke 1997, p.159: Autosport Jun20 1974
  32. Clarke 1997, p.165: Road & Track Oct 1974
  33. Spurring 2011, p.2
  34. Spurring 2011, p.9
  35. "World Championship for Makes". World Sports Racing Prototypes.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  36. "World Championship for Makes". World Sports Racing Prototypes.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  37. Automobile Year 1974, p.216

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References