IMSA heads to New York State this weekend for the Sahlen Six Hours of the Glen, so we’ve delved into the archives.

In 1969 the Glen hosted its traditional double-header of Can-Am and the International Championship for Makes and such was the speed of the former that Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme shattered Formula 1’s lap record at the track by three seconds. The latter, meanwhile, was a wet and tactical affair.

Watkins Glen 6 Hours 1969: ‘Private’ Porsches dominate

‘A visitor driving through the village of Watkins Glen in New York State, U.S.A., might be forgiven for thinking that it was a sleepy American village by an attractive lake. The mellowed clap-board houses with verandah fronts would make a film set for “Peyton Place” and the local beauty spots seem a good reason for stopping at a nearby motel.

‘To the afficionado, however, Watkins Glen is the heart of road racing in America, as opposed to the oval raceway events performed at tracks like the Indianapolis Speedway. Some three miles from the township is a challenging 2.3-mile circuit set in countryside resembling that of Spa, having some of that classic circuit’s sweeping curves and changes of altitude. It is a circuit in the European style, where spectators can wander from corner to corner to see the changing attitudes of the cars over a variety of terrain.’

Read how Brian Redman and Jo Siffert mastered the Glen in ’69

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Read more

• The Glen’s glory years
• America’s own antidote to oval tracks: a lap with the circuit’s creator

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