24h Le Mans
The list of drivers present this year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - which takes place this weekend (June 23-26) - reads like a who's-who of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners with no less than 34 wins between the 14 drivers.
The three drivers whom each have five victories at Le Mans - Derek Bell, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro - will be present. Bell will be at the wheel of a 1972 Mirage driven at the time by James Hunt, Biela will get behind the wheel of a 1990 Audi DTM and Pirro will trade an Audi for a Porsche.
Of the three drivers with four wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only Yannick Dalmas, author of a stunning maneuver in the rain at the wheel of a safety car during the free practice at the 84th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans last week, is expected to drive the BMW V12 with which he won for the fourth time back in 1999.
Two other drivers, André Lotterer and Klaus Ludwig, winners with Audi and Porsche respectively, will also take part, and Alexander Wurz, Grand Marshal at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, will represent two-time winners of the race. He will participate in the Festival of Speed in the Lancia with which his father Franz Wurz, also in attendance, became the European World Rallycross Champion.
Also, seven drivers have won once at Le Mans. Richard Attwood helped bring Porsche 18 victories in 1970, and he will be joined by Vern Schuppan and Nico Hülkenberg. Martin Brundle is taking part in Jaguar colours, and Jochen Mass in those of Sauber Mercedes.
Fun fact: the three winners of the 2009 edition of the 24 Hours figure on the entry list. In addition to Alexander Wurz, already mentioned, it includes David Brabham and Marc Gené
Lastly, seven drivers participated in the 84th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend. Two in LM P1: Oliver Webb with Team ByKOLLES Racing and Mike Conway with the official Toyota team with whom he claimed the second step on the overall podium. Two in LM P2: Marc Goossens with Murphy Prototypes and Sir Chris Hoy with Algarve Pro Racing. The U.K. record-holder for most Olympic gold medals brought his Ligier JS P2 to the top, and Marino Franchitti did the same in a Ford GT, a model of which won the LM GTE Pro class last week. His teammate Andy Priaulx and Darren Turner, two-time winner at the 24 Hours, complete the list.
Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
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Photo: Offical Audi driver André Lotterer, three-time winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is participating in the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
