In May 1948, rootlets emerged of a partnership which transcended endurance racing. In the hills surrounding the town of Gmünd in Austria, Ferry Porsche and his engineers tirelessly developed the first road car to carry the Porsche badge - the 356. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in Illinois, Hurley Haywood arrived into the world.

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Hurley Haywood is unquestionably the finest endurance racer in history. Three wins across three decades at the 24 hours of Le Mans, two wins at the 12 hours of Sebring and a record equalling five outright triumphs at the 24 hours of Daytona. Hurley Haywood has accumulated an unparralled list of achievements with Porsche.

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Longevity certainly contributed to Hurley Haywood’s vastly successful racing career which spanned six decades. However, a chance meeting with Brumos Porsche’s Peter Gregg took Hurley to the winner’s circle earlier than anyone might have expected. Dubbed ‘Batman and Robin’, Gregg and Haywood formed a partnership which filled the paddock with dread whenever they arrived in Brumos Porsche’ immaculate transporter.

Following high school graduation, Hurley acquired a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle to tear around Chicago and the surrounding area. Only weeks later, a terrified Mrs Haywood insisted her son get rid of this dangerous machine. Spotting an opportunity, Hurley deployed expert diplomacy only a son could use, coaxing his Mother into authorising a swap of the Triumph Bonneville for a Corvette Stingray. Little did Hurley or his Mother know that this persuasive masterstroke sent Hurley on a path to a glittering career.

Hurley left Chicago in the rumbling Corvette to study a business administration degree at Jacksonville University. Soon after arriving in Jacksonville, Haywood joined the local Corvette group and began autocross events in empty parking lots. In signature style, Hurley won straightaway. In fact, Hurley and his monstrous Corvette quickly became a feared combination in Floridian auto crossing. An auto cross event in a Winn-Dixie supermarket parking lot, would change his life. Arriving at the Jacksonville grocery store, Haywood noticed an immaculate Brumos transporter, race car and band of uniformed mechanics. All there to ensure victory for Brumos Porsche’s owner, Peter Gregg. Yet, Haywood beat Gregg in a final shoot out.

Ever the businessman and competitor, Gregg spotted a golden opportunity and offered to help Haywood get involved in motorsport. Of course, this involved selling Haywood a brand new 911 racing car! Once the 911 arrived in Jacksonville, Gregg took his new protégé for a test at Roebling Road racetrack in Savannah. By day’s end, Haywood outpaced Gregg.

On the strike of Haywood’s 21st birthday, twenty dollars was posted off for a NASCAR race license. Gregg knew he’d discovered an exceptional star and trusted Hurley as his co-driver for the 1969 6 hours of Watkins Glen. As a round of the World Championship, Haywood raced his 911 amongst the shrieking V12 factory Matras, thundering Ford GT40s and howling Porsche 908s. Quite the introduction to international motorsport.

Gregg and Haywood took their #59 Porsche 911 to victory in class and eighth overall. An astonishing debut for the young hot shot from Chicago. At this stage, a multitude of opportunities lay ahead for Hurley with Peter Gregg’s guiding influence behind him. However, only weeks after the Watkins Glen triumph, Haywood received a letter which threatened not only his career, but his life too. A draft notice called this young racer to duty in the Vietnam war.

Haywood’s family had accumulated significant wealth over generations. In fact, Haywood’s grandfather had invented technology for pneumatic tools and agitators for dishwashers. Such status in the Chicago community might have allowed Hurley’s family to pull strings and have him excused from a trip to the South East Asian warzone.

However, Haywood had been raised with strong values and believed that if he was called upon, he must fulfil his duty. So, the glamorous world of Porsches and motor racing was left in the rear-view mirror and Hurley began his service at an air base south of Hanoi.

During his tenure in Vietnam, Haywood developed traits which made him an even tougher adversary on his return home to the racetrack. A respect of authority and a heightened sense of risk management learnt at war, were attributes that developed Hurley Haywood into an all-star racing driver.

In 1971, Hurley Haywood returned from Vietnam at Chicago O’Hare airport having completed his service to his country. A hero’s welcome? Not exactly. So unpopular was the Vietnam war, that Haywood and his comrades were spat at as they arrived.

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Nevertheless, Hurley received a much warmer welcome from his Brumos Porsche colleagues. Since purchasing Brumos from Hubert Brundage’s family after his untimely death, Peter Gregg co-ordinated an operation which was the envy of the paddock. Nicknamed ‘Peter Perfect’, Gregg demanded flawlessness. On top of duties in the race shop and showroom, Hurley returned to the racetrack to campaign Porsche’s diminutive 914/6, alongside Peter Gregg.

In IMSA’s first ever race in 1971, at Virginia International Raceway, Gregg and Haywood took the top spot and marched on to the IMSA championship crown. Haywood repeated this success again in 1972 with the Porsche 911. By 1973, Haywood had served his apprenticeship and began a streak of domination on the grandest scale. Beginning at track which would become Hurley’s stronghold, Daytona International Speedway.

Much to the dismay of Matra, Lola and Mirage, the traditional 24 hours of Daytona returned for 1973, following a shortened six-hour event in 1972. Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cowered away entirely, knowing their machines couldn’t last the distance. Porsche on the other hand, relished the challenge to prove the resistance of their cars.

Porsche’s gloriously dominant 917 prototype had been strangled by new rules and a new challenger was required. Porsche’s Managing Director, Dr Ernst Fuhrmann, insisted that the companies racing efforts would now focus on the 911 and would filter improvements to road-based product wherever possible. For the 1973 season, Porsche’s engineers created a machine with vastly more performance than any rival expected from the 911. Although the 911 Carrera RSR would become a GT machine, it wouldn’t be homologated until the 1st of April 1973. Therefore, the car entered as a prototype and squared up against the vastly more powerful pure prototypes.

Unable to deliver a full works effort, Porsche lent a 911 Carrera RSR to Roger Penske and also to Peter Gregg for the 1973 24 hours of Daytona. George Follmer and Mark Donohue piloted the Sunoco backed Penske entry. Gregg and Haywood drove the white, red and blue #59 Brumos car. In addition to the loan of the works cars, a young Norbert Singer was dispatched from Weissach to assist with the effort.

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By the chequered flag, Haywood and Gregg amassed a twenty-two-lap lead from the second placed Ferrari Daytona. Thus, securing the first outright victory at the 24 hours of Daytona for the Porsche 911. This overall win was Hurley Haywood’s first of five at Daytona and was achieved using classic Haywood tactics. Drawing on experience gained in the Vietnam war, Haywood had developed a maturity far beyond his twenty-four years. Throughout his career, Hurley Haywood deployed an approach which allowed the competition to charge ahead and drain their reserves. Meanwhile, Haywood lingered in the background, keeping his powder dry for the all-important finish.

Listen carefully to any pro driver in this weekend’s Rolex 24 hour at Daytona, they will all muse something to the effect of “We just need to get to the last two hours. Then we can fight.” This is the Hurley Haywood blueprint to endurance racing success.