STORY OF THE DAY: Hill and Gendebien Win with Ferrari’s New Rear Suspension

Olivier Gendebien and Phil Hill won the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans in the number 10 Ferrari 250 TRI/61. They completed 333 laps and led a Ferrari one-two, ahead of the sister car driven by Mike Parkes and Willy Mairesse. The victory was Ferrari’s fifth at Le Mans and a central result in another World Sportscar Championship campaign.

The two works Testa Rossas maintained pressure on one another, but experience and clean running gradually favoured Hill and Gendebien. They managed traffic, high speed and changing conditions without the mechanical setbacks that had often shaped earlier editions. Their victory confirmed them as the era’s leading Le Mans partnership and extended Ferrari’s new winning sequence.

The TRI/61 retained the three-litre Colombo V12 but marked an important chassis development: the I indicated independent rear suspension. Its tubular frame, rear transaxle and Fantuzzi open body improved balance and traction while preserving the proven front-engine layout. The combination was a mature expression of the Testa Rossa concept immediately before Ferrari’s sports prototypes moved decisively to rear engines.

Gendebien was Belgian, measured and exceptionally reliable over long distances. Hill was American, technically perceptive and equally accomplished in sports cars and Formula One; later in 1961 he became world champion for Ferrari. This was their second Le Mans victory together, achieved through a partnership in which neither driver needed to sacrifice speed for mechanical sympathy.