Forget work, you need to watch this remarkable footage of the legendary 1969 24 hours of Le Mans. La Ronde Infernale is the name of the film and it’s been broken down into four fun size pieces.
Part 1- It begins with a glimpse into the pits and the pre-race inspection process. Porsche threatens to leave if they’re not allowed to use the adjustable airfoils on the 908 and the new 917. Peter Sadler takes you for a ride on the circuit in his GT40. Hey, that’s Steve McQueen!
Part 2- The race begins. All the drivers, except Jacky Ickx, run to their car during the traditional Le Mans start. Jacky causally walks to his Gulf GT40 and takes his time to put his safety belts on properly. Tragedy strikes on lap one as driver John Woolfe crashes his 917 and dies, presumably due to not wearing his safety belt. The traditional Le Mans-style start was discontinued after this accident, next year the drivers started already strapped into their seats.
Part 3- The Porsche 917’s dominate early. Racing continues as the sun goes down and some nighttime spectator actives are exposed. The sun rises to reveal a fog filled raceway.
Part 4- Catastrophe strikes Porsche as the 917’s begin to meltdown; all are eventually withdrawn from competition due to various mechanical failures. The legendary battle between the Porsche 908, which took victory in ’68, and the “outdated” Ford GT40 begins. The Gulf GT40 ultimately takes the checkered flag in the closest finish ever at Le Mans.
[Part1, Part 2, part3, Part 4]
Epic. When I finsh my phonebooth time machine this is the first place I’m going to stop.