• World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Magazine

SouLSteer

- SouLSteer Magazine

HomeGeneralMcLaren F1 GTR’s Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years

McLaren F1 GTR’s Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years

June 13, 2015, 12:45 am | The Superman
  • Tweet
  • Print
Heartbeat

McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (2)

Happened in 17 to 18 June 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans completes 20 years today which marks the win of McLaren F1 GTR. The 63rd edition of Grand Prix of Endurance racing was topped by McLaren F1 GTR after completing 298 laps in Michelin tires.

The architect of the McLaren F1 road car, veteran motorsport designer Gordon Murray, created the company’s first production vehicle with an unscientific parameter at the back of his mind: would you want to drive it to the South of France?

It may have been the ultimate road weapon – indeed, more than 20 years after its launch, it’s still the fastest normally aspirated road car in history – but the F1 was never intended to become a racing car. In fact, it was the car’s well-heeled customers who willed the company into creating a race-ready version.

McLaren invited them to attend a 24-hour test at Magny-Cours, in late May: “The car hardly missed a beat and I thought the owners would be happy,” explained Jeff Hazel, who worked on the project at McLaren. “But they were glum indeed. They said, ‘We thought we were going to Le Mans to have a thrash and be back at our hotel in time for dinner. Now we are going to have to buy more spares, take more people, and take it a lot more seriously!’”

As well as the customer teams, Lanzante Motorsport was tasked with running a ‘works’ cars for a Japanese sponsor, with two-time winner Yannick Dalmas, Japanese veteran Masanori Sekiya, and ex-F1 driver JJ Lehto behind the wheel.

“We just plodded away,” explained Lanzante. “What I wanted to do was bring the car home in one piece. We weren’t racing. Our strategy was to push, but not like crazy. We were very careful with the gearbox; at every stop we added oil. We saved the car.”

The race started overcast but dry, then the elements closed in and rain started to fall – heavily. An overnight fog, with even heavier rain – with accompanying spray – made conditions particularly dire. Soon enough, however, a McLaren F1 GTR moved into the lead – a position one of the cars would hold to the flag.

During the darkness, Lehto – the most inexperienced sportscar driver of the three – really began to excel. “He was astonishing,” admitted Hazell. “We asked him to slow down. He said, ‘I have already. I’m having fun.’ He was spinning wheels on the straight shifting gears and was sideways rally-style in the chicanes. I didn’t think we needed to go that fast to win – but it was clear that this car would be a strong contender.”

Lanzante concurred: “JJ was a bit above all the other drivers. There was one moment that blew my mind. I could see on the TV monitor that he was hanging the rear-end out in the wet. I radioed to tell him to take it easy. He was still drifting the car when he replied: ‘I said not to worry. It will be okay.’ I will never forget that. Having him was definitely in our favour.”

With the finish looming larger in everyone’s sights, the Lanzante squad shifted its focus from defence to attack. Dalmas explained: “We pushed a little more – but again with a certain philosophy: all the time we protected the car. But we also knew that if we had a clear lap or clear conditions that we could overtake: when we have the possibility, we push more. To win? That was difficult to say. But we worked hard and believed more and more during the race that success will come.”

At the finish, the Dalmas-Sekiya-Lehto car led home a McLaren 1-3-4-5 – a remarkable result for a Le Mans debutant, and with a car that wasn’t purpose-built for racing.

McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (1) McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (3) McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (4) McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (5) McLaren F1 GTR's Le Mans 1995 win completes 20 years (6)

  • Tweet
  • Print

Boxtag:24 Hours of Le Mans Coupe Endurance racing france Grand tourer McLaren Automotive McLaren F1 McLaren F1 GTR Rear mid-engine Sports car racing Supercar YouTube

« Previous PostTop five most expensive watches sold online in India
Next Post »2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: 3 Porsche 919 Hybrids will start from first

Your Point of View Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related Articles

  • McLaren does road trip to Le Mans to celebrate F1 GTR’s 1995 victoryMcLaren does road trip to Le Mans to celebrate F1 GTR’s 1995 victory
  • 2015 McLaren P1 GTR packs 1000PS power coming at Geneva Motor Show2015 McLaren P1 GTR packs 1000PS power coming at Geneva Motor Show
  • 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed: McLaren P1 Ultimate Series launched2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed: McLaren P1 Ultimate Series launched
  • 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Aston Martin Racing qualifies on pole in GT classes2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Aston Martin Racing qualifies on pole in GT classes
  • 84 people dead: Horrific 1955 Le Mans disaster completes 60 years today84 people dead: Horrific 1955 Le Mans disaster completes 60 years today
  • 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: 3 Porsche 919 Hybrids will start from first2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: 3 Porsche 919 Hybrids will start from first
  • 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche 919 Hybrid on top 2, 4 hours left to race to finish2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche 919 Hybrid on top 2, 4 hours left to race to finish
  • Porsche 919 Hybrid and 911 RSR takes warm-up lap at Circuit de la SarthePorsche 919 Hybrid and 911 RSR takes warm-up lap at Circuit de la Sarthe
  • 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche Teams takes top two spots2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche Teams takes top two spots
  • BMW Z4 GTLM pays tribute to 1975 BMW 3.0 CSLBMW Z4 GTLM pays tribute to 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL
Sovrn

Widgets In Tabs

    Tags

    12th Auto Expo 2014 2014 Auto Expo 2015 2015 Nepal earthquake ads Advertisement Advertising Afzal Kahn Alloy wheel Artist Audi Audi India Automotive industry Auto racing Bharatiya Janata Party Black Blue BMW BMW India Bollywood business Cartoon Chevrolet Clothing Compact car Compact executive car Concept Car Coupe Creative work Crossover Daimler AG Delhi Delhi Motor Show Earth Earthquake Eberhard Kern election England facebook Fashion ferrari Ford Motor Company Formula One Four-wheel drive Front-engine Front-engine design Full-size car Geneva Motor Show Germany Government of India Government of Madhya Pradesh Grand tourer Green gwalior Gwalior Municipal Corporation Gwalior News Hatchback Humour Hypercar Illustration Illustrator india Interview Italy Japan Kahn Design Lamborghini Land Rover Land Rover Tuning love Luxury Luxury vehicle Madhya Pradesh mayor Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz India Mercedes AMG Mid-engine design Mid-size car motorcycle Mumbai nagar nigam Narendra Modi Narendra Singh Tomar Natural disaster Nepal New Delhi New york Noida P. Narahari Parikipandla Narahari Photography Pickup Truck Porsche prime minister Rear mid-engine Red Renault Rolls-Royce sameeksha gupta Sedan SouLSteer SouLSteer Magazine Special Edition Sports car Sport utility vehicle Supercar SUV Tuning United Kingdom United States United States of America USA Vintage car Visual arts Volkswagen Wallpaper White Yashodhara Raje Scindia
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Site Terms
    • Contribute
    • Careers
    • RSS
    © 2023 SoulSteer Inc • All rights reserved • Website Partner — Convertica • SoulSteerTM and SoulSteer.comTM and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of SoulSteer Inc. and are registered and / or used in India and countries around the world.