Double Success For Porsche Cars

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32312, 2 June 1970, Page 11

Double Success For Porsche Cars

(Ng. Press Assn.—Copyright) ADENAU (Germany). German Porsches took a double on the Nuerburgring circuit on Sunday, winning the 1000 kilometre sports car race and clinching the world manufacturer's championship for * the second year in succession, the Associated Press has reported.

The winning car, a three-litre Porsche MS-3, sponsore<J by an Austrian firm, was taken over the finishing line by K. Ahrens

(West Germany), whose codriver was V. Elford (Britain). The pair fought off a Challenge by Italian Ferraris—-runners-up in the championship—to cover the 44 laps in 6hrs smin 20sec, averaging a speed of 165 k.p.h. (103.1 m.p.h.). Second was another Porsche 908-3, also driven by a German-Britis-h pair, H. Herrmann and R. Attwood.

Third and fourh were fivelitre Ferrari 512’s, driven respectively by J. Surtees (Britain) and N. Vaccarella (Italy) and M. Parkes (Britain) and H. Mueller (Switzerland).

Elford took the lead in the twenty-third lap, after identical Porshces had duelled for first place, then dropped out.

The retirements were last year’e winning team, J. Siffert (Switzerland) and B. Redman (Britain) and P. Rodriguez (Mexico) and L. Kinnunen (Finland). Rodriguez had led a field of 54 cars almost from the start, but Siffert flashed past him in lap eight, holding the lead until forced to retire with gear-selection difficulties. Kinnuhen came off the track on a bend, and retired unhurt. An early blow to Ferrari’s last bid for the championships was dealt with a touch of irony when I. Gulntl (Italy) spluttered to a halt in lap three to find that a fuel cap had come off, spilling his entire fuel reserve on to the track He was disqualified because race rules do not permit refulling outside the pits.

Official results, over-all: K. Ahrens (West Germany) and V. Elford (Britain), Porsche 908/3, in 6:05:20 over 44 laps, average speed 102.5 m.p.h., 1; H. Hermann (West Germany) and R. Attwood (Britain), Porsche 908/3, in 6:10:34.8 over 44 laps, average speed 161.1 m.p.h., 2; J. Surtees (Britain) and N. Vaccarella (Italy), Ferrari 512 S in 6:10:36.2 over 43 laps, average speed 98.8 m.p.h., 3.