1989 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 57th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 10 and 11 1989.

Race

The race was the last time the 24 Hours of Le Mans ran without the two chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight; for the interest of safety to reduce speeds after speeds reaching 250 mph (402 km/h) in the previous years and this race, these chicanes were installed the following year and has been used since. The speeds on the Mulsanne Straight were so high that many of the drivers were concerned if their cars would stay on the ground over the humps and bumps of the straight. Fortunately, there were no serious accidents, something Le Mans in the 1980's had many of.

Having run his cars at Le Mans for a decade, Peter Sauber was aided by Mercedes in winning the 1989 race. His "Silver Arrows" Sauber C9s finished 1st, 2nd and 5th, with Porsches and Jaguars finishing behind.

Official results

Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).

Statistics

• Pole Position - #62 Team Sauber Mercedes - 3:15.040
• Fastest Lap - #4 Silk Cut Jaguar - 3:21.093
• Distance - 5265.115 km
• Average Speed - 219.990 km/h
• Highest Trap Speed - Jaguar XJR-9 - 389 km/h (race), Sauber Mercedes C9 - 401 km/h (qualifying)