Ham And Eggs
by Peter Chilelli
Title
Ham And Eggs
Artist
Peter Chilelli
Medium
Digital Art
Description
When he debuted at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans, Anthony Joseph "A.J." Foyt was already, at 32 years old, one of the most popular drivers in the U.S. Still today, if one asks an American to name a motorsports driver on the spot, three names come to mind: A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty and Mario Andretti. Foyt had just won his third victory in his favourite race, the Indianapolis 500. "I had known about Le Mans for years and I knew it was a high-speed circuit, explains Foyt. I had been asked several times to participate in the 24 Hours, but I wanted to go when I could be competitive. Ford had already contacted me in 1966, but I was severely burned afterwards at a race in Milwaukee. Ford called me again in 1967, and it was good to go!"
At the wheel of the No. 1 Ford Mk IV, Foyt was one half of a 100% American duo with Dan Gurney. But their journeys were not at all the same. Foyt had pratically never raced outside the U.S., and Gurney, at 36 years old, was one of the top American drivers in Europe "Of course, it was known I had already won at Indianapolis, but Dan was racing in Formula 1 and at Le Mans, he was much more known than I in Europe," remembers Foyt.
What united the two drivers was Ford's American challenge. Foyt was born in Texas (where he still lives today) and is called "Super Tex" at American circuits. Gurney is a veteran of the Korean War. When he became a constructor in 1966, he called his team All American Racers and his chassis Eagle, in reference to the bald eagle, symbol of the U.S.
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December 27th, 2021
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