If McQueen wasn’t as good as some of the top F1 drivers of
the time, he was at least good enough (even with a broken
leg) to help keep the Porsche in contention. While Revson
did the lion’s share of the driving, McQueen had at least
two turns at the wheel: he started the race and handled the
difficult “transition” stint at sunset. The legend goes that
as the race went on, McQueen’s cast had started to come
apart and the mechanics used duct tape to give it some reinforcement
(which my photos verify). Revson did the rest.
But, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
The transmission broke on Andretti’s leading Ferrari (car
19), putting them out of the race with two hours remaining
and a 13-lap lead. The Rodriguez/Siffert/Kinnunen Porsche
917 (15) took over and appeared to be cruising to a repeat
of their earlier Daytona win until their suspension began
to fail from the pounding. Revson (48) took over the lead.
The decision was made by the Ferrari team manager to
put Mario in the second place 512 (21). He passed Revson
in the final minutes, winning by 23 seconds – at that time
the closest race in Sebring history.
The Ferrari victory was not a sign of great things to come
- the 512 never won another major race. The Porsche 917
went on to become, arguably, the most iconic endurance
racer of all time. It won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971, and
Vic Elford returned to win Sebring the next year in his Martini
917.
Steve McQueen began shooting his racing epic “Le Mans,”
later that summer using many of the cars and drivers that
appeared at Sebring. The movie is considered by many to
be the most authentic depiction of endurance racing ever
filmed, although somewhat short on plot. He was not allowed
to actually drive in the race for insurance reasons.
Andretti won Sebring again in 1972 and then went on to
win the F1 World Drivers Championship in 1978 in a Lotus.
This was Dan Gurney’s last Sebring drive - he retired
later that year - but returned with his Eagle GTP cars to win
twice in the 1990s.
Many other drivers did not fare so well. Within the next few
years, Pedro Rodriguez, Jo Siffert, Piers Courage, Francois
Cevert, Ignazio Giunti and Peter Revson would be gone,
the result of racing accidents. All were among the most
elite group of drivers in the world.
The rules were changed in 1972, restricting the engine
size, eliminating the popular 917. By 1974, the oil embargo
caused the Sebring race to be cancelled entirely. But
the 1980s and 1990s saw a resurgence. Today Sebring
remains America’s greatest endurance race.
Alec Ulmann would be proud.
Harry Hurst
Fifty years ago – at the tender age
of 19 – Harry Hurst was track photographer
for the Sebring 12-Hour
race in Florida. This article is excerpted
from his book, “12 Hours
of Sebring 1970” that has recently
been updated and republished. It
is available for download at www.
GloryDaysOfRacing.com.
Hurst also published “12 Hours Of
Sebring 1965” with photos by Dave
Friedman, and commentary by Jim
Hall and others who were there.
His photographs have appeared in numerous other books including
the photographic accompaniment to Janos Wimpffen’s Time and
Two Seats, Michael Argetsinger’s book on Mark Donohue, and Matt
Stone’s book on Steve McQueen. Magazines that have featured
Harry’s work include Forza, MotorSport, Octane, Road & Track,
and Prancing Horse. Harry displayed his work at the Quail Lodge
Gathering in 2013 and 2018. Lat year, Vintage Motorsports did a
“Behind the Lens” feature on Hurst’s work.
Today, Hurst is an advertising and public relations executive in
Philadelphia and was proud to play a key role in the launch of the
Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.
/GloryDaysOfRacing.com