2003 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 71st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 2003.

Race

After three consecutive wins, the Audi factory team officially did not field a team, although several privateers did use R8 chassis. Bentley, with an Audi engine and support from Audi works team Joest Racing, won its first Le Mans title since 1930 in the Bentley Speed 8 and Danish driver Tom Kristensen set a record with his fourth straight victory. The Bentley team of David Brabham, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert finished second, ahead of the customer Audis.

In GTS-class, the Prodrive Ferraris went on to beat the fastest Corvette by a margin of 10 laps, ending their streak of class wins. American Alex Job Racing took the GT-class victory, while Noel del Bello survived to take LMP675.

Official results

Class winners marked in bold. Cars not completing 75% of the winner's distance are listed as Not Classified (NC).

Statistics

• Pole Position — #7 Team Bentley — 3:32.843
• Fastest Lap — #8 Team Bentley — 3:35.529
• Distance — 5146.05 km
• Average Speed — 214.33 km/h
• Highest Trap Speed - Dome Mugen & Dome Judd - 337 km/h (qualifying)