1980 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 48th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14 and 15 June 1980. It was the seventh round of the 1980 World Championship for Makes.

Pre-race

Porsche again sent no works Group 6 cars, in order to not compete against their many customers in their 935 Group 5 cars. The lone Group 6 Porsche, a Martini Racing-sponsored roadster entered by Joest Racing for Reinhold Joest himself and Jacky Ickx, was christened the Porsche 908/80 by the team (and "FrankenPorsche" by journalists), but looked much like the 1977 version of the 936. For a long time the car was believed to be a hack on a 908 chassis until it was discovered that it was in fact built on a real 936 replacement chassis, the 936-004. As Porsche didn't wish to be in the business of selling 936s to customers, the secret was kept by using a 908 chassis number plate.

The 908/80 was favorite but Porsche could also count on many 935, five Group 5 plus eight IMSA GTX, including three cars from the Sebring-winning Dick Barbour team. Most of the opposition was in the GTP class: three WM-Peugeot and a trio of local heroes, the Le Mans-built Rondeau-Cosworth.

Race

The race winning Rondeau M379

The start was the probably wettest ever at Le Mans. Ickx laid back in his roadster until he could actually see something else than the fog created by closed-cabin cars: Porsche 935s, BMW M1s and Rondeau coupes.

John Fitzpatrick was leading with Dick Barbour's Porsche 935. Hans Stuck had shoved his BMW M1 from 26th to second by 17:00. At that time Jean Rondeau had two of his made-in-Le Mans cars in the top 10.

When the rain decreased Ickx and Joest picked off one car after another. By the end of the third hour, Joest found himself in the lead. When Ickx was back in the car he broke the fuel injection pump belt. But Joest had planned wisely; there was a set of basic tools and a spare belt in the car. Ickx restarted just 14 minutes later but this was enough to lose the lead.

At nightfall, a Rondeau was leading the race but Ickx began the chase. By 01:00 Sunday, the 908/80 was on the same lap as the leaders. Two hours later, they were ahead and began to leave the French coupé behind. After numerous lead changes caused by refuelings and scheduled maintenance on the cars around 07:00, the Joest Martini Porsche had built a solid lead.

But the Joest team had underestimated the Rondeaus, as they didn't expect the Cosworth to be very reliable. As a result, Joest and Ickx did not run fast enough and at 10:00 when the 908/80 had a gearbox failure, like the works 936s in 1977, they had not built up a large enough lead. The Rondeau of Jean Rondeau himself and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud gained the lead with a gap of three laps over the second placed car. Ickx had to begin a third chase.

When Jaussaud took over from Rondeau with an hour and a half remaining, the Rondeau had still a two laps advance but the Porsche was running faster. With 35 minutes left to race, the rain returned. Ickx pitted for wet tyres while Jaussaud kept the slicks. Jaussaud had made the right choice and remained in the lead. However, there was a final surprise: As the rain became heavier in the last lap, Jaussaud lost the control of his car. By luck he did not hit anything. For the first time a driver had won Le Mans on a car bearing his own name. At the end of the race Ickx announced his retirement, which he was to reverse a few months later.

Official results

Le Mans in 1980

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Tyres	Laps
					Engine
1	S +2.0	16	LePoint Jean Rondeau	Jean Rondeau Jean-Pierre Jaussaud	Rondeau M379	G	338
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
2	S +2.0	9	Equipe Liqui Moly - Martini Racing	Jacky Ickx Reinhold Joest	Porsche 908/80	D	336
					Porsche 2.1 L Turbo Flat-6
3	GTP	17	Belga Jean Rondeau	Gordon Spice Philippe Martin Jean-Michel Martin	Rondeau M379	G	329
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
4	GTP	5	WM Esso	Guy Fréquelin Roger Dorchy	WM P79/80	M	316
					Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo V6
5	IMSA	70	Dick Barbour Racing	John Fitzpatrick Brian Redman Dick Barbour	Porsche 935 K3	G	316
					Porsche Type-935 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6
6	GTP	4	Porsche System	Manfred Schurti Jürgen Barth	Porsche 924 Carrera GT	D	316
					Porsche 2.0 L Turbo I4
7	S +2.0	8	Alain de Cadenet	Alain de Cadenet François Migault	De Cadenet-Lola LM	D	313
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
8	Gr.5	49	Vegla Racing Team	Harald Grohs Dieter Schornstein	Porsche 935	D	313
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
9	IMSA	73	JLP Racing	John Paul Sr. John Paul Jr. Guy Edwards	Porsche 935 JLP-2	G	312
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
10	IMSA	76	JMS Racing Charles Pozzi	Jean Xhenceval Pierre Dieudonné Hervé Regout	Ferrari 512BB/LM	M	312
					Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12
11	GTP	6	WM Esso	Jean-Daniel Raulet Marcel Mamers	WM P79/80	M	311
					Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo Flat-6
12	GTP	2	Porsche System	Andy Rouse Tony Dron	Porsche 924 Carrera GT	D	310
					Porsche 2.0 L Turbo I4
13	GTP	3	Porsche System	Derek Bell Al Holbert	Porsche 924 Carrera GT	D	305
					Porsche 2.0 L Turbo I4
14	IMSA	83	BMW France	Didier Pironi Dieter Quester Marcel Mignot	BMW M1	D	293
					BMW M88 3.5 L I6
15	IMSA	84	BMW Motorsport GmbH Dominique Lacaud	Hans Joachim Stuck Dominique Lacaud Hans-Georg Bürger	BMW M1	D	283
					BMW M88 3.5 L I6
16	GT	93	Thierry Perrier	Thierry Perrier Roger Carmillet	Porsche 911 SC	K	280
					Porsche 4.6 L Flat-6 (Ethanol)
17	S 2.0	25	ROC — Société Yacco	Bruno Sotty Daniel Laurent Philippe Hesnault	Chevron B36	G	276
					ROC-Talbot 2.0 L I4
18	S 2.0	23	ROC — Société Yacco	Michel Dubois Christian Debias Florian Vetsch	Lola T298	G	272
					ROC-Talbot 2.0 L I4
19	Gr.5	53	Jolly Club - Lancia Corse	Carlo Facetti Martino Finotto	Lancia Beta Monte Carlo	P	272
					Lancia 1.4 L Turbo I4
20	IMSA	89	Hervé Poulain	Dany Snobeck Hervé Poulain Pierre Destic	Porsche 935	D	272
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
21	IMSA	86	Z & W Enterprises Inc.	Ernesto Soto Mark Hutchins Pierre Honnegger	Mazda RX-7	G	266
					Mazda 12A 1.2L 2-Rotor
22	S 2.0	29	Dorset Racing Associates	Peter Clarke Nick Mason Martin Birrane	Lola T297	D	263
					Ford Cosworth BDG 2.0 L I4
23	IMSA	78	EMKA Productions	Steve O'Rourke Richard Down Simon Phillips	Ferrari 512BB/LM	D	262
					Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12
24	GT	90	Georges Bourdillat	Georges Bourdillat Alain-Michel Bernhard Pascal Ennequin	Porsche 934	M	248
					Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
25	S +2.0	12	Dome Co. Ltd.	Chris Craft Bob Evans	Dome RL80	D	246
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
26 DNF	GTP	7	WM Esso	Serge Saulnier Jean-Louis Bousquet Denis Morin	WM P79/80	M	264
					Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo V6
27 DNF	S 2.0	27	Michel Elkoubi / Primagaz	Patrick Perrier Pierre Yver	Lola T298	M	255
					BMW M12 2.0 L I4
28 DNF	GT	94	Equipe Alméras Frères	Jacques Alméras Jean-Marie Alméras Marianne Hoepfner	Porsche 934	M	251
					Porsche 3.3 L Turbo Flat-6
29 DNF	IMSA	69	Racing Associates Inc.	Bob Akin Ralph Kent-Cooke Paul Miller	Porsche 935 K3	G	237
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
30 DNF	IMSA	95	BMW Zol-Auto	François Sérvanin Laurent Ferrier Pierre-François Rousselot	BMW M1	G	237
					BMW M88 3.5 L I6
31 DNF	Gr.5	43	Malardeau Kremer Racing	Xavier Lapeyre Jean-Louis Trintignant Anne-Charlotte Verney	Porsche 935 K3	D	217
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
32 DNF	Gr.5	45	Gelo Racing Team	Bob Wollek Helmut Kelleners	Porsche 935	P	191
					Porsche Type-935 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6
33 DNF	Gr.5	42	Gozzy Kremer Racing	Tetsu Ikuzawa Rolf Stommelen Axel Plankenhorn	Porsche 935 K3	D	167
					Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6
34 DNF	GT	80	Diego Febles Racing	Armando Gonzales Diego Febles Francisco Romero	Porsche 934	G	164
					Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
35 DNF	Gr.5	44	Charles Ivey Racing	Peter Lovett Dudley Wood John Cooper	Porsche 935 K3	D	158
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
36 DNF	S 2.0	28	Scuderia Torino Corse	Lella Lombardi Mark Thatcher	Osella PA8	P	157
					BMW M12 2.0 L I4
37 DNF	IMSA	85	Sun System Whittington Brothers Racing	Hurley Haywood Don Whittington Dale Whittington	Porsche 935 K3	G	151
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
38 DNF	GT	91	ASA Cachia	Christian Bussi Bernard Salam Cyril Grandet	Porsche 934	D	137
					Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
39 DNF	IMSA	71	Dick Barbour Racing	Bobby Rahal Bob Garretson Allan Moffat	Porsche 935 K3	G	134
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
40 DNF	IMSA	77	JMS Racing Charles Pozzi	Jean-Claude Andruet Claude Ballot-Léna	Ferrari 512BB/LM	M	129
					Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12
41 DNF	S +2.0	1	André Chevalley Racing	Patrick Gaillard François Trisconi André Chevalley	ACR 80 (Lola T380)	G	126
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
42 DNF	GTX	96	Garage du Bac	Frédéric Alliot Jacques Guérin	BMW M1	D	125
					BMW M88 3.5 L I6
43 DNF	S +2.0	15	ITT Jean Rondeau	Henri Pescarolo Jean Ragnotti	Rondeau M379	G	124
					Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8
44 DNF	Gr.5	41	Porsche Kremer Racing	Ted Field Danny Ongais Jean-Louis Lafosse	Porsche 935 K3	D	89
					Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
45 DNF	S 2.0	22	Hubert Striebig	Michel Pignard Mario Ketterer Hubert Striebig	Toj SM01	D	79
					BMW 2.0 L I4
46 DNF	IMSA	75	JMS Racing Charles Pozzi	Lucien Guitteny Gérard Bleynie	Ferrari 512BB/LM	M	47
					Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12
47 DNF	IMSA	82	March Racing Ltd.	Manfred Winkelhock Patrick Nève Michael Korton	BMW M1	D	38
					BMW M88 3.5 L I6
48 DNF	Gr.5	46	Meccarillos Racing	Claude Haldi Bernard Béguin Volkert Merl	Porsche 935	D	37
					Porsche Type-935 2.9 L Turbo Flat-6
49 DNF	S 2.0	24	ROC — Sociéte Yacco	Marc Sourd Bernard Verdier	Lola T298	G	27
					ROC-Talbot 2.0 L I4
50 DNF	Gr.5	52	Scuderia Lancia Corse	Piercarlo Ghinzani Markku Alén Gianfranco Brancatelli	Lancia Beta Monte Carlo	P	26
					Lancia 1.4 L Turbo I4
51 DNF	IMSA	79	Scuderia Supercar Bellancauto	Spartaco Dini Fabrizio Violati Maurizio Micangeli	Ferrari 512BB/LM	M	10
					Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12
52 DNF	IMSA	68	Racing Associates Inc.	Skeeter McKitterick Charles Mendez Leon Walger	Porsche 935 K3	G	9
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
53 DNF	IMSA	72	Wynn's International Dick Barbour Racing	Robert Kirby Mike Sherwin Bob Harmon	Porsche 935 K3	G	7
					Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6
54 DNF	S 2.0	20	Jean-Philippe Grand	Jean-Philippe Grand Yves Courage	Chevron B36	G	6
					BMW M12 2.0 L I4
55 DNF	Gr.5	51	Scuderia Lancia Corse	Hans Heyer Bernard Darniche Teo Fabi	Lancia Beta Monte Carlo	P	6
					Lancia 1.4 L Turbo I4
[1]

Statistics

• Pole Position - #70 Dick Barbour Racing - 3:40.02
• Fastest Lap - #9 Equipe Liqui Moly — Martini Racing - 3:40.60
• Distance - 4608.02 km
• Average Speed - 191.899 km/h

Trophy Winners

• Index of Thermal Efficiency - #16 LePoint Jean Rondeau

References