2008 24 Hours of Le Mans

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2008 24 Hours of Le Mans
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Index: Races | Winners
Circuit de la Sarthe track
Allan McNish in the #2 Audi R10 TDI which won the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Handprint's winners 2008 edition in the Hall of fame of Le Mans

The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators.[1] The Audi team's progress and victory was documented in the 2008 film Truth in 24.

Rule changes[edit]

On 20 December 2007, the ACO confirmed the previously announced rule changes for the 2008 race and 2008 Le Mans Series season. Petrol engined Le Mans Prototype cars received a 3% larger air restrictor to increase power output and to balance performance between petrol and diesel engines. The performance difference between the LMP1 and LMP2 classes will be increased by decreasing LMP1 class' minimum weight 900 kg, the LMP2 class' minimum weight increased to 825 kg, and a reduction in the fuel capacity of LMP2 cars from 90 litres to 80 litres.

The ACO also added rules regarding the types of engines and fuels which can be used. Production engines which meet the GT1 and GT2 class regulations can now be installed in LMP1 and LMP2 class cars respectively. The use of biofuels will also be allowed in the prototype categories, with petrol engines allowed to run 10% ethanol, and diesel teams allowed to use biodiesel. The GT1 and GT2 categories remained unchanged in the new rules.[2][3]

Prior to the Le Mans Test Day, Audi announced that they would be the first team to adapt their cars to use 10% biodiesel as allowed by the new rules, with partner Shell developing a biomass to liquid fuel.[4]

Entries[edit]

Automatic invitations[edit]

Automatic entry to the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was granted to teams that had performed well in the previous year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 2007 seasons of the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, FIA GT Championship, and the Petit Le Mans. The official list of automatic invites was published by the ACO on 16 November 2007,[5] with confirmation of entries accepted by teams published on 18 January 2008.[6]

List of automatic invitations[edit]

Team Reason Entered Note
LMP1
Germany Audi Sport North America 1st in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
France Team Peugeot Total 2nd in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
France Team Peugeot Total 1st in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
France Pescarolo Sport 2nd in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
United States Audi Sport North America 1st in 2007 Petit Le Mans
United States Autocon Motorsports 2nd in 2007 American Le Mans Series championship1
LMP2
United States Binnie Motorsports 1st in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans Entry not taken
France Barazi-Epsilon 2nd in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
United Kingdom Ray Mallock Ltd. 1st in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
Portugal Quifel ASM Team 2nd in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
United States Penske Racing 1st in 2007 Petit Le Mans Entry not taken
United States Penske Racing 1st in 2007 American Le Mans Series championship Entry not taken
GT1
United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing 1st in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
United States Corvette Racing 2nd in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
France Team Oreca 1st in 2007 Le Mans Series championship Entry not taken
France Luc Alphand Aventures 2nd in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
United States Corvette Racing 1st in 2007 Petit Le Mans
None 2nd in 2007 American Le Mans Series championship2
Germany Vitaphone Racing 1st in 2007 FIA GT Championship Entry not taken3
Italy Scuderia Playteam Sarafree 2nd in 2007 FIA GT Championship Entry not taken
GT2
France IMSA Performance Matmut 1st in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
United States Risi Competizione 2nd in 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
United Kingdom Virgo Motorsport 1st in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
Germany Team Felbermayr-Proton 2nd in 2007 Le Mans Series championship
United States Flying Lizard Motorsports 1st in 2007 Petit Le Mans
United States Risi Competizione 1st in 2007 American Le Mans Series championship
Italy Motorola AF Corse 1st in 2007 FIA GT Championship
Italy BMS Scuderia Italia 2nd in 2007 FIA GT Championship
1. Due to Audi Sport North America already earning two entries, their third automatic entry was passed to the next team in the championship.
2. Due to Corvette Racing already earning two entries, their third automatic entry would have been passed to the next team in the championship. However, no team had run enough ALMS races to be counted towards the GT1 championship, leaving the invitation unassigned.
3. Vitaphone Racing initially turned down their automatic invitation due to their Maserati MC12 not complying with ACO rules. The team however reapplied for a legal Aston Martin DBR9 in the same class at a later date.

Official entry list[edit]

On 19 February, the ACO published their full list of fifty-five entries plus eight reserves, chosen from a total of 88 applications.[7] The fifty-five main entries were required to appear at the Le Mans test day in order to compete.[8][9]

Reserve entries[edit]

Eight cars were granted reserve entries. If any selected team from the main entry list withdrew, a reserve entry would take their place.[8] On April 10, the #81 Tafel Racing Ferrari withdrew and was replaced by the #4 Saulnier Pescarolo-Judd.[10] Although several teams withdrew their reserve entries, none of the remaining reserve entries were promoted to the primary entry list. On Tuesday, June 10, Racing Box's Lucchini-Judd failed official scrutineering and was withdrawn.[11] The first remaining reserve, Epsilon Euskadi's second entry, was allowed to take its place at the start of Wednesday qualifying.[12]

Test session[edit]

The #8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, driven by Stéphane Sarrazin, which set a 3:22.222 lap time during the test day

Drivers, team, and equipment for fifty-five cars arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe on June 1 to participate in a mandatory test session. Drivers who had not been to the circuit in the past three runnings of the 24 Hours, or had never participated before, were required to complete ten laps of the circuit during the session,[13] while other drivers were allowed to concentrate on setting their cars up for the race two weeks away. Two sessions were held running four hours each, with an hour break for lunch.[14]

Rain dominated the weather during the two sessions, with the track drying out only for brief periods of time before heavy rains dampened the circuit once more.[15] Stéphane Sarrazin, in the #8 Peugeot, was able to set the fastest lap during a brief dry period in the second session, recording a time of 3:22.222.[16] By the end of the test day, Sarrazin's time remained unbeaten, and was in fact nearly four and a half seconds ahead of the second fastest lap, set by the #9 Peugeot. Several hundredths of a second slower still was the #1 Audi, third fastest overall. The fastest car not running a diesel engine was the #17 Pescarolo, recording a time of 3:33.939, over eleven seconds behind the overall leader. In the LMP2 class, the five cars set lap times within three seconds of one another, the Van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche setting a 3:42.191 lap time to lead the class and place fourteenth overall in the standings. The other Porsche RS Spyder of Team Essex was second fastest, followed by the Barazi-Epsion Zytek in third.[16]

The Grand Touring categories were led by the previous year's winner in GT1 class, the factory Aston Martin squad. The #009 DBR9 set a lap time of 3:53.531, fast enough for 25th place overall. Larbre Compétition's Saleen set the second fastest lap in the class, nearly two seconds behind. The two factory Corvettes were third and fourth, with the #64 team a few tenths faster than the #63. For the GT2 class, American teams lead the session. Risi Competizione's #82 Ferrari set a 4:05.561 lap time, only three one thousandths of a second ahead of the Flying Lizard Porsche. BMS Scuderia Italia's Ferrari completed the top three in the class, a second slower than the top two.[16]

During the eight hours of testing, practice had to be halted four times for accidents around the circuit. During the first session, the JMB Ferrari spun and hit a wall at Arnage, requiring it to be towed from the track.[17] The Ferrari did however return to the track several hours later after repairs.[18] Shortly after the beginning of the second test session, the Risi-Krohn Ferrari also had a spin, impacting the wall at the Ford Chicane, leading to driver Tracy Krohn being briefly hospitalized.[19] Less than an hour later, Marc Gené in the #7 Peugeot spun in the Karting curve and his 908 became airborne, impacting the wall heavily. Gené was hospitalized with an injured toe,[20] and the car had to be replaced by a new chassis.[15] The final stoppage of practice occurred in the final hour when Joey Foster impacting the wall at the Dunlop Chicane with his Embassy-Zytek.[21]

Qualifying[edit]

Qualifying was held on 11–12 June, with two individual two-hour sessions being held each day. The first sessions were held at early dusk, while following an hour break, the second sessions ran into the darkness of night. All drivers were once again required to set a minimum of laps to prepare themselves for the circuit; three laps required in the first session, and another three laps in the night session. The best lap time from all four combined determined the starting grid.

Wednesday[edit]

Following a wet test day, qualifying began under dry conditions. The Peugeot lapped under 3:20 min, lap times reminding of that of the Porsche 917 records set in 1971, when the track had almost no chicanes, and was 120m shorter. Stéphane Sarrazin on Peugeot Nr 8 grabbed pole-position in 3:18.513, shortly followed by Franck Montagny on Peugeot Nr 9 with 3:18.862.

Thursday[edit]

The second day of qualifying will determine the final grid.

Qualifying times[edit]

Class leaders and the fastest lap time in each class on each day are in bold. The fastest lap for each car is in gray.

Pos No. Team Car Class Day 1
[22]
Day 2
[23]
Behind
1 8 France Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 3:18.513 3:20.566 Leader
2 9 France Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 3:18.682 3:24.966 +0.169
3 7 France Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 3:20.451 3:21.490 +1.938
4 2 Germany Audi Sport North America Audi R10 TDI LMP1 3:24.105 3:23.847 +5.334
5 3 Germany Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R10 TDI LMP1 3:24.287 3:26.432 +5.774
6 10 Czech Republic Charouz Racing System Lola B08/60-Aston Martin LMP1 3:34.211 3:25.158 +6.645
7 1 Germany Audi Sport North America Audi R10 TDI LMP1 3:27.580 3:25.289 +6.776
8 11 Japan Dome Racing Team Dome S102 LMP1 3:29.352 3:26.928 +8.415
9 16 France Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd LMP1 3:28.533 3:32.407 +10.020
10 5 France Team Oreca-Matmut Courage-Oreca LC70-Judd LMP1 3:30.490 3:32.176 +11.977
11 17 France Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd LMP1 3:30.618 3:30.905 +12.105
12 12 Czech Republic Charouz Racing System Lola B07/17-Judd LMP1 3:31.910 3:31.135 +12.622
13 6 France Team Oreca-Matmut Courage-Oreca LC70-Judd LMP1 3:31.243 3:33.139 +12.730
14 34 Netherlands Van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche RS Spyder Evo LMP2 3:34.078 3:32.301 +13.788
15 21 Spain Epsilon Euskadi Epsilon Euskadi ee1 LMP1 3:41.526 3:32.939 +14.426
16 31 Denmark Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder Evo LMP2 3:33.441 3:38.621 +14.928
17 20 Spain Epsilon Euskadi Epsilon Euskadi ee1 LMP1 3:39.158 3:34.281 +15.768
18 18 United Kingdom Rollcentre Racing Pescarolo 01-Judd LMP1 3:35.450 3:35.020 +16.507
19 32 France Barazi-Epsilon Zytek 07S/2 LMP2 3:35.344 3:44.555 +16.831
20 33 Switzerland Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/80-Judd LMP2 3:35.401  – +16.888
21 14 United Kingdom Creation Autosportif Creation CA07-AIM LMP1 3:35.994 3:39.638 +17.481
22 24 Japan Terramos Courage-Oreca LC70-Judd LMP1 3:37.560 3:40.318 +19.047
23 19 United Kingdom Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport Lola B06/10-AER LMP1 3:38.024 3:43.492 +19.511
24 45 United Kingdom Embassy Racing Embassy WF01 LMP2 3:39.926 3:49.019 +21.413
25 25 United Kingdom Ray Mallock Ltd. MG-Lola EX265 LMP2 3:44.188 3:40.027 +21.514
26 40 Portugal Quifel ASM Team Lola B05/40-AER LMP2 3:41.193 3:44.074 +22.680
27 4 France Saulnier Racing Pescarolo 01-Judd LMP1 3:46.666 3:42.162 +23.649
28 35 France Saulnier Racing Pescarolo 01-Judd LMP2 3:42.545 4:10.588 +24.032
29 41 Switzerland Trading Performance Zytek 07S/2 LMP2 3:46.773 3:43.148 +24.635
30 26 United Kingdom Team Bruichladdich Radical Radical SR9 LMP2 3:47.935 3:46.631 +28.118
31 63 United States Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1 3:49.406 3:47.668 +29.155
32 23 United States Autocon Motorsports Creation CA07-Judd LMP1 3:56.108 3:47.695 +29.182
33 50 France Larbre Compétition Saleen S7-R GT1 3:50.920 3:47.761 +29.248
34 44 Germany Kruse Schiller Motorsport Lola B05/40-Mazda MZR-R LMP2 3:47.802  – +29.289
35 64 United States Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1 3:50.766 3:48.539 +30.026
36 009 United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 3:52.266 3:48.994 +30.481
37 007 United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 3:52.527 3:49.060 +30.547
38 55 Russia IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT GT1 3:52.175 3:53.000 +33.662
39 72 France Luc Alphand Aventures Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1 3:53.990 3:52.993 +34.480
40 59 United Kingdom Team Modena Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 3:58.193 3:53.031 +34.518
41 22 Japan Tōkai University YGK Courage-Oreca LC70-YGK LMP1 3:53.143  – +34.630
42 53 Germany Vitaphone Racing Team Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 3:57.371 3:53.475 +34.962
43 73 France Luc Alphand Aventures Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1 3:55.736 3:58.025 +37.223
44 76 France IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR GT2 4:00.793 3:58.152 +39.639
45 77 Germany Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3-RSR GT2 4:02.517 3:59.072 +40.559
46 96 United Kingdom Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:01.293 3:59.820 +41.307
47 80 United States Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 997 GT3-RSR GT2 4:00.106 4:02.799 +41.593
48 90 Germany Farnbacher Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:05.098 4:01.464 +42.951
49 82 United States Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:01.598 4:02.412 +43.085
50 97 Italy BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:02.080 4:03.109 +43.577
51 99 Monaco JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:03.293 4:14.033 +44.780
52 85 Netherlands Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R-Audi GT2 4:05.096 4:03.641 +45.138
53 78 Italy AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:05.660 4:03.810 +45.297
54 83 United States Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 4:07.978 4:04.515 +46.002
55 94 Switzerland Speedy Racing Team Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R-Audi GT2 4:11.564 4:08.284 +49.771

Race[edit]

McNish in the winning No. 2 Audi R10 TDI
The No. 34 Porsche RS Spyder Evo of Van Merksteijn Motorsport took pole and first place in LMP2
The drivers of the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9 celebrating a first-place finish in GT1

The race began at 3:00 pm local time (GMT+2). The three Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs led the field into the first chicane, but Allan McNish overtook the #7 Peugeot of Nicolas Minassian at the exit of the Dunlop Chicane. Minassian retook the position on the Mulsanne Straight, and the Peugeots maintained the top three positions at the end of the first lap. The Peugeots were running consistently 3 seconds a lap faster than McNish, and over 5 seconds faster than the other 2 Audis.

In the early hours, the Peugeot #8, Pole setter and only car to set a fast race lap under 3:20, by black flag[24] had been ordered into the pits to repair the headlights. This car trailed the other Diesels by several laps. The GT2 class saw drama for the two Porsches which had been battling for the class lead, as #80 collided[25] with the Pole setting Porsche #76. Only #77 could continue after lengthy repairs.

The situation after 12 hours[26] was as follows: Peugeot #7 was leading, with the first five being within 2 laps, with Audi #2 in 2nd, followed by Peugeot #9, and the Audi #3 and #1. Due to the fast pace and close competition, and despite a 34-minute safety car period,[25] the leaders had completed 200 laps after 12 hours, a pace that might have topped the laps and distances covered in 1971 and 1988 despite the track now having chicanes. In the LMP2 class, the leader was 10th overall, the two Porsches being within a lap, leading the next car by nine laps. In GT1, the leader was 15th overall, the Aston Martins and Corvettes racing head to head less than a minute apart, with six cars being within six laps. In the GT2 class, the leading Ferrari was 26th overall, with no less than five Ferraris battling for the class win which was to be expected after the two class leading Porsches had collided, and five other GT2 cars were already out.

The second half of the race was under wet conditions. Lap times of the whole field went above the 4:00 mark, with GT1 cars actually as fast as the leading diesels. The Audis were able to cope with the rain much better than the Peugeots. Kristensen was able to reel in Minassian at 8 seconds per lap. In a desperate attempt to adapt the Peugeots to the wet conditions all 3 cars were fitted with high-downforce nose and tail sections. At 5am the #2 Audi grabbed the lead and McNish was able to build the advantage to a full lap. The rain stopped and the #7 started to reel in the #2. With less than 2 hours to go the rain returned. Minassian decided to stick with slicks and as a result spun in front of the Lizard Porsche just before the Dunlop Esses. In the end, Audi and Kristensen won once again, with the highest placing Peugeot being in the same lap, but not in reach for overtaking. The six factory-entered diesels dominated the LMP1 class, having no major problems. The Porsche RS Spyders dominated the LMP2 class, posting faster lap times than several LMP1 cars.

In the GT1 class, Aston Martin Racing edged Corvette Racing for the win, placed 13th overall, both covering 344 laps with three more GT1 entrants chasing them. It was AMR's second win against stiff competition from Corvette in as many years. Of the five Ferraris which had led the GT2 class, three made it to the finish ahead of the remaining Porsches which had been lapping slightly faster.

Of the 35 cars still running after 24 hours, only one failed to cover 70% of the 381 laps of the winner. Despite the conditions, the distance record on the current track layout, 380 laps, set in 2006, was beaten by one lap by both the #2 Audi and the #7 Peugeot.

Race results[edit]

Class winners are marked in bold. Cars finishing the race but not completing 70% of the winner's distance or cars not finishing the race at the end of 24 hours (marked as DNF; regardless of distance) are listed as NC (Not Classified).

Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Tyre Laps
Engine
1 LMP1 2 Germany Audi Sport North America United Kingdom Allan McNish
Italy Rinaldo Capello
Denmark Tom Kristensen
Audi R10 TDI M 381
Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
2 LMP1 7 France Team Peugeot Total France Nicolas Minassian
Spain Marc Gené
Canada Jacques Villeneuve
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP M 381
Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
3 LMP1 9 France Peugeot Sport Total France Franck Montagny
Brazil Ricardo Zonta
Austria Christian Klien
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP M 379
Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
4 LMP1 3 Germany Audi Sport Team Joest Germany Mike Rockenfeller
Germany Lucas Luhr
France Alexandre Prémat
Audi R10 TDI M 374
Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
5 LMP1 8 France Team Peugeot Total France Stéphane Sarrazin
Portugal Pedro Lamy
Austria Alexander Wurz
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP M 368
Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
6 LMP1 1 Germany Audi Sport North America Germany Frank Biela
Germany Marco Werner
Italy Emanuele Pirro
Audi R10 TDI M 367
Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
7 LMP1 17 France Pescarolo Sport France Christophe Tinseau
France Benoît Tréluyer
Switzerland Harold Primat
Pescarolo 01 M 362
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
8 LMP1 5 France Team Oreca-Matmut France Soheil Ayari
France Loïc Duval
France Laurent Groppi
Courage-Oreca LC70 M 357
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
9 LMP1 10 Czech Republic Charouz Racing System
United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing
Czech Republic Jan Charouz
Czech Republic Tomáš Enge
Germany Stefan Mücke
Lola B08/60 M 354
Aston Martin 6.0L V12
10 LMP2 34 Netherlands Van Merksteijn Motorsport Netherlands Peter van Merksteijn
Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen
Netherlands Jos Verstappen
Porsche RS Spyder Evo M 354
Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8
11 LMP1 18 United Kingdom Rollcentre Racing Portugal João Barbosa
France Stéphan Grégoire
Belgium Vanina Ickx
Pescarolo 01 D 352
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
12 LMP2 31 Denmark Team Essex Denmark Casper Elgaard
Denmark John Nielsen
Germany Sascha Maassen
Porsche RS Spyder Evo D 347
Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8
13 GT1 009 United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing Australia David Brabham
Spain Antonio García
United Kingdom Darren Turner
Aston Martin DBR9 M 344
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
14 GT1 63 United States Corvette Racing United States Johnny O'Connell
Denmark Jan Magnussen
Canada Ron Fellows
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R M 344
Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0 L V8
15 GT1 64 United States Corvette Racing United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
Monaco Olivier Beretta
Italy Max Papis
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R M 341
Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0 L V8
16 GT1 007 United Kingdom Aston Martin Racing Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Italy Andrea Piccini
Austria Karl Wendlinger
Aston Martin DBR9 M 339
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
17 GT1 72 France Luc Alphand Aventures France Luc Alphand
France Guillaume Moreau
France Jérôme Policand
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R M 335
Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0 L V8
18 LMP2 35 France Saulnier Racing France Pierre Ragues
France Matthieu Lahaye
China Cheng Congfu
Pescarolo 01 M 333
Judd DB 3.4 L V8
19 GT2 82 United States Risi Competizione Italy Gianmaria Bruni
Finland Mika Salo
Brazil Jaime Melo
Ferrari F430 GT2 M 326
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
20 LMP2 40 Portugal Quifel ASM Team Portugal Miguel Amaral
France Olivier Pla
United Kingdom Guy Smith
Lola B05/40 D 325
AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4
21 GT1 73 France Luc Alphand Aventures France Jean-Luc Blanchemain
France Laurent Pasquali
France Patrice Goueslard
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R M 325
Chevrolet LS7.R 7.0 L V8
22 GT2 97 Italy BMS Scuderia Italia Italy Matteo Malucelli
Italy Paolo Ruberti
Italy Fabio Babini
Ferrari F430 GT2 P 318
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
23 GT2 90 Germany Farnbacher Racing Germany Pierre Ehret
Germany Pierre Kaffer
Denmark Lars-Erik Nielsen
Ferrari F430 GT2 D 317
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
24 LMP1 14 United Kingdom Creation Autosportif United Kingdom Stuart Hall
United Kingdom Johnny Mowlem
Belgium Marc Goossens
Creation CA07 D 316
AIM (Judd) YS5.5 5.5 L V10
25 GT2 99 Monaco JMB Racing
United Kingdom Aucott Racing
United Kingdom Ben Aucott
France Alain Ferté
France Stéphane Daoudi
Ferrari F430 GT2 M 312
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
26 LMP1 4 France Saulnier Racing France Jacques Nicolet
Monaco Marc Faggionato
Monaco Richard Hein
Pescarolo 01 M 311
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
27 GT2 77 Germany Team Felbermayr-Proton Austria Horst Felbermayr
Australia Alex Davison
Germany Wolf Henzler
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR M 309
Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6
28 GT1 50 France Larbre Compétition France Christophe Bouchut
France David Smet
France Patrick Bornhauser
Saleen S7-R M 306
Ford 7.0 L V8
29 LMP2 32 France Barazi-Epsilon Netherlands Michael Vergers
Denmark Juan Barazi
United Kingdom Stuart Moseley
Zytek 07S/2 M 304
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
30 GT1 59 United Kingdom Team Modena United States Terry Borcheller
Brazil Christian Fittipaldi
Netherlands Jos Menten
Aston Martin DBR9 M 302
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
31 LMP2 26 United Kingdom Team Bruichladdich Radical France Marc Rostan
United States Gunnar Jeannette
United Kingdom Ben Devlin
Radical SR9 D 297
AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4
32 GT2 80 United States Flying Lizard Motorsports Germany Jörg Bergmeister
United States Johannes van Overbeek
United States Seth Neiman
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR M 289
Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6
33 LMP1 11 Japan Dome Racing Team Japan Tatsuya Kataoka
Japan Yuji Tachikawa
Japan Daisuke Itō
Dome S102 M 272
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
34
NC
GT1 55 Russia IPB Spartak Racing
Germany Reiter Engineering
Netherlands Peter Kox
Netherlands Mike Hezemans
Russia Roman Rusinov
Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT M 266
Lamborghini L535 6.0 L V12
35
NC
LMP1 24 Japan Terramos Japan Yojiro Terada
Japan Hiroki Katoh
Japan Kazuho Takahashi
Courage LC70 M 224
Mugen MF408S 4.0 L V8
36
DNF
GT2 96 United Kingdom Virgo Motorsport United Kingdom Rob Bell
United Kingdom Tim Mullen
United Kingdom Tim Sugden
Ferrari F430 GT2 D 289
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
37
DNF
LMP1 16 France Pescarolo Sport France Emmanuel Collard
France Jean-Christophe Boullion
France Romain Dumas
Pescarolo 01 M 238
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
38
DNF
LMP1 23 United States Autocon Motorsports
United Kingdom Creation Autosportif
United States Bryan Willman
United States Michael Lewis
United States Chris McMurry
Creation CA07 D 224
Judd GV5 5.0 L V10
39
DNF
LMP2 45 United Kingdom Embassy Racing United Kingdom Warren Hughes
United Kingdom Jonny Kane
United Kingdom Joey Foster
Embassy WF01 M 213
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
40
DNF
LMP2 33 Switzerland Speedy Racing Team
United Kingdom Sebah Automotive
Switzerland Steve Zacchia
Italy Andrea Belicchi
France Xavier Pompidou
Lola B08/80 M 194
Judd DB 3.4 L V8
41
DNF
LMP1 20 Spain Epsilon Euskadi Spain Ángel Burgueño
Spain Miguel Ángel de Castro
Spain Adrián Vallés
Epsilon Euskadi ee1 M 189
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
42
DNF
LMP1 22 Japan Tōkai University
Japan YGK Power
Japan Toshio Suzuki
Japan Haruki Kurosawa
Japan Masami Kageyama
Courage-Oreca LC70 Y 185
YGK YR40T 4.0 L Turbo V8
43
DNF
LMP1 21 Spain Epsilon Euskadi Japan Shinji Nakano
Sweden Stefan Johansson
France Jean-Marc Gounon
Epsilon Euskadi ee1 M 158
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
44
DNF
LMP1 6 France Team Oreca-Matmut Switzerland Marcel Fässler
France Olivier Panis
France Simon Pagenaud
Courage-Oreca LC70 M 147
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
45
DNF
LMP2 44 Germany Kruse Schiller Motorsport France Jean de Pourtales
Japan Hideki Noda
Denmark Allan Simonsen
Lola B05/40 D 147
Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4
46
DNF
LMP1 12 Czech Republic Charouz Racing System
United States Team Cytosport
United States Greg Pickett
Germany Klaus Graf
Netherlands Jan Lammers
Lola B07/17 M 146
Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
47
DNF
GT2 78 Italy AF Corse Italy Thomas Biagi
Finland Toni Vilander
San Marino Christian Montanari
Ferrari F430 GT2 M 111
Ferrari 4.0 L V8
48
DNF
LMP2 25 United Kingdom Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) United Kingdom Andy Wallace
United Kingdom Mike Newton
Brazil Thomas Erdos
MG-Lola EX265 M 100
MG (AER) XP21 2.0 L Turbo I4
49
DNF
LMP1 19 United Kingdom Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport United Kingdom Bob Berridge
United Kingdom Gareth Evans
United Kingdom Amanda Stretton
Lola B06/10 D 87
AER P32C 4.0 L Turbo V8
50
DNF
GT1 53 Germany Vitaphone Racing Team
United Kingdom Strakka Racing
United Kingdom Peter Hardman
United Kingdom Nick Leventis
Brazil Alexandre Negrão
Aston Martin DBR9 M 82
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
51
DNF
GT2 94 Switzerland Speedy Racing Team Switzerland Andrea Chiesa
Switzerland Iradj Alexander
Switzerland Benjamin Leuenberger
Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R M 72
Audi 4.0 L V8
52
DNF
GT2 85 Netherlands Snoras Spyker Squadron Germany Ralf Kelleners
Russia Alexey Vasilyev
United Kingdom Peter Dumbreck
Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R M 43
Audi 4.0 L V8
53
DNF
GT2 76 France IMSA Performance Matmut France Raymond Narac
United States Patrick Long
Austria Richard Lietz
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR M 26
Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6
54
DNF
LMP2 41 Switzerland Trading Performance Saudi Arabia Karim Ojjeh
France Claude-Yves Gosselin
United Kingdom Adam Sharpe
Zytek 07S/2 M 22
Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
55
DNF
GT2 83 United States Risi Competizione
United States Krohn Racing
United States Tracy Krohn
Sweden Niclas Jönsson
Belgium Eric van de Poele
Ferrari F430 GT2 M 12
Ferrari 4.0 L V8

Statistics[edit]

  • Fastest Lap – #8 Peugeot 908 HDI (Stéphane Sarrazin) – 3:19.394
  • Average Speed – #2 Audi R10 TDI – 216.3 km/h
  • Fastest Trap Speed – #8 Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP – 350 km/h*

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kristensen takes eighth Le Mans win". Reuters. 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  2. ^ "ACO confirms regulation changes for 2008". Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). 2007-12-20. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  3. ^ "ACO Technical Regulations 2008 for Prototype "LM"P1 and "LM"P2" (PDF). ACO. 2007-12-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  4. ^ "Audi R10 TDI on next generation Biofuel at Le Mans". Audi Motorsport. 30 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  5. ^ "24 Heures du Mans 2008 : la liste des sélectionnés d'office" (in French). Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). 16 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  6. ^ "Official invitations: 21 confirmations". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 18 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  7. ^ "24 Heures du Mans, a flood of entries! 88 for 55 places". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 31 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  8. ^ a b "Test Day – List of the Competitors and Cars Invited to the Administrative Checking & Scrutineering" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 19 February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  9. ^ "Entry List". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 29 May 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  10. ^ "24H Mans : La Ferrari du Tafel Racing forfait. La Pescarolo du Saulnier Racing invitée" (in French). Endurance-Info. 10 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  11. ^ "Lucchini Judd #30 Team Racing Box SRL – withdraw". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  12. ^ "It's officially confirmed, the second Epsilon Euskadi is in!!!!". Planet Le Mans. 10 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  13. ^ "Le Mans test day – Times at 9:30". Planet Le Mans. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  14. ^ "The curtain rises on test day 2008". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  15. ^ a b "Summary of test day". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  16. ^ a b c "Journée Test 18 Heures" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  17. ^ "Red flag after #99 Ferrari spins". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  18. ^ "Big accident for Peugeot 908 HDi FAP #7 : Red flag". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  19. ^ "Risi-Krohn car retired early from test day". Planet Le Mans. 1 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  20. ^ "Two drivers in hospital after separate heavy impacts". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  21. ^ "Le Mans test day – Times at 18:00 (final update)". Planet Le Mans. 1 June 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  22. ^ "Practice 1 – 24 Hours" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 11 June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  23. ^ "Practice 2 – 24 Hours" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 12 June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  24. ^ Untitled Document Archived June 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ a b Untitled Document Archived June 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ After 12 hours Official Le Mans Website Retrieved 2010-02-18[dead link]

External links[edit]