Bob Lang wrote:
> snip
> I have seen a film about the '65 Sebring, and it looks like the
> LeMans Spitfires were at that event. That was the one with the
> amazing rains, and there is very little footage of the Spitfire.
Yes it was the Le Mans Spitfires ADU 1B, ADU 2B, ADU 4B (and ADU 3B)
that was racing at Sebring in '65. (ADU 3B was only used in practice
sessions.) ADU 1B was rolled by Peter Bolton during the race...
ADU 2B and ADU 4B finished 30th and 29th places overall, third and
second in their own class.
I quote an apropriate passage from Robsons "Triumph Spitfire & GT6":
... Three lightweight works Spitfires with special coupé bodies
- the 1964 Le Mans veterans, ADU 1B/2B/4B - turned up to contest
the 1965 GT category.
They were basically in their Le Mans state, ... ... given careful
preparation by Kastner.
Alec Ullman, president of the Automobile Racing Club of Florida
and Sebring's leading official, remembers 1965 for two reasons,
"First, it brought about the quite unexpected win of an American-
built car (the Chaparral), made in Texas and equipped with an
automatic transmission which, by all the traditions of the game,
was totally and strictly impossible. Second, it was run part of
the time under a deluge that, I am sure, set a record in precipi-
tation at any time, anywhere!" (The rest of the time it was boiling
hot - track temperature got up to 130 degrees (55C) during the after-
noon.)
The three Fastback Spitfires ... ... were competing mainly against
similar-displacement GT class cars like the Spridgets and smaller
Alfas. All three roared off in unison from the Le Mans start but
Peter Bolton rolled ADU 1B in the first half hour and retired. The
other two cars, with racing numbers 66 (Tullius/Gates) and 67
(Barker/Feuerhelm/Rothschild), just kept reeling off laps. Directed
by team manager Kastner, they averaged about four minutes per circuit,
close to 80 mph. Towards twilight - the worst possible time - came
the downpour. Ullman remembers cars like the Spitfires roaring past
the big-block monsters who were struggling to maintain any grip on
the track surface. Noted that TRIUMPH NEWSLETTER, (USA): "... it
was just so darned amusing to see the GT Spitfires hydroplaning
past Ferraris, Ford GTs, Cobras... and the Chaparall."
Well, friends, that must have been a sight to see! Our small green
hornets buzzing past those high speed monsters with a cloud of
water droplets all around them... Pity we're 32 years too late to
see it ourselves.
--
Odd Hedberg
Pomonagatan 4 International liaison secretary,
S-74236 Östhammar Triumph Club of Sweden
Sweden '70 Spitfire Mk3 FD82497LO Signal Red
E-mail: odd@triumphclub.se
Club URL: http://www2.passagen.se/triumph/
Home Telephone: Int+ 46-1731 7131
Geographical Position: N 60deg15min E 18deg23min
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