1979 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 47th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 9 and 10 June 1979.
Pre-race
Due to the construction of a new public road, the profile of Tetre Rouge had to be changed. This redesign led to a faster double-apex corner as well as requiring the removal of the second Dunlop Bridge.Race report
The Porsche 935 turbo, a highly modified variant of the Porsche 911 road car, dominated endurance racing in the late 1970s, being entered by many Porsche customer teams all over the world. The German-based Kremer team won the 24 Hours of Le Mans using a modified version of the 935 which was driven by Klaus Ludwig, Don Whittington and Bill Whittington. Actor Paul Newman, driving with Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour, finished second in Barbour's 935, while Kremer's second 935 driven by Laurent Ferrier, François Servanin and François Trisconi placed third.The unusual occupation of the top four spots by Group 5 and GT cars arose from a Sports Prototype field severely depleted of competitive entries and the failures of the two most capable entries in that class to finish. The remainder of the 2+ litre Sports Prototypes were powered by the slower and less reliable Cosworth DFV V-8s. The distance covered by the S +2.0 class winner, 3798.8 km, was the least covered by any winner of that class since 1953.
Jacky Ickx's efforts to win his fifth Le Mans came to nothing when he was disqualified for receiving outside assistance in repairing his stricken Porsche 936.
Official results
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Laps |
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Engine | Laps |
| 1 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 41 |  Porsche Kremer Racing | Klaus Ludwig Don Whittington Bill Whittington | Porsche 935 K3 | 307 |
| 1 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 41 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Klaus Ludwig Don Whittington Bill Whittington | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 307 |
| 2 | IMSA +2.5 | 70 | Dick Barbour Racing | Rolf Stommelen Paul Newman Dick Barbour | Porsche 935/77A | 299 |
| 2 | IMSA +2.5 | 70 | Dick Barbour Racing | Rolf Stommelen Paul Newman Dick Barbour | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 299 |
| 3 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 40 | Porsche Kremer Racing |  Laurent Ferrier François Servanin François Trisconi | Porsche 935/77A | 297 |
| 3 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 40 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Laurent Ferrier François Servanin François Trisconi | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 297 |
| 4 | GT +3.0 | 82 |  Lubrifilm Racing Team | Herbert Müller Angelo Pallavicini Marco Vanoli | Porsche 934 | 296 |
| 4 | GT +3.0 | 82 | Lubrifilm Racing Team | Herbert Müller Angelo Pallavicini Marco Vanoli | Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 296 |
| 5 | S +2.0 | 5 | VSD Canon Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti Bernard Darniche | Rondeau M379 | 292 |
| 5 | S +2.0 | 5 | VSD Canon Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti Bernard Darniche | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 292 |
| 6 | IMSA +2.5 | 76 | Hervé Poulain | Manfred Winkelhock Marcel Mignot Hervé Poulain | BMW M1 | 288 |
| 6 | IMSA +2.5 | 76 | Hervé Poulain | Manfred Winkelhock Marcel Mignot Hervé Poulain | BMW M88 3.5 L I6 | 288 |
| 7 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 42 | Sekurit Racing Autohaus Max Moritz GmbH | Edgar Dören Dieter Schornstein Götz von Tschirnhaus | Porsche 935/77A | 283 |
| 7 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 42 | Sekurit Racing Autohaus Max Moritz GmbH | Edgar Dören Dieter Schornstein Götz von Tschirnhaus | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 283 |
| 8 | IMSA +2.5 | 72 | Dick Barbour Racing | Edwin Abate Bob Garretson Skeeter McKitterick | Porsche 935/78 | 283 |
| 8 | IMSA +2.5 | 72 | Dick Barbour Racing | Edwin Abate Bob Garretson Skeeter McKitterick | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 283 |
| 9 | IMSA +2.5 | 73 | Wynn's International Dick Barbour Racing | Robert Kirby Bob Harmon John Hotchkis | Porsche 935/78 | 280 |
| 9 | IMSA +2.5 | 73 | Wynn's International Dick Barbour Racing | Robert Kirby Bob Harmon John Hotchkis | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 280 |
| 10 | S +2.0 | 4 | ITT Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Henri Pescarolo Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Rondeau M379 | 279 |
| 10 | S +2.0 | 4 | ITT Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Henri Pescarolo Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 279 |
| 11 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 43 | Claude Haldi | Claude Haldi Herbert Loewe Rodrigo Terran | Porsche 935 | 275 |
| 11 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 43 | Claude Haldi | Claude Haldi Herbert Loewe Rodrigo Terran | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 275 |
| 12 | IMSA +2.5 | 61 |  "Beurlys" |  Nick Faure Steve O'Rourke Bernard de Dryver Jean Blaton | Ferrari 512BB/LM | 274 |
| 12 | IMSA +2.5 | 61 | "Beurlys" | Nick Faure Steve O'Rourke Bernard de Dryver Jean Blaton | Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12 | 274 |
| 13 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 45 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Axel Plankenhorn Philippe Gurdjian "John Winter" | Porsche 935 K3 | 273 |
| 13 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 45 | Porsche Kremer Racing | Axel Plankenhorn Philippe Gurdjian "John Winter" | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 273 |
| 14 | GTP +3.0 | 52 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Jean-Daniel Raulet Marcel Mamers Serge Saulnier | WM P79 | 272 |
| 14 | GTP +3.0 | 52 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Jean-Daniel Raulet Marcel Mamers Serge Saulnier | Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo V6 | 272 |
| 15 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 39 | ASA Cachia | Jacques Guérin ""Chanaud" " Frédéric Alliot | Porsche 935 | 268 |
| 15 | Gr.5 +2.0 | 39 | ASA Cachia | Jacques Guérin ""Chanaud" " Frédéric Alliot | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 268 |
| 16 | GT +3.0 | 86 | Kores Racing | Georges Bourdillat Pascal Ennequin Alain-Michel Bernhard | Porsche 934 | 265 |
| 16 | GT +3.0 | 86 | Kores Racing | Georges Bourdillat Pascal Ennequin Alain-Michel Bernhard | Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 265 |
| 17 | S 2.0 | 29 | Mogil Motors Ltd. | Robin Smith Tony Charnell Richard Jones | Chevron B36 | 265 |
| 17 | S 2.0 | 29 | Mogil Motors Ltd. | Robin Smith Tony Charnell Richard Jones | Ford Cosworth BDG 2.0 L I4 | 265 |
| 18 | S 2.0 | 24 | Dorset Racing Associates | Brian Joscelyne Tony Birchenhough Richard Jenvey Nick Mason | Lola T297 | 260 |
| 18 | S 2.0 | 24 | Dorset Racing Associates | Brian Joscelyne Tony Birchenhough Richard Jenvey Nick Mason | Ford Cosworth BDX 2.0 L I4 | 260 |
| 19 | GT +3.0 | 84 | Anne-Charlotte Verney | Anne-Charlotte Verney Patrick Bardinon René Metge | Porsche 934 | 251 |
| 19 | GT +3.0 | 84 | Anne-Charlotte Verney | Anne-Charlotte Verney Patrick Bardinon René Metge | Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 251 |
| 20 | S +2.0 | 15 | Fisons Agricole - Simon Phillips | Martin Raymond Simon Phillips Ray Mallock | De Cadenet-Lola T380 | 250 |
| 20 | S +2.0 | 15 | Fisons Agricole - Simon Phillips | Martin Raymond Simon Phillips Ray Mallock | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 250 |
| 21 | S 2.0 | 20 | Lambretta S.A.F.D. | Pierre Yver Max Cohen-Olivar Michel Elkoubi | Lola T298 | 248 |
| 21 | S 2.0 | 20 | Lambretta S.A.F.D. | Pierre Yver Max Cohen-Olivar Michel Elkoubi | BMW M12 2.0 L I4 | 248 |
| 22 | S 2.0 | 28 | Racing Organisation Course | Bernard Verdier Albert Dufréne Noël del Bello | Chevron B36 | 239 |
| 22 | S 2.0 | 28 | Racing Organisation Course | Bernard Verdier Albert Dufréne Noël del Bello | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 239 |
| 23 NC | S 2.0 | 26 | Racing Organisation Course | Michel Dubois Pierre-François Rousselot Marc Menant | Chevron B36 | 133 |
| 23 NC | S 2.0 | 26 | Racing Organisation Course | Michel Dubois Pierre-François Rousselot Marc Menant | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 133 |
| 24 NC | S +2.0 | 10 | Grand Touring Cars Ltd. Ford Concessionaires France |  Vern Schuppan Jean-Pierre Jaussaud David Hobbs | Ford M10 | 121 |
| 24 NC | S +2.0 | 10 | Grand Touring Cars Ltd. Ford Concessionaires France | Vern Schuppan Jean-Pierre Jaussaud David Hobbs | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 121 |
| 25 NC | Gr.5 +2.0 | 35 |  Carlo Pietromarchi | Gianfranco Brancatelli Carlo Pietromarchi Maurizio Micangeli | De Tomaso Pantera | 108 |
| 25 NC | Gr.5 +2.0 | 35 | Carlo Pietromarchi | Gianfranco Brancatelli Carlo Pietromarchi Maurizio Micangeli | Ford 351 5.8L V8 | 108 |
| 26 DNF | S +2.0 | 11 | Grand Touring Cars Inc. Ford Concessionaires France | Derek Bell David Hobbs Vern Schuppan | Ford M10 | 262 |
| 26 DNF | S +2.0 | 11 | Grand Touring Cars Inc. Ford Concessionaires France | Derek Bell David Hobbs Vern Schuppan | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 262 |
| 27 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 62 | JMS Racing / Charles Pozzi | Jean-Claude Andruet Spartaco Dini | Ferrari 512BB/LM | 240 |
| 27 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 62 | JMS Racing / Charles Pozzi | Jean-Claude Andruet Spartaco Dini | Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12 | 240 |
| 28 DNF | S +2.0 | 14 | Essex Motorsport Porsche | Bob Wollek Hurley Haywood | Porsche 936 | 236 |
| 28 DNF | S +2.0 | 14 | Essex Motorsport Porsche | Bob Wollek Hurley Haywood | Porsche Type-935 2.1 L Turbo Flat-6 | 236 |
| 29 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 63 | JMS Racing / Charles Pozzi | Michel Leclère Claude Ballot-Léna Peter Gregg | Ferrari 512BB/LM | 219 |
| 29 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 63 | JMS Racing / Charles Pozzi | Michel Leclère Claude Ballot-Léna Peter Gregg | Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12 | 219 |
| 30 DNF | GTP 3.0 | 55 | Merlin Plage Jean Rondeau | Jean Rondeau Jacky Haran | Rondeau M379 | 207 |
| 30 DNF | GTP 3.0 | 55 | Merlin Plage Jean Rondeau | Jean Rondeau Jacky Haran | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 207 |
| 31 DNF | Gr.5 +2.5 | 36 | Gelo Racing Sportswear Intl. |  Manfred Schurti Hans Heyer | Porsche 935 | 201 |
| 31 DNF | Gr.5 +2.5 | 36 | Gelo Racing Sportswear Intl. | Manfred Schurti Hans Heyer | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 201 |
| 32 DNF | S +2.0 | 12 | Essex Motorsport Porsche | Jacky Ickx Brian Redman Jürgen Barth | Porsche 936 | 200 |
| 32 DNF | S +2.0 | 12 | Essex Motorsport Porsche | Jacky Ickx Brian Redman Jürgen Barth | Porsche Type-935 2.1 L Turbo Flat-6 | 200 |
| 33 DNF | Gr.5 +2.5 | 37 | Gelo Racing Sportswear Intl. | John Fitzpatrick Harald Grohs Jean-Louis Lafosse | Porsche 935 | 196 |
| 33 DNF | Gr.5 +2.5 | 37 | Gelo Racing Sportswear Intl. | John Fitzpatrick Harald Grohs Jean-Louis Lafosse | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 196 |
| 34 DNF | S 2.0 | 25 | Jean-Marie Lemerle | Alain Levié Jean-Pierre Malcher Jean-Marie Lemerle | Lola T298 | 189 |
| 34 DNF | S 2.0 | 25 | Jean-Marie Lemerle | Alain Levié Jean-Pierre Malcher Jean-Marie Lemerle | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 189 |
| 35 DNF | S 2.0 | 33 | Chevalley Racing Switzerland Racing Organisation Course | Marcel Tarres Alain Dechelette Charles Dechelette | Chevron B36 | 187 |
| 35 DNF | S 2.0 | 33 | Chevalley Racing Switzerland Racing Organisation Course | Marcel Tarres Alain Dechelette Charles Dechelette | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 187 |
| 36 DNF | S 2.0 | 31 | Kores Racing - France Chauffage | Michel Lateste Dominique Lacaud Christian Heinkélé | Lola T297 | 182 |
| 36 DNF | S 2.0 | 31 | Kores Racing - France Chauffage | Michel Lateste Dominique Lacaud Christian Heinkélé | BMW M12 2.0 L I4 | 182 |
| 37 DNF | GT +3.0 | 87 | Christian Bussi | Christian Bussi Bernard Salam | Porsche 934 | 182 |
| 37 DNF | GT +3.0 | 87 | Christian Bussi | Christian Bussi Bernard Salam | Porsche 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 182 |
| 38 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 51 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Roger Dorchy Denis Morin | WM P79 | 157 |
| 38 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 51 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Roger Dorchy Denis Morin | Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo V6 | 157 |
| 39 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 68 | Interscope Racing | Ted Field Milt Minter John Morton | Porsche 935 | 154 |
| 39 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 68 | Interscope Racing | Ted Field Milt Minter John Morton | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 154 |
| 40 DNF | S +2.0 | 3 | J.C. Racing Ltd. | John Cooper Peter Lovett John Morrison | De Cadenet-Lola T380 | 146 |
| 40 DNF | S +2.0 | 3 | J.C. Racing Ltd. | John Cooper Peter Lovett John Morrison | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 146 |
| 41 DNF | S 2.0 | 23 | Pronuptia | Bruno Sotty Gérard Cuynet Marc Frischknecht | Lola T296 | 134 |
| 41 DNF | S 2.0 | 23 | Pronuptia | Bruno Sotty Gérard Cuynet Marc Frischknecht | Ford Cosworth BDG 2.0 L I4 | 134 |
| 42 DNF | S 2.0 | 32 | BP Racing / Hubert Striebig | Alain Cudini Hubert Striebig Hughes Kirschoffer | Toj SC206 | 121 |
| 42 DNF | S 2.0 | 32 | BP Racing / Hubert Striebig | Alain Cudini Hubert Striebig Hughes Kirschoffer | BMW M12 2.0L I4 | 121 |
| 43 DNF | S 2.0 | 27 | Racing Organisation Course | Marc Sourd Florian Vetsch Robert Carmillet | Chevron B36 | 92 |
| 43 DNF | S 2.0 | 27 | Racing Organisation Course | Marc Sourd Florian Vetsch Robert Carmillet | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 92 |
| 44 DNF | S 2.0 | 17 | Cheetah Racing Cars | Sandro Plastina Philippe Roux Mario Luini | Cheetah G601 | 87 |
| 44 DNF | S 2.0 | 17 | Cheetah Racing Cars | Sandro Plastina Philippe Roux Mario Luini | BMW M12 2.0 L I4 | 87 |
| 45 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 53 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Michel Pignard Jacques Coulon Serge Saulnier | WM P79 | 87 |
| 45 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 53 | WM A.E.R.E.M. | Michel Pignard Jacques Coulon Serge Saulnier | Peugeot PRV 2.7 L Turbo V6 | 87 |
| 46 DNF | S 2.0 | 18 | Daniel Brillat Écurie Cedac Suisse | Daniel Brillat Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann | Cheetah G601 | 80 |
| 46 DNF | S 2.0 | 18 | Daniel Brillat Écurie Cedac Suisse | Daniel Brillat Jean-Pierre Aeschlimann | ROC-Chrysler 2.0 L I4 | 80 |
| 47 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 71 | Dick Barbour Racing | Bob Akin Roy Woods Rob McFarland | Porsche 935 | 78 |
| 47 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 71 | Dick Barbour Racing | Bob Akin Roy Woods Rob McFarland | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | 78 |
| 48 DNF | S 2.0 | 22 | Georges Morand | Eric Vuagnat Daniel Laurent Jacques Boillat | Lola T296 | 76 |
| 48 DNF | S 2.0 | 22 | Georges Morand | Eric Vuagnat Daniel Laurent Jacques Boillat | Ford Cosworth BDG 2.0 L I4 | 76 |
| 49 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 74 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Jean-Pierre Jarier Randy Townsend Raymond Touroul | Porsche 935 | 65 |
| 49 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 74 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | Jean-Pierre Jarier Randy Townsend Raymond Touroul | Porsche Type-935 2.9 L Turbo Flat-6 | 65 |
| 50 DNF | S +2.0 | 1 | Chevalley Racing Switzerland | Xavier Lapeyre André Chevalley Patrick Perrier | Lola T286 | 59 |
| 50 DNF | S +2.0 | 1 | Chevalley Racing Switzerland | Xavier Lapeyre André Chevalley Patrick Perrier | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 59 |
| 51 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 64 | North American Racing Team | Jean-Pierre Delaunay Cyril Grandet Preston Henn | Ferrari 512BB/LM | 54 |
| 51 DNF | IMSA +2.5 | 64 | North American Racing Team | Jean-Pierre Delaunay Cyril Grandet Preston Henn | Ferrari 4.9 L Flat-12 | 54 |
| 52 DNF | S +2.0 | 6 |  Dome Co. Ltd. | Chris Craft Gordon Spice Tony Trimmer | Dome Zero RL | 40 |
| 52 DNF | S +2.0 | 6 | Dome Co. Ltd. | Chris Craft Gordon Spice Tony Trimmer | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 40 |
| 53 DNF | S +2.0 | 7 | Dome Co. Ltd. | Bob Evans Tony Trimmer | Dome Zero RL | 25 |
| 53 DNF | S +2.0 | 7 | Dome Co. Ltd. | Bob Evans Tony Trimmer | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 25 |
| 54 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 50 | Robin Hamilton | Robin Hamilton Mike Salmon David Preece | Aston Martin DBS V8 | 21 |
| 54 DNF | GTP +3.0 | 50 | Robin Hamilton | Robin Hamilton Mike Salmon David Preece | Aston Martin 5.3 L Turbo V8 | 21 |
| 55 DNF | S +2.0 | 8 | Alain de Cadenet | François Migault Alain de Cadenet | De Cadenet-Lola T380 | 10 |
| 55 DNF | S +2.0 | 8 | Alain de Cadenet | François Migault Alain de Cadenet | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 L V8 | 10 |
Statistics
- Pole Position - #14 Essex Motorsport Porsche - 3:30.07
- Fastest Lap - #12 Essex Motorsport Porsche - 3:36.10
- Distance - 4173.930 km
- Average Speed - 173.913 km/h