So with the 92nd running of the 24 hrs of Lemans going on this weekend I wanted to share this very cool photo I recently came across of Don Whittington and the overall winning car in the 1979 24 hr race. In the photo it appears Don is exiting the car with something in his left hand and I believe what he is holding is the shredded MFI pump belt that failed on the Mulsane straight.
I won’t get in to the story of how the whole buying the car before the race and then making a temporary repair on track went down but if Don had not been able get the car running and limp back to the pits the history of Lemans and Porsche would be very different. IMHO this picture is probably the most significant moment in time for not only the Whittingtons, Lemans and Porsche but especially for the 935. The fact that he was able to limp the car back to the pits after a makeshift repair and then the team went on to win the race outright to me is the pinnacle of the 935’s dominance and cemented the 935’s place in history. Porsche is looking good again this year so hopefully they can come out on top with 963.
Richard
