The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over 17–18 June 2006. The winners of the race were Frank Biela, Marco Werner, and Emanuele Pirro, driving the Audi R10 TDI. For the first time in the history of the race, the winner was a diesel-powered car.
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Pre-race edit
Prior to this race the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area, while also turning the Dunlop Chicane into a larger set of turns. As part of the development, a new extended pit lane exit was created for motorcycles running the Bugatti Circuit. This second pit exit re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop Chicane and before the Dunlop Bridge.
Before the official test days, the FIA requested that the sportscars should also use this new pit lane, and mandated a 60 km/h speed limit for the entire 450m length, instead of using the normal pit exit in the Dunlop Curve as planned. This was originally used for the Le Mans test days, but due to complaints from the teams, the ACO decided to return to the old pit lane exit for the race.
Qualifying edit
In the LMP1 category, during Wednesday's wet-weather qualifying Pescarolo C60 took the top two spots. Then, a day later, during dry weather conditions the new Audi R10 TDIs overtook the Pescarolos to claim the top two positions.
In LMP2, the Ray Mallock Ltd. Lola ran two seconds quicker than the new Intersport Lola.
In LMGT1, the Aston Martin factory squad swept the front row, with the #64 Corvette right behind them.
In GT2, the French IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche took the quickest time; however, Luca Riccitelli took the car off at Nord du Karting at the end of the session, injuring his ankle and badly damaging the chassis of the car. In a unique move, the ACO went against its own rules and granted permission for the team to replace the chassis with a brand new car. The car was still forced to start at the back of the grid. The Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 thus started at the front for the GT2 class.
Qualifying times edit
Class leaders and the fastest lap time on each day are in bold.
| Pos | No. | Team | Car | Class | Day 1 | Day 2 | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 |  Audi Sport Team Joest
|
Audi R10 TDI | LMP1 | 4:17.189 | 3:30.466 | Leader |
| 2 | 8 | Audi Sport Team Joest
|
Audi R10 TDI | LMP1 | 4:17.676 | 3:30.584 | +0.118 |
| 3 | 16 |  Pescarolo Sport
|
Pescarolo C60 Hybrid-Judd | LMP1 | 4:13.832 | 3:32.584 | +2.118 |
| 4 | 17 | Pescarolo Sport
|
Pescarolo C60 Hybrid-Judd | LMP1 | 4:14.447 | 3:32.990 | +2.524 |
| 5 | 13 | Courage Compétition
|
Courage LC70-Mugen | LMP1 | 4:25.582 | 3:34.120 | +3.654 |
| 6 | 14 |  Racing for Holland
|
Dome S101Hb-Judd | LMP1 | 4:22.873 | 3:34.864 | +4.398 |
| 7 | 9 |  Creation Autosportif
|
Creation CA06/H-Judd | LMP1 | 4:22.021 | 3:36.459 | +5.993 |
| 8 | 2 | Zytek Engineering
|
Zytek 06S | LMP1 | 4:27.754 | 3:39.252 | +8.786 |
| 9 | 5 |  Swiss Spirit
|
Courage LC70-Judd | LMP1 | 4:23.727 | 3:40.182 | +9.716 |
| 10 | 19 | Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport
|
Lola B06/10-AER | LMP1 | 4:37.362 | 3:40.467 | +10.001 |
| 11 | 12 | Courage Compétition
|
Courage LC70-Mugen | LMP1 | 4:35.943 | 3:40.722 | +10.256 |
| 12 | 25 | Ray Mallock Ltd.
|
MG-Lola EX264-AER | LMP2 | 4:34.940 | 3:41.555 | +11.089 |
| 13 | 33 |  Intersport Racing
|
Lola B05/40-AER | LMP2 | 4:34.160 | 3:43.869 | +13.403 |
| 14 | 22 | Rollcentre Racing
|
Radical SR9-Judd | LMP2 | 4:43.803 | 3:44.324 | +13.858 |
| 15 | 39 | Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport
|
Lola B05/40-AER | LMP2 | 4:37.362 | 3:45.732 | +15.068 |
| 16 | 32 | Barazi-Epsilon
|
Courage C65-AER | LMP2 | 4:27.357 | 3:47.467 | +17.001 |
| 17 | 37 | Paul Belmondo Racing
|
Courage C65-Mecachrome | LMP2 | 4:45.086 | 3:48.846 | +18.380 |
| 18 | 27 | Miracle Motorsports
|
Courage C65-AER | LMP2 | 4:56.168 | 3:50.826 | +20.360 |
| 19 | 6 | Lister Storm Racing
|
Lister Storm LMP Hybrid-Chevrolet | LMP1 | 4:31.565 | 3:50.940 | +20.476 |
| 20 | 007 | Aston Martin Racing
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | GT1 | 4:31.179 | 3:52.015 | +21.559 |
| 21 | 009 | Aston Martin Racing
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | GT1 | 4:32.053 | 3:52.561 | +22.095 |
| 22 | 64 | Corvette Racing
|
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | GT1 | 4:51.557 | 3:53.100 | +22.534 |
| 23 | 20 | Pir Competition
|
Pilbeam MP93-Judd | LMP2 | 4:25.398 | 3:53.285 | +22.819 |
| 24 | 69 |  BMS Scuderia Italia
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | GT1 | 4:35.531 | 3:53.611 | +23.145 |
| 25 | 67 |  Convers MenX Team
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | GT1 | 4:33.561 | 3:53.781 | +23.315 |
| 26 | 63 | Corvette Racing
|
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | GT1 | 4:54.941 | 3:53.993 | +23.327 |
| 27 | 66 | ACEMCO Motorsports
|
Saleen S7-R | GT1 | 4:35.016 | 3:54.476 | +24.010 |
| 28 | 72 | Luc Alphand Aventures
|
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R | GT1 | 4:42.545 | 3:55.629 | +25.163 |
| 29 | 24 | Binnie Motorsports
|
Lola B05/42-Zytek | LMP2 | 4:51.872 | 3:56.123 | +25.657 |
| 30 | 35 |  G-Force Racing
|
Courage C65-Judd | LMP2 | 4:48.714 | 3:56.452 | +25.986 |
| 31 | 36 | Paul Belmondo Racing
|
Courage C65-Mecachrome | LMP2 | 4:50.408 | 3:56.460 | +25.994 |
| 32 | 62 | Team Modena
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | GT1 | 4:35.789 | 3:57.776 | +27.310 |
| 33 | 61 | Cirtek Motorsport
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | GT1 | 4:40.097 | 3:59.822 | +29.356 |
| 34 | 53 |  JLOC Isao Noritake
|
Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT | GT1 | 4:58.656 | 4:00.287 | +29.821 |
| 35 | 30 | Gerald Welter
|
WR LMP04-Peugeot | LMP2 | 5:15.480 | 4:00.775 | +30.309 |
| 36 | 50 | Larbre Compétition
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | GT1 | 4:47.924 | 4:01.920 | +31.454 |
| 37 | 76 | IMSA Performance Matmut
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:41.623 | 4:03.438 | +32.972 |
| 38 | 87 | Scuderia Ecosse
|
Ferrari F430 GT2 | GT2 | 4:52.423 | 4:04.596 | +34.130 |
| 39 | 83 | Seikel Motorsport
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:53.695 | 4:04.897 | +34.431 |
| 40 | 80 | Flying Lizard Motorsports
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:46.888 | 4:05.266 | +34.800 |
| 41 | 90 | Krohn Racing
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:39.912 | 4:05.700 | +35.234 |
| 42 | 85 | Spyker Squadron BV
|
Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R-Audi | GT2 | 4:48.691 | 4:06.299 | +35.833 |
| 43 | 77 |  Multimatic Team Panoz
|
Panoz Esperante GT-LM-Ford | GT2 | 4:55.638 | 4:06.642 | +36.176 |
| 44 | 86 | Spyker Squadron BV
|
Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R-Audi | GT2 | 4:45.916 | 4:07.939 | +37.473 |
| 45 | 89 | Sebah Automotive Ltd.
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:54.946 | 4:08.688 | +38.222 |
| 46 | 81 | Team LNT
|
Panoz Esperante GT-LM-Ford | GT2 | 4:50.424 | 4:12.043 | +41.577 |
| 47 | 93 | Team Taisan Advan
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 5:05.305 | 4:14.477 | +44.011 |
| 48 | 73 | Ice Pol Racing Team
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 4:57.096 | 4:16.246 | +45.780 |
| 49 | 91 | T2M Motorsport
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 5:06.716 | 4:17.342 | +46.876 |
| 50 | 98 | Noël del Bello Racing
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | GT2 | 5:07.105 | 4:23.547 | +53.081 |
Race edit
This race marked the first Le Mans win for a diesel engined sports car, the Audi R10 TDI, and the second time that a diesel-powered sports car won a major international motorsports event, following the Audi R10 TDI's win at the 2006 12 Hours of Sebring. BMW was however the first brand to successfully enter a diesel-powered racing car in an international event when they won the Nürburgring 24 Hours, already back in 1998, with their 320d.
This race also marked the first time since the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans that Porsche (or a Porsche-powered prototype) did not win at least one class. A Panoz Esperante was successful in upsetting the contingent of Porsches in the GT2 class.
Corvette Racing's 355 lap pace in their GT1 class win became the record for a homologated GT vehicle.
Race results edit
Class winners are marked in bold. Cars not completing 70% of the winner's distance are listed as Not Classified (NC).
| Pos | Class Pos. |
Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | LMP1 | 8 | Audi Sport Team Joest
|
Frank Biela Marco Werner Emanuele Pirro
|
Audi R10 TDI | M | 380 |
| Audi TDI 5.5L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | LMP1 | 17 | Pescarolo Sport
|
Sébastien Loeb Éric Hélary Franck Montagny
|
Pescarolo C60 Hybrid | M | 376 |
| Judd GV5 S2 5.0L V10 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | LMP1 | 7 | Audi Sport Team Joest
|
Rinaldo Capello Tom Kristensen Allan McNish
|
Audi R10 TDI | M | 367 |
| Audi TDI 5.5L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | ||||||||
| 4 | 1 | GT1 | 64 | Corvette Racing
|
Oliver Gavin Olivier Beretta Jan Magnussen
|
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | M | 355 |
| Chevrolet LS7R 7.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 5 | 4 | LMP1 | 16 | Pescarolo Sport
|
Emmanuel Collard Érik Comas Nicolas Minassian
|
Pescarolo C60 Hybrid | M | 352 |
| Judd GV5 S2 5.0L V10 | ||||||||
| 6 | 2 | GT1 | 007 | Aston Martin Racing
|
 Tomáš Enge Darren Turner Andrea Piccini
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | M | 350 |
| Aston Martin 6.0L V12 | ||||||||
| 7 | 3 | GT1 | 72 | Luc Alphand Aventures
|
Luc Alphand Patrice Goueslard Jérôme Policand
|
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R | M | 346 |
| Chevrolet LS7R 7.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 8 | 1 | LMP2 | 25 | Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML)
|
Mike Newton Thomas Erdos Andy Wallace
|
MG-Lola EX264 | M | 343 |
| AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 9 | 4 | GT1 | 62 | Russian Age Racing Team Modena
|
 Antonio García David Brabham Nelson Piquet Jr.
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | M | 343 |
| Aston Martin 6.0L V12 | ||||||||
| 10 | 5 | GT1 | 009 | Aston Martin Racing
|
 Pedro Lamy Stéphane Sarrazin Stéphane Ortelli
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | M | 342 |
| Aston Martin 6.0L V12 | ||||||||
| 11 | 6 | GT1 | 66 | ACEMCO Motorsports
|
Johnny Mowlem Terry Borcheller Christian Fittipaldi
|
Saleen S7-R | M | 337 |
| Ford 7.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 12 | 7 | GT1 | 63 | Corvette Racing
|
Ron Fellows Johnny O'Connell Max Papis
|
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R | M | 327 |
| Chevrolet LS7R 7.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 13 | 2 | LMP2 | 24 | Binnie Motorsports
|
William Binnie Yojiro Terada Allen Timpany
|
Lola B05/42 | M | 326 |
| Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 14 | 3 | LMP2 | 27 | Miracle Motorsports
|
Andy Lally John Macaluso Ian James
|
Courage C65 | K | 324 |
| AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 15 | 1 | GT2 | 81 | Team LNT
|
Lawrence Tomlinson Tom Kimber-Smith Richard Dean
|
Panoz Esperante GT-LM | P | 321 |
| Ford (Élan) 5.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 16 | 2 | GT2 | 83 | Seikel Motorsport Farnbacher Racing
|
Lars-Erik Nielsen Pierre Ehret Dominik Farnbacher
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Y | 320 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 17 | 3 | GT2 | 87 | Scuderia Ecosse
|
Andrew Kirkaldy Chris Niarchos Tim Mullen
|
Ferrari F430 GT2 | M | 311 |
| Ferrari F136 4.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 18 | 4 | GT2 | 80 | Flying Lizard Motorsports
|
Johannes van Overbeek Patrick Long Seth Neiman
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | M | 309 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 19 | 4 | LMP2 | 33 | Intersport Racing
|
Clint Field Liz Halliday Duncan Dayton
|
Lola B05/40 | G | 297 |
| AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 20 | 5 | LMP2 | 22 | Rollcentre Racing
|
Martin Short João Barbosa Stuart Moseley
|
Radical SR9 | D | 294 |
| Judd XV675 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 21 | 6 | LMP2 | 32 | Barazi-Epsilon
|
Juan Barazi Michael Vergers Neil Cunningham
|
Courage C65 | M | 294 |
| AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 22 | 5 | GT2 | 93 | Team Taisan Advan
|
Kazuyuki Nishizawa Shinichi Yamaji Philip Collin
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RS | Y | 291 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 23 | 6 | GT2 | 73 | Gordon Racing Team Ice Pol Racing Team
|
Yves-Emmanuel Lambert Christian Lefort Romain Iannetta
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | D | 282 |
| Porsche 3.8L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 24 | 5 | LMP1 | 2 | Zytek Engineering Team Essex Invest
|
John Nielsen Casper Elgaard Philip Andersen
|
Zytek 06S | M | 269 |
| Zytek ZB408 4.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 25 | 6 | LMP1 | 19 | Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport
|
Bob Berridge Gareth Evans Peter Owen
|
Lola B06/10 | D | 267 |
| AER P32T 3.6L Turbo V8 | ||||||||
| 26 NC |
7 | LMP2 | 20 | Pir Competition
|
Marc Rostan Simon Pullan Chris MacAllister
|
Pilbeam MP93 | M | 244 |
| Judd XV675 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 27 NC [1] |
8 | GT1 | 53 | JLOC Isao Noritake
|
Marco Apicella Koji Yamanishi Yasutaka Hinoi
|
Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT | P | 283 |
| Lamborghini L535 6.0L V12 | ||||||||
| 28 DNF |
7 | GT2 | 89 | Sebah Automotive Ltd.
|
Christian Ried Xavier Pompidou Thorkild Thyrring
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | D | 256 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 29 DNF |
7 | LMP1 | 9 | Creation Autosportif Ltd.
|
Felipe Ortiz Giuseppe Gabbiani Jamie Campbell-Walter
|
Creation CA06/H | M | 240 |
| Judd GV5 S2 5.0L V10 | ||||||||
| 30 DNF |
9 | GT1 | 50 | Larbre Compétition
|
Patrick Bornhauser Jean-Luc Blanchemain Gabriele Gardel
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | M | 222 |
| Ferrari F133 5.9L V12 | ||||||||
| 31 DNF |
8 | GT2 | 76 | IMSA Performance Matmut
|
Raymond Narac Luca Riccitelli Romain Dumas
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | M | 211 |
| Porsche 3.8L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 32 DNF |
9 | GT2 | 86 | Spyker Squadron b.v.
|
Jeroen Bleekemolen Mike Hezemans Jonny Kane
|
Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R | M | 202 |
| Audi 3.8L V8 | ||||||||
| 33 DNF |
10 | GT1 | 67 | Convers MenX Team
|
Alexey Vasilyev Robert Pergl Peter Kox
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | M | 196 |
| Ferrari F133 5.9L V12 | ||||||||
| 34 DNF |
10 | GT2 | 91 | T2M Motorsport
|
Yutaka Yamagishi Jean-René de Fournoux Miro Konopka
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RS | D | 196 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 35 DNF |
8 | LMP2 | 39 | Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport ASM Team Racing for Portugal
|
Miguel Amaral Warren Hughes Miguel Ángel de Castro
|
Lola B05/40 | D | 196 |
| AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 36 DNF |
8 | LMP1 | 6 | Lister Storm Racing
|
Gavin Pickering Nicolas Kiesa Jens Møller
|
Lister Storm LMP Hybrid | D | 192 |
| Chevrolet LS1 6.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 37 DNF |
9 | LMP1 | 14 | Racing for Holland
|
Jan Lammers Alex Yoong Stefan Johansson
|
Dome S101Hb | D | 182 |
| Judd GV5 5.0L V10 | ||||||||
| 38 DNF |
10 | LMP1 | 12 | Courage Compétition
|
Sam Hancock Alexander Frei Gregor Fisken
|
Courage LC70 | Y | 171 |
| Mugen MF458S 4.5L V8 | ||||||||
| 39 DNF |
11 | GT2 | 90 | White Lightning Racing Krohn Racing
|
Jörg Bergmeister Niclas Jönsson Tracy Krohn
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | M | 148 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 40 DNF |
9 | LMP2 | 30 | Gerard Welter
|
Patrice Roussel Frédéric Hauchard Julien Briché
|
WR LMP04 | P | 134 |
| Peugeot 2.0L Turbo I4 | ||||||||
| 41 DNF |
11 | LMP1 | 5 | Swiss Spirit
|
Harold Primat Marcel Fässler Philipp Peter
|
Courage LC70 | M | 132 |
| Judd GV5 S2 5.0L V10 | ||||||||
| 42 DNF |
11 | GT1 | 61 | Russian Age Racing Cirtek Motorsport
|
Tim Sugden Nigel Smith Christian Vann
|
Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello | M | 124 |
| Ferrari F133 5.9L V12 | ||||||||
| 43 DNF |
12 | GT2 | 98 | Noël del Bello Racing
|
Adam Sharpe Patrick Bourdais Tom Cloet
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RSR | M | 115 |
| Porsche 3.6L Flat-6 | ||||||||
| 44 DNF |
10 | LMP2 | 36 | Paul Belmondo Racing
|
Claude-Yves Gosselin Karim A. Ojjeh Pierre Ragues
|
Courage C65 | M | 84 |
| Ford (Mecachrome) 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 45 DNF |
11 | LMP2 | 37 | Paul Belmondo Racing
|
Jean-Bernard Bouvet Didier André Yann Clairay
|
Courage C65 | M | 48 |
| Ford (Mecachrome) 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 46 DNF |
12 | LMP2 | 35 | G-Force Racing
|
Franck Hahn Jean-François Leroch Ed Morris
|
Courage C65 | D | 47 |
| Judd XV675 3.4L V8 | ||||||||
| 47 DNF |
13 | GT2 | 85 | Spyker Squadron b.v.
|
Donny Crevels Peter Dumbreck Tom Coronel
|
Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R | M | 40 |
| Audi 3.8L V8 | ||||||||
| 48 DNF |
12 | LMP1 | 13 | Courage Compétition
|
Shinji Nakano Jean-Marc Gounon Haruki Kurosawa
|
Courage LC70 | Y | 35 |
| Mugen MF458S 4.5L V8 | ||||||||
| 49 DNF |
14 | GT2 | 77 | Multimatic Motorsport Team Panoz
|
Gunnar Jeannette Scott Maxwell Tommy Milner
|
Panoz Esperante GT-LM | P | 34 |
| Ford (Élan) 5.0L V8 | ||||||||
| 50 DNF |
12 | GT1 | 69 | BMS Scuderia Italia
|
Fabrizio Gollin Fabio Babini Christian Pescatori
|
Aston Martin DBR9 | P | 3 |
| Aston Martin 6.0L V12 |
Statistics edit
- Fastest Lap - #7 Audi Sport Team Joest - 3:31.211
- Distance - 5187.0 km
- Average Speed - 215.409 km/h
- Highest trap speed - #14 Racing for Holland - 331 km/h (warm-up), #9 Creation Autosportif - 332 km/h (qualifying)
References edit
- ^ The #53 JLOC Isao Noritake entry failed to complete the last lap of the race and thus was penalized to the end of the list of finishers.