Two Drunk Guys Win Le Mans — (Jaguar Works Team, 1953)

And that’s the end of Season Two! INTC will return on February 3rd, 2026, to kick off our third season!

We're gonna close out 2025 with one of the greatest stories in racing: The time two British legends went on an all-night drinking bender, then jumped into a 150-mph Jaguar and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The summer of 1953. A night of brandy, cognac, pink gins.

When Tony Rolt started the race, his co-driver, Duncan Hamilton, was on the pit wall nursing a brandy.

Before that point, their lives had been unlikely and incredible. Le Mans wouldn't be any different.

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SPECIAL GUEST: The legendary Kyle Kinard, formerly of Road & Track!

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IN THIS EP: Death — Drinking — A war — Plane crashes — Shipwrecks — Plane crashes that almost become ship crashes — An engine that changed the world — The absurd life of a wonderful drinker — The early history of Jaguar Cars, Ltd. — and more!

This show’s format rotates weekly, because squirrel. This episode is our semi-regular deep dive into an epic moment from racing history.

This episode was produced by Sam Smith.

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ABOUT THE SHOW:

It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts.

Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine.

We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel.

New episodes every Tuesday.