24h Le Mans
For the first time since its inception in 2012, the World Endurance Championship will include a round in Germany on August 30th. A look at some numbers and records as two days of testing take place at the N
Since Mercedes' win in 1952, little by little the 24 Hours of Le Mans has become a favourite playing field for German motorsports. This influence grew as of the early 1980s when Porsche won seven consecutive victories from 1981 to 1987. A new cycle has continued over the past two decades: since 1996 a win at Le Mans has eluded German constructors only twice (2003 and 2009).
17 - Win record for a constructor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held by Porsche since 1985.
21 - Race number of the Mercedes 300 SL of Fritz Riess and Hermann Lang, the first German car to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1952. The marque scored a one-two with the other 300 SL of Theo Helfrich-Helmut Niedermayer (No. 20).
15 German drivers have won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: Hermann Lang, Fritz Riess, Hans Herrmann, Jürgen Barth, Klaus Ludwig, Louis Krages alias John Winter, Hans-Joachim Stück, Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter, Joachim Winkelhock, Frank Biela, Marco Werner, Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and André Lotterer.
34 wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have been amassed by German constructors since 1952: 17 for Porsche, 13 for Audi, two for Mercedes (including one as the engine provider for Sauber in 1989), two for BMW (including one as the engine provider for McLaren in 1995).
5,405 (km) - Distance record established in 2010 by Audi for the win of the R15 TDI "Plus" Timo Bernhard-Romain Dumas-Mike Rockenfeller at an average of 225,228 km/h.
5 wins for Frank Biela, the winningest German driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2000-2001-2002-2006-2007).
15 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as an outfit owner by Reinhold Joest, the record-holder.
251,815 km/h - The average of the fastest pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans clocked by a German driver - Hans-Joachim Stück (Porsche 962 C) in 1985 with a time of 3:14:80.
8 - Race number of the Audi R10 TDI of Frank Biela-Emanuele Pirro-Marco Werner, first diesel prototype to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
1 - Race number of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler-André Lotterer-Benoît Tréluyer, first hybrid prototype to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 14-15 1952. Mercedes was the first German manufacturer to win at Le Mans, with this 300 SL driven by Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess.
