The True Story of the 1966 Le Mans Race

It was released in our country on November 15, 2019. Ford V FerrariThe true story of, as everyone knows, actually 1996 Le Mans 24 Hour Race pertaining to the activity. The biggest thing that makes this race special is the tension and the great rivalry between Ford and Ferrari.

this race Ford It was a turning point for Ferrari It was a tremendous success. After the tension before the race, the strategies of both teams, the vehicles and the pilots, 1996 Le Mans was an event that made its mark in the history of automobile racing. In this article, we talk about the story of this race.

Let’s start with the basics: What are these 24 Hours of Le Mans?

To better understand the story, it would be best to know what the Le Mans 24 Hours are. Le Mans races total lasting 24 hours racing events. The races take place on a 13,469 km track in France. Different pilots from many different countries represent the teams in the race and try to complete the race, which takes a total of 24 hours. Most teams until the 1980s with 2 pilots represented, but later for the safety of the pilots. this is number 3It’s out. The race is a huge one as it lasts 24 hours. it’s an endurance race and quite brutally for the pilots exhausting are races. Until the next race, the teams design many vehicles, conduct countless pilot and vehicle tests and want to be among those who complete this challenging race. Many factors such as strategy, vehicles and drivers play an important role for teams in races. Fuel loading and wheel change The race continues without interruption. More than finishers DNF those that race those who did not complete available. If we understood the race, let’s move on to the story.

In 1963, exactly 3 years before the race, the rivalry and tension between Ford and Ferrari ignited:

The rivalry between Ford and Ferrari is full of the legendary race. 3 years ago starting. Since Le Mans races are a very famous endurance race, many brands try to stand out and are known worldwide. wants to gain respect they were racing. The world that won Le Mans top auto manufacturers was sitting at the top. This meant a tremendous brand value gain. Ford Chief Executive at the time Henry Ford IIhad his eye on Ferrari, which had been ahead for years. Ferrari, which won consecutive Le Mans 1960-1963, had a great reputation in the world but was in a position where it needed urgent capital. Ford, on the other hand, wanted to buy the brand by making an agreement with Ferrari in order to multiply its own value and turn things in their favor. Thereupon, the Ford team, who went to Italy for purchases, took one of the purchase items. Enzo FerrariHe couldn’t accept it. This clause included the transfer of management of the Ferrari racing team to Ford. Ferrari didn’t want to lose their independence like this and when everything was almost settled This item was not accepted. and Ford returned empty-handed from the purchase. After this incident, Ford vs Ferrari great competition He got into it and decided to take his revenge in the Le Mans races. Ford and Ferrari had since become arch rivals.

The 1964 and 1965 races are a huge disappointment for Ford:

Henry Ford worked on a new vehicle to help them compete with Ferrari. That vehicle will become a legend in 1966. V8 with engine Ford GT40It was him. Unfortunately, the Ford GT 40 didn’t perform well enough in Le Mans in its early years. The winner of the 64 and 65 races was Ferrari with its better cars and drivers. Ford GT40, aerodynamic Although it was a successful car in terms of performance, it was quite unstable and had many other problems, even in the 1964 race. 3 Ford GT40 MKIs model broke down and could not complete the race. By 1965, Ford was an American automobile designer. Carol Shelby agreed with. Shelby, on the other hand, is the pilot she trusts very much as a racing and test driver. Ken MilesHe chose . failed in 1964 Ford, which is the owner of the vehicle, tried to strengthen the vehicle and made many tests. If they manage to make it better and even 1965 Daytona Although they showed great success in the race, when it came to Le Mans, the Ford team could not complete the race with 6 cars. From then on, Ford focused all its focus on making the Ford GT 40 the 1966 Le Mans champion. The Ford GT 40 legend was about to be born.

The Legendary 1966 Pre-Le Mans Legendary Ford GT 40 MKII is getting ready:

The legendary Ford GT 40 had many models. With the 1964 and 1965 races The Ford team, Shelby and the legendary pilot, who learned from their defeats together Ken MilesHe tried to optimize the GT 40 with the support of . In engine and transmission changes were made and numerous tests were carried out. Here, the legendary vehicle Ford GT 40 MKII, which brought victory to Ford for 4 consecutive years between 1966-1969, was ready for the 1966 race. A total of 8 Ford vehicles participated in the race, and they were placed in the first 3 rows. All 3 vehicles are Ford GT 40 MKII it happened. 6697 cm3 vehicle with cylinder volume, 485 was horse and 320 km/h had top speed. The rival on the Ferrari side is Ferrari’s carefully designed and prepared by pushing the limits. Ferrari 330 P3 was the model.

At the start of the 1966 Le Mans race, Ferrari looked very relaxed:

One interesting thing about the race was that Ferrari confidently entered the race with far fewer cars. Ferrari just raced 2 pcs P3 had attended. If Ford full 8 pieces joined by vehicle. Ferrari was very confident in himself, and his new cars and his experience with experienced drivers. John SurteesThey believed that he would succeed. Things did not go well and John announced that he would not be able to participate in the race. In the qualifying laps of the race first 4 rows so Ford took it. Ferrari would have paid a heavy price for John’s absence and his participation with very few cars. The 1966 Le Mans race, the biggest symbol of the eternal rivalry of Ford and Ferrari, was starting.

1966 Le Mans didn’t start well for Ford:

Race 16.00It started in . and Ford started the race confidently in the first places. at night time Situations took a frightening turn for Ford and Ferrari team first 2 rows managed to get it. In addition, Ford’s total 4 agents was out of the race. At this point, the Ford team was pretty nervous and told the drivers not to give them full throttle. Things were starting to turn in Ford’s favor again towards morning. Ferraris would have a nightmare.

Ferraris are out of the race and Ford is in the top 3 places with 3 cars:

Ferrari cars in the morning accidents and breakdowns As a result, he was out of the race and the race turned in Ford’s favour. The first three rows now belonged to Ford’s vehicles by noon. The car, driven by the legendary pilot Ken Miles, was placed in the first place. Ford was about to win the victory he had targeted for 2 years. Ford race judge on the way to the finish line Leo Beebe, asked the drivers something interesting. All three Ford vehicles were required to finish the race together. Ford vehicles in the top 3 will finish the race together and will be an unforgettable experience for Ford. photo finish would be done.

Ford wins the 1966 Le Mans race with three of his cars and Ferrari is defeated:

Ford was about to succeed in defeating his rival Ferrari in this legendary race in the great competition that started after the tension in 1963. Ken Milesslowed to wait for other Ford drivers. Behind Bruce McLaren’Bruce McLaren moved to the first place with the arrival of the . Thirdly, too 12 laps Ford, who managed to finish the race third even though he came from behind, Ronnie BuckmunWith the arrival of Ford, Ford became the winner of the race and completely captured the first three places. Thus, Ferrari suffered a great defeat after years of outstanding success.

In the same year, Legendary driver Ken Miles dies in a vehicle test:

The death of the legendary driver Ken Miles, who contributed greatly to Ford’s 1966 Le Mans victory, was also quite tragic. After the Le Mans victory August 1966Ford in , after GT 40 MKII J-Car started a vehicle project called and decided to carry out its tests. Ken Miles, who took part in the tests, during the test of the vehicle 320 km/h while speeding overthrown and somersaults started to beat. Vehicle started to catch fire and Miles get out of the car during somersaults. jumped out. riverside The lifeless body of the legendary pilot was lying on the runway. As a result of the tragic accident that Ford stated to have occurred due to a mechanical failure, the legendary pilot Miles lost his life exactly where he belonged and passed away. Even more tragic is Ken Miles’ 1966 race. second was to finish. Miles, who slowed down after Ford’s special finishing request, lost the first place to his teammates due to the distance calculation problem. Although he did not come first that year, he became a driver who deserved to be among the unforgettable pilots in Ford’s racing history.

Ford GT40 wins races for 4 consecutive years:

Ford not only got what he wanted, but also managed to take the top three places with his 3 cars. 1967,1968 and 1969 Ford GT 40 vehicle managed to win Le Mans races. Ford, who could not buy Ferrari and was greatly disappointed in the 64 and 65 years, was now the winner of the races for 4 consecutive years. Things were getting harder for Ferrari.

Ferrari is forced to sell most of its shares to Fiat:

1969 By the end of the year, Ferrari was out of power financially. The offer made in 1963 was rejected and there were 4 consecutive defeats since 1966. After the financial situation deteriorated, Ferrari, sell half of his shares to Fiat had to. 1988 By the year 2015, Fiat took over Ferrari’s shares. to 90% was in possession. Ford’s wins against Ferrari caused Ferrari to go into great trouble.

Legendary racing takes its place in popular culture:

The race remains popular even after many years and it is mentioned in many places. One of the examples in popular culture ‘Go Like Hell’ book 2009 Released in the year. in Turkish ”Go Like Hell” The title of the book comes from Bruce McLaren shouting “Go Like Hell” to his teammate Chris Amon. Another work on the race is ”The 24 Hour War” A documentary made in 2010. In this documentary, the story of the race is presented to the audience. Finally, in our title 2019 from Turkish “Kings of Asphalt” designated as Ford v Ferrari The motion picture is one of the most important productions of the race in popular culture. Successful actors in the movie Matt Damon and Christian Bale is also included. Movie on IMDb to 8.1 points have and 2 hours 32 minutes has a long duration. If you haven’t watched it, we highly recommend watching it.

In this article, we touched on the true story of the 1966 Le Mans race. What do you guys think about the race and this great rivalry between Ford and Ferrari? Have you seen the movie Ford v Ferrari? You can share your valuable opinions with us in the comments section.