List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners

rdf:langString List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString Derek Bell holding a biro pen in both of his hands is smiling at the camera

rdf:langString Emanuele Pirro wearing a white shirt with the first two buttons undone is looking down to his left with his eyes

rdf:langString Frank Biela in a white shirt with the top button undone looking to the right

rdf:langString horizontal

rdf:langString British driver Derek Bell , German driver Frank Biela and Italian driver Emanuele Pirro have each achieved five victories

rdf:langString Derek Bell .jpg

rdf:langString Emanuele Pirro 2012 WEC Fuji 2.jpg

rdf:langString Frank Biela 2006 EMS.jpg

rdf:langString The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans) is an annual 24-hour automobile endurance race organised by the automotive group Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and held on the Circuit de la Sarthe race track close to the city of Le Mans, the capital of the French department of Sarthe. It was first held as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency in 1923, after the automotive journalist Charles Faroux to Georges Durand, the ACO general secretary, and the industrialist Emile Coquile, agreed to hold the race for car manufacturers to test vehicle durability, equipment and reliability. Each overall victor is presented with a trophy bearing the event's emblem and the logo of the ACO commissioned by the sporting director Jean-Pierre Moreau in 1993. All three-time consecutive winning manufacturers permanently keep the trophy. Since 1991, at the initiative of a man named Bernard Warain, a cast of the winning driver's feet, hands and signature are taken before the following year's race and put in a bronze car-wheel shaped plaque that is placed into the pavement in Le Mans' Saint Nicholas district. Tom Kristensen has won the event nine times, more than any other competitor. Jacky Ickx, the previous record holder, is second with six victories, and Derek Bell, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro are third with five wins each. Kristensen also achieved a record six victories in succession from the 2000 to the 2005 editions. Hurley Haywood had the longest wait between his first Le Mans win and his last. He first won in 1977 and last won in 1994, a span of 17 years and 5 days. Alexander Wurz waited the longest between his inaugural victory at the 1996 event and his second win—following 12 years, 11 months, 29 days later—at the 2009 edition. Luigi Chinetti is the oldest Le Mans winner; he was 47 years, 11 months and 9 days old when he won the 1949 event. Wurz is the event's youngest winner; he was 22 years, 4 months and 1 day old when he won the 1996 race. There have been a record 33 victors from the United Kingdom, followed by France with 29 and Germany with 19. A total of four countries have produced just one winner. Porsche have won the most races as a manufacturer with 19 since their first in 1970. Audi are second with 13 wins and Ferrari are third with 9 victories. Porsche also achieved the most consecutive wins with seven victories in succession from 1981 to 1987. German manufacturers have won a record 34 times amongst four constructors, followed by the United Kingdom with 17 victories amongst 6 manufacturers and France with 15 wins amongst 9 constructors. Joest Racing are the most successful race team with 13 victories and the Audi R8 is the best race-winning vehicle with five victories. As of the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans, there have been 140 victorious drivers from 20 individual countries and 25 winning manufacturers representing 7 different nations in the race's 90 editions. The first two winners were André Lagache and René Léonard in 1923, and the most recent driver to achieve his first victory was Ryō Hirakawa in 2022. Most years until 1985 saw two drivers per entry win before three participants per car became the norm from 1985 onwards. Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller set the record for the farthest distance covered by a race-winning team, driving 5,410.713 km (3,362.061 mi) and completing 397 laps in an Audi R15 TDI plus in 2010. Frank Clement and John Duff hold the record for the shortest distance covered by a victorious squad, completing 120 laps and 2,077.34 km (1,290.80 mi) sharing an Bentley 3 Litre Sport in 1924.