PORSCHE 935L - 1983

There have been two periods in the career of the Porsche 935 ‘Moby Dick’. The first and ‘official’ period started in 1978, the year in which the car raced in FIA Group 5 - the category reserved for ‘Silhouette’ cars derived from series production: on this occasion, the 911 Turbo type 930 - as an evolution of the original 935. The second period began a few years afterwards, when a number of private teams took over the project to create the ‘long-tail’ 935s, some with different structures and, above all, different engines from the original, powerful but unreliable. One of these was the Andial 935L, winner of the Daytona 24 Hours in 1983.

At the time of its creation, the 935L began its life as an IMSA GTP type, as the FIA Group 5, the 935's original category, was being discontinued. Between 1982 and 1985, the car took part in around fifteen races, fewer than other famous ‘replicas’ such as those run by the Joest team, but definitely more than the ‘Moby Dick’, which only contested in four races. Its history kicked off in 1982 with 2nd place at the Riverside 6 Hours in April, followed seven months later by a 4th place at the Daytona 3 Hours. In both cases, the steering wheel was in the hands of American Al Holbert, partnered on the first occasion by German Harald Grohs and on the second time by his compatriots Doc Bundy and Preston Henn.

There were more participations in 1983. The first would become the 935L's best result: victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona (the sixth in a row for a 935) for the Henn's Swap Shop Racing team. This time, the only ‘veteran’ driver was Preston Henn, founder of the team with Frenchmen Claude Ballot-Léna and Bob Wollek. Wollek set the fastest lap in practice at just over 1 minute 42 seconds, taking pole position. In the race, the battle was closer, particularly against the 935 ‘replicas’ entered by other private teams and the Jaguar XJR5 of Bob Tullius.

In the second half of the race, after the withdrawal of a number of Porsches and the Ferrari 512 BB of Ron Spangler, it was the March 83G of Motorsports Marketing that took the lead, but was unable to hold on until the finish.A combination of accidents and luck favoured the 935L, with A. J. Foyt taking over from the Nimrod team after its withdrawal. The contribution of the experienced American was crucial as Foyt demonstrated his driving skills under wet conditions, while the March was spinning all the time. The 935L claimed victory after 618 laps, 6 laps ahead of the March of Terry Wolters, Randy Lanier and Marty Hinze. This success was followed by a series of disappointing performances, with a number of withdrawals and disappointing placings, but with occasional good results. It wasn't until 1984 that the car returned to Daytona, where it took second place, once again with Foyt and Wollek supported by Derek Bell. In the following months, the 935L took fourth place in the 3 Hours of Miami and a podium finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring (third) before ending its career in 1985 at Sebring with a 35th placing.

The team that won at Daytona in 1983 was particularly impressive: Frenchman Claude Ballot-Léna was a veteran in endurance racing, with 24 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and several class victories to his name. His success at Daytona was in addition to a number of rare but impressive outright triumphs, including victory at Spa in 1969. His countryman Bob Wollek made even more appearances at Le Mans - no fewer than 30 - including a number of second places overall and several class wins, but never an outright triumph. His greatest success was achieved in 1985 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, on the same circuit where he tragically lost his life during a bicycle practice session in 2001. This victory, achieved in a Porsche 962, he shared with Anthony Joseph Foyt, a legendary American driver who, before and after Daytona, enjoyed a number of other successes, including victory at Le Mans in 1967 with Dan Gurney in a Ford GT 40 Mk IV. Preston Henn, proprietor of the team with the same name, was a businessman with a passion for racing: he made his fortune with the creation of the Swap Stop drive-in cinema in Fort Lauderdale, allowing him to finance his own team. His major successes have already been mentioned: apart from Daytona 1983 where he was both driver and team manager, his team won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1985 driving a 962 entrusted to Wollek and Foyt. Added to these two good results was a second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1984 with a Porsche 956 co-driven by John Paul Jr. and Jean Rondeau.