24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – THE LE MANS EXCEPTION ⎮ The honour of being selected as an official starter is generally reserved for a well-known public figure or an individual credited with an extraordinary contribution to the auto industry. Among these outstanding guests, a few drivers have felt the thrill of lowering the French flag at the start.
Only three drivers have experienced this exceptional moment, all previous and future 24 Hours winners: Luigi Chinetti, Jacky Ickx and Fernando Alonso. They boast a staggering 11 victories between them.
In 1982, Luigi Chinetti became the first driver given the privilege of waving the French flag to kick off the 24 Hours. Chinetti is a legendary figure in the history of the race for several reasons. He won his first victory in 1932 for his rookie participation, at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 8C shared with French driver Raymond Sommer. Chinetti then competed 12 additional times, scoring two more wins in 1934 with Philippe Etancelin, again at the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 8C, then in 1949 with British driver Lord Selsdon in a Ferrari 166 MM. As a result, he became the only driver to triumph at the race before and after World War II.
In the wake of his retirement as a driver and thanks to close ties with Enzo Ferrari, Chinetti founded the North American Racing Team (NART) in 1958 very near to the Scuderia Ferrari. The team achieved its moment of glory at the 1965 24 Hours with victory for the Ferrari 250 LM driven by Jochen Rindt/Masten Gregory, the manufacturer's last win to date at the race. This year, the Centenary 24 Hours will mark Ferrari's big return to the head class, Hypercar, four years after Luigi Chinetti, Jr.'s visit for the 70th anniversary of the marque's first victory clinched by his father.
The second driver invited by the ACO to lower the French flag was living legend Jacky Ickx. In an unbelievable coincidence, he had claimed the top step at the 1982 24 Hours (along with British driver Derek Bell) at which Chinetti gave the start. Also an honourary Le Mans citizen, the Belgian driver has participated in the race 15 times, with a stunning six wins, the first of which changed the race forever.
In 1969, in protest of the arguably risky Le Mans-style start (drivers sprinting across the track to their cars and rushing to get underway), he decided to walk instead and take the time to fasten his harnass before taking off: Jacky Ickx: "Safety had become a concern, so I decided on my own, without telling anyone, to do something at the 24 Hours because I considered the race's start too dangerous. I had only clocked the 13th fastest time in qualifying. Making a mad dash was therefore useless for such a long race. So, I walked and spent the time to secure myself. When I got rolling, the others were already gone. The following year, the procedure was changed." Starting dead last did not prevent Ickx from winning the race, in the very last lap, at the wheel of a Ford GT40 shared with British driver Jackie Oliver. Two years later, the ACO established the rolling start we know today.
In addition to 1969 and 1982, Ickx won the 24 Hours in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1981. He held the win record for more than 20 years before being dethroned in 2005 by Tom "Mr Le Mans" Kristensen, now serving as a Centenary ambassador for his favourite race.
Two-time Formula 1 world champion (2005 and 2006) and a Ferrari driver at the time, Fernando Alonso was and is the first active driver to wave the French flag at the start of the 24 Hours.
After a failed collaboration with Porsche in 2015, the Spanish driver returned to Le Mans as a competitor at the wheel of a prototype in 2018. Representing TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Alonso shared the #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid with Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima. He won his rookie participation and triumphed again the following year with the same car and teammates, winning both the 87th 24 Hours and the FIA Endurance Drivers' World Championship trophy.
Distingued drivers have also been honoured with the role of Grand Marshal since 2013, presiding over all Race Week events at the 24 Hours. For the 90th anniversary of the race that year, the ACO began entrusting the privilege of driving the “leading car” during the starting procedure to an esteemed driver: Henri Pescarolo, Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen, Alexander Wurz, Mark Webber, Jacky Ickx, Hurley Haywood, Emanuele Pirro, Derek Bell and Gérard Larrousse.
Will a legendary driver give the start at the Centenary running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year? Find out on Saturday 10 June!
PHOTO (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 2014 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: Fernando Alonso (at centre) surrounded by (from left to right) FIA President at the time Jean Todt, Porsche driver Mark Webber, President of the FIA Endurance Commission Endurance at the time Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones and three-time winner Allan McNish. The Spanish driver also competed in a Ferrari 512. After his two wins with Toyota in 2018 and 2019, Fernando Alonso became the first driver, in an Alpine, to cover the 13.6 km circuit at the wheel of an F1 single-seater in 2021.
