Page 91 - Yanks reviews

Porsche Road & Race, June 22, 2020 / page 10
818 1971 E Twice Around the Clock
The Yanks at Le Mans E 1971
ABOVE: Gridded fourth amongst the faster Porsche 917s and looking remarkably fresh after the late-night engine change and pre-dawn road test, Donohue
and Roger Penske await the start, both modeling distinctive dark glasses from one of their sponsors. Note the special harness buckle sewn into the waist
of Donohue’s suit, just one of the Penske innovations to save time during driver changes. THE CAHIER COLLECTION, BERNARD CAHIER
LEFT: Pole-sitter Pedro Rodriguez in the No. 18 Gulf 917 LH leads away, Vic Elford close behind in a works LH, then No. 17 Siffert in another Gulf Porsche, and Donohue in the first Ferrari. Rodriguez would win the “First lap Grand Prix” easily and lead, except briefly during one pitstop, nearly to the half-way mark before a broken oil pipe ultimately sidelined him. PETE BIRO OPPOSITE: With 30 seconds left before 49 cars are to pull away for the pace lap of Le Mans’ first Indy-style rolling start, one car still has the back cover raised, the No. 16 Weir/Craft Ferrari. The engine has refused to fire, but was finally brought to life – by hammer blows! Helpless, David Weir can only watch as co-driver Chris Craft accelerates away after everyone has left. THE CAHIER COLLECTION, BERNARD CAHIER
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