On 18 June 2000, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. Twenty-five years later, this win by the R8 bearing the number 8 and driven by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro is considered the key moment that paved the way to establishing the Audi legend at Le Mans.

After a promising d&eacute;but in 1999 &ndash; resulting in a third place for the #8 R8R of Biela/Theys/Pirro and a fourth place for the #7 R8R of Alboreto/Capello/A&iuml;ello &ndash; Audi returned in 2000 with the new R8. The aim was clear: secure a maiden victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The goal was achieved superbly as the #8 shared by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro won the race, covering 368 laps, followed home by the #9 sister car, driven by Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and St&eacute;phane Ortelli, one lap behind. Incidentally, the second-placed line-up had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years earlier with the Porsche 911 GT1. Car #7 of Christian Abt, Michele Alboreto and Rinaldo Capello, three laps in arrears, rounded out the podium. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m absolutely overwhelmed. You cannot have a better car for victory than that,&rdquo; said a delighted Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Audi&rsquo;s Head of Sport, at the finish.

<h2>Carte blanche</h2>

Audi dominated the race from flag to flag without laying down any team orders, giving the drivers carte blanche to battle for position on equal terms. The winners naturally appreciated the strategy. &ldquo;Dr Ullrich believed in all his drivers,&rdquo; recalled Emanuele Pirro, &ldquo;and had faith in us that we would behave professionally despite fighting for the lead with the other Audis. Nevertheless, at the end of the race, there were no hard fights [...] because we all knew that we needed to bring the cars home to the finish safely.&rdquo;

Guided by the firm&rsquo;s slogan &ldquo;Vorsprung durch Technik&rdquo; (Progress Through Technology), Audi gave plenty of evidence of the R8&rsquo;s performance and reliability. This prototype, powered by a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, was unusual in that the rear module (gearbox and undercarriage) could be fully swapped out relatively quickly. Thanks to this design, the service crew were able to change the rear sections of the #7 and #9 in just eight minutes during the race, without compromising their competitiveness. A strategic innovation in a race as challenging as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This victory was the first of 13 that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/how-audi-stepped-up-to-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-challenge-56711" target="_blank">Audi notched up at Le Mans between 2000 and 2014</a>. A reign that had a profound impact on the history of endurance and the French endurance classic.

Enjoy a look back at the #8 Audi R8&rsquo;s 2000 Le Mans win in the photo gallery below.

Twenty-five years since Audi’s remarkable Le Mans-winning streak began with the R8

Manthey Racing won the LMGT3 class for the second year in a row as the Manthey 1st Phorm #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 followed up on the Manthey EMA #91 car’s 2024 success. Austrian Richard Lietz was driver on both occasions – this time sharing the wheel with Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera.

The #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 entered by Manthey 1st Phorm won the LMGT3 class &ndash; the second consecutive win for the German team. Placed in the capable hands of American Ryan Hardwick, Italian Riccardo Pera and Austrian Richard Lietz, the #92 Porsche crossed the finish line 33 seconds ahead of the #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 of Vista AF Corse.

Qualifying in fifth position on the LMGT3 grid, the crew enjoyed a solid start to the race in a highly competitive field. The three drivers applied pressure right from the off and gradually moved through the pack,&nbsp;taking the class lead after 10 hours of the race. A long face-off then ensued with the Vista AF Corse #21 Ferrari until the early hours of the morning. The #92 Porsche managed to open up a decisive gap at dawn before taking the chequered flag after 24 hours of intense racing.

&ldquo;I still can&#39;t believe our class win! This is definitely one of the best experiences of my entire life,&rdquo; said a thrilled Ryan Hardwick. &ldquo;My family, close friends and business partners were here with me. Only the best teams win at Le Mans. Manthey and Porsche gave us the best possible support. I&rsquo;m surely the only person in the world to have won both the world jet-ski championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours&hellip; I think I&rsquo;ll keep that record for some time!&rdquo;

<h2>Lietz makes history</h2>

This win was Richard Lietz&rsquo;s sixth in the GT classes at Le Mans &ndash; all with Porsche. The ever-loyal Lietz has been behind the wheel of the German brand&rsquo;s machines for almost two decades and joins the ultra-select club of drivers with the most victories in the history of the GT classes at the French endurance classic.

&ldquo;To win as many times, first you need to be very old!&rdquo; the 41-year-old Austrian joked. &ldquo;Le Mans has often been kind to me since 2007. Manthey offered me a new opportunity at a time when I was thinking of retiring. Here we are, two years later and two more wins&hellip; We have a fast car that is perfectly balanced to look after the tyres. It was a true, old-style endurance race and I love that.&rdquo;

Although he had already appeared twice on the Le Mans podium, this was the first time Riccardo Pera made it to the top step. At the finish, the emotional Italian hailed the all-round performance of the crew and the team. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve already a WEC win to my name but here at Le Mans, I&rsquo;d never been in first place,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After a P2 and a P3, I told my teammates that we could do better this year. And we did! The car was so fast and the team was perfect. I&rsquo;m speechless!&rdquo;

With this latest LMGT3 triumph, Porsche increased its total number of class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to 112 and reinforced its status as the most successful make in the history of the race.

Our photo gallery below captures the highlights of the successful week enjoyed by the Manthey 1st Phorm #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

LMGT3: Manthey 1st Phorm and Richard Lietz hit the heights

At the 2025 24 Hours, McLaren officially announced its Hypercar destined for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027. The British constructor has hidden a series of numbers on the car's bodywork, and here's a breakdown.

<h2>At the Front: Remembering&nbsp;a Collective Exploit</h2>

134513

This curious&nbsp;number combination sums up one of McLaren&#39;s greatest endurance racing feats. It is the finishing positions of the five&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-centenary-mclaren-an-f1-takes-on-le-mans-57424" target="_blank">McLaren F1 GTRs</a>&nbsp;at the 1995&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans&nbsp;: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th&nbsp;and&nbsp;13th. For the marque&#39;s&nbsp;first official participation, the&nbsp;performance was astounding.

<h2>On the Left Flank: A Nod to 1995 and Modern Era Endurance Racing</h2>

1995/95

The year of McLaren&#39;s win at the&nbsp;24 Hours.

F1 GTR

The iconic model that won&nbsp;Le Mans.

L.D.S

The&nbsp;initials of the winning&nbsp;trio: J.J Lehto, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-centenary-the-incomparable-yannick-dalmas-57020" target="_blank">Yannick Dalmas</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/masanori-sekiya-the-first-japanese-winner-of-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-58259" target="_blank">Masanori Sekiya</a>.

681024

A lesser known figure, but just as symbolic, this is the number of minutes in a full season of the WEC, a subtle way of suggesting&nbsp;McLaren is geared up&nbsp;to face every minute of competition.

<h2>On the Right Flank: Between Sporting Legacy and the Future in Hypercar</h2>

01.R

The chassis&nbsp;number of the McLaren F1 GTR winner in 1995.

59

The racing number of the same car, now a 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans legend.

748495

A combination of&nbsp;three key dates in the history of McLaren:

<ul>
	<li>74: 1st victory at the Indianapolis 500 (with&nbsp;Johnny Rutherford)</li>
	<li>84: 1st win at the Grand Prix of&nbsp;Monaco (with&nbsp;Alain Prost);&nbsp;McLaren holds the&nbsp;record at 16</li>
	<li>95: the year of McLaren&#39;s triumph at the 24 Hours</li>
</ul>

2027

The year of McLaren&#39;s official entry in Hypercar in the&nbsp;WEC.

Every code tells a part of McLaren&#39;s story. The carmaker clearly intends to begin a new chapter in its endurance racing legacy while in no way&nbsp;forgetting its history.

<h2>What We Know About McLaren&#39;s Hypercar</h2>

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2025-24-hours-of-le-mans-mclaren-introduces-the-world-to-its-hypercar-59772" target="_blank">The presentation of the car</a>&nbsp;revealed more about the&nbsp;programme launching in&nbsp;2027. The cars will be entered in partnership with United Autosports, a top contender in LMP2 since&nbsp;2017. The Hypercar will be equipped with&nbsp;a twin-turbo V6 engine designed by&nbsp;McLaren and&nbsp;McLaren Automotive.&nbsp;Finally, the chassis will be developed and constructed&nbsp;by Dallara. The Italian manufacturer also designed the chassis for the Cadillac V-Series R, Porsche 963&nbsp;and BMW M Hybrid V8.

The car is on display at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lemans-musee24h.com/en" target="_blank">24 Hours Museum</a>&nbsp;through Sunday 29 June.

Unlocking the mystery of McLaren's Hypercar

The 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans produced an exciting battle in the LMP2 category that concluded in another success for Polish outfit Inter Europol Competition. Two years after a historic victory at the Centenary race, the team returns to winning ways thanks to the #43 Oreca 07-Gibson, shared by Jakub Śmiechowski, Tom Dillmann et Nick Yelloly, that eventually saw off the challenge from VDS Panis Racing in the #48 Oreca, and Pro/Am victors AO by TF in the #199 Oreca.

With just 30 minutes left on the clock, it was anyone&rsquo;s guess which one of two cars &ndash; the #43 or the #48 &ndash; would emerge on top of the LMP2 standings.&nbsp; VDS Panis Racing (#48 Oreca), well positioned to go on and seal victory, saw its hopes shattered by a broken suspension &ndash; a &ldquo;15-euro&rdquo;&nbsp; part, according to Olivier Panis&rsquo;s team &ndash; in the final minutes. Inter Europol Competition, despite being penalised for breaking the pitlane speed limit, edged out the French team by&nbsp;1 minute and 55 seconds&nbsp;at the chequered flag.

Polish driver Jakub Śmiechowski, the mainstay of the Inter Europol Competition project, was sympathetic to their rivals&rsquo; predicament. &ldquo;Obviously, it&#39;s a great feeling,&rdquo; he said after the race. &ldquo;Tom and Nick did a great job today and yesterday; without them, we couldn&#39;t win, and without the whole team support, we wouldn&#39;t be able to win either. 
I know a little bit the VDS views, because last year we also had a technical issue that potentially prevented us from winning last year as well, and we finished second.&nbsp; So, it&#39;s always a difficult feeling. It&#39;s not nice, but like it&#39;s the case in many of the 24-hour races, you don&#39;t always win when you deserve it [...].&nbsp; I think we both deserved to win today as we were fighting really hard until the end of the race [...]. Obviously, I&#39;m happy it&#39;s us, but I feel really bad for them, because it&#39;s not the way to lose a race like this.&rdquo;

Tom Dillmann had previously raced in Hypercar with Floyd Vanwall Racing Team but this maiden Le Mans win justified his decision to switch to LMP2. &ldquo;It was a really intense race with Panis,&rdquo; the Frenchman enthused. &quot;We were within 10 seconds for the last six hours, pushing every lap.&nbsp; We won Sebring this year already. I was really happy to win a legendary race like that, but Le Mans is another level. So just amazing. After competing in Hypercar, I decided to switch to LMP2. The opportunity arose with Inter Europol Competition and I love beng part of this team.&rdquo;

Nick Yelloly, on the other hand, talked about the error that almost cost his team victory. &ldquo;I knew I&#39;d made the mistake,&rdquo; he admitted. &ldquo;I locked the rears going into the pit lane, just trying to make a little bit more time, so we were safer with our fuel numbers. Then, we got pinged for speed in the pitlane. Obviously, I was pretty annoyed at myself. I won&#39;t repeat what I said in the helmet, but it was quite angry. I thought those two mistakes were going to cost us the race. Then, unfortunately for them [VDS Panis Racing], they had some suspension issue or something. I&#39;m looking forward very much to coming back again.&rdquo;

<h2>AO by TF wins Pro/Am</h2>

The third LMP2 prototype to cross the finish line, the #199 Oreca 07-Gibson entered by AO by TF, won the Pro/Am title with PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Del&eacute;traz. A fine performance by the Anglo-American outfit that underlined its consistency and commitment in endurance in the face of increasingly fierce competition. Like last year, the team&rsquo;s &ldquo;Spike the Dragon&rdquo; livery was a big hit with the crowd. Some fans are already dreaming of seeing Spike line up in 2026 along with the Porsche Rexy in LMGT3!

One thing is certain: the LMP2 class has once again lived up to all its promise. Suspense, strategy, emotion and a winner that has taken another step towards 24 Hours of Le Mans legend. Inter Europol Competition has shown that the 2023 victory was no fluke, but indeed the result of sustained hard work and performance.

Enjoy a look back at the #43 Oreca 07-Gibson&rsquo;s appearance at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans in the photo gallery below.

Inter Europol Competition wins the LMP2 class after a nail-biting tussle

&nbsp;
<div class="donneesIPTC">
	
		<img alt="" src="/wpphpFichiers/1/1/ressources/Image/actualites/intercontinental-le-mans-cup_2010/atlanta/1_preview/NCA_10ILMC_ATL_alms-2009-atl-eg-1035__Eric GILBERT.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 433px;" />
	
		Photo : Eric GILBERT - ACO/Nikon
</div>

	Since the first race in 1998, the 1,000 miles or 10 hours of Atlanta has become one of the great classics of the world endurance racing. Georgia for this week runs on French time and the Marseillaise rings out before the start of the race. Referring to its big brother, the race is best known as the Petit Le Mans.

	The circuits themselves have little in common, however they are both among tracks favoured by drivers. The circuit in La Sarthe is flat with long straights, but the American counterpart is hilly, and leaves little respite for drivers. There are few gravel traps to slow the course of errant cars and the rails are very close to the track on this famously fast circuit

	In becoming the second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, this race that is dear to Don Panoz enters a new dimension. A race within the race for the participating constructors and teams.

	Cecile Bonardel - Translated by Dave Davies

24H LE MANS

Le Mans in the USA

Related News

Twenty-five years since Audi’s remarkable Le Mans-winning streak began with the R8

LMGT3: Manthey 1st Phorm and Richard Lietz hit the heights

Unlocking the mystery of McLaren's Hypercar

Inter Europol Competition wins the LMP2 class after a nail-biting tussle

Major Partner

PREMIUM partners

OFFICIAL partners