Le Mans 24 Hours - Records, Facts and Figures
Undoubtedly, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the biggest motorsport event and since 1923, when the race was held for the first time, many legendary stories were recorded and many records were set.
There is no driver who doesn’t think about participating in this event and winning at Le Mans is like a dream come true. Also, almost all manufacturers wanted to test themselves at Circuit de la Sarthe and nearby roads, to win the race and to secure their place in the history of motorsport.
The importance and influence of this event to the motorsport world is huge. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was an inspiration for many other classic 24-hour races at Spa-Francorchamps, Daytona, and Nurburgring. With Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24h is also one of the Triple Crown of Motorsport events. The only driver who was able to win the Triple Crown so far is Graham Hill.
Audi celebrates win at 2014 Le Mans
To recall all legendary moments of Le Mans 24h is almost impossible, so we’ll try to list the most important numbers and to pay tribute to many drivers, manufacturers, and cars that triumphed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Le Mans 24 Hours Driver records
Drivers with most wins at Le Mans 24h (1923-2016)
| Wins | Drivers |
|---|---|
| 9 | Tom Kristensen |
| 6 | Jacky Ickx |
| 5 | Derek Bell, Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela |
| 4 | Yannick Dalmas, Henri Pescarolo, Olivier Gendebien |
| 3 | Woolf Barnato, Luigi Chinetti, Hurley Haywood, Phil Hill, Klaus Ludwig, Al Holbert, Rinaldo Capello, Marco Werner, Allan McNish, Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer |
Drivers with most consecutive wins at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Wins | Drivers |
|---|---|
| 6 | Tom Kristensen |
| 3 | Woolf Barnato, Olivier Gendebien, Jacky Ickx, Henri Pescarolo, Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro, Marco Werner |
Drivers with most starts at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Starts | Drivers |
|---|---|
| 33 | Henri Pescarolo |
| 30 | Bob Wollek |
| 29 | Yojiro Terada |
| 26 | Derek Bell |
| 25 | Francois Migault |
| 23 | Claude Ballot-Lena |
| 22 | Jan Lammers, Claude Haldi, Pierre Yver, Emmanuel Collard |
Yannick Dalmas scored wins with four different constructors
Apart from the records listed in the tables, there are also many other interesting records.
- The youngest driver who won the race is Alexander Wurz (22 years and 91 days in 1996)
- The oldest winner is Luigi Chinetti (47 days and 343 days in 1949)
- David McMurry is the youngest driver to start the race. At 2014 Le Mans 24h he was 16 years and 202 days old
- Jack Gerber is the oldest driver to start – 68 years and 110 days in 2013
- Youngest driver (18 years and 133 days) on the overall podium is Ricardo Rodriguez who finished 2nd in 1960
- Oldest driver (55 years and 110 days) who scored overall podium finish is Mario Andretti who finished 2nd in 1995
- Yannick Dalmas scored wins driving for four different manufacturers (Peugeot, Porsche, McLaren, BMW)
- David Brabham had most starts (16) before first win in 2009
- Jacky Ickx has most pole positions – 5. Three of them were converted into victories
- Hans Heyer holds an inglorious record of 14 starts without finishing the race
- Most starts without overall victory has Bob Wollek (30)
- Henri Pescarolo recorded most consecutive starts (30) but also the most retirements (18)
- Most time in the car during the race spent Louis Rosier in 1950 – 23 hours, 15 minutes, 17 seconds
- Francois Migault raced at Le Mans with 17 constructors, more than any other driver
Jack Gerber – the oldest driver who raced at Le Mans 24h
Constructor records
Constructors with most wins at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Wins | Constructors |
|---|---|
| 18 | Porsche |
| 13 | Audi |
| 9 | Ferrari |
| 7 | Jaguar |
| 6 | Bentley |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo, Ford |
| 3 | Peugeot, Matra-Simca |
| 2 | Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, Lorraine-Dietrich |
| 1 | Chenald & Walcker, Lagonda, Delahaye, Talbot-Lago, Mirage, Aston Martin, Rondeau, Renault-Alpine, McLaren, Mazda, BMW |
Constructors with most consecutive wins at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Wins | Constructors |
|---|---|
| 7 | Porsche |
| 6 | Ferrari |
| 5 | Audi |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Ford |
| 3 | Matra-Simca, Jaguar, Audi, Porsche |
Cars with most wins at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Wins | Cars |
|---|---|
| 5 | Audi R8 |
| 4 | Ford GT 40, Porsche 956, Audi R18, Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 |
| 3 | Jaguar D-Type, Ferrari 250 TR, Porsche 936, Matra Simca MS670, Audi R10 TDI |
| 2 | Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6, Bentley Speed Six, Porsche 917K, Bugatti Type 57, Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche 962C, Porsche WSC-95, Peugeot 905 |
Pole positions by constructor at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Pole positions | Constructor |
|---|---|
| 19 | Porsche |
| 8 | Audi |
| 6 | Peugeot |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Ferrari |
| 2 | Renault-Alpine, Toyota, Matra-Simca |
| 1 | Lancia, Mirage, Courage, Nissan, Pescarolo, Bentley, Welter Racing |
Other interesting figures:
- Porsche has most 1-2 finishes (12) as well as 1-2-3 finishes (8)
- Audi holds the record of most consecutive podiums (18, 1999 – 2016)
- Toyota has most 2nd places without a victory (5)
- Porsche holds a record of most consecutive pole positions (6) and fastest laps (14)
Porsche 962C, 1985 24 hours of Le Mans
Teams with most wins at Le Mans 24h (1923 - 2016)
| Wins | Teams |
|---|---|
| 13 | Joest Racing |
| 11 | Porsche |
| 7 | Scuderia Ferrari |
| 5 | Jaguar |
| 4 | Bentley Motors Ltd. |
| 3 | Peugeot Sport, Matra Sport |
| 2 | Ecurie Ecosse, John Wyer Automotive Engineering, Shelby-American Inc. |
Race records
- Longest distance covered: Audi R15+ TDI in 2010 – 5410.713 km (397 laps)
- Fastest lap in race: 3:17.475 by Andre Lotterer with a Audi R18 e-tron quattro in 2015
- Highest average race speed by winner: 225.228 km/h, Audi R15+ TDI in 2010
- Highest average lap speed in race: 248.459 km/h by Andre Lotterer in Audi R18 e-tron quattro (2015)
- Top speed: 407 km/h by Roger Dorchy with a WM P88-Peugeot in 1988
- Most cars in a single race: 60, on five occasions
- Fewest cars in a single race: 17 (in 1930)
- Most cars to finish: 44 in 2016
- Fewest cars to finish: 6 in 1931
- Most Safety cars in the race: 12 in 2013
- Most time behind the Safety car: 5 hours and 27 minutes in 2013
- Highest attendance: 400.000 in 1969
Photo: straight-six.com, quattroworld.com
