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1965 Cobra Daytona Coupe,
Coppa Di Enna Winner driven by Bob Bondurant


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Aug. 15, 1965
Even though the Championship was already in the bag, Mann's contract
required the team's participation at the last event of the year at
Enna, Sicily.
The team endured deliberate and blatant delays in tech inspection that
were aimed squarely at Bob Bondurant, the leader of the drivers who
had beaten Ferrari in the GT Championship.
Team orders again dictated that Bondurant run second to Sears. Instead
of falling back, however, Bondurant drafted the Englishman. Aggrivated
by his teammates aggressive driving, Sears purposely kicked up dust
and stones in Bondurant's path. When a large stone finally broke the
windscreen, Bondurant donned his goggles and went racing.

Bondurant pursued of the leaders and quickly took the overall lead
from Vaccarella's Ferrari prototype, the first time a GT car ever held
the overall lead against prototypes! Soon after taking the lead,
Bondurant made a rare mistake, losing it in a long sweeper. Pointed in
the right direction, he would catch the prototypes again and soon
regained the lead!
In the end, Bondurant was forced to reduce his pace due to tire wear.
He also became the victim of Italian officials who turned a regular
pit stop into a nightmare. Bondurant and the team settled for third
overall and the GT class victory. Politics may have cost them their
last chance for an overall victory, but Bondurant had proved that it
was possible.
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