| 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans | |
| Previous: 1997 | Next: 1999 |
| Index: Races | Winners | |
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 6 and 7 1998.
Contents |
1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast GT-One racing cars, while BMW, in association with WilliamsF1, launched the new BMW V12 LM. Nissan sent 4 of their new R390 GT1s. The United States was also represented properly with a two car team from Panoz, with Ford powered Esperante GTR-1s.
Porsche won the race as the faster cars from Mercedes, BMW and Toyota retired with mechanical difficulties and accident damage. The remaining Nissans and outdated McLarens were unable to match the pace of the upgraded 911 GT1s. Following this race, Porsche went into a sabbatical, rumored to be part of a plan to allow Porsche's partner Audi to develop their own sportscar without competition from within the alliance.
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | |||||||
| 1 | GT1 | 26 | Porsche AG | Laurent Aïello Allan McNish Stéphane Ortelli |
Porsche 911 GT1-98 | M | 351 |
| Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 2 | GT1 | 25 | Porsche AG | Jörg Müller Uwe Alzen Bob Wollek |
Porsche 911 GT1-98 | M | 350 |
| Porsche 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 3 | GT1 | 32 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
Aguri Suzuki Kazuyoshi Hoshino Masahiko Kageyama |
Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 347 |
| Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 4 | GT1 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff EMKA Racing |
Steve O'Rourke Tim Sugden Bill Auberlen |
McLaren F1 GTR | P | 343 |
| BMW S70 6.0L V12 | |||||||
| 5 | GT1 | 30 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
John Nielsen Michael Krumm Franck Lagorce |
Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 342 |
| Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 6 | GT1 | 31 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
Jan Lammers Érik Comas Andrea Montermini |
Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 342 |
| Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 7 | GT1 | 45 | Panoz Motorsports Inc. | David Brabham Andy Wallace Jamie Davies |
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | M | 335 |
| Ford (Roush) 6.0L V8 | |||||||
| 8 | LMP1 | 12 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Wayne Taylor Eric van de Poele Fermín Velez |
Ferrari 333 SP | P | 332 |
| Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | |||||||
| 9 | GT1 | 27 | Toyota Motorsports Toyota Team Europe |
Ukyo Katayama Toshio Suzuki Keiichi Tsuchiya |
Toyota GT-One | M | 326 |
| Toyota R36V 3.6L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 10 | GT1 | 33 | Nissan Motorsports TWR |
Satoshi Motoyama Takuya Kurosawa Masami Kageyama |
Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 319 |
| Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 11 | GT2 | 53 | Viper Team Oreca | Justin Bell David Donohue Luca Drudi |
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 317 |
| Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |||||||
| 12 | LMP1 | 16 | Kremer Racing | Ricardo Agusta Almo Coppelli Xavier Pompidou |
Kremer K8/2 Spyder | G | 314 |
| Porsche Type-935 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 13 | GT2 | 51 | Viper Team Oreca | Olivier Beretta Pedro Lamy Tommy Archer |
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 312 |
| Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |||||||
| 14 | LMP1 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Gianpiero Moretti Mauro Baldi Didier Theys |
Ferrari 333 SP | Y | 311 |
| Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | |||||||
| 15 | LMP1 | 15 | Courage Compétition | Henri Pescarolo Olivier Grouillard Franck Montagny |
Courage C36 | M | 304 |
| Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 16 | LMP1 | 24 | Courage Compétition | Yojiro Terada Franck Fréon Olivier Thévenin |
Courage C41 | M | 300 |
| Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 17 | GT2 | 64 | Roock Racing | Claudia Hürtgen Michel Ligonnet Robert Nearn |
Porsche 911 GT2 | Y | 285 |
| Porsche 3.8L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 18 | GT2 | 69 | Michel Nourry | Michel Nourry Thierry Perrier Jean-Louis Ricci |
Porsche 911 GT2 | ? | 276 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 19 | GT2 | 56 | Chamberlain Engineering | Gary Ayles Matt Turner Hans Hugenholtz |
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | D | 270 |
| Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |||||||
| 20 | GT2 | 68 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Eric Graham Hervé Poulain Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière |
Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 268 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 21 | GT2 | 55 | Chamberlain Engineering | Ni Amorim Gonçalo Gomes Manuel Mello-Breyner |
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | D | 264 |
| Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |||||||
| 22 | GT2 | 65 | Roock Racing | Rob Schirle André Ahrle David Warnock |
Porsche 911 GT2 | Y | 247 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 23 | GT2 | 72 | Larbre Compétition | Patrice Goueslard Jean-Luc Chereau Pierre Yver |
Porsche 911 GT2 | M | 240 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 24 DNF |
GT1 | 29 | Toyota Motorsport Toyota Team Europe |
Thierry Boutsen Ralf Kelleners Geoff Lees |
Toyota GT-One | M | 330 |
| Toyota R36V 3.6L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 25 DNF |
GT2 | 71 | Estoril Racing Communication | Michel Maisonneuve Manuel Monteiro Michel Monteiro |
Porsche 911 GT2 | P | 277 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 26 DNF |
GT1 | 44 | Panoz Motorsports Inc. DAMS |
Éric Bernard Christophe Tinseau Johnny O'Connell |
Panoz Esperante GTR-1 | M | 236 |
| Ford (Roush) 6.0L V8 | |||||||
| 27 DNF |
LMP1 | 13 | Courage Compétition | Didier Cottaz Marc Goossens Jean-Philippe Belloc |
Courage C51 | M | 232 |
| Nissan VRH35Z 3.0L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 28 DNF |
GT1 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff GTC Competition |
Dr. Thomas Bscher Emanuele Pirro Rinaldo Capello |
McLaren F1 GTR | G | 228 |
| BMW S70 6.0L V12 | |||||||
| 29 DNF |
LMP1 | 8 | Porsche AG Joest Racing |
Pierre-Henri Raphanel David Murry James Weaver |
Porsche LMP1-98 | M | 218 |
| Porsche Type-935 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 30 DNF |
LMP1 | 10 | Pilot Racing | Michel Ferté Pascal Fabre François Migault |
Ferrari 333 SP | ? | 203 |
| Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | |||||||
| 31 DNF |
GT2 | 67 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Michel Neugarten Jean-Claude Lagniez David Smadja |
Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 198 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 32 DNF |
GT1 | 28 | Toyota Motorsports Toyota Team Europe |
Martin Brundle Emmanuel Collard Eric Hélary |
Toyota GT-One | M | 191 |
| Toyota R36V 3.6L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 33 DNF |
LMP1 | 5 | JB Racing | Vincenzo Sospiri Jean-Christophe Boullion Jérôme Policand |
Ferrari 333 SP | M | 187 |
| Ferrari F310E 4.0L V12 | |||||||
| 34 DNF |
GT2 | 60 | Chereau Sports Larbre Compétition |
Jean-Pierre Jarier Carl Rosenblad Robin Donovan |
Porsche 911 GT2 | M | 164 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 35 DNF |
GT2 | 62 | CJ Motorsport | John Morton John Graham Harald Grohs |
Porsche 911 GT2 | G | 164 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 36 DNF |
LMP1 | 21 | Solution F | Philippe Gache Wayne Gardner Didier de Radiguès |
Riley & Scott Mk III | P | 155 |
| Ford 5.1L V8 | |||||||
| 37 DNF |
LMP1 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Fredrik Ekblom Patrice Gay Tetsuya Tsuchiya |
Courage C51 | M | 126 |
| Nissan VRH35Z 3.5L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 38 DNF |
LMP1 | 7 | Porsche AG Joest Racing |
Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Yannick Dalmas |
Porsche LMP1-98 | M | 107 |
| Porsche Type-935 3.2L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 39 DNF |
LMP2 | 22 | Didier Bonnet | Lionel Robert Eduoard Sezionale Pierre Bruneau |
Debora LMP2 | M | 106 |
| BMW S50 3.2L I6 | |||||||
| 40 DNF |
GT2 | 61 | Krauss Race Sports Intl. | Bernhard Müller Michael Trunk Ernst Palmberger |
Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 71 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 41 DNF |
LMP1 | 1 | Team BMW Motorsport | Hans Joachim Stuck Steve Soper Tom Kristensen |
BMW V12 LM | M | 60 |
| BMW S70 6.0L V12 | |||||||
| 42 DNF |
LMP1 | 2 | Team BMW Motorsport | Pierluigi Martini Joachim Winkelhock Johnny Cecotto |
BMW V12 LM | M | 43 |
| BMW S70 6.0L V12 | |||||||
| 43 DNF |
GT1 | 36 | AMG-Mercedes | Jean-Marc Gounon Ricardo Zonta Christophe Bouchut |
Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | B | 31 |
| Mercedes-Benz M119 5.0L V8 | |||||||
| 44 DNF |
GT2 | 50 | Viper Team Oreca | Karl Wendlinger Marc Duez Patrick Huisman |
Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 28 |
| Chrysler 8.0L V10 | |||||||
| 45 DNF |
GT2 | 70 | Konrad Motorsport | Franz Konrad Larry Schumacher Nick Ham |
Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 24 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 | |||||||
| 46 DNF |
GT1 | 35 | AMG-Mercedes | Bernd Schneider Mark Webber Klaus Ludwig |
Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | B | 19 |
| Mercedes-Benz M119 5.0L V8 | |||||||
| 47 DNF |
GT2 | 73 | Konrad Motorsport | Toni Seiler Peter Kitchak Angelo Zadra |
Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 2 |
| Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6 |
|
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