The First Minute of 12 Hours. Sebring, 1965

The 12 Hours of Sebring is just 2 weeks away. While the running LeMans style start we see here in the 1965 race is sadly a thing of the past, I feel obliged to take notice of it each year on the racing calendar. The Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance has always been America’s greatest toehold into international sportscar racing and—despite the changes that continue to plague contemporary motorsport—will always have a place in my heart each year alongside Monaco and LeMans.
This video, like our last look at Sebring, comes courtesy of Nigel Smuckatelli’s Flickr stream. Regarding the tremendous start Delmo Johnson’s Corvette had, Nigel says, “According to my research Delmo Johnson had the car in gear so when he hit the starter he took off. Also he didn’t bother buckling his seat belt or close his door. Not sure if you could tell but when he pulled out of his space and made a right to go down the track the door flew open. For more than a full lap he had to hold tightly onto the steering wheel because, on that rough track, he almost got thrown out of his seat. By the second lap he had managed to get buckled in.” Yipe! Nigel wrote an article about the ’65 race for Sports Car Digest last year. Check it out.
I forgot how much I like the old-style Goodyear Blimp.
Update: Much more footage from the ’65 12 Hours of Endurance here.