[LM24] Tom Kristensen - the greatest Le Mans racer ever

[Kicking-back]

9 starts, 7 wins.

A wonderful achievement - and he's still got many years of driving ahead.

We're in the presence of a true superstar.

[JAG]

Hope he doesn't spin on the last corner

[luke]

I just hope no one who has not seen the race yet has been spolied.

Anyway well done to Tom, he's set a record that none will probably beat.

[gttouring]

well TK yes, but Lehtoand werner were there today- the big commonhere
for kritensen is the R8 and the R8 derived bentley LMGTP.
He is one of the golden boys of LeMans -Racing the Golden chariots
well done indeed Tom, he never wrecked and drove fast and steady
7 times

[Silk Cut Jaguar]

I don't want to take anything away from Tom but it is a bit like Schumacher winning in a Ferrari back in 2004 really, isn't it?

You need steady hands and a calm head to win the Le Mans and they don't come in a better form than Tom Kristensen, the man is going to go on and get 10 wins, without a doubt.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by Silk Cut Jaguar

I don't want to take anything away from Tom but it is a bit like Schumacher winning in a Ferrari back in 2004 really, isn't it?

You need steady hands and a calm head to win the Le Mans and they don't come in a better form than Tom Kristensen, the man is going to go on and get 10 wins, without a doubt.

Except that TK has always competed against equally strong team mates.

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by JAG

Except that TK has always competed against equally strong team mates.

But Jacky Ickx was racing against a dozen other identical cars - not 2. And in an era when 2 car drivers were the norm.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by JAG

Except that TK has always competed against equally strong team mates.

And TK has never cheated, demanded his teammates move over and hand him a victory, tried to ram anybody off the track, or tried to get almost all the other teams disqualified from one race (Monaco, in TGF's case) either in person or through surrogates.

TK has won fair and square by exercising his undeniable talent and working WITH his teammates. He is an example not only to all racers but to all gentlemen.

[ClearHooter]

Issue never in doubt. Congrats TK and Team. They couldn't have done it without each other.

[the_royksopp]

This is SO huge!

It was extremely emotional for me and all the other danish friends, especially when he spoke in danish on the podium, thanking the danish fans for the support over the years, saying that he couldn't find words, so he would try with a simple 'thank you'.

The danish commentators were absolutely extatic, comparing this to the danish victory in the european championship in soccer in '92, which is genuinely regarded as the most impressive danish sports achievement ever.

I live approx. 30 km's from Hobro, where Tom K is born, and this is great! . Sorry, but it is just legendary - and i know i probably sound extremely silly .

[brielga]

Originally Posted by the_royksopp

This is SO huge!

It was extremely emotional for me and all the other danish friends, especially when he spoke in danish on the podium, thanking the danish fans for the support over the years, saying that he couldn't find words, so he would try with a simple 'thank you'.

The danish commentators were absolutely extatic, comparing this to the danish victory in the european championship in soccer in '92, which is genuinely regarded as the most impressive danish sports achievement ever.

I live approx. 30 km's from Hobro, where Tom K is born, and this is great! . Sorry, but it is just legendary - and i know i probably sound extremely silly .

Not silly at all, it was great and I although I could only understand the "Takk" when he was on the podium his emotions said it all. I think he deserves all the attention and comments he's getting. He simply wrote history

[cybersdorf]

Without getting into the statistics debate which IMHO is silly, I'd just like to say that if someone had told me ten years ago Kristensen would be the all-time "winningest" driver at Le Mans, I wouldn't have believed it. I would have gone for one of the locals, such as Bouchut (he seemed to be on his way there) or Helary; or Lehto; or even Eddie Irvine.
Still, there he is, and I'd say it is justly deserved. While it is true that he has been in the best car for the last few years, even the best car needs to be driven. So, well done Tom K.

Originally Posted by the_royksopp

The danish commentators were absolutely extatic, comparing this to the danish victory in the european championship in soccer in '92, which is genuinely regarded as the most impressive danish sports achievement ever.

If there is any chance of a little audio file finding its way into the internet, I for one would like to hear that.

[Tom V]

Originally Posted by cybersdorf

Without getting into the statistics debate which IMHO is silly, I'd just like to say that if someone had told me ten years ago Kristensen would be the all-time "winningest" driver at Le Mans, I wouldn't have believed it. I would have gone for one of the locals, such as Bouchut (he seemed to be on his way there) or Helary; or Lehto; or even Eddie Irvine.
Still, there he is, and I'd say it is justly deserved. While it is true that he has been in the best car for the last few years, even the best car needs to be driven. So, well done Tom K.

Actually I always thought Yannick Dalmas would do it. He also collected a number of wins very rapidly.

[Fab]

Originally Posted by Tom V

Actually I always thought Yannick Dalmas would do it. He also collected a number of wins very rapidly.

Very consistent and reliable pilot, but not as fast as Tom K, IMHO...

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by cybersdorf

Without getting into the statistics debate which IMHO is silly, I'd just like to say that if someone had told me ten years ago Kristensen would be the all-time "winningest" driver at Le Mans, I wouldn't have believed it.

Absolutely spot on Cy. Lets face it, none of us ever thought JIs record would be beaten, although many (including me) thought Dalmas might get close. The guy is a great driver and has had the fortune to always be in the right place at the right time with terrific teammates. Its a stellar achievement and whether he is better than Jackie is toatlly irrelevant. (Just like the comments about whether Schumacher is better than Senna...... I know the answer, of course...... )

[chezza]

No you don't royksopp!

It is a fantastic achievement, to win 7 times in le mans and to have done 6 of those in a row is amazing.

Well Done to Tom K and the Audi team!

[SALEEN S7R]

Congratulations to Tom Kristensen and Champion, both have got what they deserve. Tom Kristensen is IMO quite simply the best sportscar driver to ever grace the planet, great to see Champion winning too, first US team to win for 38 years.

[SALEEN S7R]

Yes but Ensign there might have only been 2 drivers back in Ickx's day, but back then the cars werent anything like as physical to drive as they are now. Also I think in some of the races Ickx raced in he did have 2 team mates, not 1, not in all his races however.

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

Yes but Ensign there might have only been 2 drivers back in Ickx's day, but back then the cars werent anything like as physical to drive as they are now. Also I think in some of the races Ickx raced in he did have 2 team mates, not 1, not in all his races however.

But it immediately increased his chances of winning by a proportion - 3 in 50 rather than 2 in 50. Ickx had 2 team-mates in the last 3, from memory.

Rustyfan - the race finished HOURS ago.

[Jeffrey-Lee]

Originally Posted by SALEEN S7R

but back then the cars werent anything like as physical to drive as they are now

You really thinks so? no power steering back in those days, no airco....etc.

Great achievement by Tom, awesome score but he won't get the top spot in my list in the end.

[Dunlop Corner]

The win in the Joest car against the works Porsche was a brialliant start to ones Le Mans career.
Then he was with BMW, and in '99 lost a win with the biggest lead Tom has ever had at Le Mans.
Then he was with the works Audi, but they had great drivers in all the cars (well, perhaps not the black car from '02).
Then with Bentley. Bentley wanted the brits to win, so instead of making an all british car, David Brabham suddenly was british, which left Tom and Dindo with Guy Smith (and yes, Guy was the slowest of the Bentley boys). But especially Dindo drove a great race, and there was never doubt which Bentley was the fastest. The best car, but his teammate had a very, very strong driver lineup!
Then with Team Goh, the slowest Audi team. They lost a couple of laps right at the start, and had to play catchup the entire race. They got a break when McNish and Lehto crashed, but it was through great driving from Tom the team stayed close to the other Veleqx, even with punctures and misfires. Then when they got the lead, the Veleqx kept closing fast and Dindo made a couple of mistakes. That is until Tom took 5 stints Sunday noon, to stabilise the gap around one lap. Then Seiji had a fine gap and was able to control Herbert during the final hours for the win.
This was Toms finest Le Mans. Won against a superior car, and especially Tom made a big difference, which is very hard to do these days, since the R8 is soo easy to drive. If Ickx was faster than the guy in the car he competed againts, he could make up alot of time. That is impossible to do today, not because every driver is equally talented, but because every top driver can drive on the limit.
This means that it is much harder to gain some time, which makes it harder for the best guy to win = winning alot of times!


To understand how Tom makes a difference, you have to watch the laptimes during the races. It was not sheer bad luck that made McNish tire fail: it was a result of a flatout battle between Tom and Alan (both guys ran 3:40s which was very rare for the R8 this race), where Alan's tire failed 6kms before it was about to be changed.
Then again the battle with the Pescarolo. Lehto and Werner lost 5 seconds a lap, which was the gap Pesca had to make up. Then Tom got in the car and was about 3 seconds a lap faster than his co-drivers. Even though he was up against Boullion, who was the fastest Pesca driver, Tom kept a good gap which forced Pesca to take alot of changes, which lead to the overheating.


I don't know alot about Ickx career, so i can not say who is the greatest. But Tom has won more races in a time where it is harder for a driver to make a difference, yet Tom constantly does soo.
Both guys had the best cars their day could offer (Tom has the R8 and Jacky had whatever car Porsche would run) but they were both up against high quality opposition.

I am just soo happy, that a guy from my country has beaten a record which was said to be untouchable the first time i watched Le Mans! And he did it in only 9 tries.

[djb]

Originally Posted by Dunlop Corner

To understand how Tom makes a difference, you have to watch the laptimes during the races. It was not sheer bad luck that made McNish tire fail: it was a result of a flatout battle between Tom and Alan (both guys ran 3:40s which was very rare for the R8 this race), where Alan's tire failed 6kms before it was about to be changed.
Then again the battle with the Pescarolo. Lehto and Werner lost 5 seconds a lap, which was the gap Pesca had to make up. Then Tom got in the car and was about 3 seconds a lap faster than his co-drivers. Even though he was up against Boullion, who was the fastest Pesca driver, Tom kept a good gap which forced Pesca to take alot of changes, which lead to the overheating.

this are good observations, today I was talking with some co-workers about his record # of wins and why (they aren't motorsport fans really) and found it hard to readily explain to them why he has been so successful.

for me, the theory of his talents being well rounded is probably the one closest to the mark. All aspects of driving talent mixed with perhaps savy for wrangling into a team with drivers that you can work well with and gel driving-styles wise must play a part. yes, there's luck (especially when dealing with a teammates mistakes etc) but I see the greats having the combination of driving talent AND latent instincts/people talents to choose what team environment to be in and probably also influence a number of factors within the team--ultimatley creating the better conditions for "luck"--the McNish example a good one (keeping him at a equal fast pace, and being perhaps just a smidge easier on the tires, McNish's tire goes, time is lost--created luck ultimately, aiding and abetting a situation that could result in something, which it did.)

this thread is interesting as it has made me think more about the complexities of Lemans racing and how things have a dominoe effect etc etc.

[Jeffrey-Lee]

Just judging by those few facts (wins/races) is a very limited scope to make a judgement from imo. The extra facts and circumstances are what make pointing out a best driver very personal/biased indeed.

[Dunzer]

How Tom Kristensen never made it into F1 is beyond me

[Martin Haven]

Can we at least venture that he's the greatest Danish Le Mans driver of all time???

Called Tom.... just in case Super John fans dive in...

and a bloody good bloke, to boot!