The Matra-Simca MS630 was a
Group 5 Group 5 may refer to:
*Group 5 element, chemical element classification
*Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations def ...
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
race car introduced in 1967 for the
World Championship for Makes
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and Nor ...
. The MS630 replaced the previous
Matra MS620.
The car was initially designated as the Matra MS630, but when
Simca
Simca (; Mechanical and Automotive Body Manufacturing Company) was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat S.p.A. and directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by Italian Henri Pigozzi. Simca was affiliated with Fiat and, after Simca bough ...
sponsored Matra in 1969, it was renamed as the Matra-Simca MS630.
Racing History
1967
For 1967,
Matra
Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and w ...
decided to use a 1.9-litre version of the
BRM
British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
V8 engine
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...
. (capable of producing at 9,000
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
.) Matra planned to have
Johnny Servoz-Gavin
Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006) was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters.
He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, failing to qu ...
/
Jean-Pierre Jaussaud
Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (3 June 1937 – 22 July 2021) was a French racing driver, noted for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 and 1980.
Jaussaud was born in Caen, Calvados, and started racing in automobiles in 1962, taking courses in the Ji ...
to drive the MS630 at both the 1967
1000 km of Spa and 1967
1000km of Nürburgring but the entries for both races were withdrawn. The MS630 only made one appearance in 1967, the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
. Matra entered two cars for Servoz-Gavin/
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at th ...
and Jaussaud/
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the ...
. Servoz-Gavin/Beltoise retired with a broken oil pipe and Jaussaud/Pescarolo also retired with broken suspension.
In the
World Championship for Makes
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and Nor ...
, Matra scored no points during the year.
1968
For 1968,
Matra
Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and w ...
decided to use their 3.0 60º
V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to:
Aircraft
* Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter
* Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft
* Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project
* Škoda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...
. The MS630 only made one appearance in 1968, the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
. Matra entered one car for Servoz-Gavin/Pescarolo but it retired with an accident caused by a puncture.
In the
World Championship for Makes
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and Nor ...
, Matra scored no points during the year for the second consecutive season.
1969
The first race of the season was the 1969
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
with Servoz-Gavin/Pescarolo but the car did not start the race due to a practice accident. The team skipped the
12 Hours of Sebring and
BOAC 500 The Brands Hatch 1000 km was an endurance sports car event that was part of the World Sportscar Championship for varying years from 1967 until 1989. Originally a six-hour race running under the name BOAC 500, the event was eventually extended ...
. Matra entered the
1000 km of Monza with Servoz-Gavin/
Jean Guichet
Jean Guichet (born 10 August 1927 in Marseille, France) is a French industrialist and former racing driver. He is best known for winning the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-driver Nino Vaccarella, driving a Ferrari 275 P for Scuderia Ferrari.
...
but retired from the race with a fuel feed issue. The team skipped the 1969
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
. Matra planned to have Servoz-Gavin/Beltoise and Guichet ( who was scheduled to drive single handed) at the 1969
1000 km of Spa but the entry for the race was withdrawn and skipped the 1969 1000 km of Nürburgring. Matra entered four cars for the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
.
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. He competed in 88 Grands Prix achieving a single victory, at th ...
/
Piers Courage
Piers Raymond Courage (27 May 1942 – 21 June 1970) was a British racing driver. He participated in 29 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 January 1967. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored 20 championship point ...
in the new
Matra-Simca MS650,
Jean Guichet
Jean Guichet (born 10 August 1927 in Marseille, France) is a French industrialist and former racing driver. He is best known for winning the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans with co-driver Nino Vaccarella, driving a Ferrari 275 P for Scuderia Ferrari.
...
/
Nino Vaccarella
Nino Vaccarella (4 March 1933 – 23 September 2021) was an Italian sports car racing and Formula One driver.
His principal achievements include having won the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Targa Florio in 1965, 1971 and 1975, the latter y ...
in the MS630,
Nanni Galli
Giovanni Giuseppe Gilberto "Nanni" Galli (2 October 1940 – 12 October 2019) was an Italian saloon, sports-car and Formula One driver of the 1960s and 1970s.
Born in Bologna, Galli started his career in Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance ...
/
Robin Widdows and
Johnny Servoz-Gavin
Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006) was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters.
He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, failing to qu ...
/
Herbert Müller were both in the updated Matra-Simca MS630/650 (A MS630 car with the parts from the MS650). Beltoise/Courage finished fourth followed by Guichet/Vaccarella in fifth, Galli/Widdows seventh and Servoz-Gavin/Müller retired when an electrical short circuit failed. For the
Watkins Glen 6 Hours
The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...
, Matra entered two cars for Servoz-Gavin/
Pedro Rodriguez in the MS650 and Guichet/Widdows in the MS630/650. Servoz-Gavin/Rodriguez finished fourth and Guichet/Widdows retired with a broken clutch. The MS630 was retired before the
1000km of Zeltweg.
In the
World Championship for Makes
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.
The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and Nor ...
, Matra scored six points, earning it seventh in the championship. All points were scored by the MS650.
Complete World Championship for Makes results
All points scored by the
Matra-Simca MS650.
References
{{Matra car timeline
Sports prototypes
Matra vehicles
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars
Mid-engined cars