24h Le Mans
Spectators at the 57th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held on June 10-11, 1989, saw a fierce battle between Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes and Nissan. Toyota, continuing its progression, could have crashed the party, while Aston Martin lacked preparation.
Photo : D.R. - Archives ACO
From the first practice session on, the top teams were in a tight battle, but in the end it was a 100% Sauber-Mercedes front row, thanks to Jean-Louis Schlesser's 3'15"04 pole position time in the No.62 Sauber-Mercedes C9 n°62. The Jaguars qualified just behind on the second row and the No.9 Joest Racing Porsche 962 rounds out the top five with drivers Bob Wollek-Hans Joachim Stuck.
The Jaguars led the early goings, but an oil leak gives the lead to the No.9 Porsche of Wollek and Stuck, which they would maintain until the 10th hour of racing when a water leak dropped them down to sixth position.
Jaguar regained the lead until a gearbox change left the door open for a 1-2 finish for Sauber-Mercedes. Bob Wollek, who never won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, pushed very hard to make a comeback but a joint in the gearbox slows the Frenchman's progress. At each pit stop, mechanics emptied bottles of soda onto the clutch! This amazing pit work allowed the pink Porsche, liveried in the colour of its Japanese sponsor, to reach the third step of the podium, behind the two Sauber-Mercedes.
The No.63 C9 driven by Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens took the chequered flag for the win and the crowds were present for this instant classic edition, with the grid of cars being one of the best in the history of Le Mans.
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Hervé Guyomard et Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translated by Rainier Ehrhardt / ACO
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, JUNE 10 & 11TH 1989.
