Blue in Le Mans

The Matra MS 650 of Jabouille/Depailler (red lines) and MS 660 of Pescarolo/Beltoise (white stripes) are lined up before the start of the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, while on their right, the Porsche 908 Martini Racing of Lins/Marko can be seen (photo above).

The nine Porsche 917s entered arrived at Le Mans as favorites, determined to secure the German manufacturer’s first overall victory. No fewer than eleven Ferrari 512S cars, entered by the factory or private teams, were expected to outdo them.

A violent storm decimated a large part of this fine group around midnight, and it was Hans Herrmann (veteran of 13 participations) and Richard Attwood who won at the wheel of their red and white 917.

None of the three Matras saw the finish, photo below Jean-Pierre Beltoise in the Matra MS 660, as all three cars suffered engine failures, and the French manufacturer was going to have to wait until 1972 and the victory of Pescarolo/Hill to finally triumph with the now legendary MS 670.