From the Archive: Le Mans Legend Chris Amon Recalls Ford’s 1966 Victory

Jun 14, 2024

3 MIN READ

Interests: Ford Performance

Interests: Ford Performance

COLOGNE, Germany – New-Zealander Chris Amon took Ford’s first-ever victory at Le Mans in 1966 at the wheel of the iconic GT40. In this exclusive @Ford interview conducted shortly before his death in 2016, he gave a fascinating insight into the race, and the challenges and dangers of endurance racing back in the day.

Chris, going into the race, who were your biggest rivals – Ferrari or the other Ford GT40s?
I was driving with Bruce McLaren in the #2 GT40 and we both knew our main competitors would be the other Fords. We ran at Le Mans in ’65 in the GT40 and we were so much faster than Ferrari until we had reliability issues. We knew Ferrari had improved, but so had we, especially on the reliability front, and that proved to be the case in the race.

Tell us about the start?
Bruce drove the first stints. I recall it was damp and we were running on intermediate Firestone tyres and at 210-220 mph (340-355 km/h) down the Mulsanne Straight, the tyres were shedding tread. I took over from Bruce and he spoke to Firestone and they generously said we could switch to the Goodyears the other GT40s were running. Bruce said to me we had to drive the doors off the thing and so we did.

The idea was that the leading GT40s would cross the line together but in practise it wasn’t possible to have a dead heat. We weren’t sure who had won initially.

Chris Amon

So, what happened then?

Well we were about a lap down, but we gradually closed the gap and then took the lead. At one point we were about a minute ahead. Towards the end of the race, we were told to hold station – or back off a bit. The idea was that the leading GT40s would cross the line together but in practise it wasn’t possible to have a dead heat. We weren’t sure who had won initially.

What was the toughest part of the race for you?
Back in those days the top speed of the GT40 was 100 mph more than some of the other cars on the track so it could be quite hairy especially at night in the rain with mist hanging in the air, bearing down on these cars when you couldn’t see much. I found driving at dawn and dusk especially tricky because the light was so poor. Another thing was the cars back then chucked out quite a lot of oil so as the race went on, and the rain came down, it got very slippery. Our throttle was also sticking a bit which isn’t what you needed going into a corner.

Did you get any sleep?
I didn’t get any. We were stopping every hour and a half for fuel, and we weren’t allowed to drive for more than four hours at a time. Bruce could sleep anywhere at any time, but I couldn’t. I would take a shower when I got out of the car and change my overalls because you would get drenched in sweat driving the GT40. I also had some interesting conversations with Henry Ford II and his wife, Cristina, during the night.

Tell us about the podium celebration at the end?

I have to admit I was only 22 at the time and I was overawed by the situation. Henry was on the podium, and I believe his wife was also there. I can’t remember exactly what was said but it was a very joyous occasion.

At the end of the day, endurance racing is the ultimate test for man and machine and that hasn’t changed a bit.

Chris Amon

So, which is toughest – Le Mans 1966 or Le Mans today?

It’s difficult to say because the speed differential was higher in my day and the cars didn’t provide as much protection. The circuit was also more dangerous. Our cars didn’t have power steering or paddle shift gearboxes, so they were physically very demanding to drive. You would get huge blisters on your hand from changing gear. Another thing was you really had to manage the brakes because at the end of the Mulsanne Straight they would be cold and then subjected to tremendous heat as you slowed from 220 mph. There was a real risk the discs could crack. It was certainly more dangerous in my day but if you wanted to race, that was the deal. I think today’s drivers are subjected to much higher G-forces and they also have to manage different settings in the car, so they have more to think about during the race. At the end of the day, endurance racing is the ultimate test for man and machine and that hasn’t changed a bit.

Was that win the highlight of your racing career?
At the time I was probably more interested in F1 than sports car racing. It’s been said that I was an unlucky F1 driver because I should have won a lot of races, but the fact is many of my contemporaries were killed in F1, so I think I’m lucky to still be around. There’s no question that winning Le Mans with Ford was a very special moment in my career.