Porsche Claims Historic 1-2 Victory at Le Mans

The winning #19 Porsche speeds to victory

Every race is special. Every race is different. Just when you think you might have seen it all the 24 Hours of Le Mans pulls another surprise. The 83^rd edition packed action, drama and pathos into the daylong race that seems to last a week and for some is a year in the planning. In the end it appeared to be a simple moment of divine providence that made the difference. A chink in otherwise impregnable armor exploited to the full, allowing the #19 driven by Nico Hulkenburg German F1 driver, New Zealander Earl Bamber and Briton Nick Tandy to secure the seventeenth overall victory for Porsche, the manufacturer's first since 1998.

The celebrations at the end of the race were something extraordinary, as thousands of fans and crew gathered beneath the podium to be sprayed in champagne and covered in confetti. The team were worthy winners, and each of the trio of drivers received a specially engraved Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Daytona, the iconic chronograph created for racing drivers in 1963, along with the magnificent 24 Hour of Le Mans trophy.

The predicted four-way fight for overall victory was in reality a two-way struggle between the incumbents, Audi, and the pretenders (albeit pretenders with some serious pedigree), Porsche. Toyota knew its cars were off the pace before arriving in Le Mans, but had hoped beyond hope that their reliability would keep them in the hunt. That both cars stayed the course was an improvement on last year; the margin of defeat suggested more power is required if the Japanese brand is to challenge in the future. Nissan learned all too harshly that while underpinning the spirit of endurance motorsport, innovation is nothing until proven.

Porsche demonstrated emphatically that it had learnt the lesson of last year. Speed combined with reliability is a potent mix at an endurance race of this stature. The agility its cars had shown in qualifying was no flash in the pan. Audi may have gone on to set the fastest laps in the race, breaking the existing in-race record, and the team may have been in real contention through two-thirds of the course, yet the 1, 2 finish by Porsche is the only stat that truly matters.

According to Tom Kristensen, nine-time winner of the race and Rolex Testimonee: "A clear run with a fast car always has potential to be at the front. The #19 Porsche was strong when it mattered, and appears to have had no serious problems."

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]All three #19 car drivers were in agreement that their opportunity really came during the hours of darkness. Tandy explained: "The conditions came to suit the handling of our car. I thought we were doing well but it was clear approaching the early morning that the cooler conditions were suiting us. When the dark came in and the temperatures came down the car just really switched on."

Just before 07:00 it seemed as though the #7 Audi, which had been merrily trading places with the Porsche, buckled under the pressure exerted. Up until that point, Marcel Fassler, a three-time winner and defending champion, felt he had a car capable of winning despite minor problems early on. Then the chink appeared: "When I was in the car this morning the engine cover flew off and we had to go into the pits for repairs. We lost a lap. If you lose a lap at Le Mans, it becomes really difficult especially when the level of competition is so high."

All three #19 car drivers were in agreement that their opportunity really came during the hours of darkness. Tandy explained: "The conditions came to suit the handling of our car. I thought we were doing well but it was clear approaching the early morning that the cooler conditions were suiting us. When the dark came in and the temperatures came down the car just really switched on."

All three Porsche drivers were winning the great race for the first time. Two – Hulkenburg and Bamber – were making their debuts. "It has been an incredible twelve months. It is beyond my wildest dreams to come here for the first time and win," said a shell-shocked Bamber. "I hope I get to race here many more times. It is one of the toughest races on the planet, and it would be a privilege to be here again next year." Even the more experienced Hulkenburg seemed overwhelmed: "The victory lap is incredible seeing all these thousands and thousands of people who have been there more or less 24 hours. It is an amazing experience for me coming in from the F1 environment to experience this great race. I am happy to have done it and even more so since we won."

For Kristensen attending his first race since retirement and in the honorary role of Grand Marshal, 2015 had been a special year. Absolute confirmation that this is a race among races: "From my perspective as a driver and Grand Marshal, it has been really good racing in all classes and ran right to the very end. The enormous stress and pressure of the event has shown in some of the incidents on the track, and no one showed any signs of giving up before the end."

37 of the 55 starters were classified as completing the race, proving once more that finishing the world's greatest and most renowned endurance race is a challenge in itself. Another record crowd was in attendance – 263,500 – proof of its continuing attraction.

The winning LMP2 #47 Oreca

"That was motorsport at the very highest level. The spectators witnessed a tremendous endurance race in which the two Group sisters, Audi and Porsche, fought the expected fierce and thrilling duel for victory," said Prof. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who was one of the first people to extend congratulations in the Porsche pits after the checkered flag fell. "We can only congratulate our colleagues from Stuttgart on this success because we know exactly how difficult it is to win this race."

"I found it particularly impressive that Audi and Porsche with two completely different concepts of hybrid race cars were practically driving on the same level throughout the entire race," said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development, who watched the race in the garage of Audi Sport Team Joest. "Both Group brands with their concepts were clearly faster than Toyota. And that's exactly what we'd like to show in the WEC and at Le Mans."

The winning GTE-Pro Corvette

In LMP2 the Oreca of KCMG had dominant maiden victory at Le Mans. The line-up of Nicolas Lapierre, Richard Bradley and Matt Howson led from pole, led at the end of every hour and at one stage had a lap on the entire field.

Corvette Racing stood atop the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday as Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Jordan Taylor wrote the final chapter of a storybook comeback that ended with the team winning the GTE Pro category in their No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R.

The trio in their No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R completed 337 laps for 2,864.50 miles in a frantic battle that eventually saw the Corvette win in class by five laps. Sunday's victory goes along with Corvette Racing's wins earlier this year in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

It also marked a significant turn in the fortunes for Corvette Racing in the span of four days. The No. 63 Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Ryan Briscoe was withdrawn from the race following a hard crash with Magnussen driving. A small piece of debris inside the pedal box caused a throttle malfunction and the Corvette to skid and spin out of control. Magnussen – part of the winning lineup at both Daytona and Sebring with Garcia and Briscoe – was uninjured.

Instead of folding, Corvette Racing marshaled all its effort around the remaining Corvette C7.R. In addition to the eighth victory for the Corvette brand and Corvette Racing in France, Gavin won at Le Mans for the fifth time, Milner the second, and Taylor for the first time.

"I am proud of how the No. 63 and No. 64 drivers, engineers and crew came together to rally around a single Corvette C7.R entry for the race after Thursday's unfortunate incident," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. "They prepared thoroughly and had each others' back all race long. Perseverance, teamwork and execution were keys to the winning effort.

"It was very emotional to be in the garage with the entire team when the checkered flag dropped," he added. "The Corvette Racing team simply never gave up."

Gavin set the tone early in the race Saturday by move up three spots from seventh on the GTE Pro grid to as high as fourth in his first two stints. Milner followed with a triple stint on his Michelin tires that saw he and the Corvette move from sixth – where he slotted into the field after the leaving pit lane on his first laps – to the class lead.

From that point, the three Corvette Racing drivers figured prominently in a lead battle that saw the Corvette go up against multiple competitors in the race's top production-based class.

The climatic moment came with less than two hours remaining. Running second at the time, Gavin caught and then quickly passed Toni Vilander, who eventually lost five laps in the garage with a mechanical issue. Victory in sight, Gavin drove a smooth final stint with no issues – a fitting end to drama-filled four days.

"This victory adds to what already has been a terrific year for Corvette Racing and the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R," said Mark Kent, Director of Chevrolet Racing. "Today's win at Le Mans goes alongside our successes in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. It shows the depth of our strengths and determination of everyone at Corvette Racing, GM Powertrain Performance and Racing team, and Pratt & Miller. I'd like to commend all of our partners who contributed to our eighth Le Mans victory."

Said Campbell: "The enthusiasm of the Corvette and Chevrolet owners was overwhelming, and we received messages of support from around the world. The team even did multiple Skype sessions with National Corvette Museum members that were watching the race at the NCM theater. It was also great to see a full Corvette Corral here at Le Mans.

"Racing enables us to transfer learnings from the track to design, engineer and build the best and safest Corvettes for the showroom."

Quotes

A record crowd of 263,500 spectators witnessed motorsport at the highest level for 24 hours. With a third place, Audi continued its string of podium positions, but missed taking overall victory. Quotes after the race.

Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "At Le Mans, you can't assume that you're going to win the race every year. Still, that was clearly our intention. We showed that, based on last year's Audi R18, we developed a fast car that was in contention for victory across large parts of the distance. This was also possible because we've got three very strong driver pairings. During the night, we lost some time and were a little unfortunate with our two best-placed cars as well. In the morning, we encountered some more difficulties. But when you have as strong a rival as we did at Le Mans, you've got to be perfect to win."

Chris Reinke (Head of LMP at Audi Sport): "We had all the possibilities in our hands when we arrived here. We brought along an outstanding vehicle. And throughout the whole week, the team did an impeccable job as well. The drivers can't be blamed in any way either. But at Le Mans you simply need that famous bit of fortune in order to be successful – and that was clearly on the side of our strong competitors today. Congratulations to Porsche Motorsport. They had ambitious plans just like we did and achieved everything today."

Ralf Juttner (Team Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "Congratulations to Porsche on their one-two result that is completely reserved. They delivered a tremendous and impeccable race. That's not what we can say about ourselves this time. We started extremely strong and were incredibly faster than we'd been in qualifying. With that, we could have compensated for the disadvantages we had with the pit stops. But there was the early accident of LoÃ¯c (Duval), in which he wasn't at fault, and a slow puncture with André (Lotterer) – from then on, we'd lost a little of our rhythm. During the night, there was another stage in which we were simply lacking speed. When, to top it off, some body parts came adrift in the morning, it was clear that the race was over, no matter how great a job you do in the pits. For me, it's clear: if we'd fully used the car's potential across the whole distance we could have won."

Marcel Fassler (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #7): "The race wasn't easy because the pace was very high. Obviously, we'd have preferred clinching a better result but to do that you need to get through the race without any difficulties. Le Mans is a sprint race across 24 hours. That means simply everything has got to fit. We had a car to win, but there were too many issues like a slow puncture or the damaged engine hood – that just cost too much time."

Andre Lotterer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #7): "It wasn't an easy race. We fought hard, but unfortunately had a few difficulties too many. That's why we have to be happy with third place. We're going to learn from the mistakes and come back stronger next year. Fortunately, in third place we've scored a lot of points for the drivers' world championship. That's still our goal."

BenoÃ®t Treluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #7): "Besides our skills, we also had the necessary racing luck on our side for many years. That wasn't the case this year. Unfortunately, our car was repeatedly affected by some minor issues. That comes as a bit of a surprise because Audi always prepares extremely well, as the long list of successes shows. We superbly completed all the tests again this year. In the race, we attacked non-stop. We had the chance to be in contention for victory. Our R18 e-tron quattro was real fun, which helped me a lot especially in my two four-time stints. But Porsche were better this year and deserve the win."

Lucas di Grassi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #8): "My third Le Mans and I made it across the finish line for the third time. Once I was second, once third and this time fourth. So, first is still missing. But that's racing: sometimes you win, and at other times the others do. For me it's important that you give everything. And we did that, no question. We can leave with our head held high because we delivered a fantastic race – even though we were defeated this time. But that makes us stronger and should motivate us to work even harder so that we can strike back in the next WEC races and at Le Mans in 2016."

Loic Duval (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #8): "Except for a few hours during the night, the Audi was the fastest car on track. But that's not enough in such a tough competition. You also need a little bit of fortune and we didn't have that today. Congratulations to Porsche on winning. ‘Well done and a big thank you' also to our team. The mechanics really did everything to give us a car again that was capable of winning. Still, it wasn't enough for Audi to clinch victory this time. We need to deal with that. At least, Audi was able to celebrate on podium once more."

Oliver Jarvis (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #8): "Following LoÃ¯c's (Duval) accident, I thought our race was over early. But the mechanics from Audi Sport Team Joest sent us back out on track in an incredibly short period of time. A huge thank you for that. Still: finishing fourth when you've got the potential of at least clinching a podium is a disappointment. Congratulations to Porsche on winning. Next year, we're going for revenge. For our trio this was the first joint Le Mans. We've become a really close squad here – we're going to benefit from that in the coming races. I'm already looking forward to getting into the car again."

Filipe Albuquerque (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #9): "After I didn't get to drive in my Le Mans debut last year, I was even more excited about our run. For a long time, things were going really well for us. I felt like I was at home in our Audi and my team-mates did a fantastic job too. Up until the morning hours, we put the Porsche cars under massive pressure. Unfortunately, an issue with the hybrid system took away all our chances. I think it was obvious that, without these issues, we could have finished on podium."

Marco Bonanomi (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #9): "Strictly looking at our driving performance, my team-mates and I are happy. When our car was running smoothly, we consistently battled for the lead. I've got to say: driving this great Audi was sheer pleasure. Unfortunately, like last year, Lady Luck wasn't on board with us. Unfortunately, we've got to live with that. But at the end of the day, you could see what our driver trio is capable of. And that does make me very proud."

Rene Rast (Audi R18 e-tron quattro #9): "A good race for me personally. Into the morning hours, we were running in the top group, sometimes even leading the race. Then we lost ground due to hybrid issues. That's a shame, but that's racing. Things weren't going smoothly for the other two Audi cars either. Now, we're looking ahead to the next races. I drove eight stints, learned a lot about the car, the tires. ‘Thank you' also to my two mates – we're a great team."

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: "Winning Le Mans is always a fairy tale story. The way everything turned out over the week, with the No. 63 Corvette having its issues and not being able to start the race… the way the team all came together and led us into the race and enabled us to have this fantastic result today, it’s just amazing. It’s just been one of those days where you’re waiting for something to spring up, like another hurdle to come in your way to stop you from taking a victory. It was a spectacular race for Tommy and Jordan and myself – one of those events where you’re having great races with Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche but in the end we were the strongest car and we ended up coming away with victory. This is my fifth victory here at Le Mans, and I’m absolutely thrilled to come back here with Corvette Racing. I’m a very happy man."

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: "Where do you start? It’s unbelievable to be here with Corvette Racing and to represent the U.S., Chevrolet and Corvette at the biggest race in the world. It's one thing to race but it's another thing to actually achieve that. It is something that has happened twice now, but you don't expect that for one thing. It is just an amazing feeling… a sense of accomplishment. All the hard work that goes into coming here, and I only see part of it. The guys at the shop… when you look at all the people here to make this happen, to achieve victory is incredible. I’m just super happy to be here and be a part of it.

"Then you look at the storyline for us for the week. You have the one car that goes out in qualifying. Typically after many accidents you can fix it, but that one was big enough that there was nothing we could do here. To have the whole team band together and work together throughout the weekend and throughout the race to do exactly this and get a win… I know all the No. 3 guys are disappointed a little bit with what happened after qualifying. But this was definitely a team victory. It’s very cool to be a part of it. I can't thank those guys enough to be here in what is a difficult scenario. I've been there. It is difficult to be at a track and not racing. But for them to do whatever they can to help us, help the team, help Chevy and help Corvette achieve victory, this was a team win for sure."

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 64 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R: "I’m obviously a little speechless about the whole thing. The goal in sports car racing and almost any kind of in motorsports in general is to win Le Mans. To win with Chevrolet and Corvette Racing as an American driver doesn't get any better than that. Being with the team for four years now, and the last two years only being able to do Le Mans with the team is tough. I have to thank them and Chevrolet for still believing in me and just to come and do this one-off race with them. So in one way I am happy for the team, but in another way it is a good way to say thank you to them."

Final Results

Pos	Class	Car	Drivers	Laps	Behind
1	LMP1	#19 Porsche	Hulkenberg, Bamber, Tandy	395	+ 0.000s
2	LMP1	#17 Porsche	Bernhard, Webber, Hartley	394	+ 1 Lap
3	LMP1	#7 Audi	Fassler, Lotterer, Treluyer	392	+ 3 Laps
4	LMP1	#8 Audi	Di Grassi, Duval, Jarvis	392	+ 2m37.663s
5	LMP1	#18 Porsche	Dumas, Jani, Lieb	391	+ 4 Laps
6	LMP1	#2 Toyota	Wurz, Sarrazin, Conway	386	+ 9 Laps
7	LMP1	#9 Audi	Albuquerque, Bonanomi, Rast	386	+ 2m34.118s
8	LMP1	#1 Toyota	Davidson, Buemi, Nakajima	385	+ 10 Laps
9	LMP2	#47 Oreca	Howson, Bradley, Lapierre	358	+ 37 Laps
10	LMP2	#38 Gibson	Dolan, Evans, Turvey	357	+ 38 Laps
11	LMP2	#26 Ligier	Rusinov, Canal, Bird	357	+ 59.522s
12	LMP2	#28 Ligier	Yacaman, Derani, Gonzalez	353	+ 42 Laps
13	LMP2	#48 Oreca	Chandhok, Patterson, Berthon	347	+ 48 Laps
14	LMP2	#27 BR	Mediani, Markozov, Minassian	339	+ 56 Laps
15	LMP2	#31 Ligier	Brown, Van Overbeek, Fogarty	339	+ 1m47.359s
16	LMP2	#45 Oreca	Ibanez, Perret, Bellarosa	337	+ 58 Laps
17	GTE Pro	#64 Chevrolet	Gavin, Milner, Taylor	336	+ 59 Laps
18	LMP1	#13 Rebellion	Imperatori, Kraihamer, Abt	336	+ 34.015s
19	LMP2	#29 Morgan	Roussel, Tung, Cheng	334	+ 61 Laps
20	GTE Am	#72 Ferrari	Shaytar, Bertolini, Basov	331	+ 64 Laps
21	GTE Pro	#71 Ferrari	Rigon, Calado, Beretta	331	+ 41.474s
22	GTE Am	#77 Porsche	Dempsey, Long, Seefried	330	+ 65 Laps
23	GTE Am	#62 Ferrari	Sweedler, Bell, Segal	329	+ 66 Laps
24	LMP1	#12 Rebellion	Prost, Heidfeld, Beche	329	+ 9.260s
25	GTE Pro	#51 Ferrari	Bruni, Vilander, Fisichella	329	+ 48.521s
26	GTE Am	#83 Ferrari	Perrodo, Collard, Aguas	329	+ 48.766s
27	GTE Pro	#95 Aston	Sorensen, Thiim, Nygaard	329	+ 1m59.286s
28	LMP2	#30 Ligier	Sharp, Dalziel, Heinemeier Hansson	329	+ 3m19.870s
29	LMP2	#35 Ligier	Nicolet, Merlin, Maris	328	+ 67 Laps
30	GTE Pro	#91 Porsche	Lietz, Christensen, Bergmeister	326	+ 69 Laps
31	GTE Am	#61 Ferrari	Mann, Giammaria, Cressoni	326	+ 3m52.486s
32	LMP2	#40 Ligier	Krohn, Jonsson, Barbosa	322	+ 73 Laps
33	LMP2	#37 BR	Aleshin, Ladygin, Ladygin	322	+ 2m10.361s
34	GTE Am	#98 Aston	Dalla Lana, Lamy, Lauda	321	+ 74 Laps
35	GTE Pro	#99 Aston	Rees, Macdowall, Stanaway	319	+ 76 Laps
36	GTE Am	#68 Porsche	Chen, Vannelet, Parisy	319	+ 5.510s
37	GTE Am	#66 Ferrari	Al Faisal, Giermaziak, Avenatti	319	+ 8.164s
38	GTE Am	#67 Porsche	Chen, Kapadia, Maassen	316	+ 79 Laps
39	LMP1	#4 CLM	Trummer, Kaffer, Monteiro	259	+ 136 Laps
40	LMP1	#22 Nissan	Tincknell, Krumm, Buncombe	241	+ 154 Laps
41	LMP2	#34 Ligier	Cumming, Vanthoor, Estre	329	Retired
42	GTE Am	#53 Dodge	Bleekemolen, Keating, Miller	304	Retired
43	LMP2	#42 Dome	Leventis, Watts, Kane	264	Retired
44	GTE Am	#55 Ferrari	Cameron, Griffin, Mortimer	241	Retired
45	LMP1	#23 Nissan	Pla, Mardenborough, Chilton	234	Retired
46	LMP2	#46 Oreca	Thiriet, Badey, Gommendy	204	Retired
47	GTE Am	#96 Aston	Goethe, Hall, Castellacci	187	Retired
48	LMP2	#43 Morgan	Ragues, Webb, Amberg	162	Retired
49	LMP1	#21 Nissan	Matsuda, Shulzhitskiy, Ordonez	115	Retired
50	LMP2	#36 Alpine	Panciatici, Chatin, Capillaire	110	Retired
51	GTE Pro	#97 Aston	Turner, Mucke, Bell	110	Retired
52	GTE Am	#50 Chevrolet	Roda, Ruberti, Poulsen	94	Retired
53	LMP2	#41 Gibson	Hirsch, Paletou, Lancaster	71	Retired
54	GTE Am	#88 Porsche	Ried, Al Qubaisi, Bachler	44	Retired
55	GTE Pro	#92 Porsche	Pilet, Makowiecki, Henzler	14	Retired

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