24h Le Mans
The competitor exploits, shocking twists and caliber of racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1932 and 2012 have all made it one of the most legendary races in history. As we await the 2022 running on 11-12 June, enjoy this retrospective from 1992.
20-21 June 1992 (60th running)
Distance covered by the winners: 352 laps or 4,787.200 kms (an average of 199.340 kph).
Yannick Dalmas was one of the Formula 1 drivers recruited by then Peugeot Sporting Director Jean Todt for the 905 prototype's rookie start in 1991. Thanks to that win, Todt took off in endurance racing with four victories in the 1990s, tieing Henri Pescarolo as the winningest French driver at Le Mans. For Derek Warwick (38 at the time), winning was the crowning achievement of a career essentially spent in F1, following his fourth and penultimate start in the 24 Hours. Mark Blundell had already made his mark at the race in 1990 when he clinched Nissan's first pole at Le Mans, the first ever for a Japanese manufacturer. In seven participations from 1989 to 2003, Blundell drove a factory Nissan, Peugeot and Bentley in addition to a career in single-seaters in F1 and in the U.S. Peugeot pulled off a hat trick in 1993 before Todt left to take the helm at Scuderia Ferrari in F1, a successful venture that led him to the presidency of the FIA for three terms, from 2009 to 2021. Peugeot won its third victory in 2009 and is currently preparing its return to the race, in Hypercar with the 9X8, planned for July at the 6 Hours of Monza, fourth round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship.
After a long distance duel with the winning Peugeot, Toyota claimed its best podium finish at the 24 Hours thanks to Kenny Acheson, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Masanori Sekiya (second) followed by the other Peugeot of Philippe Alliot/Mauro Baldi/Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Three additional Toyotas figured in the top 10 (fifth, eighth and ninth). Victorieuse the previous year and fourth in 1992, Mazda was the other Japanese marque to make it into the top 5. From second to 10th place, 11 other previous and future Le Mans winners figured in the top 10, in the order of overall classification: Masanori Sekiya, Mauro Baldi, Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot, Volker Weidler, Stefan Johansson, Henri Pescarolo, Manuel Reuter, John Nielsen, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace.
Two French constructors were at the top of their racing game in 1992. In addition to Peugeot's first win at the 24 Hours, Renault earned titles for the first time in Formula 1, namely the Manufacturers trophy for its partner Williams, and the Drivers trophy for the Brit Nigel Mansell. The latter took the start in the 24 Hours only once, in 2010, with his sons Greg and Leo as teammates.
The 76th Indianapolis 500 ended in a sprint in the 200th and final lap between winner Al Unser, Jr. and his underling Scott Goodyear, separated by only 0.043 at the finish line, the smallest gap in the history of the race between first and second place.
Freddie Mercury, the legend lives on – On 20 April at London's Wembley Stadium, an enormous concert in honour of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, who had passed away on 24 November 1991, included the group's three surviving members and stars such as George Michael, Roger Daltrey, David Bowie, Elton John, Guns’n’Roses, Metallica, Seal, Def Leppard and Robert Plant.
The U.N. and the environment, Act 3 – After Stockholm (Sweden) in 1972 and Nairobi (Kenya) in 1982, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) hosted the third 10-year United Nations Conference on the Environment, now known as the Earth Summit on 3-14 June.
Clint Eastwood wins first Oscar – Released on 7 August in the U.S., the western Unforgiven earned Clint Eastwood the Academy Awards for Best Film and Best Director the following year. He also starred in the movie in the lead role as a bounty hunter.
American basketball at the Olympics – Allowed for the first time to participate in the Olympic Games, NBA players won the gold medal in Barcelona on 8 August thanks in part to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO ARCHIVES): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 20-21 JUNE 1992. At top: the winning Peugeot 905 shows signs of rainfall at the 60th 24 Hours. Above: among the drivers to clinch Toyota's first podium in 1992 with this TS010 was Masanori Sekiya who three years later would become the first Japanese driver to win Le Mans (McLaren F1 GTR).
