THE FIRST DAYTONA 24 HOURS.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. The Daytona 24 Hours came into being in February 1966. Known previously as the Daytona Continental, it progressed from a three-hour racing format in 1962-63, to a 2000 km race distance in 1964, finally switching to the 24 Hour format in 1966, which continues on to this day as the Rolex24. The first Daytona 24 Hours was also round one of the FIA World SportsCar Championship, so it drew an impressive field. 

Five factory Ford Mk IIs were entered, three from Shelby American: the No. 98 for Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby, the No. 97 for Dan Gurney/Jerry Grant, and the No. 96 for Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon. Joining those three factory Ford Mk IIs on the grid were the factory entries from Holman & Moody: the No. 95 machine for Walt Hansgen and Mark Donohue, and the No. 87 Ford Mk II for Richie Ginther and Ronnie Bucknum. Other notable entries came from Chaparral Cars: the No. 65 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet driven by Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier, the No. 21 N.A.R.T Ferrari 365 P driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Mario Andretti, the No. 25 Ecurie Francorchamps Ferrari 365 P2 driven by Lucien Bianchi, Gerald Langlois van Ophem and Jean Beurlys, and other assorted independent Ferrari and Ford entries, along with a horde of GT entries led by the No. 6 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray entered by Roger Penske for Dick Guldstrand, Ben Moore and George Wintersteen. 

It was a star-studded field for the first Daytona 24 Hours, and Ken Miles promptly put the No. 98 Shelby American Ford Mk II on pole with a lap of 1:57.800, a full second clear of Phil Hill in Jim Hall's Chaparral 2D Coupe. The Hansgen/Donohue Ford Mk II started third, and the Rodriguez/Andretti Ferrari went off in fourth. The race was serious business for all of the competitors but especially for the Ford factory team, which had its sights set firmly on Le Mans, with a stop at Sebring along the way. 

The race turned into a show of force for Ford, with Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby dominating the race in their No. 98 Shelby American Ford Mk II, winning by eight laps. Dan Gurney and Jerry Grant (No. 97 Shelby American Ford Mk II) finished second, and Walt Hansgen/Mark Donohue finished third in their No. 95 Holman & Moody Ford Mk II. The Andretti/Rodriguez Ferrari finished fourth, and Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren finished fifth in the No. 96 Shelby American Ford Mk II. (And for the record, the Penske Corvette finished twelfth overall, first in GT+3.0.)

The 1966 Daytona 24 Hours was a harbinger of things to come, with Ford going on to win the 12 Hours of Sebring in March (again with Miles and Ruby) and, of course, its momentous win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The 1967 Daytona 24 Hours was a different result altogether, with the factory Ferrari team dominating the proceedings, sweeping the top three positions. But that's a column for another day.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(Dave Friedman)
Ken Miles (No. 98 Shelby American Ford Mk II) leads Mark Donohue (No. 95 Holman & Moody Ford Mk II) and Bruce McLaren (No. 96 Shelby American Ford Mk II) on Sunday at the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours.
(Dave Friedman)
The Hansgen/Donohue No. 95 Holman & Moody Ford Mk II in for a pit stop during the night.
(Dave Friedman)
Dan Gurney (No. 97 Shelby American Ford Mk II) leads Pedro Rodriguez (No. 21 N.A.R.T Ferrari 365 P) and Jochen Rindt (No. 22 N.A.R.T. Ferrari 250 LM) during the race.
(Dave Friedman)
Phil Hill in the pits with the No. 65 Chaparral 2D Chevrolet.
(Dave Friedman)
Dan Gurney during practice for the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours.
(Dave Friedman)
Ken Miles headed to the finish.
(Dave Friedman)
Lloyd Ruby and Ken Miles (with Miss Firebird) after their big win in the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours.