1988 24 Hours of Le Mans

1988 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Le Mans in 1988

The 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 56th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 11 and 12 June 1988. It was also the fifth round of the World Sports-Prototype Championship season.

Race

The Porsches were able to turn up the turbo boost in qualifying, thus were able to qualify in the top spots. Early in the race Jaguar proved to be faster and overtook all the Porsches (in the normal race configuration turbo boost) by the 2nd lap.

After four years of trying with previous evolutions, Jaguar took the XJR-9 to victory against Porsche's works 962C in 1988. Apart from a lone Jaguar in fourth, Porsches filled the rest of the top ten. The Sauber-Mercedes team withdrew prior to the event following concerns over blowouts from their Michelin tyres. The race covered a distance of 5,332.97 km, the most distance covered in any of the Le Mans 24 hours races, except 1971 when the Martini Racing Team Porsche 917K covered 5,335.313 km in 397 laps. Those records would however be broken over 20 years later in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the #9 Audi R15 TDI plus of Joest Racing (under the name Audi Sport North America) tied the record for the number of laps around the Le Mans circuit (at 397 laps) and, due to its changing course configurations (such as the Mulsanne Straight chicanes), set an outright distance record of 5,410.7 km (3,362.1 mi)—roughly the distance between Miami and Seattle—over the 13.629-km course configuration.

This was the second-to-last 24-hour race without chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight, and Team WM Peugeot had prioritised breaking the speed record that year. The WM-P88 Peugeot driven by Frenchman Roger Dorchy managed to reach a top speed of 405 km/h (252 mph) at the end of the 5.8 kilometre long Mulsanne Straight having struggled with reliability for the entire event. Following the record setting run, the issues that had plagued the car all weekend (turbocharger, cooling and electrical) finally ended their race.

The Jaguar team suffered from gearbox problems, Lammers holding the car in 4th gear to prevent the gearbox from damaging itself. The Bell, Stuck, Ludwig Porsche 962C came very close to winning, with Ludwig making a rare error by running out of fuel on the track and losing valuable time getting back to the pits. The win ended Porsche's 7-year reign at Le Mans. At least 50,000 British spectators were in attendance. At the end of the race the crowd flooded the track and drivers had trouble reaching the finish line. There were 280,000 spectators in attendance. The race was held from 15:00 to 15:00 because of French elections. The winning chassis had failed to finish at the previous four rounds.

Official results

Finishers

Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO
Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos	Class	No.	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Laps
1	Gr.C1	2	Silk Cut Jaguar	Jan Lammers Johnny, Earl Dumfries Andy Wallace	Jaguar XJR-9LM	Jaguar 7.0L V12	D	394
2	Gr.C1	17	Porsche AG	Derek Bell Hans-Joachim Stuck Klaus Ludwig	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	D	394
3	Gr.C1	8	Blaupunkt Joest Racing	Stanley Dickens Frank Jelinski "John Winter" (Louis Krages)	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	G	385
4	Gr.C1	22	Silk Cut Jaguar	Derek Daly Larry Perkins Kevin Cogan	Jaguar XJR-9LM	Jaguar 7.0L V12	D	383
5	Gr.C1	7	Blaupunkt Joest Racing	David Hobbs Didier Theys Franz Konrad	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	G	380
6	Gr.C1	19	Porsche AG	Mario Andretti Michael Andretti John Andretti	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	D	375
7	Gr.C1	5	Repsol Brun Motorsport	Jesús Pareja Massimo Sigala Uwe Schäfer	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	M	372
8	Gr.C1	11	Leyton House Kremer Racing	Kris Nissen Harald Grohs George Fouché	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	Y	371
9	Gr.C1	10	Kenwood Kremer Racing	Bruno Giacomelli Kunimitsu Takahashi Hideki Okada	Porsche 962C-K6	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	Y	370
10	Gr.C1	33	Takefuji Schuppan Racing Team	Brian Redman Jean-Pierre Jarier Eje Elgh	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	D	359
11	Gr.C1	72	Obermaier Racing Primagaz Compétition	Jürgen Lässig Pierre Yver Dudley Wood	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	G	356
12	Gr.C1	36	Toyota Team TOM'S	Geoff Lees Masanori Sekiya Kaoru Hoshino	Toyota 88C	Toyota 3S-GTM 2.1L S4 turbo	B	351
13	Gr.C2	111	BP Spice Engineering	Gordon Spice Ray Bellm Pierre de Thoisy	Spice-Fiero SE88C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	351
14	Gr.C1	32	Nissan Motorsports International	Win Percy Allan Grice Mike Wilds	Nissan R88C	Nissan VRH30T 3.0L V8 twin turbo	B	344
15	IMSA GTP	203	Mazdaspeed	Yojiro Terada David Kennedy Pierre Dieudonné	Mazda 757	Mazda 13G 1962cc triple-rotary	D	337
16	Gr.C1	21	Silk Cut Jaguar	Danny Sullivan Davy Jones Price Cobb	Jaguar XJR-9LM	Jaguar 7.0L V12	D	331
17	IMSA GTP	201	Mazdaspeed	Yoshimi Katayama David Leslie Marc Duez	Mazda 767	Mazda 13J-M 2.6L quad-rotary	D	330
18	Gr.C2	115	ADA Engineering	Ian Harrower Jiro Yoneyama Hideo Fukuyama	ADA 03	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	318
19	IMSA GTP	202	Mazdaspeed	Takashi Yorino Hervé Regout Will Hoy	Mazda 767	Mazda 13J-M 2.6L quad-rotary	D	305
20	Gr.C2	123	Charles Ivey Team Istel	John Sheldon Tim Harvey Chris Hodgetts	Tiga GC287	Porsche 935 2.8L F6 twin turbo	D	301
21	Gr.C2	124 reserve	MT Sport Racing (private entrant)	Pierre-François Rousselot Jean Messaoudi Jean-Luc Roy	Argo JM19C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	A	300
22	Gr.C2	177	Automobiles Louis Descartes (private entrant)	Louis Descartes Jacques Heuclin Dominique Lacaud	ALD 04	BMW M88 3.5L S6	A	294
23	Gr.C2	198	Roy Baker Racing	David Andrews Steve Hynes Mike Allison	Tiga GC286	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	D	294
24	Gr.C1	37	Toyota Team TOM'S	Hitoshi Ogawa Paolo Barilla Tiff Needell	Toyota 88C	Toyota 3S-GTM 2.1L S4 turbo	B	283
25	Gr.C2	117	Lucky Strike Schanche Racing (private entrant)	Martin Schanche Robin Smith Robin Donovan	Argo JM19C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	278
N/C*	Gr.C2	113	Courage Compétition Primagaz Compétition	Max Cohen-Olivar Patrick de Radiguès	Cougar C12	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	A	273
N/C*	Gr.C2	151	P.-A. Lombardi (private entrant)	Pierre-Alain Lombardi Bruno Sotty	Rondeau M379C	Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8	A	271

• Note *: Not Classified because did not cover sufficient distance (70% of the winner) by the race's end.

Did not finish

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Laps	Reason
DNF	Gr.C1	1	Silk Cut Jaguar	Martin Brundle John Nielsen	Jaguar XJR-9LM	Jaguar 7.0L V12	D	306	Engine (20hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	23	Nissan Motorsports International	Kazuyoshi Hoshino Takao Wada Aguri Suzuki	Nissan R88C	Nissan VRH30T 3.0L V8 twin turbo	B	286	Engine (22hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	103	BP Spice Engineering	Thorkild Thyrring Eliseo Salazar Almo Coppelli	Spice-Fiero SE88C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	281	Engine (22hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	131	Graff Racing J.-P. Grand (private entrant)	Jean-Philippe Grand Jacques Terrien Maurice Guenoun	Spice-Fiero SE86C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	A	263	Engine (22hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	24	Dollop Racing	Jean-Pierre Frey Nicola Marozzo Ranieri Randaccio	Lancia LC2	Ferrari 308C 3.1L V8 twin turbo	D	255	Engine (21hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	127	Chamberlain Engineering	Nick Adams Martin Birrane Richard Jones	Spice-Fiero SE86C	Hart 418T 1873cc S4 turbo	A	223	Gearbox (19hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	18	Porsche AG	Bob Wollek Vern Schuppan Sarel van der Merwe	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	D	192	Engine (13hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	42	N. del Bello (private entrant)	Noël del Bello Bernard de Dryver Bernard Santal	Sauber C8	Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L V8 twin turbo	G	157	Engine (13hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	121	Cosmik GP Motorsport	Costas Los Wayne Taylor Evan Clements	Spice-Fiero SE87C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	145	Clutch (12hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	191	PC Automotive (private entrant)	Olindo Iacobelli John Graham Alain Ianette	Argo JM19C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	G	130	Electrics (13hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	3	Silk Cut Jaguar	Henri Pescarolo John Watson Raul Boesel	Jaguar XJR-9LM	Jaguar 7.0L V12	D	129	Gearbox (10hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	13	Courage Compétition Primagaz Compétition	Pierre-Henri Raphanel Michel Ferté	Cougar C20B	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	M	120	Fire (10hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	178 reserve	Automobiles Louis Descartes (private entrant)	Michel Lateste Gérard Tremblay Sylvain Boulay	ALD 03	BMW M88 3.5L S6	A	103	Engine (10hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	4	Camel Brun Motorsport	Manuel Reuter Walter Lechner Franz Hunkeler	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	M	91	Accident (8hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	85	Italya Cabin Team LeMans Co	Toshio Suzuki Danny Ongais flagicon|FRA}} Michel Trollé	Nissan R87S	Nissan VG30ET 3.2L V6 twin turbo	Y	74	Engine (6hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	86	Italya Cabin Team LeMans Co	Anders Olofsson Lamberto Leoni Akio Morimoto	Nissan R88S	Nissan VG30ET 3.2L V6 twin turbo	Y	69	Engine (6hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	30	Courage Compétition Primagaz Compétition	Ukyo Katayama François Migault Paul Belmondo	Cougar C22	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	M	66	Accident (6hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	51	WM Secateva	Roger Dorchy Jean-Daniel Raulet Claude Haldi	WM P88	Peugeot PRV ZNS4 2.9L V6 twin-turbo	M	59	Engine (12hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	132 reserve	R. Bassaler (private entrant)	Roland Bassaler Jean-François Yvon Remy Pochauvin	Sauber SHS C6	BMW M88 3.5L S6	A	53	Engine (6hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	52	WM Secateva	Pascal Pessiot Jean-Daniel Raulet Claude Haldi	WM P87	Peugeot PRV ZNS4 3.0L V6 twin-turbo	M	22	Gearbox (5hr)
DNF	Gr.C2	107	Chamberlain Engineering	Jean-Claude Andruet Claude Ballot-Léna Jean-Louis Ricci	Spice-Fiero SE88C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	A	17	Engine (5hr)
DNF	Gr.C1	20	Team Davey (private entrant)	Tim Lee-Davey Tom Dodd-Noble	Tiga GC88	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 twin turbo	D	5	Electrics (5hr)

Did not start

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Reason
DNS	Gr.C2	181	Luigi Taverna Techno Racing (private entrant)	Luigi Taverna Fabio Magnani Roberto Ragazzi	Olmas GLT-200	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8	A	Engine
DNS	Gr.C1	61	Team Sauber Mercedes	Jochen Mass Mauro Baldi James Weaver	Sauber C9	Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L V8 twin turbo	M	Withdrawn
DNS	Gr.C1	62	Team Sauber Mercedes	Klaus Niedzwiedz Kenny Acheson Jochen Mass	Sauber C9	Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L V8 twin turbo	M	Practice Accident
DNA	Gr.C1	14	Richard Lloyd Racing		Porsche 962C GTi	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	G	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	15	Richard Lloyd Racing		Porsche 962C GTi	Porsche 935/82 3.0L F6 twin turbo	G	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	35	Walter Lechner Racing School (private entrant)	Walter Lechner Ernst Franzmaier	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	38	Toyota Team TOM'S		Toyota 88C	Toyota 3S-GTM 2.1L S4 turbo	B	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	40	Swiss Team Salamin (private entrant)	Antoine Salamin Enzo Calderari Max Cohen-Olivar	Porsche 962C	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	41	Bussi Racing (private entrant)	Christian Bussi	Rondeau M382	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	73	Courage Compétition Primagaz Compétition	Pierre-Henri Raphanel Roberto Ravaglia	Cougar C20	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	M	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C1	74	Courage Compétition Primagaz Compétition	Hervé Regout Thierry Lecerf	Cougar C20	Porsche 935/79 2.8L F6 twin turbo	M	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	101	Dollop Racing	Jean-Pierre Frey Nicola Marozzo	Argo JM19B	Motori Moderni 2000cc V6 turbo	D	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	106	Kelmar Racing (private entrant)	Pasquale Barberio Vito Veninata Ranieri Randaccio	Tiga GC288	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	114	J. Thibault (private entrant)	José Thibault	Chevron B36 Coupé	ROC-Talbot 2.5L S4		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	134	American Alloy Engines (private entrant)	Slim Borgudd	Tiga GC286	Cosworth GA 3.4L V6		Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	140	Dune Motorsport (private entrant)	Duncan Bain John Sheldon Massimo Sigala Pierre Pagani	Tiga GC287	Austin-Rover V64V 3.0L V6	A	Did not arrive
DNA	Gr.C2	171	Jiro Motor Racing (private entrant)	Jiro Yoneyama Hideo Fukuyama	Jiro JTK 63C	Cosworth DFL 3.3 L V8		Did not arrive
DNA	IMSA GTX	204	Road Circuit Technology Roush Racing	Les Delano Andy Petery	Mercury Merkur XR4Ti	Ford Lima 2.3L S4 turbo		Did not arrive
DNA	IMSA GTP	205	Fabcar Engineering		Fabcar CL	Porsche Type-901 3.2L F6	G	Did not arrive
DNA	IMSA GTP	206	Fabcar Engineering		Fabcar CL	Porsche Type-901 3.2L F6	G	Did not arrive

Class winners

Class	Winning Car	Winning Drivers
Group C1	#2 Jaguar XJR-9LM	Lammers / Wallace / Dumfries *
Group C2	#111 Spice-Fiero SE88C	Spice / Bellm / Thoisy *
IMSA-GTP	#203 Mazda 757	Terada / Dieudonné / Kennedy *
Note *: setting a new class distance record.

Index of Energy Efficiency

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Score
1	Gr.C1	17	Porsche AG	Derek Bell Hans-Joachim Stuck Klaus Ludwig	Porsche 962C	1.371
2	Gr.C1	2	Silk Cut Jaguar	Jan Lammers Johnny, Earl Dumfries Andy Wallace	Jaguar XJR-9LM	1.359
3	Gr.C1	22	Silk Cut Jaguar	Derek Daly Larry Perkins Kevin Cogan	Jaguar XJR-9LM	1.216
4	Gr.C2	111	BP Spice Engineering	Gordon Spice Ray Bellm Pierre de Thoisy	Spice-Fiero SE88C	1.214
5	Gr.C1	19	Porsche AG	Mario Andretti Michael Andretti John Andretti	Porsche 962C	1.186
6	Gr.C1	21	Silk Cut Jaguar	Danny Sullivan Davy Jones Price Cobb	Jaguar XJR-9LM	1.141
7	Gr.C1	7	Blaupunkt Joest Racing	David Hobbs Didier Theys Franz Konrad	Porsche 962C	1.131
8	Gr.C1	11	Leyton House Kremer Racing	Kris Nissen Harald Grohs George Fouché	Porsche 962C	1.121
9	Gr.C1	8	Blaupunkt Joest Racing	Stanley Dickens Frank Jelinski "John Winter"	Porsche 962C	1.114
10	Gr.C2	115	ADA Engineering	Ian Harrower Jiro Yoneyama Hideo Fukuyama	ADA 03	1.091

• Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings.

Statistics

Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO

• Pole Position – H.-J. Stuck, #17 Porsche 962C– 3:15.6secs; 250.2 km/h (155.5 mph)
• Fastest Lap – H.-J. Stuck, #17 Porsche 962C– 3:22.5secs; 240.6 km/h (149.5 mph)
• Winning Distance – 5,232.97 km (3,251.62 mi)
• Winner's Average Speed – 221.8 km/h (137.8 mph)
• Attendance – 260,000-280,000

References

• Clarke, R.M. - editor (1999) Le Mans 'The Porsche & Jaguar Years 1983-1991' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books ISBN 1-85520-483-5
• Laban, Brian (2001) Le Mans 24 Hours London: Virgin Books ISBN 1-85227-971-0
• Henry, Alan – editor (1988) Autocourse #38 1988/89 Richmond, Surrey: Hazleton Publishing ISBN 0-905138-57-0
• Spurring, Quentin (2012) Le Mans 1980-89 Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing ISBN 978-0-85733-128-1
• Williams, Richard (2023) 24 Hours – 100 Years of Le Mans London: Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-1-3985-1722-6
• Wimpffen, János (2008) Monocoques and Ground Effects Hong Kong: David Bull Publishing ISBN 1-893618-97-8

External links

• Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1983 with entries, results, technical detail and photos of every car. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Le Mans History – Le Mans entry-list and hour-by-hour placings (incl. pictures of every car, quotes, highest speeds per car, YouTube links). Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• World Sports Racing Prototypes – results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Team Dan – results & reserve entries, explaining driver listings. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Unique Cars & Parts – results & reserve entries. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Formula 2 – Le Mans results & reserve entries. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Speedfreaks – Results table for the World Challenge for Endurance Drivers. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023
• Motorsport Memorial – motor-racing deaths by year. Retrieved 10 Sept 2023

• YouTube – race coverage, with race sounds, English commentary, series of 7x 10-minute clips (85min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – US TV ESPN coverage of the last part of the race (30min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – US TV CBS documentary on the race, as well as interview with Costas Los (45min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – Drivetribe documentary about the XJR-9 (8min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – Autosport interview with Tony Southgate about the XJR-9 (6min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – Story of the WM Project 400 (7min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023
• YouTube – Interview with Roger Dorchy (in French) (2min). Retrieved 23 Nov 2023