Le Mans 24 hours : Distance and speed records.
Having reviewed the records for victories and participations (see article), with a special mention for Tom Kristensen and Henri Pescarolo, we now look at distance and speed. Some records seem hard to break, while others last only one or two races.
The fastest lap in the history of 24 Hours: Hans-Joachim Stuck lapped in 3'14''843 at an average speed of 251.815 km/h in 1985 with the Porsche 962C #2 of the Rothmans Porsche team. The German driver set the record during qualifying but although he started from pole, he finished third overall, beaten by two other Porsche 956. For the record, the fastest racing lap that year was by Jacky Ickx with a time of 3'25''1, almost 11 seconds slower than the time for pole position.
The fastest lap in the race: Jackie Oliver (Porsche 917LH #18 John Wyer Automotive Engineering Ltd.) held that record for 37 years with an average speed of 244.387 km/h) before Stephane Sarrazin broke it in 2008 (246.068 km/h is 3'19''394). The French driver did not hold it for long. Loïc Duval in the 908 HDi FAP #4 of Oreca have completed a lap at an average speed of 246.463 km/h, (3'19''074) in 2010. Note that the fastest lap time is not necessarily a good predictor of victory since none of the three finished on the top step of the podium.
The greatest distance covered in 24 hours: For 39 years the record of 5,335.313 km was held by Dr. Helmut Marko (known Formula 1 fans as he oversees the driver development programme for Red Bull) and Gijs Van Lennep in the #22 Porsche 917K of Martini Racing Team in 1971. The trio of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller smashed the previous record in 2010 with the Audi R15 # 9: 5,410.713 km. The German manufacturer broke the record with the three cars entered while the R15 was far, far away from the speed of its main rival, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
The first two records have stood for a long time, and the LMP1 regulations that came into force in 2011 have controlled performance, it is not impossible that the latter record could be broken again. Distance does not depend only on the speed of cars entered, but the weather, safety car periods and traffic on the track... We will know on the 17th of June at 15:00 (Ticket office HERE).
Dave Davies
Photo: Le Mans (Sarthe, FRANCE), CIRCUIT OF 24 HOURS, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, Sunday, June 13, 2010, RACE. The three Audis enterd in 2010 all broke the record for distance covered in 24 hours which dated from 1971.