[LM24] Unusual Leaders at Le Mans

[isynge]

Part of the wait for for Le Mans each year generally, at some stage, involves starting to go through the collection of Le Mans related videos lurking on my server and reacquainting myself with how fantastic it's been through the years. Now that we're officially on summer time I can start this process in earnest (although I will confess to having started a couple of weeks ago – surely it's not really cheating).

Having tonight looked at 1984 and '85, it struck me that while we have had relatively few utterly surprising winners (1991 Mazda, 1995 McLaren being the only real ones that are springing to mind at the moment but I'm sure there are more) what are much more interesting are the entries that have led Le Mans but cause you to sit up and think “where on earth did that come from?” - for example the WM in 1984 and the EMKA Aston Martin in 1985.

So – how about a quick review of those Le Mans entries that ran at the front that took us genuinely by surprise? Any advance on the two instances I've offered here?

[ensign14]

The WM came straight to mind. The EMKA was a deliberate tactic, wasn't it? Different pit strategy to get to the front for a while?

[Le Vieux]

But surely the best bit is the way in which Roger Dorchy lost the lead for the WM at the end of the Mulsanne Staright. It still raises a smile after all these years!

[Graham Goodwin]

Pretty sure Klaus Graf led a lap in the Panoz LMP07 in 2001

[Samoan Attorney]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

Pretty sure Klaus Graf led a lap in the Panoz LMP07 in 2001

And according to my memory (and the Le Mans Yearbook) Brabs led for 8 laps the year before in the LMP01

[Graham Goodwin]

Think the RFH Dome led in 2001 too in the aftermath of the early multi-car shunt

[Splendid Cat]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

Think the RFH Dome led in 2001 too in the aftermath of the early multi-car shunt

What's unusual about that? Quick car, quick driver.

[Graham Goodwin]

It was unusual in that he only did it once for starters!

[dxk1]

How about Mr. Levegh finding himself in the lead in his Talbot against all those Mercedes Benz in 1952 before he missed a shift and blew the gearbox in the 22nd hour.

DK

[Splendid Cat]

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

It was unusual in that he only did it once for starters!

And what else?

On that basis I'll go for John Winter 1985. Only led Le Mans once and that was in his only stint in 85.

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Splendid Cat

And what else?

Try looking at what else other than an Audi has led the race since 2000 - It's a very short list - On that basis anything other than an Audi is 'unusual'

btw if you see this as some sort of crack at Jan's efforts you couldn't be more wrong.

[isynge]

It's easy to come up with the quantitative 'only happened once' instances. What I'm more interested in are the times where you ask yourself 'where on earth did that come from?'

For example if this year for whatever reason we saw the Creation lead a lap that would qualify as odd in the way that, for example, Simon Pagenaud hitting the front wouldn't be quite so newsworthy.

We could probably chuck the Mazda form'91 in on this basis - even though it was the critical last few laps they ended up leading

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by isynge

It's easy to come up with the quantitative 'only happened once' instances. What I'm more interested in are the times where you ask yourself 'where on earth did that come from?'

Well, the Rondeau winning then.

For example if this year for whatever reason we saw the Creation lead a lap that would qualify as odd in the way that, for example, Simon Pagenaud hitting the front wouldn't be quite so newsworthy.

We could probably chuck the Mazda form'91 in on this basis - even though it was the critical last few laps they ended up leading

Didn't an MG Lola lead 4 or 5 years ago for a lap on the first round of pitstops?