1968 World Sportscar Championship

The 1968 World Sportscar Championship season was the 16th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing and featured the 1968 International Championship for Makes and the 1968 International Cup for GT Cars.[1] The former was contested by Group 6 Sports Prototypes, Group 4 Sports Cars and Group 3 Grand Touring Cars[2] and the later by Group 3 Grand Touring Cars only. The two titles were decided over a ten race series which ran from 3 February 1968 to 29 September 1968, but one race was only worth half points, and only the five best results were counted.

Following a very fast 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, the engine size of prototypes from 1968 onwards was limited to 3 litres, forcing the retirement of Ford's 7-litre prototypes as well as Ferrari's 4-litre P series. Even though the engine size was the same as in Formula 1 since 1966, the F1 engines did not last 1000km or 24 hours, while downsized engines lacked power and torque, causing a problem for the prototype class. Ferrari stayed absent in protest, while old 5-litre Ford GT40 as well as Lola and some others makes could still enter as sportscars if at least 50 cars had been built.

Replica of the Gulf-sponsored 1964 Ford GT40 4,5-litre which was successful in 1968 due to being a sportscar of which at least 50 had been made
Porsche 907 prototypes like this, with undersized 2200cc engines, provided most of Porsche results in 1968
Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 named Daytona Coupe due to winning the 2-litre-class there in 1968. Alfa came 2nd at the Targa and 3rd in the championship
Porsche 908 longtail at Cité de l'Automobile. This Chassis 908-013[3] has finished 3rd in Le Mans in 1972, like it did already in 1968
Ford P68 was fast only for short times

Up to 1966, Porsche had only entered in the two-litre class, and for 1968 developed the 3-litre Porsche 908 which had teething problems, just like the Ford P68, so most wins for Zuffenhausen came with the underpowered 2.2-litre Porsche 907. Also, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 in early 1968 had only 2000cc, not enough to win races. As a result, and with only 5 of 10 races counting towards the championship, the 1968 International Championship for Makes was won by Ford Motor Company as the Ford GT40 introduced in 1964, after being uncompetitive in the early rounds in the USA at Daytona and Sebring, won five races including its most prestigious and also last round, Le Mans, which had been postponed from the usual mid-June date to late September due to political unrest.

Porsche also scored five wins, but the 500km "short" race at Zeltweg was only awarded half points, and with only four full-point wins and four second places in nine full-point events, Porsche came second in the WSC with 42 points to Fords 45, as 25.5 points were discarded, compared to Fords 6, scored with 3rd places at Nürburgring and Zeltweg. Porsche's only non-top-two-finish came at the third-to-last round, 6h at Watkins Glen, where no less than four factory 908 were entered in an all-in attempt to secure the championship ahead of the insignificant half-point Zeltweg and the all-important Le Mans. Siffert took pole position ahead of Ickx, but after three 908 were out and the fourth limped to 6th place, two private old 906E were ahead of the factory, behind two GT40 and even a gasturbine-powered Howmet TX which was rated at 2960 cm³ and thus allowed as a prototype.

The International Cup for GT Cars was won by Porsche entering the Porsche 911.[1]

Schedule

Rnd Race Circuit or Location Date
1 United States 24 Hours of Daytona Daytona International Speedway 3 February
4 February
2 United States 12 Hours of Sebring Sebring International Raceway 23 March
3 United Kingdom BOAC 500 (6 Hours) Brands Hatch 7 April
4 Italy 1000km Monza Autodromo Nazionale Monza 25 April
5 Italy Targa Florio Palermo 5 May
6 Germany 1000km Nürburgring Nürburgring 19 May
7 Belgium 1000km Spa Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 26 May
8 United States Watkins Glen 6 Hours Watkins Glen International 14 July
9 Austria 500km of Zeltweg Zeltweg Airfield 25 August
10 France 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe 28 September
29 September

† - These races were contested by Sports Prototypes and Sports Cars only. GT cars did not participate.

‡ - The 24 Hours of Le Mans was originally scheduled to be run 15 June and 16, but was delayed due to a workers strike in France.

Season results

Races

Rnd Circuit Winning Team GT Winning Team Results
Winning Drivers GT Winning Drivers
1 Daytona Germany #54 Porsche Engineering United States #31 Sunray DX Oil Company Results
United Kingdom Vic Elford
Germany Jochen Neerspasch
United States Jerry Grant
United States Dave Morgan
2 Sebring Germany #49 Porsche Engineering United States #3 Sunray DX Oil Company Results
Switzerland Jo Siffert
Germany Hans Herrmann
United States Hap Sharp
United States Dave Morgan
3 Brands Hatch United Kingdom #4 J.W. Automotive None Results
Belgium Jacky Ickx
United Kingdom Brian Redman
4 Monza United Kingdom #40 J.W. Automotive Germany #68 IGFA Results
Australia Paul Hawkins
United Kingdom David Hobbs
Germany Dieter Glemser
Germany Helmut Kelleners
5 Targa Florio Germany #224 Porsche Engineering Switzerland #82 Ecurie Les Corsaires Results
United Kingdom Vic Elford
Italy Umberto Maglioli
Switzerland Claude Haldi
Switzerland Pierre Greub
Switzerland Edgar Berney
6 Nürburgring Germany #2 Porsche Engineering Germany #110 Sepp Greger [4] Results
Switzerland Jo Siffert
United Kingdom Vic Elford
Germany Sepp Greger
Germany Malte Huth
7 Spa-Francorchamps United Kingdom #33 J.W. Automotive Germany #63 IGFA Results
Belgium Jacky Ickx
United Kingdom Brian Redman
Germany Dieter Glemser
Germany Helmut Kelleners
8 Watkins Glen United Kingdom #5 J.W. Automotive United States #59 Brumos Porsche Results
Belgium Jacky Ickx
Belgium Lucien Bianchi
United States Peter Gregg
United States Bert Everett
9 Zeltweg Germany #1 Porsche Engineering None Results
Switzerland Jo Siffert
10 Le Mans United Kingdom #9 J.W. Automotive Belgium #43 Jean-Pierre Gaban Results
Mexico Pedro Rodriguez
Belgium Lucien Bianchi
Belgium Jean-Pierre Gaban
Belgium Roger van der Schrick

Manufacturers Championships

International Championship for Makes

Points were awarded for overall placings gained by the top 6 finishers from Groups 6, 4 & 3 at each round in the order of 9-6-4-3-2-1 . Manufacturers were only given points for their highest finishing car; any other cars from that manufacturer were merely skipped in the points standings.

Cars from other than Groups 6, 4 & 3 were ignored in the awarding of points for the overall championship.

Only the best 5 round results for each make counted towards the championship, with any other points earned not included in the total. Relinquished points are shown within brackets.

Pos Manufacturer Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 9 Rd 10 Total
1 United States Ford 9 9 (4) 9 9 (2) 9 45
2 Germany Porsche 9 9 6 (6) 9 9 (6) (3) (4.5) (6) 42
3 Italy Alfa Romeo 3 6 2 1.5 3 15.5
4= United States Chevrolet 4 4
4= United States Howmet 4 4
4= France Alpine-Renault 4 4
7 Italy Ferrari 2 2
8 United Kingdom Lola 1 1

† - Round 9 was awarded only half points due to its short distance.

International Cup for GT Cars

Points were awarded for Group placings gained by the top six GT finishers at each round in the order of 9-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only given points for their highest finishing car; any other cars from that manufacturer were merely skipped in the points standings.

Only the best 5 round results for each make counted towards the title, with any other points earned not included in the total. Relinquished points are shown within brackets.

The GT class did not participate in Rounds 3 and 9.

Pos Manufacturer Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 10 Total
1 Germany Porsche (6) (6) 9 9 9 9 9 (9) 45
2 United States Chevrolet 9 9 6 24
3 United Kingdom MG 1 2 6 9
4 Italy Lancia 4 4
5 Italy Fiat 1 1

Car Details

The following models contributed to the nett points totals of their respective manufacturers.

International Championship for Makes

International Cup for GT Cars

References

  1. FIA Yearbook 1974, Grey section, Previous International Championship winners, pages 124 & 125
  2. Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 259
  3. "Porsche 908.01 Langheck (VIN 908-013) 1968".
  4. "Sepp Greger • Career & Character Info | Motorsport Database".
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