1997 Le Mans 24 hour race
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The 65th 24-hour race at Le Mans , the 65 s Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans , and 24 Heures du Mans Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans , was held at from 14 to 15 June 1997 the Circuit des 24 Heures .
The race
In 1997 there was no doubt among the experts that the overall winners of the 24-hour race of that year would drive a GT1 vehicle. Porsche had revised the 911 GT1 . The works team started with two cars. In the vehicle with the number 25 sat Hans-Joachim Stuck , Thierry Boutsen and Bob Wollek who had already formed a team the year before and finished the race in second place in the final ranking. The car with the number 26 was driven by Emmanuel Collard , Ralf Kelleners and Yannick Dalmas . In addition to the two works cars, six other GT1s entered by private teams. BMW competed with Schnitzer Motorsport as the official works team. The company had not built its own chassis, but the McLaren F1 GTR was powered by a BMW 6-liter V12 engine . The two works vehicles were driven by Peter Kox , Roberto Ravaglia , Eric Hélary , JJ Lehto , Steve Soper and 3-times former Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet .
Another factory team came from Japan. Tom Walkinshaw led the operation at Nissan Motorsports International . Their new Nissan R390 GT1 could only be interpreted as a GT1 vehicle with good will. During the technical acceptance, the cars promptly failed. Tony Southgate's technicians had the required trunk - GT1 vehicles had to be able to show a street version in order to be homologated - designed as an inflatable bag. The officials of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest objected to this. Overnight, a small space had to be created in the rear that was accepted as a trunk; However, the exhaust had to be relocated, a fact that led to problems in the race. The audience favorites were the front engine - Panoz Esperante GTR-1 and the Ferrari 333SP by Giampiero Moretti .
Reinhold Joest anticipated outsider opportunities with last year's winning car, the Le Mans prototype - TWR-Porsche WSC-95 , which Michele Alboreto , Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen drove in 1997 .
In the early stages, Alboreto in the Joest Porsche, Bob Wollek in the works GT1 and Riccardo Patrese in the Nissan pulled away from the field. At Nissan, all three cars had problems with the cooling of the transmission, which cost some time and even led to car number 22 failing. A little later, the fastest car, number 21, also retired after a spin. The only car that lasted finished the race 67 laps behind in twelfth place. In contrast to the previous year, the GT1 were faster than the LMP cars this time. On Sunday, Porsche looked like the sure winner when the leading Bob Wollek damaged the car so badly in an accident in the Arnage that the team had to give up. A few hours before the end of the race, the number 26 Porsche was comfortably in the lead in the overall standings. Ralf Kelleners was behind the wheel when the Porsche suddenly caught fire while driving to Indianapolis. Hot oil had leaked and ignited body panels. Soon the whole rear car was in flames and Kelleners had to stop. The driver managed to get to safety with a spectacular jump, but the car was so badly damaged that it was out of the question to continue driving. The TWR-Porsche WSC-95 won for the second time in a row.
The race weekend was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Frenchman Sébastien Enjolras in a WR LM97 during practice.
Results
Pilots by nationality
 37 French
|
 20 British
|
 15 Americans
|
 11 Germans
|
 11 Italians
|
 8 Japanese
|
 7 Belgians
|
 5 Dutch
|
 4 Brazilians
|
 4 Portuguese
|
 4 Sweden
|
 4 Swiss
|
 4 Spaniards
|
 3 fins
|
 2 Australians
|
 2 danes
|
 2 Monegasque
|
 2 Austrians
|
 2 South Africans
|
 1 Chilean
|
Final ranking
| Item | class | No. | team | driver | chassis | engine | tires | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LMP | 7th |
Joest Racing
|
Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Tom Kristensen
|
TWR-Porsche WSC-95 | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 361 |
| 2 | GT1 | 41 |
Gulf Team Davidoff
|
Jean-Marc Gounon Pierre-Henri Raphanel Anders Olofsson
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 360 |
| 3 | GT1 | 43 |
BMW Team Schnitzer
|
Peter Kox Roberto Ravaglia Eric Hélary
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 358 |
| 4th | LMP | 13 |
Courage Compétition
|
Didier Cottaz Jérôme Policand Marc Goossens
|
Courage C41 | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 336 |
| 5 | GT1 | 33 |
Schübel Engineering
|
Pedro Lamy Armin Hahne Patrice Goueslard
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 331 |
| 6th | LMP | 3 |
Moretti Racing Inc.
|
Giampiero Moretti Didier Theys Massimiliano Papis
|
Ferrari 333SP | Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | Y | 321 |
| 7th | LMP | 8th |
La Filière Elf
|
Henri Pescarolo Jean-Philippe Belloc Emmanuel Clérico
|
Courage C36 | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 319 |
| 8th | GT1 | 27 |
BMS Scuderia Italia
|
Pierluigi Martini Christian Pescatori Antônio de Azevedo Hermann
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 317 |
| 9 | GT2 | 78 |
Eleven Haberthur Racing
|
Michel Neugarten Guy Martinolle Jean-Claude Lagniez
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | D. | 307 |
| 10 | GT2 | 74 |
Roock Racing
|
André Ahrlé Andy Pilgrim Bruno Eichmann
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 306 |
| 11 | GT2 | 73 |
Roock Racing
|
Manuel Mello-Breyner Thomaz Mello-Breyner Pedro Mello-Breyner
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 295 |
| 12 | GT1 | 23 |
Nissan Motorsport
|
Kazuyoshi Hoshino Érik Comas Masahiko Kageyama
|
Nissan R390 GT1 | Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | B. | 294 |
| 13 | GT2 | 80 |
GT Racing Team AG
|
Claudia Huertgen John Robinson Hugh Price
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 280 |
| 14th | GT2 | 63 |
Société Viper Team Oreca
|
Justin Bell Pierre Yver John Morton
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Chrysler 8.0L V10 | M. | 278 |
| 15th | GT2 | 64 |
Chamberlain Engineering
|
Hans Hugenholtz Junior Jari Nurminen Chris Gleason
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Chrysler 8.0L V10 | G | 269 |
| 16 | LMP | 10 |
Courage Compétition
|
Fredrik Ekblom Jean-Louis Ricci Jean-Paul Libert
|
Courage C36 | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 265 |
| 17th | LMP | 15th |
Team TDR
|
Yōjirō Terada Jim Downing Franck Fréon
|
Kudzu DLM-4 | Mazda R26B 2.6L 4- Wankel | G | 263 |
| Failed | ||||||||
| 18th | GT1 | 26th |
Porsche AG
|
Emmanuel Collard Ralf Kellener's Yannick Dalmas
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 327 |
| 19th | GT1 | 39 |
Gulf Team Davidoff
|
Ray Bellm Andrew Gilbert-Scott Masanori Sekiya
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 326 |
| 20th | GT2 | 61 |
Viper Team Oreca
|
Philippe Gache Olivier Beretta Dominique Dupuy
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Chrysler 8.0L V10 | M. | 263 |
| 21st | GT1 | 25th |
Porsche AG
|
Hans-Joachim Stuck Thierry Boutsen Bob Wollek
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 238 |
| 22nd | GT1 | 42 |
BMW Team Schnitzer
|
JJ Lehto Steve Soper Nelson Piquet
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 236 |
| 23 | GT1 | 29 |
JB Racing
|
Jürgen von Gartzen Olivier Thévenin Alain Ferté
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 236 |
| 24 | GT1 | 54 |
David Price Racing
|
Andy Wallace James Weaver Butch Leitzinger
|
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | Ford Roush 6.0L V8 | G | 236 |
| 25th | GT1 | 30th |
Kremer Racing
|
Christophe Bouchut Andy Evans Bertrand Gachot
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 207 |
| 26th | GT2 | 75 |
Larbre Compétition
|
Patrick Bourdais Peter Kitchak André Lara Resende
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 205 |
| 27 | LMP | 9 |
Courage Compétition
|
Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Olivier Grouillard
|
Courage C36 | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 197 |
| 28 | GT1 | 52 |
DAMS
|
Franck Lagorce Éric Bernard Jean-Christophe Boullion
|
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | Ford Roush 6.0L V8 | M. | 149 |
| 29 | GT1 | 55 |
David Price Racing
|
David Brabham Perry McCarthy Doc Bundy
|
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | Ford Roush 6.0L V8 | G | 145 |
| 30th | GT1 | 21st |
Nissan Motorsport
|
Martin Brundle Jörg Müller Wayne Taylor
|
Nissan R390 GT1 | Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | B. | 139 |
| 31 | GT1 | 28 |
Konrad Motorsport
|
Franz Konrad Mauro Baldi Robert Nearn
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 138 |
| 32 | GT2 | 67 |
Saleen-Allen Speedlab
|
Steve Saleen Price Cobb Carlos Palau
|
Saleen Mustang RRR | Ford 5.9L V8 | D. | 133 |
| 33 | GT2 | 79 |
Konrad Motorsport
|
Toni Seiler Larry Schumacher Michel Ligonnet
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 126 |
| 34 | GT1 | 22nd |
Nissan Motorsport
|
Riccardo Patrese Eric van de Poele Aguri Suzuki
|
Nissan R390 GT1 | Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | B. | 121 |
| 35 | GT1 | 49 |
GT1 Lotus Racing
|
Jan Lammers Mike Hezemans Alexander Grau
|
Lotus Elise GT1 | Chevrolet LT5 6.0L V8 | M. | 121 |
| 36 | LMP | 5 |
Kremer Racing
|
Tomás Saldaña Carl Rosenblad Jürgen Lässig
|
Kremer K8 Spyder | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 103 |
| 37 | GT2 | 84 |
Stadler Motorsport
|
Enzo Calderari Lilian Bryner Angelo Zadra
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 98 |
| 38 | GT1 | 44 |
Team Lark McLaren
|
Akihiko Nakaya Keiichi Tsuchiya Gary Ayles
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 88 |
| 39 | GT2 | 77 |
Chereau Sports
|
Jean-Luc Chéreau Jack Leconte Jean-Pierre Jarier
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 77 |
| 40 | GT1 | 46 |
Newcastle United Lister Cars
|
Julian Bailey Thomas Erdos Mark Skaife
|
Lister Storm GTL | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | D. | 77 |
| 41 | GT2 | 62 |
Viper Team Oreca
|
Tommy Archer Soheil Ayari Marc Duez
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Chrysler 8.0L V10 | M. | 76 |
| 42 | GT2 | 60 |
Agusta Racing Team Ltd.
|
Almo Coppelli Riccardo Agusta Eric Graham
|
Callaway Corvette LM-GT | Chevrolet LT1 6.2L V8 | D. | 45 |
| 43 | GT2 | 66 |
Saleen-Allen Speedlab
|
David Warnock Robert Schirle Allen Lloyd
|
Saleen Mustang RRR | Ford 5.9L V8 | D. | 28 |
| 44 | GT1 | 45 |
Newcastle United Lister Cars
|
Geoff Lee's Tiff Needell George Fouché
|
Lister Storm GTL | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | D. | 21st |
| 45 | LMP | 4th |
Pilot racing
|
Michel Ferté Adrián Campos Charlie Nearburg
|
Ferrari 333SP | Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | D. | 18th |
| 46 | GT2 | 70 |
Team Marcos Racing International
|
Cor Euser Takashi Suzuki Harald Becker
|
Marcos Mantara LM600 | Chevrolet 5.9L V8 | D. | 15th |
| 47 | GT1 | 32 |
Roock Racing
|
Stéphane Ortelli Allan McNish Karl Wendlinger
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | M. | 8th |
| 48 | LMP | 14th |
Pacific Racing Ltd.
|
Harri Toivonen Eliseo Salazar Jesús Pareja
|
BRM P301 | Nissan 3.0L Turbo V6 | P | 6th |
| Not started | ||||||||
| 49 | GT1 | 40 |
Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren
|
John Nielsen Thomas Bscher Chris Goodwin
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | M. | 1 |
| Not qualified | ||||||||
| 50 | LMP | 6th |
Kremer Racing
|
Giovanni Lavaggi Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière Bernard Chauvin
|
Kremer K8 Spyder | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 2 |
| 51 | GT1 | 50 |
GT1 Lotus Racing
|
Fabien Giroix Jean-Denis Delétraz Ratanakul Prutirat
 |
Lotus Elise GT1 | Chevrolet LT5 6.0L V8 | M. | 3 |
| 52 | GT2 | 71 |
Team Marcos Racing International
|
Dominic Chapell François Migault Henri-Louis Maunoir
|
Marcos Mantara LM600 | Chevrolet 5.9L V8 | D. | 4th |
1 wagon fire in training 2 not qualified 3 not qualified 4 not qualified
Only in the entry list
Here you can find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race, but did not take part for various reasons.
| Item | class | No. | team | driver | chassis | engine | tires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | LMP | 2 |
Rachel Welter
|
Sébastien Enjolras Marc Rostan
|
WR LM97 | Peugeot PRV 2.0L Turbo V6 | |
| 54 | LMP | 12 |
Didier Bonnet
|
David Dussau Edouard Sezionale François Jakubowski
|
Debora LMP297 | Cosworth 2.0L Turbo I4 | |
| 55 | LMP | 16 |
Matrix Motor Co Ltd.
|
Tim Richardson Bernard de Dryver Robin Donovan
|
Matrix MPX-1 | Nissan 3.0L Turbo V6 | |
| 56 | LMP | 17th |
Alain le Brun
|
Pierre Bruneau
|
WR LM97 | Peugeot PRV 2.0L Turbo V6 | |
| 57 | GT1 | 34 |
Team Menicon Sard
|
Olivier Grouillard
|
Sard MC8-R | Toyota - Lexus 4.0L Turbo V8 | |
| 58 | GT1 | 35 |
Team Menicon Sard
|
Olivier Grouillard Cathy Muller Oriol Servià Alexandre Debanne Christophe Tinseau
|
Sard MC8-R | Toyota-Lexus 4.0L Turbo V8 | |
| 59 | GT1 | 36 |
RJ Racing
|
Patrick Gonin Stéphane Daoudi Benjamin Roy Marc Sourd
|
Helem-Renault Spider | Renault PRV 3.0L Turbo V6 | |
| 60 | GT1 | 37 |
RJ Racing
|
Patrick Gonin Stéphane Daoudi Benjamin Roy Marc Sourd
|
Helem-Renault Spider | Renault PRV 3.0L Turbo V6 | |
| 61 | GT1 | 38 |
BBA Compétition
|
Jean-Luc Maury-Laribiere Alain Ferté Marcel Tarrès
|
McLaren F1 GTR | BMW S70 6.0L V12 | |
| 62 | GT1 | 51 |
GT1 Team Lotus
|
Ratanakul Prutirat Maurizio Sandro Sala Kasikam Suphot
|
Lotus Elise GT1 | Chevrolet LT5 6.0L V8 | |
| 63 | GT1 | 53 |
Société DAMS
|
David Velay Jean-Christophe Boullion Wolfgang Kaufmann
|
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | Ford Roush 6.0L V8 | |
| 64 | GT2 | 65 |
Chamberlain Engineering
|
Jay Cochran Chris Gleason
|
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |
| 65 | GT2 | 69 |
Eric van de Vyver
|
Eric van de Vyver
|
Gillet Vertigo V de V | Cosworth 2.0L Turbo I4 | |
| 66 | GT2 | 76 |
Bruno Krauss racing technology
|
Bernhard Müller Michael Trunk
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |
| 67 | GT2 | 81 |
GT Racing Team AG
|
Luca Drudi Luigino Pagotto
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |
| 68 | GT2 | 83 |
Gerard McQuillan
|
Ben Collins Gerard McQuillan Scott Peeler
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |
| 69 | GT2 | 85 |
Steve O'Rourke
|
Steve O'Rourke Tim Sugden Win Percy
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |
| 70 | TVR 12/7 | ||||||
| 71 | GT1 |
Newcastle United Lister Cars
|
Lister Storm GTL | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | |||
| 72 |
Peter Allnutt
|
Specter R4 | ford | ||||
| 73 | LMP |
Giampiero Moretti
|
Ferrari 333SP | Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | |||
| 74 | LMP |
Jon Dellor
|
Spice WSC D97 | Cosworth | |||
| 75 | LMP | Spice WSC D97 | Cosworth | ||||
| 76 | GT1 | 24 |
Ennea Srl
|
Ferrari F40 GTE Evoluzione | Ferrari F120B 3.5L Turbo V8 | ||
| 77 | GT1 | 31 |
Société Larbre Competition
|
Porsche 911 GT1 | Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | ||
| 78 | GT1 | 47 |
GBF Ltd.
|
Andrea Boldrini Martin Stretton
|
Lotus Elise GT1 | Chevrolet LT5 6.0L V8 | |
| 79 | GT1 | 48 |
GBF Ltd.
|
Domenico Schiattarella Luca Badore
|
Lotus Elise GT1 | Chevrolet LT5 6.0L V8 | |
| 80 | GT2 | 68 |
Saleen-Allen Speedlab
|
James Kaye
|
Saleen Mustang RRR | Ford 5.9L V8 | |
| 81 | GT2 | 72 |
Team Marcos Racing International
|
Chris Marsh François Migault Andy Purvis
|
Marcos Mantara LM600 | Chevrolet 5.9L V8 | |
| 82 | GT2 | 82 |
Parr Motorsport
|
Hugh Price Stéphane Ortelli John Robinson
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 |
Class winner
| class | driver | driver | driver | vehicle | Placement in the overall ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMP |
Michele Alboreto
|
Stefan Johansson
|
Tom Kristensen
|
TWR-Porsche WSC-95 | Overall victory |
| GT1 |
Jean-Marc Gounon
|
Pierre-Henri Raphanel
|
Not so Olofsson
|
McLaren F1 GTR | Rank 2 |
| GT2 |
Michel Neugarten
|
Guy Martinolle
|
Jean-Claude Lagniez
|
Porsche 911 GT2 | Rank 9 |
Racing data
- Registered: 82
- Started: 48
- Valued: 17
- Race classes: 3
- Spectators: 170,000
- Honorary starter of the race: unknown
- Weather on the race weekend: warm and dry
- Route length: 13.605 km
- Driving time of the winning team: 24: 02: 40.875 hours
- Rounds of the winning team: 361
- Distance of the winning team: 4909.600 km
- Winner's average: 204.186 km / h
- Pole position: Michele Alboreto - TWR-Porsche WSC-95 (# 7) - 3.41.581 = 220.958 km / h
- Fastest race lap: Tom Kristensen - TWR-Porsche WSC-95 (# 17) - 3: 45.068 = 217.534 km / h
- Racing series: did not belong to any racing series
literature
- Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre: Les 24 heures du Mans 1997. Editions IHM, Brussels 1997, ISBN 2-930120-15-0 .
Web links
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