Aug. 15, 1965
Even though the Championship was already in the bag, Alan Mann Racing'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. Aggravated 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 the leaders and soon 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. Once pointed in the right direction, he quickly caught the prototypes and soon regained the overall 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.
