Motor-Racing Hulme, Hyslop Win Class At Le Mans

Press, Volume C, Issue 29538, 13 June 1961, Page 21

Motor-Racing Hulme, Hyslop Win Class At Le Mans

fN.ZJ’.A.-Reuter— Copyright)

LE MANS. June 11. The New Zealanders, D. G. Hulme and A. N. Hyslop, driving a Fiat, today won the 700-850 c.c. class and finished fourteenth in the over-all placings in the 24hour Le Mans sports car race. The pair was fourth in the performance rating (based on capacity and distance covered) won by a FrenchPanhard sports car. Only 22 of the 55 starters finished, and eight of the drivers in the first eight cars were Americans.

The winners were P. Hill (United States) and O. Gendebien (Belgium) in a Ferrari. This pair broke the records for both distance and average speed. They averaged 115.89 miles an hour and covered a distance of 2781.6 miles.

The previous record distance was 2732 miles and the best average speed was 113.84 miles an hour, set by the winning Ecurie Ecosse team of Ron Flockhart and! the late Ivor Bueb in 1957. I Hill and Gendeblen won In a Ferrari In 19S8 and Gendebien won in a Ferrari with P. Frere, also of Belgium, last year After Hill and Gendeblen came W. Mairesse (Belgium) and M. Parkes (Britain!, and the French team of P. Noblet and J. Guichet. The Ferraris’ grand touring entry driven by Stirling Moss and Graham Hill retired after nine hours and a half when in fourth place. The Mexican dri -ers. Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez. were the unluckiest of the Ferrari drivers. They set the pace from the rtart. Then after 18 hours they were forced out for 21 minutes with ignition trouble. They fought back to second place, but s. on had to give up when smoke began pouring from their exhaust. Bruce McLaren, of New Zealand, was forced to drop out "zl en his Maserati hit a barrier and was damaged. McLaren was not hurt, said British United Press. Dismal rain kept down the crowd which had been expected to top more than a quarter of a million, but the grandstands were well filled.