Legendary Le Mans Winners

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is oldest endurance race in the world. Fans of this level of racing know that this is one of the most challenging, courageous and entertaining races in motorsport. Le Mans winners include icons like Jacky Ickx and Alexander Wurz, and the race itself has always been the center of attention for the sport’s most popular characters. Over the years, the Le Mans results have always been dazzling, but some iconic races stand out from the rest.

What is Le Mans 24h?

Le Mans 24h is arguably the most unique endurance race in the World Endurance Championship calendar. During this race, the winner is determined by who has covered the greatest distance within 24 hours.

Sitting at the midway point of the WEC calendar, the results of Le Mans not only signify a feat of driving expertise and engineering prowess, but they could also have a marked effect on the remainder of the season. Being both the oldest and longest race, Le Mans has always been influential and iconic in the world of endurance racing.

Legendary Winners of Le Mans

The Le Mans winners list is as long as it is formidable. To choose just a handful of nail-biting races seems like an impossible task. However, we have rounded up ten of the most dramatic, historic and downright entertaining Le Mans winners from the race’s prestigious history.

Jacky Ickx in 1969…

J.W. Automotive Engineering, Ford GT40

This iconic battle to the finish line had it all: veteran stars, rivalries and unpredictable final laps. While Jacky Ickx was the winner of Le Mans in 1969, he was given quite the challenge from Hans Hermann behind the wheel of his Porsche.

However, Hermann was no match for Ickx and his legendary Ford GT40 . These two drivers battled it out to the very end, with one overtaking the other too many times to count. Porsche looked as though they could go on to win it, but some masterful tactics from Ickx saw him surge to victory by the finest of margins – by only 131 yards.

…And again in 1977

Martini Racing Porsche System, Porsche 77 Spyder

Ickx was more than just a pretty face in the world of endurance racing – the Belgian went on to become a Le Mans winner six times. Perhaps no victory was more exhilarating for Jacques “Jacky” Ickx than his win with Porsche in 1977.

Renault were all but home and dry, with the earlier Porsche 936 retired by teammate Henri Pescarolo. However, Ickx went on to set a new track record in his bid to gain ground. Renault’s vehicles buckled under the pressure and, despite a blown-out piston from Porsche with only 45 minutes left on the clock, teammate Jurgen Barth went on to complete the victory for the team.

Tom Kristensen in 1997

Joest Racing, TWR-Joest Porsche WSC95

Alternatively known as ‘Mr Le Mans’, Tom Kristensen has won at Le Mans more than any other driver, including as a debutant in 1997. Despite being a late addition to the Joest team, taking a chance on the plucky young Dane may have been the best decision they ever made.

Driving an unraced model on his first outing around the Circuit de la Sarthe, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the newbie didn’t stand a chance. However, after setting a sequence of fastest laps on the track, it was clear the kid was something special. Kristensen was the winner of Le Mans ‘97 and the rest, as they say, is history.

…And again in 2008

Audi Sport North America, Audi R10 TDI

Mr Le Mans struck again in 2008 for his seventh victory on the Circuit de la Sarthe – proving he was no fluke on this track. The victory was clutched in spectacular fashion from the jaws of Peugeot, who had qualified with a faster vehicle. Nevertheless, fans of the sport knew by now that Le Mans winners often come in the shape of Tom Kristensen.

However, it was mostly due to mistakes made by Peugeot that Audi reigned victorious in 2008. Firstly, they didn’t anticipate the wet weather and struggled in the rainy conditions. Then, just as Peugeot looked to have clawed their way back into the race, they left slick tires on Minassian’s car despite the rain returning. Audi went on to win in 381 laps.

Alexander Wurz in 1996

Joest Racing, TWR Porsche WSC95

When Alexander Wurz became the winner of Le Mans 1996, he became the youngest ever person to conquer the track. Not only that, but he was also the first driver to win Le Mans on their debut in a prototype. To make this win even more incredible, Wurz was on the verge of quitting the sport altogether.

It was only after driving the TWR in testing and impressing the Joest team with both his speed and his knowledge that he was listed as race driver in their fastest car. Alongside his teammates Davy Jones and Manuel Reuter, Wurz rocketed around the track and gave his career the shot in the arm he had so desperately needed.

Andre Lagache & Rene Leonard in 1923

Chenard & Walcker SA, Chenard-Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport

The inaugural winners of Le Mans in 1923 were, fittingly, two Frenchmen competing against a field of twenty other manufacturers – all from France apart from one British and one Belgian entry. While the race, the racers and the racecars all look markedly different to what we expect from today, both the premise and the location of the track is the same.

The most notable difference between the first Le Mans race and today’s standard? The size of the winning distance. Andre Lagache and Rene Leonard won Le Mans by making 128 laps of the course, covering over 1350 miles in 24 hours. In comparison, the Le Mans 2022 results boasted a winning distance of around 3200 miles. Much like the cars, this race has come a long way.

Johnny Herbert in 1991

Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd., Mazda 787B

Who could forget this, Japan’s first and only victory at Le Mans? Mazda had no right to take on the giants of endurance racing and win, but they did it with Brit Johnny Herbert at the helm.

Mazda had been trying for over a decade to make waves at Le Mans and 1991 didn’t look like their year either. Not only were they up against the giants of Porsche and Mercedes, they also entered a rotary engine vehicle – a seemingly inferior choice to the modern piston design. Despite engineering errors and technical trouble prior to the race, everything came together for Mazda during the race. To this day, it is the only victory by a rotary engine as the design was banned after 1991.

Derek Bell in 1987

Rothmans Porsche, Porsche 962C

1987 saw Derek Bell make his final of five victories at Le Mans – with three of those wins being shared with teammate Jacky Ickx. Bell was a charming character in the world of endurance racing, with talent to match.

Along with his teammates Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert, Derek Bell romped to victory in the impressive Porsche. The Porsche team were given a helping hand by the technical failings of other competitors, notably the Jaguars, compared to their relatively smooth string of luck. They won by nearly 3000 miles.

Tazio Nuvolari & Raymond Sommer in 1933

Raymond Sommer, Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 MM

Le Mans 1933 is often credited by fans as being the race that really upped the ante. The victors broke the standing distance record, winning by little over yards, which would take another 30 years to be beaten. Had it not been for a leaking fuel tank, it’s likely that this dynamic duo would have won by even more.

This was also the first time in Le Mans history that the two cars in the lead completed the race on the same lap. Both of these cars were the Alfa Romeos of Tazio Nuvolari and Raymond Sommer. More impressive still is that this was Nuvolari’s first and only appearance in the 24 Hours.

Chris Amon & Bruce McLaren in 1966

Shelby-American Inc., Ford GT40 Mk.11

Of course, this list would be redundant without discussing the 1966 Le Mans winners. Even those indifferent to endurance racing know of the mythology, legend and scandal that surrounds the iconic Le Mans results of this year.

An intense rivalry , a desire for victory and a nail-biting photo finish  characterize this notorious race. Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren denied Ken Miles his Le Mans win and, ultimately, his chance to do the triple – having won the Sebring and Daytona races earlier in the year. The controversy comes from the neck and neck finish. With just 21 yards between first and second place, the race officials ruled that the team from Ford began the race slightly further back and, so, covered more ground than Miles.

Ken Miles sadly died later that year, meaning he never conquered Le Mans during his illustrious career.

It’s no surprise that Le Mans is often considered the biggest motorsport race of the year. Winning Le Mans is the zenith of success for any driver – let alone for those who have won it three times or more. No other race features quite as much stamina, suspense and drama.

If you want to learn more about the most thrilling race of the season, including more about these famous Le Mans winners, check out the Hertz Le Mans hub.