24h Le Mans
On Saturday 13 June, shortly after midday, five McLaren F1 GTRs appeared on the Circuit de la Sarthe. The five McLarens that raced here twenty years ago took part in the opening ceremony of the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours.
In 1995, a GT car surprised everyone by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright, the #59 McLaren F1 GTR driven by Yannick Dalmas, J.J. Lehto and Masanori Sekiya. This year, the car returned to the 24 Hours circuit with four other F1 GTRs, three of which also raced here in 1995:
#51 from Mach One Racing, with a Harrods livery, driven by Derek Bell, Justin Bell and Andy Wallace, came third.
#24 from Gulf Racing, with drivers Ray Bellm, Mark Blundell and Maurizio Sandra Sala finished fourth.
#42 from Société BBA Compétition whose driver team was composed of Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière, Hervé Poulain and Marc Sourd, was thirteenth.
The fifth car in the ceremony was a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR longtail with Gulf livery, driven by J.J. Lehto himself. All five were applauded on the streets of Le Mans the previous evening as they led the drivers’ parade. The celebration also saw the top three cars of 1995 together once more. Several McLaren road cars completed the picture, including the marque’s new model, the P1 GTR. Watch the video and don’t miss the sound of that BMW V12 engine.
David Bristol / ACO — Translated from French by Emma Paulay
English commentary
Video: You Tube - McLaren Automotive
