The incredible Le Mans rumour (1)
Okay… There has long been an often-disputed rumour that American driver Ed Hugus mysteriously helped Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory achieve their incredible flat-out victory at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the Ferrari 250LM entered by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (recently put up for sale by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum).
But an extraordinary twist made the story even more sensational this week when it was revealed that it wasn’t Ed Hugus, but the son of an English cabinetmaker from Reading, whom Jochen had convinced to help them with a three-hour shift that evening.
Jochen had met him the previous year during his two impressive British F2 appearances over the Easter weekend, at Mallory Park and then at Crystal Palace, where they had become friends over their shared passion for antique furniture – a subject so dear to Rindt’s heart that even his close friends Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone were unaware of it. This gentleman, then 62, also wore glasses like Masten – nicknamed the “Kansas Flash”. And yet, his lap times were almost as fast as those of the Austrian and the American, while he played his part in the shadows and played a crucial role in this surprise victory, snatched from the hands of Frenchman Pierre Dumay and Belgian Gustave “Taf” Gosselin, whose rival 250LM had suffered a puncture on the Mulsanne Straight, after leading the race in style despite an ignition problem that had set them back 30 minutes.
This was Ferrari’s last victory at Le Mans… until 2023.
Author David Tremayne recalls: “In my book JOCHEN RINDT: Uncrowned King, I already told the story of how Jochen’s road car got stuck in the paddock, which explained why Masten found him there, and how they made the crazy decision to go all out and race again. But what I learned this week is that Jochen had bumped into this mysterious gentleman while he was in France for a shoot, having just started his career at the BBC.”
This connection explains why the identity of the third driver was kept secret: he wasn’t officially registered and didn’t even have a racing license! This is why he wasn’t seen at the post-race celebrations…
In an old book found in a second-hand market, this mysterious man recounted:
“I was in France for the BBC at Coulaines and, late Saturday afternoon, I slipped away to try to find Jochen at the circuit. I managed to slip into the paddock disguised as an old priest, and shortly after, while I was walking around, I saw him. He seemed desperate, unable to get his rental car out of the paddock, having no more enthusiasm for this race.”
“I was delighted to see him so happy to see me again. We hugged, and he said, ‘I’m not going to make anything with this old piece of junk.’ We both laughed about it. And when I said to him, jokingly, ‘Can you imagine, Jochen, if you pushed that antique all the way and won? It would be quite a spectacle!’ – his eyes lit up.”
“‘Okay,’ he said, ‘but only if you help us.’ I didn’t immediately understand what he meant, but he was already excited. He said he’d explain everything, and as night fell, they lent me a Masten suit, a helmet, and shoved me into the cramped cockpit. I had no choice, so I went for it!”
And so the identity of the mysterious third man can finally be revealed.
So it was not the valiant Ed Hugus, as some have long believed, but rather a character who later became an essential celebrity on the small screen, who a few years later created the cult show Antiques Roadshow …
Yes, that third driver in Chinetti’s Ferrari that historic weekend in 1965 was none other than… Arthur Negus.
Is this a subtle “April fools” joke by our friend David Tremayne? Most probably, and you can read the real story, no less fantastic, in our next article, published on April 3, 2025.
