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The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14 and 15 June 1997.
It was won by teammates Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson, and Tom Kristensen. [1]
The race saw the first of a record (as of 2024) 9 wins at Le Mans for Danish driver Kristensen, on what was his La Sarthe debut.
The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti Circuit. Frenchman Sébastien Enjolras lost his life in a pre-qualifying accident in his Welter Racing WR LM97-Peugeot.
The race’s governing body, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), decided that the starting order would be decided by the fastest LMP cars lining up in the odd positions of the grid, and the fastest GT1 cars lining up in the even positions.
Class leaders are in bold.
| Pos | No. | Team | Car | Class | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Joest Racing GmbH | TWR Porsche WSC-95 | LMP | 3:41.581 | 1 | |
| 2 | 25 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:43.363 | +1.782 | 2 |
| 3 | 22 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:45.324 | +3.743 | 4 |
| 4 | 42 | BMW Motorsport | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:45.402 | +3.821 | 6 |
| 5 | 26 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:45.490 | +3.909 | 8 |
| 6 | 27 | BMS Scuderia Italia | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:45.913 | +4.332 | 10 |
| 7 | 21 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:46.228 | +4.647 | 12 |
| 8 | 30 | Kremer Racing | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:46.389 | +4.808 | 14 |
| 9 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP | 3:46.431 | +4.850 | 3 |
| 10 | 44 | Team Lark McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:47.108 | +5.527 | 16 |
| 11 | 32 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:47.314 | +5.733 | 18 |
| 12 | 33 | Schübel Engineering | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:47.428 | +5.847 | 20 |
| 13 | 13 | Courage Compétition | Courage C41 | LMP | 3:47.662 | +6.081 | 5 |
| 14 | 23 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:47.745 | +6.064 | 21 |
| 15 | 10 | Courage Compétition | Courage C36 | LMP | 3:48.011 | +6.430 | 7 |
| 16 | 43 | BMW Motorsport | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:48.057 | +6.476 | 22 |
| 17 | 52 | Société DAMS | Panoz GTR-1 | LMGT1 | 3:48.123 | +6.542 | 23 |
| 18 | 29 | Scoiété JB Jabouille Bouresche | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:48.341 | +6.760 | 24 |
| 19 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:48.369 | +6.788 | 25 |
| 20 | 49 | GT1 Lotus Racing | Lotus Elise GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:48.395 | + 6.814 | 26 |
| 21 | 8 | La Filiére Elf | Courage C36 | LMP | 3:48.651 | +7.070 | 9 |
| 22 | 39 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:48.665 | +7.084 | 27 |
| 23 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | 3:49.330 | +7.749 | WD |
| 24 | 28 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:49.465 | +7.884 | 28 |
| 25 | 46 | Newcastle United Lister Storm | Lister Storm GTL | LMGT1 | 3:49.563 | +7.982 | 29 |
| 26 | 55 | David Price Racing | Panoz GTR-1 | LMGT1 | 3:49.699 | +8.118 | 30 |
| 27 | 45 | Newcastle United Lister Storm | Lister Storm GTL | LMGT1 | 3:50.398 | +8.817 | 31 |
| 28 | 54 | David Price Racing | Panoz GTR-1 | LMGT1 | 3:50.852 | +9.271 | 32 |
| 29 | 4 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP | 3:51.092 | +9.511 | 11 |
| 30 | 50 | GT1 Lotus Racing | Lotus Elise GT1 | LMGT1 | 3:51.373 | +9.792 | DNQ |
| 31 | 9 | Courage Compétition | Courage C36 | LMP | 3:51.378 | +9.797 | 13 |
| 32 | 5 | Kremer Racing | Kremer K8 | LMP | 3:55.981 | +14.400 | 15 |
| 33 | 15 | Team TDR | Kudzu DLM-4 | LMP | 3:56.122 | +14.541 | 17 |
| 34 | 14 | Pacific Racing | BRM P301 | LMP | 3:56.734 | +15.153 | 19 |
| 35 | 6 | Kremer Racing | Kremer K8 | LMP | 3:56.929 | +15.348 | DNQ |
| 36 | 62 | Société Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | 4:04.589 | +23.008 | 33 |
| 37 | 61 | Société Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | 4:04.654 | +23.073 | 34 |
| 38 | 67 | Saleen/Allen Speedlab | Saleen Mustang | LMGT2 | 4:06.922 | +25.341 | 35 |
| 39 | 77 | Société Chereau | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:07.137 | +25.556 | 36 |
| 40 | 74 | Roock Racing | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:07.153 | +25.572 | 37 |
| 41 | 63 | Société Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | 4:08.081 | +26.500 | 38 |
| 42 | 66 | Saleen/Allen Speedlab | Saleen Mustang | LMGT2 | 4:09.801 | +28.220 | 39 |
| 43 | 60 | Agusta Racing Team | Callaway Corvette LM | LMGT2 | 4:10.048 | +28.467 | 40 |
| 44 | 84 | Stadler Motorsport | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:10.094 | +28.513 | 41 |
| 45 | 73 | Roock Racing | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:10.479 | +28.898 | 42 |
| 46 | 75 | Société Larbre Compétition | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:10.903 | +29.322 | 43 |
| 47 | 78 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:11.134 | +29.553 | 44 |
| 48 | 80 | GT Racing Team AG | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:11.630 | +30.049 | 45 |
| 49 | 70 | Team Marcos | Marcos LM600 | LMGT2 | 4:11.904 | +30.323 | 46 |
| 50 | 79 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 993 GT2 | LMGT2 | 4:11.911 | +30.330 | 47 |
| 51 | 64 | Chamberlain Engineering | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | 4:12.696 | +31.115 | 48 |
| 52 | 71 | Team Marcos | Marcos LM600 | LMGT2 | 4:22.904 | +41.323 | DNQ |
The 1997 race was won by the same chassis as had won in 1996, marking the second time that Joest had won back-to-back Le Mans with the same chassis (previously done in 1984 and 1985). They were able to beat factory teams in the GT1 and LMP classes from Porsche, BMW and Nissan. The TWR-Porsche was not the fastest on track during the race, but was able to take advantage of the leading Porsche 911 GT1's and McLaren F1 GTR's mechanical problems, allowing the Joest Racing machine to claim victory by one lap.
Class winners in bold. [2] [3] [4]
Michele Alboreto was an Italian racing driver. He was runner-up to Alain Prost in the 1985 Formula One World Championship, as well as the winner of the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2001 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races. Alboreto competed in Formula One from 1981 until 1994, racing for a number of teams, including five seasons (1984–88) for Ferrari.
The Audi R8 is a Le Mans Prototype sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999. In its class, it is one of the most successful racing sports cars having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005, five of the six years it competed in total. Its streak of Le Mans victories between 2000 and 2005 was broken only in 2003 by the Bentley Speed 8, another race car fielded that year by Volkswagen Group.
Tom Kristensen is a Danish former racing driver. He holds the record for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine, six of which were consecutive. In 1997, he won the race with the Joest Racing team, driving a Tom Walkinshaw Racing-designed and Porsche-powered WSC95, after being a late inclusion in the team following Davy Jones' accident that eventually ruled him out of the race. All of his subsequent wins came driving an Audi prototype, except in 2003, when he drove a Bentley prototype. In both 1999 and 2007 Kristensen's team crashed out of comfortable leads in the closing hours of the race. He is considered by many to be the greatest driver ever to have raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. In 1983, driven by Stefan Bellof, this car established a record that would stand for 35 years, lapping the famed 20.832 km (12.93 mi) Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6:11.13 during qualifying for the 1000 km Sports Car race. The record was finally surpassed by Timo Bernhard in a derestricted Porsche 919 Evo on 29 June 2018.
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The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race from 14 to 15 June 2003 at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France for teams of three drivers each entering Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars before approximately 220,000 people. It was the race's 71st edition, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held seven weeks prior to the race on 4 May.
The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was an automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 15 to 16 June 2002 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close by Le Mans, France. It was the 70th running of the event, as organized by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held five weeks prior to the race on 5 May. The No. 1 Audi Sport Team Joest car of Tom Kristensen, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the race overall and Audi's third consecutive victory in Le Mans, extending back to the 2000 event.
The 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 69th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 16 and 17 June 2001.
The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th 24 Hours of Le Mans, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1999. The race had a large number of entries in the fastest Le Mans Prototype classes, with Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lola Cars, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Panoz, Riley & Scott, and Toyota all represented.
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 6 and 7 June 1998.
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The 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 63rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 17 and 18 June 1995 in one of the wettest races in the event's history with about 17 hours of steady rain. The race was won by the #59 McLaren F1 GTR driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya entered in the GT1 category. This was the first Le Mans win for a driver from Finland and for a driver from Japan. It was also McLaren's first win, at its first attempt - Ferrari had accomplished the same feat with its two cars in 1949, but other manufacturers like Jaguar, Porsche, Ford or Audi achieved their first Le Mans win only after 2, 3 or more attempts. As well as its outright win, the strength of the F1 GTR in the race was underlined by it ultimately filling four of the first five places.
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Joest Racing is a sports car racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. Their headquarters are in Wald-Michelbach, Germany.
The McLaren F1 GTR is the racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It was powered by the naturally aspirated BMW S70/2 V12 engine. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it won against faster purpose-built prototypes in very wet conditions. The F1 GTR raced internationally until 2005 when the final race chassis was retired.
The Porsche WSC-95 was a Le Mans Prototype originally built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. It was modified by Porsche from the original Group C Jaguar XJR-14 from which it derived, and run by Joest Racing. Originally intended to race in the IMSA World Sportscar Championship, the WSC-95 saw very little race action even though it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 1996 and 1997 without being acknowledged as a factory supported project. It was later upgraded to the Porsche LMP1-98 before being retired. Only two cars were ever built.
The 2009 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring was the 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring and the opening round of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. It took place at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida on March 21, 2009. Three new cars made their debut at Sebring: Audi's diesel R15 TDI, Acura's first LMP1 entry the ARX-02a, and the return of the BMW M3 to the GT2 category. It was also the last time GT1 category raced at the event.
Lucas Luhr is a German racing driver. He is a staple of the American Le Mans Series during the 2000s and early 2010s, winning the GT class with Porsche in 2002, the LMP2 category in 2006, and taking the overall LMP1 championship as part of the Audi Sport North America works outfit in 2008. He also won the P1 title in 2012 and 2013, driving for Honda-fielding Muscle Milk Pickett Racing.
Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello is an Italian professional racing driver. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bentley in 2003 and Audi in 2004 and 2008. Capello is a two-time American Le Mans Series champion, a five-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner, and the record holder for most wins at Petit Le Mans, having won five times. Capello has also raced in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the FIA World Endurance Championship, DTM and the Italian GT Championship.
