In 1967, the first 5,000+ km distance record marked the final climax of the great duel between Ford and Ferrari begun in 1964. Since then, that absolute distance record has been beaten only twice, in 1971 then in 2010. 

Seven drivers exceed 5,000 km

Dan Gurney and A.J, Foyt quickly snatched the lead after the first pit stops in 1967. The Ferrari camp was convinced the Americans couldn't keep up that pace, but the #1 Ford covered 5,232 km for the win at an average 218 kph.

The performance led the International Sporting Commission (predecessor to the FIA) to limit prototypes to 3 litres, and to 5 litres for the Sport class in 1968. Porsche rushed to comply with the new regulations with the 917 which would go on to sweep all records during its three appearances at Le Mans in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

Delayed during the first half of the 1971 24 Hours, Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep executed a stunning return, grabbing the lead in the 13th hour. Four years after Foyt and Gurney, the Austrian and Dutch drivers became the second duo to cover more than 5,000 km (5,335 km at an average 222 kph) during the race, effectively beating the 1967 record.

From 1971 to 1999, the 5,000 km mark was reached only six times (in 1978, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990 and 1993) and remained a benchmark requiring a rare combination of high performance and favourable racing conditions, namely weather.

In the second half of the 2000s, particularly during the Audi-Peugeot duel between 2007 and 2011, the race for performance ramped up. At the 2010 24 Hours, after Peugeot's four cars were forced to retire, Audi (outshined that year in terms of pure performance) set a new distance record (5,410 km at an average 225 kph) thanks to winners Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller.

The "5,000 km club" 

In all, from 1967 to 2022, 27 driver line-ups and nine manufacturers have surpassed 5,000 km and won the race: Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Peugeot, Ford, Renault-Alpine, Jaguar, Sauber-Mercedes and Bentley. The record set in 2010 still stands.

But, in 2015, it would have taken only two more laps for the winning car to set a new record. That year, Earl Bamber/Nico Hülkenberg/Nick Tandy shared the third Porsche 919 Hybrid entered to support Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb and Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber, the German constructor;s veteran crews.

Bamber and Hülkenberg were rookies. It was Tandy's third participation. On top of that, Hülkenberg's seat had initially been offered to French driver Jean-Eric Vergne then to Spanish driver Fernando Alonso. Yet the line-up figured at the top of the classification in the ninth hour and never let up all the way to the chequered flag.

After not joining Porsche in 2005, Alonso represented Toyota between 2018 and 2022, becoming the first former Formula 1 world champion to enter the "5,000 km club," securing two wins in as many starts, just like the Japanese marque.

Toyota is now a Hypercar pioneer, clinching the first two victories in the top class in 2021 and 2022 (5,054 and 5,177 km, respectively).

Whatever the era or regulations, the 5,000-km mark is a strong symbol of excellence and performance at Le Mans. Who will reach this mythical milestone on 11 June under the chequered flag at the Centenary?

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO/Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 1967-2015 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: victory lap in 1967 for the #1 Ford of A.J. Foyt (at the wheel) and Dan Gurney (seated on the bonnet, looking at his teammate), first winners to surpass 5,000 km, before Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep beat the distance record in the #22 four years later; in 2010, the winning Audi of Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller gave the German marque a hat trick, but their new distance record was nearly reached by the winning trio in the #19 in 2015.