Vic Elford Passes Away at 86

Vic Elford has passed away from a hard-fought battle with cancer at the age of 86, a Porsche Motorsport North America spokesperson has confirmed to Sportscar365.

The two-time Le Mans class winner was active in various racing disciplines, including Formula 1 and sports car racing.

While he raced in F1 between 1968 and 1971, ‘Quick Vic’ mainly gained fame from his time in sports car racing, where he established a strong association with Porsche through multiple appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Elford contested the French endurance classic eight times between 1967 and 1974.

The majority of those starts came with the German manufacturer, scoring a class win on debut before going on to battle for overall victory as part of the factory squad for four consecutive years.

His final prototype start came with Alfa Romeo before competing in the event two more times in GT machinery, scoring a second and final class win in 1973 alongside Claude Ballot-Léna.

Outside of Le Mans, he won the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 1971, took victory in the Targa Florio and was a part of Porsche’s first-ever overall victory in a 24-hour race by winning the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona.

Elford was also a celebrated rally driver, winning both the European rally championship and the Rally Monte Carlo.