When the start of the 1969 edition was given Ickx stood by his words. Whilst "all hell broke loose", with cars at the back of the grid overtaking those at the front and vehicles blast through the start straight four abreast, Ickx slowly walked across the track to his Ford GT40 instead of running, then entered his car, locked the safety belt carefully and started - being the dead last to do so.
In the meantime Woolfe, who qualified his 917 in twenty-first place, profited from the unusual starting procedure and managed to overtake several cars before the first turn; some observers were surprised to see him bolting in such fashion through the field, and the likely reason for this fast depart would have devastating consequences a few minutes later. Down the long Mulsanne straight Woolfe was seen driving very aggressively, as if making a desperate attempt to grab the lead of the race. He was pushing his luck - and, sadly, he would be as fortunate for no more than a few kilometers more.
Still in the first lap Woolfe put two wheels of his 917 on the grass just passed the Maison Blanche bend, a tricky section where the road was particularly narrow. With most of the field at his heels, John lost control of the car and crashed into a barrier wall at high speed. He was thrown from the car, dying instantly. Probably - as Ickx feared many drivers would do - Woolfe did not lock his safety belts at the start of the race.
Writer Patrick McNally covered the race for the British magazine Autosport and, citing reports from other drivers, described that Woolfe's Porsche had lost part of the driver's door during that fateful first lap - probably he had not shut it properly at the start - and that the errant panel flew back and damaged one of the rear spoilers. This however could not be verified, and remains a conjecture.
Woolfe's 917 caught fire upon impact, and the crash was sufficiently violent to throw the fuel tank away off the car. The burning reservoir slid onto the road and was hit by Chris Amon's Ferrari 312P. The flaming mess stuck under the nose of the Ferrari, which quickly caught fire as well; Amon jumped ship as fast as possible, but not before suffering minor burns.
r.i.p
