Top 5 Epic Le Mans Moments

When the history of Le Mans is over 80 years long it is hard to pick few epic moments which endures the test of time. Every year there are epic stuff happening on famous Circuit de la Sarthe but there are some moments that stayed in memory and left the mark on motorsport world.

This is the our list of Top 5 memorable and epic moments in Le Mans history:

5. Matt McMurry – youngest driver ever (2014)

American driver, Matt McMurry participated in 2014 Le Mans, aged just 16 years. Before him, the record holder was Pedro Rodriguez who raced at the Le Mans when he was 17 years old. McMurry did pretty good for a teenager, claiming 23rd overall and 10th in LMP2.

Matt McMurry is the youngest driver who has competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans

4. Steve McQueen – filming “Le Mans“ (1970)

The Circuit de la Sarthe is not just a battle field for the world’s best drivers but a open air film studio as Steve McQueen proved in 1970 when his Porsche 908 served as a camera car filming the real race as part of preparation for making his epic movie “Le Mans“.

Steve McQueen at Le Mans

3. Roger Dorchy – top speed record (1988)

Seeing that there is no way that WM – Peugeot could win the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team concentrated on achieving the top speed. The French driver, Roger Dorchy was behind the wheel and his WM prototype catapulted itself to astonishing 405 km/h on the epic Mulsanne Straight.

WM – Peugeot holds speed record at Le Mans race

2. Nissan ZEOD – first ever all-electric lap (2014)

In last few years, the hybrid technology took over in the highest class. Nissan’s effort with innovative design and concept paid off when ZEOD was the first car that completed a lap of Le Mans on electric power, predicting the future of the race cars.

Nissan ZEOD, bizarre-looking car at 24 Hours of Le Mans

1. Ford GT40 – 1-2-3 victory (1966)

Ford GT40 was born out of conflict between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari and in 1966, humiliated Enzo by winning Le Mans in fantastic 1-2-3 finish. The 1966 win was start of four year domination of GT40 and since then Ferrari never won a Le Mans again. This is the most epic Le Mans moment because the unbelievable success of Ford was fueled by epic feud between two of industries’ great characters who settled their differences on track.

Ford GT 1-2-3 victory in 1966 Le Mans

Video – Ford GT40 at 24 Hours of Le Mans

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