and strapped in for the start. From 1971 onwards, races would begin with rolling starts. Reverting this year back to its normal start time of 4pm the guest starter this year was Dr Ferry Porsche, marking Porsche's 20th year of participation. Everyone got away smoothly and at the end of the first lap Elford led Siffert and Rodriguez, then the Ferraris of Merzario and Vaccarella. They started lapping tail-enders after only three laps. But after only seven laps Vaccarella's Ferrari was in the pits with its crankshaft broken, and was out. It was followed soon after by the Gregory/Hezemans Alfa, with its engine wrecked, and then the Alfa was followed to retirement on the 23rd lap, after the first pitstops, by the JWA 917K of Pedro Rodríguez, who stopped at Arnage with a blown engine from cooling fan failure. After Elford had set a new lap record, he and Siffert established a clear margin at the front of the field and settled into a routine of alternating the lead. At 5.30pm the rain finally arrived. Soon after, Reine Wisell, barely able to see through his Ferrari's oil-streaked windscreen had slowed on the side of the road approaching the very fast and tricky Maison Blanche (English: White House) corner. Suddenly four duelling Ferraris arrived at speed: Posey in the NART car raced past. Unsighted, Regazzoni smashed into Wisell followed by the Parkes car that caught fire. Le Mans debutante Derek Bell had managed to swerve past Wisell but the excessive gearbox change-downs over-revved his engine and the car broke half a lap later on the Mulsanne Straight. Ferrari had four of its leading contenders taken out in one hit, but the only injury was to Parkes with minor burns to his leg. A few laps later, the rain triggered another accident when Carlo Facetti spun his Alfa at Dunlop Curve, hitting the barriers. He got out and was running back to the pits to get two replacement wheels when Mike Hailwood, on his last lap on slicks in the third Wyer Porsche, crashed into the parked Alfa Romeo, leaving just three of the top 10 qualifiers running. Night The rain became torrential around 8pm as dusk fell, sending many cars skating. Helmut Kelleners hit the barriers at the Esses, avoiding a spinning car. Privateer David Piper's co-driver Gijs van Lennep had qualified 11th and with the attrition they had moved up