Five decades after winning at Le Mans in the now-iconic Gulf-liveried Ford GT40, Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver will be reunited with that very car at this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
And it should be quite a spectacle, as not only will both Ickx and Oliver take turns at driving their GT40 up Goodwood’s hill, but the 4-7 July event will also feature other cars and drivers from 1969’s Le Mans.
But the winning crew will surely be the stars as, even 50 years on, it remains one of the most dramatic editions of the renowned endurance race.
There was Ickx’s famous protest against the traditional Le Mans start which saw a change from 1970 – which almost cost him his first of six wins at Le Sarthe.
It was also the last victory at the event for Ford’s GT40.
It was one of the race’s closest-ever finishes. After 24 hours, Ickx/Oliver beat the Porsche 908 of Hans Hermann and Gérard Larrousse by around only 100m, having switched positions many times on the last lap alone – the excitement prompting a track invasion from the captivated crowd.
