24h Le Mans
Throughout this month, we will bring you a very special Advent calendar dedicated to remarkable stories and anecdotes from the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today we rewind to 2008 when Tom Kristensen gained a decisive edge over Peugeot during the night to claim his eighth win.
To win the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times, you can’t rely solely on Lady Luck. You have to be quick of course, but you also have to ease off when necessary, have total trust in your co-drivers, come to the fore when the going gets tough, and strike the hammer while it’s hot. You also have to emerge unscathed from the night when so many well-laid plans can come undone. Tom Kristensen built his unrivalled Le Mans track record on such qualities and more.
Over the years, the mid-race hours – let’s say the period from around 2.30 to 5.30 in the morning – have been no stranger to drama. In 2008, it was at exactly that time that the fight for the 76th 24 Hours of Le Mans between the #2 Audi of Rinaldo “Dindo” Capello/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish and the #7 Peugeot of Marc Gené/Nicolas Minassian/Jacques Villeneuve was won and lost.
When Villeneuve took over from Minassian mid-race, the 905 HDi FAP held a four-minute advantage over the R10 TDI. Capello, chasing hard, cut the gap by almost a minute in 25 laps. In the 14th hour, rain began to make the track greasy. Peugeot opted for intermediate tyres while Audi switched to full-wets.
Kristensen took the wheel from Capello at 4.22 precisely. As a rookie 11 years earlier, the Dane had been universally hailed for his consistent night-time stints that helped the Joest Racing team claim victory. This time he revelled in the tough conditions, gaining up to seven seconds per lap on his Canadian rival.
At 5.17, Kristensen and Audi dealt the fatal blow. Just six seconds separated the two prototypes as they pitted together. Gené took over from Villeneuve, while Kristensen remained at the wheel and kept the same tyres. It proved to be a race-winning move. The record holder left the pits first and the #2 Audi stayed in front until the chequered flag.
That year, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP was the fastest car, but the rain, Audi’s flair and the courageous skill shown by Capello and Kristensen in the dark on a tricky surface made all the difference. Audi clinched its eighth Le Mans title while Kristensen, Capello and McNish nudged their individual win counters up to eight, three and two respectively.
PHOTOS (© ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, France), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 2008 24 HOURS OF LE MANS – Rain added extra spice to the battle between the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Gené/Minassian/Villeneuve (top) and the Audi R10 TDI of Capello/Kristensen/McNish.
