Steve McQueen's Allard

[javadog]

Yep. He drove 2/3's of the race.

JR

[nynor]

Originally Posted by Damian in NJ

Yeah, World Champion, his opinion counts for nothing.

so. mcqueen was an actor. to say that he was a poseur, while filming, is kinda ridiculous. methinks that mario was just bent because some of the spotlight was taken from him. i really couldn't care less what mario thought about mcqueen. his opinion on matters re. racing would be a different story.

my .02.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by nynor

methinks that mario was just bent because some of the spotlight was taken from him. i really couldn't care less what mario thought about mcqueen. his opinion on matters re. racing would be a different story.

my .02.

Mario wasn't pissed because it took the spotlight away from him, but becuase Revson didn't get credit for what he'd done. Here's a link to an article about the race that quotes Andretti, along with the relevant section about the race:

Victory At The Wire; 1970 Sebring 12-Hour - Motorsport Feature - Motor Trend Classic

Per Mario:

"For the 12-Hour, the team decided to run a lighter version of the 512S, an open-roofed car or "spyder." Aerodynamics weren't as important at Sebring, as the straights aren't as long as at Daytona or Le Mans. Ferrari entered two spyders and a coupe. The spyder benefited from being lighter, and I could feel the difference. But it wasn't as easy to drive because the chassis flexed. Quite a bit. In some areas, like Turn 1, which is really fast, the car just wasn't good. It didn't handle as well as the coupe, but due to the better acceleration, it was faster--just more nervous.

"Testing went well. We were quick from the beginning, and we were ready. I was again teamed with Arturo Merzario and put the car on pole. The green flag dropped, and we just kinda took off.

"In this race, the 917s weren't a factor like they were at Daytona; our Ferraris were running 1-2-3 at the halfway point. Then, the Ferrari spyder driven by Jacky Ickx and Peter Schetty went out with failed differential bearings. The Porsches were having mechanical problems, too. But we were cruising along, maintaining a huge lead. Things were uneventful up until less than two hours before the end. Then it happened: Merzario was driving, and before we knew it, our car packed up with the same problem as the other spyder. We were out.

"I was getting ready to say my goodbyes. I had my plane there, and I was running a sprint-car race in Reading, Pennsylvania, the next day. So I figured I might as well head out early, maybe get some extra sleep. Ferrari team manager Mauro Forghieri said, 'Wait, don't go. Don't go. I might want you to get into the other car'--the slower coupe, driven by Nino Vaccarella and Ignazio Guinti, which was now the only Ferrari team car still running. When our two spyders dropped out, the Rodriquez/Siffert/Kinnunen 917 took over the lead, the Peter Revson/Steve McQueen Porsche 908 moved into second, and the remaining Ferrari moved up to third.

"To be honest, I wasn't all that keen about the swap for several reasons, but mostly because the seat wouldn't fit--I was a lot shorter than those guys! With the number 21 Ferrari running third, and so few laps remaining, I didn't see much of a chance of winning against the 917.

"All of a sudden, that car pitted with wheel-bearing problems, and we knew that was going to be a long stop. The 908, with Revson aboard, took over the lead, and the Ferrari moved up to second. There were about 90 minutes left. Poor Peter Revson. He was just spent--I think he drove like eight of the 12 hours--but was finally running first. The PA announcer screamed, 'Steve McQueen is in the lead!' over and over. Well, Steve McQueen was sitting on the pit wall. They never, ever mentioned Revson. That caught my attention. And pissed me off.

"Forgieri thought the remaining Ferrari might now have a chance, but it would have to pick up the pace considerably. He came to me and said, 'when Vaccarella comes in, I want you in the car to finish the race.' Guinti was sitting there, so I went over and asked if he was okay with that. He said, 'Yes, it's okay.' If the 917 were still running, there was no way. But things happened fast, and when it came in with problems, a win for us looked doable--our Ferrari was a lot faster than the 908.

"I jumped in the car, just hoping I could reach the pedals. Guinti's physical size was closer to mine than Vaccarella's, so I used his seat padding, and the driving position was fairly decent. The windshield was so pitted, I only had 30- to 40-percent visibility. Maybe. What I liked, though, was that this car felt more comfortable, more stable, than the spyder did--important when just taking off into the night like that."

Andretti favored the open 512S for its lighter weight and stronger acceleration, but it was less stable in corners. The older coupe body was heavier and a bit slower, although it proved to be the right answer in the waning hours of the race. "When I went into Turn 1, I was driving it like the spyder, but discovered that it had quite a bit left. By the next lap, I was taking the same turn flat out. I was later told I was going six seconds a lap faster in this car than Ignazio and Nino ever took it, although I never confirmed that. But I did know that I was killing that poor 908, and Revson had to be right at the edge of exhaustion.

"When I got in, they refueled it and told me it was nearly 100 percent sure I'd have to stop again for a splash of fuel before the end. As hard as I was running, that became a certainty. But my job was to be 10/10ths, no matter what. I caught Revson and passed him clean.

"Any time the fuel-reserve light came on during a lap, we had to come in the next time by, because there just wasn't another lap's worth of fuel left. The light came on, and the guys were ready for me. But we couldn't just do a 'splash and go' back then. We had to turn the engine off and get out of the car. I hit the ground and as soon as I did, they threw me back in. I put the lap belt on and stood on the throttle. I could've hit at least five photographers who were standing in front of me. It was kinda' funny; I really scattered them.

"Just as I went out of the pits, Revson went by, into the lead. At the time, I didn't know whether I had one or two or three laps left to the end of the race, so I just went after him. I caught him under braking on that same lap, and passed him again. At that point, he just gave up. I think I completed one more lap, and we won. By 23.8 seconds, after 12 hours.

"It was exciting, and well worth going for. If my original car hadn't broken, I think we would have won anyway. With all due respect, I'm not sure Guinti and Vaccarella were as motivated as I was to go that quick so late in the race. I was as revved up as I've ever been and probably would have crashed before giving up the idea of winning. I knew it could happen, and it was up to me.


'I loved and respected Peter Revson, and I actually felt bad for him. If anyone deserved to win that race, it was him. But Steve McQueen would have wrongly received all the accolades. I had nothing against Steve, but he would've drawn all the thunder, and Revson would've been just an honorable mention. Not enough has been said about the job Peter did in that race. In those days, there were only two drivers per car in the 12-hour races, not three, like today."

[nynor]

that's fine that he is pissed, even understandable. but mcqueen was the wrong target of his anger. mcqueen wasn't doing the announcing nor was he giving the credit.