not
even stand up when he got out of the car. And the anguish for all concerned
was heightened by the fact that the Corvette didn’t just come in second in class,
but second overall. Everyone in the Corvette camp realized they would likely
never again see all of the circumstances necessary for their production class
car winning overall. In short, they saw what was almost certain to be their
one and only chance for complete victory come within reach only to be denied.
How
wrong they were! All of the bad luck and, in some cases, poor preparations that
decimated the prototype field during last year’s contest did the same this year,
allowing the #2 Pratt & Miller Corvette, driven by Fellows, Chris Kneifel,
Franck Freon, and Johnny O’Connell, to finish first overall.
The
attrition among the leading prototypes began early. Risi Competizione’s Ferrari
was a frontrunner early but a series of problems (including a wheel falling
off on the race course!) spelled its demise. Lista Doran Racing’s Judd-powered
Crawford prototype
