1972 - DUCKHAMS LM

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1972 - DUCKHAMS LM
Châssis : Tubulaire Bodywork : Polyester Weight : 675 kg Dimensions : 3850 mm / 1850 mm Engine : Ford Cosworth V8 DFV 3.0l Gearbox : 5 vitesse Hewland FT200 (5 speed) Brakes : Lockheed aluminium Rims : Aluminium Suspensions : Double wishbones A F1 FOR LE MANS! For his second participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1972, the great Alain De Cadenet did not hesitate to ask the brilliant Gordon Murray, then a young engineer at Brabham, to transform an F1 car into a prototype made for Le Mans. Mission accomplished... When Alain De Cadenet took part in the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans aboard an impressive Ferrari 512 M of the Francorchamps team, he had no idea that he had just put his finger in a gear that was to set the pace of his exciting life for a quarter of a century. Enthused by this first experience, he only wanted to buy a 312 PB from Ferrari and enter it in the next 24 Hours race. But he receives a refusal. The 312 PB being a prototype version of the F1 312 B, the Italians consider that it could not be put in the hands of an amateur. Offended, De Cadenet devises another plan. He owns a Brabham BT33 that he entered for his friend Chris Craft during the last two grand prix of the 1971 season. Why not transform it into a prototype homologated at Le Mans? He then turned to Brabham which had just been bought by a certain Bernie Ecclestone. The latter directed the lively “Decad” towards a young South African engineer working in the design office. He was Gordon Murray (see box). Murray took up the challenge, working at home in the evenings after his day’s work at Brabham. In six weeks, he finally designed a specific monocoque chassis that would be manufactured by the company Grand Prix Metalcraft. Unfortunately, De Cadenet’s Cosworth V8 was at the end of its life and the English driver went in search of a replacement. John Nicholson, McLaren’s engine builder, restored the DFV with which Bruce McLaren had won the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix and sold it to him for £1,500. De Cadenet then went to Colnbrook and brought it back... on the back seat of his Mini! Until then, only Guy Ligier had ventured to the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Cosworth DFV on his back. De Cadenet convinces the lubricant brand Duckhams to finance a (small) part of the operation. The car is painted in yellow and blue like an oil can. It was entered in the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans under the name Duckhams LM. From the outset, the car, one of the lightest on the grid, proved to be competitive. Qualified in 11th position at an average speed of more than 200 km/h, the De Cadenet-Craft duo was in fourth place with two hours to go! Unfortunately, Craft -on slick tires- was surprised by the rain and hit the rail. The Duckhams had to return to the pits and make repairs, and finished 12th. This was the first time that a Cosworth DFV V8 crossed the finish line at Le Mans. In the meantime, the Duckhams competed in the 6 H of Watkins Glen (withdrawal due to engine problems) as well as in the Canam race (same cause, same effect), held the following day. Boosted by this promising adventure in Le Mans, De Cadenet did it again the following year. In the meantime, the Duckhams had been redesigned by Gordon Murray, who fitted it with a long tail. In spite of this evolution, it was not as fast as the previous year (15th in qualifying) and had to give up in the middle of the night, due to an accident. The agreement with Duckhams being finished, the car runs in 1974 under the name of De Cadenet, with a British racing green livery. After finishing 6th in an Interserie race at Silverstone, it arrived at Le Mans. Unfortunately, Alain De Cadenet could not drive the car bearing his name. Having broken his collarbone shortly before, he noticed during the night tests that he was physically unfit and was replaced. The Nicholson-Craft duo qualified in a very respectable 8th place, running for the first time under the 4 minutes per lap mark (3’52’’400 against 4’03’’900 in 1972). However, the race ended with another retirement. This is the last participation of this car in an international race. Alain De Cadenet sold it to Colin Hawker who installed a Volkswagen 1600 Type 3 body on the chassis to compete in club races. Nicknamed “DFVW”, the car will collect successes during several seasons. Restored in 2002 in its 1972 configuration, it was soon bought by Jacques Nicolet who drove it with brio in prestigious historic races. At its wheel, he won in 2018 in the very competitive Plateau 5 of Le Mans Classic.
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