Page 16 - Against All The Others

roofs in place without flying apart. Unlike grand prix races in which the winner was the first to complete a prescribed distance or number of laps, the winner of Le Mans was the car that covered the greatest distance in 24 hours.
Over the decades, the course length had changed, ever shortening for safety reasons. The original lap in 1923 measured 17.26 km (10.72 mi); in 1929 in the first of its contractions it shrunk to 16.43 km (10.21 mi). By 1968, the course was reduced to 13.47 km (8.37 mi). The ACO established the April trials as a means of pre-qualifying entries. The trials also gave teams a chance to benchmark their performance against likely competition, and to work out—and hopefully elimi- nate—any potential problems.
The Esses
Dunlop Curve
Start/finish Ford Chicane
Maison Blanche
D139
Ligne Droit des Hunaudières (Mulsanne Straight / D338)
Huschke von Hanstein sent five cars to the April trials, including two of
Porsche’s “new” Typ 908 coupes powered by the 3.0-liter opposed eight-cylinder
Arnage engine. These 908s were in fact 907 L chassis and bodies with the new 2924 cc
eight installed in the prototype and in 908-002. Trials test-driving assignments
went to Rolf Stommelen and Herbert Linge. Because these trials coincided
with the European opener for the Manufacturers Championship, at Brands
Hatch, several of the teams, especially those of Porsche and Ford, were divided.
Stommelen also tested the freshly rebuilt 907-005. In addition, Porsche’s French distributor Auguste Veuillet sent Robert Buchet with a new 911 T and a 911 R, and another privateer brought his T.
“Anyone expecting the 908 Porsche to be a completely new car must have been disappointed, because it differs from this year’s 907 specification only insofar as it has been necessary to accom- modate the new engine and transmission units and their attendant plumbing, and of course, with different rate springs and shocks to absorb the changes in all-up weight and in weight distribution,” John Blunsden wrote in the July issue of Sports Car Graphic.
“Bosch low-pressure fuel injection is used,” Blunsden continued. “A high-mounted mechanical pump, located just inboard of the right-hand bank of intake trumpets, feeds injectors facing down- stream just below the lip of the trumpets. There are two valves and two plugs per cylinder, and the cooling fan is mounted vertically in front of the engine. The cylinder dimensions of 86 mm x 66 mm (the same stroke as the 2.0-liter six-cylinder engine) give a displacement of 2924 cc. Porsche’s claim of 310hp at 7500rpm is almost certainly very conservative.
Indianapolis
D140
Mulsanne Kink
Mulsanne Corner
1 2 6
Tertre Rouge
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024 David Bull
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AGAINST ALL THE OTHERS
LE MANS
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