STORY OF THE DAY: Two Belgians Begin Ferrari’s Le Mans Sequence

Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frère won the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans in the number 11 Ferrari 250 TR59/60. They completed 314 laps and finished four laps ahead of the NART Testa Rossa driven by Ricardo Rodríguez and André Pilette. The victory began Ferrari’s sequence of six consecutive Le Mans wins from 1960 through 1965.

Ferrari’s works entries initially set a demanding pace, but mechanical trouble removed several sister cars. Gendebien and Frère avoided that attrition, maintaining speed while protecting the drivetrain and brakes. Their all-Belgian partnership gradually established control and reached the finish without the drama that affected the faster early challengers, demonstrating the value of disciplined endurance technique.

The TR59/60 combined a tubular chassis with the front-mounted three-litre Colombo V12 and Fantuzzi open bodywork. It incorporated lessons from the less reliable 1959 car, including detail revisions to improve durability and aerodynamics. Disc brakes, a rear-mounted transaxle and the V12’s efficient balance of power and consumption made it particularly suited to the contemporary three-litre rules.

Gendebien was Belgium’s outstanding endurance specialist and had already won Le Mans for Ferrari in 1958. Frère was a Belgian driver, engineer and respected motoring journalist whose analytical understanding made him an ideal development partner. Their calm, technically informed collaboration produced Frère’s only Le Mans victory and the second of Gendebien’s eventual four.