Sunday 2nd July 1967

Jack Brabham in a Brabham-Repco BT24 won the first French Grand Prix to be held in Le Mans since the first ever running of the race in 1906. The new Bugatti circuit at Le Mans used the main pit straight at Le Mans, which back in 1967 did not have the Dunlop Chicane, but then turned right at “La Chapelle” into an infield section comprising the third gear “Le Musée” left hander and the second gear “Garage Vert” corner which led onto the back straight, whose only distinctive feature was the “Chemin Aux Boeups” left hand kink (now a left-right chicane) some two-thirds along, before heading back to the pit straight via the “S Bleu” and “Raccordement” corners near the entrance to the pits. Graham Hill was on pole and led away for the first lap until Jack Brabham took over. On lap 7 Jim Clark took the lead and Hill passed Brabham to make it a Lotus 1-2. Hill then retook the lead until his crown-wheel and pinion failed on lap 14. The same problem caused Clark’s retirement from the lead on lap 23, leaving Brabham ahead of Dan Gurney, Chris Amon and Denny Hulme. On lap 41 a fuel line broke on Gurney’s car, making it a Brabham 1-2 and Amon’s throttle cable broke several laps later. Brabham drove home serenely to win his first race in eight Grands Prix by 49.5 seconds from team mate Hulme, and over a lap in front of the BRM of Jackie Stewart.