- 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans Races
Previous = 1997
Current = 1998
Next = 1999The 199824 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place onJune 6 and 7,1998 .Race
1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement.
Porsche andMercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast GT-One racing cars, while BMW, in association withWilliamsF1 , launched the newBMW V12 LM . Nissan sent 4 of their new R390 GT1s. The United States was also represented properly with a two car team fromPanoz , with Ford powered Esperante GTR-1s.Porsche won the race as the faster cars from Mercedes, BMW and Toyota retired with mechanical difficulties and accident damage. The remaining Nissans and outdated McLarens were unable to match the pace of the upgraded 911 GT1s. Following this race, Porsche went into a sabbatical, rumored to be part of a plan to allow Porsche's partner
Audi to develop their own sportscar without competition from within the alliance.Official Results
tatistics
* Pole Position - #35 AMG-Mercedes - 3:35.544
* Fastest Lap - #28 Toyota Motorsport - 3:41.809
* Distance - 4773.18km
* Average Speed - 207km/h
* Highest Trap Speed - Toyota GT-One - 345 km/h (practice)
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