1973 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 41st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 9 and 10 June 1973. It was the eighth round of the 1973 World Championship of Makes.

Pre-race

In 1973, Matra competed against Ferrari for the World Champion title, and Ferrari came to Le Mans, as the race could be decisive for the title. The beginning of the championship had showed that the Matra 670s had better handling, but the Ferraris showed better reliability.

The Matras 670s were updated to the 670B specification consisting mainly of larger spoilers. The main weakness of the 1972 670 was the ZF gearbox (the gearbox used in the stock GT40 Mk1 and the De Tomaso Pantera). By the end of the 1972 race, it had showed so much wear that it was obvious that it could not finish a 24-hour race with serious opposition. New Porsche "Type 1983" gearboxes especially built for Matra by Porsche were fitted in the 670B.

For Le Mans, the Ferrari 312PB had a previously unseen longtail bodywork. John Wyer was back with two Cosworth-powered Gulf Mirage M6 roadsters. In 1000 km races the M6s had proven they were serious competitors, and the Matras and Ferraris were only slightly ahead. Alfa Romeo was more affected than Ferrari by strikes and social troubles in Italy. Alfa racing subsidiary Autodelta did not enter the new flat-12 powered cars, and the marque was represented only by a V8 powered private car entered by Scuderia Brescia Corse. A Sigma powered by a Mazda Wankel engine was entered; this was the first Japanese car to qualify for Le Mans, as well as the first Wankel-powered car to race.

Race

Ferrari sent the Arturo Merzario/Carlos Pace 312PB out first as a hare.

Matra raced to their plan and let the Ferrari go. While the Matras were all running at the same speed, the Ferraris had a variety of strategies. Carlos Reutemann and Tim Schenken were running among the Matra. Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman were running with the slowest 3L cars, the Lolas and the private Alfa Romeo.

Ferrari swapped the lead with Matra through the next four hours, but Henri Pescarolo would repeat as winner, with Gérard Larrousse as co-driver.

Official results

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
1	S 3.0	11	Equipe Matra-Simca Shell	Henri Pescarolo Gérard Larrousse	Matra-Simca MS670B	Matra 3.0L V12	355
2	S 3.0	16	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Arturo Merzario Carlos Pace	Ferrari 312PB	Ferrari 3.0L Flat-12	349
3	S 3.0	12	Equipe Matra-Simca Shell	Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Matra-Simca MS670B	Matra 3.0L V12	331
4	S 3.0	46	Martini Racing Team	Herbert Müller Gijs van Lennep	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 3.0L Flat-6	328
5	S 3.0	3	Escuderia Montjuich - Tergal	Bernard Chenevière Juan Fernandez Francisco Torredemer	Porsche 908/3	Porsche 3.0L Flat-8	319
6	GT 5.0	39	Automobiles Charles Pozzi	Claude Ballot-Léna Vic Elford	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	316
7	S 3.0	4	Guillermo Ortega - Ecuador Marlboro	Guillermo Ortega Fausto Merello	Porsche 908/1	Porsche 3.0L Flat-8	316
8	GT 3.0	45	Porsche Kremer Racing Team	Paul Keller Erwin Kremer Clemens Schickentanz	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	316
9	GT 5.0	40	Automobiles Charles Pozzi	Alain Serpaggi José Dolhem	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	315
10	GT 3.0	63	Gelo Racing Team	Georg Loos Jürgen Barth	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	311
11	T 5.0	51	BMW Motorsport	Toine Hezemans Dieter Quester	BMW 3.0CSL	BMW 3.3L I6	307
12	GT +5.0	30	Greder Racing Team	Henri Greder Marie-Claude Charmasson	Chevrolet Corvette	Chevrolet 7.0L V8	303
13	GT 5.0	38	North American Racing Team	François Migault Luigi Chinetti Jr.	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	299
14	GT 3.0	48	Porsche Sonauto BP Racing	Peter Gregg Guy Chasseuil	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	298
15	S 3.0	60	Scuderia Brescia Corse	Carlo Facetti Sergio Morando Teodoro Zeccoli	Alfa Romeo Tipo 33TT3	Alfa Romeo 3.0L V8	298
16	GT 3.0	41	Schiller Racing Team	Jean Selz Florian Vetsch	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.7L Flat-6	297
17	GT 3.0	42	René Mazzia	Pierre Mauroy Marcel Mignot	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	290
18	GT +5.0	69	J.C. Aubriet / Écurie Léopard	Jean-Claude Aubriet "Depnic"	Chevrolet Corvette	Chevrolet 7.0L V8	282
19	S 3.0	18	Claude Laurent	Claude Laurent Martial Delalande Jacques Marché	Ligier JS2	Maserati 2.9L V6	270
20	GT 5.0	34	Ecurie Francorchamps	Jean-Claude Andruet Richard Bond	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	270
21	S 3.0	52	Wicky Racing Team	André Wicky Max Cohen-Olivar Philippe Carron	Porsche 908/2	Porsche 3.0L Flat-8	270

Did Not Finish

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
22	S 3.0	15	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Jacky Ickx Brian Redman	Ferrari 312PB	Ferrari 3.0L Flat-12	332
23	S 2.0	25	Michel Dupont	Michel Dupont Paul Blancpain	Chevron B23	Ford Cosworth FVC 1.8L I4	229
24	GT 5.0	6	North American Racing Team	Sam Posey Milt Minter	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	254
25	T 3.0	55	Ford Motorwerke	Dieter Glemser John Fitzpatrick Hans Heyer	Ford Capri RS	Ford 3.0L V6	239
26	S 3.0	7	Équipe Gitanes Cigarettes France	Jean-Louis Lafosse Reine Wisell Hughes de Fierlandt	Lola T282	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8	164
27	GT 5.0	36	North American Racing Team	Lucien Guitteny Bob Grossman	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	192
28	GT 5.0	33	J.C. Bamford Excavators Ltd.	Neil Corner Willie Green	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	163
29	GT 5.0	37	North American Racing Team	Rubén Luis di Palma Nestor García-Veiga	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	211
30	S 3.0	8	Gulf Research Racing	Derek Bell Howden Ganley	Mirage M6	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8	163
31	GT 5.0	56	Shark Racing Team	Jean-Claude Guérie Cyril Grandet	Ferrari 365 GTB/4	Ferrari 4.4L V12	174
32	S 3.0	19	Automobiles Ligier	Jean-Pierre Paoli Alain Couderc	Ligier JS2	Maserati 3.0L V6	174
33	T 5.0	50	BMW Motorsport	Chris Amon Hans Joachim Stuck	BMW 3.0CSL	BMW 3.3L I6	160
34	T 3.0	53	Ford Motorwerke	Jean Vinatier Helmut Koinigg Gerry Birrell	Ford Capri RS	Ford 3.0L V6	152
35	GT 3.0	49	Jean Egreteaud	Jean Egreteaud Jean-Claude Lagniez	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	139
36	S 2.0	22	Raymond Touroul	Raymond Touroul Jean-Pierre Rouget	Porsche 910	Porsche 2.0L Flat-6	142
37	S 3.0	5	Duckhams Oil	Alain de Cadenet Chris Craft	Duckhams LM (Lola T280)	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8	81
38	S 3.0	17	SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Tim Schenken Carlos Reutemann	Ferrari 312PB	Ferrari 3.0L Flat-12	182
39	S 3.0	10	Équipe Matra-Simca Shell	François Cevert Jean-Pierre Beltoise	Matra-Simca MS670B	Matra 3.0L V12	157
40	S 2.5	26	Sigma Automotive	Tetsu Ikuzawa Hiroshi Fushida Patrick Dal Bo	Sigma MC73	Mazda 12A 2.3L 2-Rotor	79
41	GT 3.0	44	Porsche Club Romand	Jean-François Piot Peter Zbinden	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	110
42	GT 3.0	78	Jean Sage	Hervé Bayard René Ligonnet	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	95
43	GT 3.0	43	Max Moritz Racing Team	Gerd Quist Manfred Laub Jürgen Zink	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 2.8L Flat-6	103
44	S 3.0	9	Gulf Research Racing	Mike Hailwood John Watson Vern Schuppan	Mirage M6	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8	112
45	S 2.0	21	Pierre Maublanc	Pierre Maublanc Robert Mieusset	Chevron B23	BMW 2.0L I4	90
46	S 3.0	14	Equipe Matra-Simca Shell	Patrick Depailler Bob Wollek	Matra-Simca MS670B	Matra 3.0L V12	84
47	S 2.0	28	Jacques Henry	Jacques Henry Fred Stalder Gernard Grobot	Lola T292	Ford Cosworth FVC 1.9L I4	84
48	S 3.0	47	Martini Racing Team	Reinhold Joest Claude Haldi	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	Porsche 3.0L Flat-6	54
49	S 2.0	27	Escuderia Montjuich	José Juncadella Jorge de Bagration	Chevron B23	Ford Cosworth FVC 1.9L I4	52
50	S 3.0	61	Daniel Rouveyran	Daniel Rouveyran Christian Mons Christian Ethuin	Lola T280/82	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8	38
51	GT +5.0	29	John Greenwood	John Greenwood Bob Johnson	Chevrolet Corvette	Chevrolet 7.0L V8	37
52	S 3.0	62	Automobiles Ligier	Guy Ligier Jacques Laffite	Ligier JS2	Maserati 3.0L V6	24
53	T 3.0	54	Ford Motorwerke	Gerry Birrell Hans Heyer	Ford Capri RS	Ford 3.0L V6	4
54	S 2.0	2	Blancpain Total Dinitrol	Roger Dubois Christine Beckers Pierre Pagani	Chevron B21/23	Ford Cosworth FVC 1.8L I4	9
55	T 5.0	58	Wicky Racing Team	Walter Brun Cox Kocher Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann	BMW 3.0CSL	BMW 3.3L I6	1