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24h Le Mans
04/11/2013
13:01
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The victorious Porsches at the Le Mans 24 Hours (6): the 962 LM
In 1994, the Porsche 962 LM was a lucky charm like no other and brought home to Stuttgart their thirteenth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The story begins in 1993 when the German tuner, Jochen Dauer at Frankfurt, successful in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986 and 1987, undertook a new development of the 962C. Called the Dauer 962 Le Mans, it immediately attracted the attention of Porsche, seeking victory at the Sarthe after the success of the Peugeot 905 and regulatory changes to prototypes in 1992. The reintroduction at Le Mans of the GT class from road cars from 1994 offered Porsche, Jochen Dauer and Reinhold Joest (who provided the technical support) the opportunity to run for 24 hours in this category with two copies of the 962! This technical subterfuge was not unlike that which had presided over the birth of the legendary Porsche 917 in 1969, 25 units were to be built for its approval in this category (maximum capacity: five litres), thereby circumventing the limitation of the engine displacement of prototypes to three litres.
In the race, the Dauer Porsche 962 LM handily fulfilled its mission by remaining at the forefront. Yannick Dalmas, Hurley Haywood and Mauro Baldi decisively taking command with two hours to go, thanks to the troubles of the Toyota of Jeff Krosnoff, Eddie Irvine and Pierluigi Martini. In the closing laps of the race, the Toyota was involved in a stunning duel with another 962 LM, that of Thierry Boutsen, Danny Sullivan and Hans-Joachim Stuck for second place, which the Toyota finally gained. Again, Porsche had been true to its reputation: the Stuttgart manufacturer had dared to come and had conquered, by once again demonstrating a mix of technical knowledge and opportunism, both in developing their car and in reading the technical regulations. And it was not over ...
For other stories on Porsche at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before their comeback in prototypes in 2014, please visit the official microsite Mission 2014 - Our Return.
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