Page 17 - Against All The Others

024 David Bull
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BELOW: Porsche’s “gear grading” or gear ratio chart for Le Mans revealed a theoretical top speed of
320 km/h (199.94 mph), at roughly 8300rpm, for the six-speed Typ 908. [COURTESY PORSCHE CORPORATE ARCHIV]
“A big surprise was the use of a six-speed gearbox, particularly as the new engine has outstanding torque characteristics—apparently one of the cars was driven around the Nürburgring in one gear, and still put up a creditable time,” Blunsden added.
There were two Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2s (the fastest at 3:53.4), three Alpine-Renault A210s, and two A220s (with a best lap time of 3:49.4); and a Ferrari 275 GTB/C (4:29.2). John Wyer sent a single Gulf GT40 for Jacky Ickx, who proceeded to set the fastest time of the weekend at 3:35.4, a disheartening development for the Porsche crews.
Though the 908s were clearly prototypes, and this was just another of their track shakedowns following their laps of the ’Ring with Elford and Stommelen, one of the 908s, driven by Stommelen, set the second-fastest time, at 3:44.1; mechanic/driver Herbert Linge’s best time in the other was 4:13.2. However, Stommelen already had turned a 3:45.8 in the 907. Buchet was the faster of the two 911 Ts, lapping at 4:27.3.
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1968 RACINg SEASON, PART I
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