Here's an excerpt from an interview my mag ran recently with Anita Taylor, one of the competitors in the 1967 Daytona 24 race we replicated on Monday. Since I was in the Mustang (Donkey?) and had a fairly quiet (but still very enjoyable) race, it gave me a nice bit of insight into the race that I thought I should share with you guys. Really like the multi-class format, trying to judge where you're going to be passed keeps it interesting even if you're not fighting for position.
"On 4 February 1967, I found myself sat in 50th position of the Daytona 24 Hours grid at the wheel of a Shelby Mustang GT350, car 71 entered by the Macmillan Ring-Free Oil racing team. While waiting for the start, I recalled the telephone call I’d had from Ford. It was to invite me to join Janet Guthrie and Smokey Drolet to make up a trio of lady drivers for the event.
For Daytona the Ring-Free team had originally planned to enter two Shelby GT350s, one for Ray Cuomo and Paul Richards, and the second for me, Smokey and Janet. However, Shelby American only had one GT350 available, which was assigned to Ray and Paul. Plans were quickly drawn up for an alternative and our car started out as a street-ready Mustang which, with only weeks to spare, was hastily prepared for the event by Frank Dominianni. To test its reliability and handling the car was then driven from Long Island, New York to the track in Daytona.
Helmet and gloves in place, a pungent smell and the harsh noise of racing exhausts surrounded me as I waited for the start. Heart pounding, aware of all the hype, I was nervous and completely over-awed by the whole experience.
Ford had won the Manufacturers Championship in 1966 against a very diminished opposition from Ferrari. For this year’s race the Italian team sent two 330P4s and several 330P3/412Ps, and when the green flag fell we roared away with screaming tyres into the first corner.
Taking the mid-line on the banked section the 7-litre Chaparrals shook my car with their power as they thundered by above me, and with night approaching the piercing glare from the headlights in the rear-view mirror was a constant distraction.
During the race the Mustang proved pretty reliable except for a 40-minute stop in the pits to diagnose and fix an electrical fault. After 24 hours the Ferraris crossed the finish line 1-2-3 abreast, with Janet finishing in 20th place and fifth in class – a stunning result for the three of us. We’d completed a total of 484 gruelling laps. Race over, we girls were totally exhausted and needed matchsticks to keep our eyes open. Nevertheless, I loved every minute of the experience."
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Having done half an hour and 14 laps, these ladies have my utmost respect!
:tup:👍👍
