Rules of engagement
How did we decide which moments should make the list? The brief was never about statistic; we wanted instead to focus on key moments that came to define Le Mans and helped the race transcend the usual motor racing histories. As such we include seminal moments and forgotten footnotes; tragedies as well as triumphs.
Our panel of experts comprised of Damien Smith, Gary Watkins, Paul Fearnley, Andrew Frankel, Robert Ladbrook, Gordon Cruickshank, James Elson, Rob Widdows
- 100 1976 NASCAR rumbles to La Sarthe
- 99 1955 The race’s weirdest car turns up
- 98 2010 Mansell crashes out of debut
- 97 1981 Porsche 917 rides again
- 96 1975 A DFV defies the doubters
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- 95 2003 Biela runs out of gas
- 94 2002 Birth of the Le Mans Classic
- 93 1952 Levegh’s solo disappointment
- 92 1990 Pareja breaks down
- 91 1985 Joest beats the Porsche factory
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- 90 1950 Eddie Hall’s successful solo drive
- 89 1962 Chapman blows his top
- 88 1930 The best all-female finish
- 87 1995 Mario Andretti’s ‘win’
- 86 2010 Peugeot’s titanium conrod weakness
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- 85 1925 First run and jump start
- 84 1932 Circuit becomes strictly out of town
- 83 1993 Coulthard loses GT win on only LM appearance
- 82 1936 The only race cancellation
- 81 2007 Aston Martin wins (class)
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- 80 1998 Brilliant Bob’s final near-miss
- 79 2016 Quadruple amputee makes the grid
- 78 1994 Norbert Singer’s final 962 brainwave
- 77 1972 Gordon Murray creates after-hours enduro special
- 76 2015 Hülkenberg guests – and wins
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- 75 1967 Ford’s three car wipe-out
- 74 1967 Gurney vs Parkes
- 73 1967 Foyt wins on only visit
- 72 2011 McNish and the great escape
- 71 2001 Bentley’s bottle-top podium
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- 70 2021 August date heralds Hypercar era
- 69 1987 Percy survives Jaguar ‘plane crash’
- 68 1985 Stuck’s qualifying lap record sticks
- 67 1976 ‘De Cad’ makes the podium
- 66 1995 Derek Bell’s near-miss – at 53
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- 65 2017 Kobayashi’s record pole lap
- 64 1974 All-female crew takes class win
- 63 1978 Pironi’s final double stint
- 62 1963 A Lola makes low-key debut
- 61 1990 Brundle switches cars and wins
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- 60 2018 Alonso’s star quintuple stint
- 59 1999 Toyota tyre blowout confirms BMW’s win
- 58 1972 Major track change enhances the challenge
- 57 1996 Joest makes a Porsche out of a Jaguar
- 56 1984 Jaguar returns to Le Mans
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- 55 1965 Ferrari’s phantom third driver
- 54 1930 Birkin and Caracciola face off
- 53 2006 Audi’s diesel revolution
- 52 1979 Bill Whittington saves Kremer’s day
- 51 1979 Newman shines
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- 50 1923 W.O. Bentley sees the light
- 49 1923 Frank Clement cycles against the flow
- 48 1971 Oliver clocks first 250km/h lap
- 47 1933 Nuvolari’s special one-off
- 46 2012 A hybrid wins (or does it?)
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- 45 1980 Quirky Rondeau sends France into rapture
- 44 1930 Barnato’s perfect hat-trick
- 43 1953 Hamilton orders the double brandies (allegedly)
- 42 1983 Holbert coaxes it home
- 41 1983 The best bit of marketing
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- 40 1949 Fresh start in the wake of world war
- 39 1966 Surtees storms out on Ferrari
- 38 2011 Leena Gade breaks the mould
- 37 2020 Action behind closed doors
- 36 2014 Electric ZEOD makes its mark – for
a single lap
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- 35 1949 British aristo wins for Ferrari…
- 34 1982 Group C is born
- 33 1956 Ecurie Ecosse keeps the Jaguar flame burning
- 32 1970 Delaney flicks the vees at Stahler
- 31 1959 Ferrari opens the door to Aston
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- 30 1999 Audi takes its bow
- 29 1970 Attwood’s safe choices pay off
- 28 1973 Ferrari closes its sports car programme
- 27 1969 Sliding doors for Pescarolo
- 26 1927 Wipe out at White House
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- 25 1988 Dorchy’s WM hits 400kph
- 24 1990 Blundell’s banzai pole lap
- 23 1990 Chicanes added to the Mulsanne
- 22 2006 Loeb’s busman’s holiday
- 21 1964 Ford’s first Ferrari revenge
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- 20 2011 Lotterer holds breath as tyre deflates
- 19 2003 Bentley parades on the Champs-Élysées
- 18 1977 Ickx’s greatest drive
- 17 1991 Heroic Herbert misses the podium
- 16 1962 Olivier Gendebien becomes quadruple winner
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- 15 1970 Brief return of the standing start
- 14 1967 Gurney sprays the Moët
- 13 1972 Hill surprises Pescarolo
- 12 1999 Mercedes flips out
- 11 1955 The darkest hour
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- 10 1951 Porsche opens its account
- 9 1988 Jaguar rides its luck
- 8 2008 Audi’s most unlikely win
- 7 1969 Ickx beats Herrmann in closest (competitive) finish
- 6 1995 Murray’s magic McLaren F1 GTR rains…
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- 5 1969 Porsche presents 25 917s for homologation
- 4 1997 Tom Kristensen receives a phone call from Joest
- 3 2016 Toyota’s last-gasp heartbreak
- 2 1969 Jacky Ickx takes a walk
- 1 1966 Ford’s botched formation finish
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