Sunday 16 June 1996 was a turning point in Wurz’s career. On that day, the Austrian rookie driver won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with teammates Davy Jones and Manuel Reuter in the Joest Porsche TWR. The victory at Le Mans paved the way to a career in Formula One, totalling 69 Grands Prix with Benetton and Williams and a long period as McLaren test driver. In 2008, Wurz returned to Le Mans with Peugeot and took fifth place with Pedro Lamy and Stéphane Sarrazin.

He remained loyal to Peugeot until 2011, claiming several victories along the way: a second Le Mans 24 Hours in 2009 with David Brabham and Marc Gené, the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2010 and Petit Le Mans in 2011, the year Toyota turned to Wurz to help make their comeback in endurance racing. Teamed with Nicolas Lapierre, Wurz clinched the first World Endurance Championship win for the Japanese manufacturer at the 6 Hours of São Paolo in 2012. Thanks to Kazuki Nakajima’s qualifying time, Wurz started the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours in pole position with the TS040 Hybrid and he and Stéphane Sarrazin led the race for fifteen hours, until they were forced to withdraw at 5am. In the course of his career, Wurz raced Le Mans nine times and won twice, finished in the top five three times, in sixth place once and retired three times.

Married with three children, the 41-year-old is a FIA road safety ambassador and chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

Jean-Philippe Doret /ACO – Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2009, PODIUM. Alexander Wurz (centre) celebrates his second victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Marc Gené (left) and David Brabham (right).