Tom Kristensen has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times, more than any other driver.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans) is an annual 24-hour automobile endurance race organised by the automotive group Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and held on the Circuit de la Sarthe race track close to the city of Le Mans, the capital of the French department of Sarthe.[1][2] It was first held as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency in 1923,[3] after the automotive journalist Charles Faroux to Georges Durand, the ACO general secretary, and the industrialist Emile Coquile, agreed to hold the race for car manufacturers to test vehicle durability, equipment and reliability.[1] Each overall victor is presented with a trophy bearing the event's emblem and the logo of the ACO commissioned by the sporting director Jean-Pierre Moreau in 1993. All three-time consecutive winning manufacturers permanently keep the trophy.[4] Since 1991, at the initiative of a man named Bernard Warain,[5] a cast of the winning driver's feet, hands and signature are taken before the following year's race and put in a bronze car-wheel shaped plaque that is placed into the pavement in Le Mans' Saint Nicholas district.[6][7]
Tom Kristensen has won the event nine times, more than any other competitor. Jacky Ickx, the previous record holder, is second with six victories, and Derek Bell, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro are third with five wins each. Kristensen also achieved a record six victories in succession from the 2000 to the 2005 editions.[8] Hurley Haywood had the longest wait between his first Le Mans win and his last. He first won in 1977 and last won in 1994, a span of 17 years and 5 days. Alexander Wurz waited the longest between his inaugural victory at the 1996 event and his second win—following 12 years, 11 months, 29 days later—at the 2009 edition. Luigi Chinetti is the oldest Le Mans winner; he was 47 years, 11 months and 9 days old when he won the 1949 event. Wurz is the event's youngest winner; he was 22 years, 4 months and 1 day old when he won the 1996 race.[9] There have been a record 34 victors from the United Kingdom, followed by France with 28 and Germany with 18. A total of four countries have produced just one winner.[10]
Porsche have won the most races as a manufacturer with 19 since their first in 1970. Audi are second with 13 wins and Ferrari are third with 10 victories. Porsche also achieved the most consecutive wins with seven victories in succession from 1981 to 1987.[11] German manufacturers have won a record 34 times amongst four constructors, followed by the United Kingdom with 17 victories amongst 6 manufacturers and France with 15 wins amongst 9 constructors. Joest Racing are the most successful race team with 13 victories and the Audi R8 is the best race-winning vehicle with five victories.[10]
As of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans,[update] there have been 143 victorious drivers from 20 individual countries and 25 winning manufacturers representing 7 different nations in the race's 91 editions. The first two winners were André Lagache and René Léonard in 1923, and the most recent drivers to achieve their first victory were James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi in 2023. Most years until 1985 saw two drivers per entry win before three participants per car became the norm from 1985 onwards.[10] Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller set the record for the farthest distance covered by a race-winning team, driving 5,410.713 km (3,362.061 mi) and completing 397 laps in an Audi R15 TDI plus in 2010.[12] Frank Clement and John Duff hold the record for the shortest distance covered by a victorious squad, completing 120 laps and 2,077.34 km (1,290.80 mi) sharing an Bentley 3 Litre Sport in 1924.[13]
^ abO'Kane 2012, pp. 14, 95–106
^Vergeer 2009, pp. 10–13, 32, 51
^Thompson, Eric (19 June 2013). "Ultimate test of man and machine". The New Zealand Herald. p. E17. ProQuest 1368729391. Retrieved 6 September 2020 – via ProQuest.
^"Bringing the Museum to you – The Le Mans 24 Hours Grand Trophy". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^Bréhaut, Frederique (20 August 2021). "24 Heures du Mans. Il n'y a plus trace des empreintes des pilotes" [24 Hours of Le Mans. There is no longer any trace of the footprints of the pilots]. Le Maine libre (in French). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^"Le Mans legend Allan McNish earns final handprint tribute". BBC News. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^"24 Heures : depuis 28 ans, les pilotes laissent leur empreintes" [24 Hours: for 28 years, pilots have left their mark]. Ouest-France (in French). 10 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^Turner, Kevin (12 August 2021). "Who is the most successful Le Mans driver? Kristensen, Ickx and more". Autosport. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^"2018 24 Hours of Le Mans – Press Information" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. June 2018. pp. 7, 10, 83. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^ abc"History". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
^Turner, Kevin (28 August 2021). "Who's the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans? Porsche, Toyota & more". Autosport. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
^"Frenchmen win first Le Mans 24". Sunday Times. 26 May 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021 – via PressReader.
^Cite error: The named reference 1924Win was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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