As everyone knows, the true story of Ford V Ferrari, which was released in our country on November 15, 2019, actually belongs to the 1996 Le Mans 24 Hours Race event. The biggest thing that makes this race special is the tension and the great rivalry between Ford and Ferrari.
This race was a turning point for Ford and it was a huge success against Ferrari. 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 are racing events that last a total of 24 hours. 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. Although most teams were represented by 2 pilots until the 1980s, this number increased to 3 for the safety of the pilots. Because the race lasts 24 hours, it’s a huge endurance race, and it’s brutally grueling for pilots. 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. The race continues uninterrupted except for fuel loading and wheel change. There are those who have more DNF than those who finished the race, that is, those who could not complete the race. 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 begins exactly 3 years before the legendary race. Since Le Mans races are a very famous endurance race, they were races where most brands tried to stand out and want to gain world respect. He was among the top automakers in the world, winning Le Mans. This meant a tremendous brand value gain. Henry Ford II, then Ford Chief Executive Officer, had 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, could not get Enzo Ferrari to accept one of the purchase items. This clause included the transfer of management of the Ferrari racing team to Ford. Ferrari did not want to lose its independence in this way, and when everything was almost settled, this clause was not accepted and Ford returned empty-handed from the purchase. After this event, Ford entered into a great rivalry against Ferrari and decided to take his revenge in 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 was the Ford GT 40 with the V8 engine that would become legendary in 1966. 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. Although the Ford GT 40 was a successful vehicle in terms of aerodynamics, it was quite unstable and had many more problems, even in the 1964 race, 3 Ford GT40 MKI models could not complete the race. By 1965, Ford signed with American automobile designer Carol Shelby. Shelby, on the other hand, chose Ken Miles, the pilot he trusted very much, as his racing and test driver. Unsuccessful in 1964, Ford tried to further strengthen the car and ran many tests. Although they managed to make it better and even had great success in the 1965 Daytona race, when it came to Le Mans, the Ford team was unable to 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. The Ford team, who learned from their defeats in 1964 and 1965 races, tried to make the GT 40 the best with the support of Shelby and legendary driver Ken Miles. Changes were made to the engine and transmission, 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 the 3 vehicles sitting in the first 3 rows were Ford GT 40 MKII. The vehicle with a cylinder volume of 6697 cm3 produced 485 horsepower and had a top speed of 320 km / h. The rival on the Ferrari side was the Ferrari 330 P3 model, which Ferrari carefully designed and prepared by pushing its limits.
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 participated in the race with only 2 P3s. Ford, on the other hand, participated with 8 vehicles. Ferrari was very confident and believed that their new car and one of the experienced drivers, John Surtees, would succeed. Things did not go well and John announced that he would not be able to participate in the race. Thus, Ford took the first 4 places in the qualifying laps of the race. 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:
The race started at 4 pm and Ford had started the race confidently in the first places. At night, the situation became frightening for Ford and the Ferrari team managed to take the first 2 places. In addition, Ford’s 4 vehicles were 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:
In the morning, Ferrari cars were out of the race as a result of accidents and breakdowns, and the race turned in Ford’s favor. 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. On the way to the finish line, Ford race referee Leo Beebe asked the drivers for something interesting. All three Ford vehicles were required to finish the race together. Ford vehicles in the top 3 would finish the race together and an unforgettable photo finish would be made for Ford.
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 Miles slowed down to wait for the other Ford drivers. Bruce McLaren took first place with Bruce McLaren coming from behind. Even though he was 12 laps behind, Ford managed to finish third in the third place, and with the arrival of Ronnie Buckmun, 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, in August 1966 Ford started a vehicle project named J-Car after the GT 40 MKII and decided to carry out its tests. Ken Miles, who took part in the tests, suddenly fell over and started somersaults while driving at 320 km / h during the test of the vehicle. The vehicle started to catch fire and Miles was thrown out of the vehicle during somersaults. The lifeless body of the legendary pilot was lying on the Riverside runway. As a result of the tragic accident, which 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 was that Ken Miles finished second in the 1966 race. 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 rank in the top three with his 3 cars. After the 1966 Le Mans legend, the Ford GT 40 car was able to win the 1967,1968 and 1969 Le Mans races, which were held consecutively. 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:
By 1969, 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 had to sell half of its shares to Fiat. By 1988, Fiat owned 90% of Ferrari’s shares. 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. The book “Go Like Hell”, one of its examples in popular culture, was released in 2009. The title of the book, which can be translated as “Go Like Hell” in Turkish, comes from Bruce McLaren’s shouting “Go Like Hell” to his teammate Chris Amon. Another work on the race is a 2010 documentary called “The 24 Hour War”. In this documentary, the story of the race is presented to the audience. Finally, the Ford v Ferrari movie, which is also in our title, and the 2019 Turkish version of “Kings of Asphalt”, is one of the most important productions of the race in popular culture. The film also features successful actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The movie has a rating of 8.1 on IMDb and has a long run of 2 hours 32 minutes. If you haven’t watched it, we highly recommend that you watch 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.
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