2022 Le Mans Classic - Plateau 6 - 1972 to 1981

 

Some of the leading cars at the Esses in their first race on Saturday evening.  Lola leads TOJ and Porsche. Paul Lafargue was very fast in this 1979 Lola T298 but lost 3 laps in the final race having won the first two.

Plateau 6 at the Le mans Classic covers the period 1972 to 1981 and thus is the latest period covered by the six main grids.  An interesting selection of cars but not really representative of those who did well during this period. Nevertheless, some close racing.  Caron didn't win any of the three races but consistency was what put him at the top of the podium at the end.

Just after the start of the final race on Sunday and Lola and Mirage battle it out into the Dunlop Chicane.

Further down the field they try three abreast into the chicane!   Osella vs Chevron vs Lola.

Eventual winner was Ludovic Caron in this 1975 Chevron B31.

Second was this 1976 Cheetah G601 driven by Beat Eggimann.

Third was the 1976 Chevron B36 of Philipp Bruehwiler.

Fourth was the 1979 BMW M1 Procar of Sebastian Glaser.

Fifth was the Duby/Vannelet/de Sibenthal 1977 Porsche 935.

Sixth was this 1982 Ferrari 512 BBLM driven by Alexander Wittweger and Sam Hancock.

Seventh was this 1972 Mirage M6 driven by Chris Mac Allister.  He won the final race.

Jean-Marc Merlin was eighth in this 1980 Porsche 935 K3.

Ninth was this 1979 BMW M1 Grp 5 driven by Albert Weinzierl.

Tenth was Frédéric Da Rocha in this 1979 Lola T298.

A 1972 Lola T290 leads the Mirage through the Esses.

The 1977 Aston Martin RHAM/1

René Arnoux was one of the drivers of this 1979 BMW M1 Procar.

1976 Sauber C5

1976 TOJ SC304

1976 Inaltera LM

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Grp IV

1973 Lola T292 battles with a 1976 Cheetah G601

1975 March 75S.

1976 Dodge Charger.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

 

1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0.

Le Salon Retromobile 2020 - Deutsche Technik

Pure Gold!  Founded by Jörg Obermoser in 1974, TOJ produced some beautiful sports racing cars in the seventies.   These were for sale in the Artcurial auction.  The picture includes a 1974 TOJ SS02 (left), a 1975/6 SC03 (right) and a 1976 SC204 (middle).

For my third post on the Salon Retromobile 2020, here are the German cars.   The works TOJs particularly took my eye but the others were also impressive. TOJ stands for Team Obermoser Jörg.  Apparently it is pronounced "toy". The main sponsor, Warsteiner, was a German independent brewery.  Also below are a number of Porsches, BMW, an Audi and a Mercedes.  All rather desirable cars.

A very original 1938 BMW 328 Roadster.

A 1957 BMW 507 Series 1 Roadster that took part in the 1957 Mille Miglia.

Sorry but it's a replica!   But such a beautiful car anyway.  Porsche 917L No.043 known as the hippie or psychedelic 917.  This a representation of the long tailed car that competed at Le Mans in 1970 and finished second.  The original is in the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia, USA.

A 2000 Audi R8 LMP900 No.405.  This took fast lap pole position and finished second in the 2000 Le Mans 24 hours.

1964 Porsche 904 GTS.  Raced mainly in France.

Porsche Engine Type 771/1.  An 8 cylinder air cooled unit for the 904.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

Reconstruction of a 1908 Mercedes Simplex GP car.

Le Mans Classic 2018 - Plateau Six - 1972 to 1981

The 1973 Mirage GR7  of Goethe and Hall leads the winning Toj through the Esses in their Sunday morning race.  Unfortunately, the Mirage didn't finish.

This was perhaps the plateau where I took some of my favourite pictures.  I only saw one race but it was in the golden early morning sunlight on the Sunday.  Many of these cars I saw race at Brands Hatch and other circuits in the eighties so again good reminiscences.  Those that I didn't actually see in period, were etched in my memory from photos in MotorSport magazine.  Other have become favourites from historic racing.  Particularly, nice to see Henri Pescarolo still racing the Inaltera.

The very recognizable green helmet of Henri Pescarolo in the 1976 Inaltera GTP.

It is also always nice to see the flame throwing Porsche 935s.   One of them won in 1979.

The 1977 Porsche 935 K3 throwing flames out of its exhaust.

The rest of the weekend all the photographers were fighting for the best position at the Esses but on Sunday morning there were just a few of us stalwarts who didn't mind getting up early.

Chris Mac Allister's Mirage M6 leads a 1979 Lola through the Esses on Sunday morning.

The Podium Finishers

This 1980 Porsche 935 K3.  Here it leads a group on the first green flag lap on Sunday morning.   It came in third on scratch.

This 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0L finished second in the Index of performance.

The Index of Performance winning 1972 Ford Capri 2600 RS

The scratch winning 1976 Toj SC 304 of Yves Scemema.

LOLAS AND CHEVRONS

One of the later cars, a 1981 Lola T600

A 1979 Lola-BMW T298 holds off a Porsche as other Lolas and Chevrons look on.

1972 Chevron B21-BDG leads a 1972 Lola T290-BDG.

ITALIAN MARQUES

1981 Lancia Beta GrpV leads Porsche and BMW through the Esses.

1981 Ferrari 512 BB LM. It  finished a great eighth.

Ferrari 12 cylinder boxer engine.

1977 Osella PA5-BMW.

1974 Alfa Romeo 33TT12

Alfa 33TT12 in the paddock

THE BIG BOYS

A NASCAR 1975 Ford Gran Torino.  It finished fourteenth out of a field of 69 cars!

NASCAR at Le Mans.

1976 Chevrolet Monza.

1976 Aston Martin DBS V8 leads a close knit group through the Esses.

THE REST

1975 Datsun 240Z leading Porsche and BMW through the Esses on Sunday morning.

1976 Cheetah G601 - BDG.

Cheetah exiting the Esses chased by a BMW M1 and with the Dunlop bridge in the background.

1974 Porsche 911 Carerra RSR 3.0L.

1978 Alpine Renault A443.

Mirafe being worked on in the paddock

1979 BMW M1 Gr.V.

1979 Porsche 935K3.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page. 

1974 Lola T290-FVC being worked on in the paddock.