1988 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 56th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 11 and 12 June 1988. It was also the fifth round of the World Sports-Prototype Championship season.
Race
The Porsches were able to turn up to turbo boost in qualifying, thus were able to qualify in the top spots. Early in the race Jaguar proved to be faster and overtook all the Porsches by the 2nd lap.After four years of trying with previous evolutions, Jaguar took the XJR-9 to victory against Porsche's works 962C in 1988. Apart from a lone Jaguar in fourth, Porsches filled the rest of the top ten. The Sauber-Mercedes team withdrew prior to the event following concerns over blowouts from their Michelin tires. The race covered a distance of 5,332.97 km, the most distance covered in any of the Le Mans 24 hours races, except 1971 when the Martini Racing Team Porsche 917K covered 5,335.313 km in 397 laps. Those records would however be broken over 20 years later in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the #9 Audi R15 TDI plus of Joest Racing tied the record for the number of laps around the Le Mans circuit and, due to its changing course configurations, set an outright distance record of —roughly the distance between Miami and Seattle—over the 13.629-km course configuration.
This was the second-to-last 24-hour race without chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight, and Team WM Peugeot had prioritised breaking the speed record that year. The WM-P88 Peugeot driven by Frenchman Roger Dorchy managed to reach a top speed of at the end of the six kilometre long Mulsanne Straight having struggled with reliability for the entire event. Following the record setting run, the issues that had plagued the car all weekend finally ended their race.
The Jaguar team suffered from gearbox problems, Lammers holding the car in 4th gear to prevent the gearbox from damaging itself. The Bell, Stuck, Ludwig Porsche 962C came very close to winning, with Ludwig making a rare error by running out of fuel on the track and losing valuable time getting back to the pits. The win ended Porsche's 7-year reign at Le Mans.
Official results
Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance marked as Not Classified.| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Engine | Tyre | Laps |
| 1 | C1 | 2 |  Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing |  Jan Lammers Johnny Dumfries Andy Wallace | Jaguar XJR-9LM | 394 | |
| 1 | C1 | 2 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Jan Lammers Johnny Dumfries Andy Wallace | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | 394 | |
| 2 | C1 | 17 |  Porsche AG | Hans-Joachim Stuck Klaus Ludwig Derek Bell | Porsche 962C | 394 | |
| 2 | C1 | 17 | Porsche AG | Hans-Joachim Stuck Klaus Ludwig Derek Bell | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 394 | |
| 3 | C1 | 8 | Blaupunkt Joest Racing | Frank Jelinski Louis Krages Stanley Dickens | Porsche 962C | 385 | |
| 3 | C1 | 8 | Blaupunkt Joest Racing | Frank Jelinski Louis Krages Stanley Dickens | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 385 | |
| 4 | C1 | 22 |  Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing |  Derek Daly Kevin Cogan Larry Perkins | Jaguar XJR-9LM | 383 | |
| 4 | C1 | 22 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Derek Daly Kevin Cogan Larry Perkins | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | 383 | |
| 5 | C1 | 7 | Blaupunkt Joest Racing | David Hobbs Didier Theys Franz Konrad | Porsche 962C | 380 | |
| 5 | C1 | 7 | Blaupunkt Joest Racing | David Hobbs Didier Theys Franz Konrad | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 380 | |
| 6 | C1 | 19 | Porsche AG | Mario Andretti Michael Andretti John Andretti | Porsche 962C | 375 | |
| 6 | C1 | 19 | Porsche AG | Mario Andretti Michael Andretti John Andretti | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 375 | |
| 7 | C1 | 5 |  Repsol Brun Motorsport |  Jesús Pareja Massimo Sigala Uwe Schäfer | Porsche 962C | 372 | |
| 7 | C1 | 5 | Repsol Brun Motorsport | Jesús Pareja Massimo Sigala Uwe Schäfer | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 372 | |
| 8 | C1 | 11 | Leyton House Kremer Racing |  Kris Nissen Harald Grohs George Fouché | Porsche 962C | 371 | |
| 8 | C1 | 11 | Leyton House Kremer Racing | Kris Nissen Harald Grohs George Fouché | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 371 | |
| 9 | C1 | 10 | Kenwood Kremer Racing |  Kunimitsu Takahashi Hideki Okada Bruno Giacomelli | Porsche 962CK6 | 370 | |
| 9 | C1 | 10 | Kenwood Kremer Racing | Kunimitsu Takahashi Hideki Okada Bruno Giacomelli | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 370 | |
| 10 | C1 | 33 | Takefuji Schuppan Racing Team | Brian Redman Eje Elgh Jean-Pierre Jarier | Porsche 962C | 359 | |
| 10 | C1 | 33 | Takefuji Schuppan Racing Team | Brian Redman Eje Elgh Jean-Pierre Jarier | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 359 | |
| 11 | C1 | 72 | Primagaz Competition | Jürgen Lässig Pierre Yver Dudley Wood | Porsche 962C | 356 | |
| 11 | C1 | 72 | Primagaz Competition | Jürgen Lässig Pierre Yver Dudley Wood | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 356 | |
| 12 | C1 | 36 | Toyota Team Tom's | Geoff Lees Masanori Sekiya Kaoru Hoshino | Toyota 88C | 351 | |
| 12 | C1 | 36 | Toyota Team Tom's | Geoff Lees Masanori Sekiya Kaoru Hoshino | Toyota 3S-GT 2.1L Turbo I4 | 351 | |
| 13 | C2 | 111 | Spice Engineering | Ray Bellm Gordon Spice Pierre de Thoisy | Spice SE88C | 351 | |
| 13 | C2 | 111 | Spice Engineering | Ray Bellm Gordon Spice Pierre de Thoisy | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 351 | |
| 14 | C1 | 32 | Nissan Motorsports | Allan Grice Mike Wilds Win Percy | Nissan R88C | 344 | |
| 14 | C1 | 32 | Nissan Motorsports | Allan Grice Mike Wilds Win Percy | Nissan VRH30 3.0L Turbo V8 | 344 | |
| 15 | GTP | 203 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Yojiro Terada David Kennedy Pierre Dieudonné | Mazda 757 | 337 | |
| 15 | GTP | 203 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Yojiro Terada David Kennedy Pierre Dieudonné | Mazda 13G 2.0L 3-Rotor | 337 | |
| 16 | C1 | 21 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Danny Sullivan Davy Jones Price Cobb | Jaguar XJR-9LM | 331 | |
| 16 | C1 | 21 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Danny Sullivan Davy Jones Price Cobb | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | 331 | |
| 17 | GTP | 201 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Yoshimi Katayama David Leslie Marc Duez | Mazda 767 | 330 | |
| 17 | GTP | 201 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Yoshimi Katayama David Leslie Marc Duez | Mazda 13J 2.6L 4-Rotor | 330 | |
| 18 | C2 | 115 | ADA Engineering | Ian Harrower Jiro Yoneyama Hideo Fukuyama | ADA 03 | 318 | |
| 18 | C2 | 115 | ADA Engineering | Ian Harrower Jiro Yoneyama Hideo Fukuyama | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 318 | |
| 19 | GTP | 202 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Takashi Yorino Hervé Regout Will Hoy | Mazda 767 | 305 | |
| 19 | GTP | 202 | Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. | Takashi Yorino Hervé Regout Will Hoy | Mazda 13J 2.6L 4-Rotor | 305 | |
| 20 | C2 | 123 | Charles Ivey Racing Team Istel | Tim Harvey Chris Hodgetts John Sheldon | Tiga GC287 | 301 | |
| 20 | C2 | 123 | Charles Ivey Racing Team Istel | Tim Harvey Chris Hodgetts John Sheldon | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 301 | |
| 21 | C2 | 124 | MT Sport Racing | Jean Messaoudi Pierre-François Rousselot Jean-Luc Roy | Argo JM19C | 300 | |
| 21 | C2 | 124 | MT Sport Racing | Jean Messaoudi Pierre-François Rousselot Jean-Luc Roy | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 300 | |
| 22 | C2 | 177 | Automobiles Louis Descartes | Jacques Heuclin Louis Descartes Dominique Lacaud | ALD 04 | 294 | |
| 22 | C2 | 177 | Automobiles Louis Descartes | Jacques Heuclin Louis Descartes Dominique Lacaud | BMW M80 3.5L I6 | 294 | |
| 23 | C2 | 198 | Roy Baker Racing | Mike Allison David Andrews Steve Hynes | Tiga GC286 | 294 | |
| 23 | C2 | 198 | Roy Baker Racing | Mike Allison David Andrews Steve Hynes | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 294 | |
| 24 | C1 | 37 | Toyota Team Tom's | Paolo Barilla Hitoshi Ogawa Tiff Needell | Toyota 88C | 283 | |
| 24 | C1 | 37 | Toyota Team Tom's | Paolo Barilla Hitoshi Ogawa Tiff Needell | Toyota 3S-GT 2.1L Turbo I4 | 283 | |
| 25 | C1 | 117 |  Team Lucky Strike Schanche | Martin Schanche Robin Smith Robin Donovan | Argo JM19C | 278 | |
| 25 | C1 | 117 | Team Lucky Strike Schanche | Martin Schanche Robin Smith Robin Donovan | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 278 | |
| 26 NC | C2 | 113 | Primagaz Competition |  Max Cohen-Olivar Patrick de Radiguès | Cougar C12 | 273 | |
| 26 NC | C2 | 113 | Primagaz Competition | Max Cohen-Olivar Patrick de Radiguès | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 273 | |
| 27 NC | C2 | 151 | Pierre-Alain Lombardi | Pierre-Alain Lombardi Bruno Sotty | Rondeau M379 | 271 | |
| 27 NC | C2 | 151 | Pierre-Alain Lombardi | Pierre-Alain Lombardi Bruno Sotty | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.0L V8 | 271 | |
| 28 DNF | C1 | 1 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Martin Brundle John Nielsen | Jaguar XJR-9LM | 306 | |
| 28 DNF | C1 | 1 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | Martin Brundle John Nielsen | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | 306 | |
| 29 DNF | C1 | 23 | Nissan Motorsports | Kazuyoshi Hoshino Takao Wada Aguri Suzuki | Nissan R88C | 286 | |
| 29 DNF | C1 | 23 | Nissan Motorsports | Kazuyoshi Hoshino Takao Wada Aguri Suzuki | Nissan VRH30 3.0L Turbo V8 | 286 | |
| 30 DNF | C2 | 103 | Spice Engineering | Almo Coppelli Thorkild Thyrring Eliseo Salazar | Spice SE88C | 281 | |
| 30 DNF | C2 | 103 | Spice Engineering | Almo Coppelli Thorkild Thyrring Eliseo Salazar | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 281 | |
| 31 DNF | C2 | 131 | Graff Racing | Jean-Philippe Grand Jacques Terrien Maurice Guenoun | Spice SE86C | 263 | |
| 31 DNF | C2 | 131 | Graff Racing | Jean-Philippe Grand Jacques Terrien Maurice Guenoun | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 263 | |
| 32 DNF | C1 | 24 | Dollop Racing | Nicola Marozzo Jean-Pierre Frey Ranieri Randaccio | Lancia LC2 | 255 | |
| 32 DNF | C1 | 24 | Dollop Racing | Nicola Marozzo Jean-Pierre Frey Ranieri Randaccio | Ferrari 308C 3.0L Turbo V8 | 255 | |
| 33 DNF | C2 | 127 | Chamberlain Engineering | Nick Adams Martin Birrane Richard Jones | Spice SE86C | 223 | |
| 33 DNF | C2 | 127 | Chamberlain Engineering | Nick Adams Martin Birrane Richard Jones | Hart 418T 1.8L Turbo I4 | 223 | |
| 34 DNF | C1 | 18 | Porsche AG | Bob Wollek Sarel van der Merwe Vern Schuppan | Porsche 962C | 192 | |
| 34 DNF | C1 | 18 | Porsche AG | Bob Wollek Sarel van der Merwe Vern Schuppan | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 192 | |
| 35 DNF | C1 | 42 | Noël del Bello Racing | Bernard Santal Noël del Bello Bernard de Dryver | Sauber C8 | 157 | |
| 35 DNF | C1 | 42 | Noël del Bello Racing | Bernard Santal Noël del Bello Bernard de Dryver | Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L Turbo V8 | 157 | |
| 36 DNF | C2 | 121 | Cosmik GP Motorsport |  Costas Los Wayne Taylor Evan Clements | Spice SE87C | 145 | |
| 36 DNF | C2 | 121 | Cosmik GP Motorsport | Costas Los Wayne Taylor Evan Clements | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 145 | |
| 37 DNF | C2 | 191 | PC Automotive | Olindo Iacobelli Alain Ianette John Graham | Argo JM19C | 130 | |
| 37 DNF | C2 | 191 | PC Automotive | Olindo Iacobelli Alain Ianette John Graham | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 130 | |
| 38 DNF | C1 | 3 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | John Watson Raul Boesel Henri Pescarolo | Jaguar XJR-9LM | 129 | |
| 38 DNF | C1 | 3 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | John Watson Raul Boesel Henri Pescarolo | Jaguar 7.0L V12 | 129 | |
| 39 DNF | C1 | 13 | Primagaz Competition | Pierre-Henri Raphanel Michel Ferté | Cougar C20B | 120 | |
| 39 DNF | C1 | 13 | Primagaz Competition | Pierre-Henri Raphanel Michel Ferté | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 120 | |
| 40 DNF | C2 | 178 | Automobiles Louis Descartes | Sylvain Boulay Gérard Tremblay Michel Lateste | ALD 04 | 103 | |
| 40 DNF | C2 | 178 | Automobiles Louis Descartes | Sylvain Boulay Gérard Tremblay Michel Lateste | BMW M80 3.5L I6 | 103 | |
| 41 DNF | C1 | 4 | Camel Brun Motorsport | Manuel Reuter Walter Lechner Franz Hunkeler | Porsche 962C | 91 | |
| 41 DNF | C1 | 4 | Camel Brun Motorsport | Manuel Reuter Walter Lechner Franz Hunkeler | Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6 | 91 | |
| 42 DNF | C1 | 85 | Italiya Sport Team Le Mans Co. | Michel Trollé Toshio Suzuki Danny Ongais | March 88S | 74 | |
| 42 DNF | C1 | 85 | Italiya Sport Team Le Mans Co. | Michel Trollé Toshio Suzuki Danny Ongais | Nissan VG30ET 3.2L Turbo V6 | 74 | |
| 43 DNF | C1 | 86 | Italiya Sport Team Le Mans Co. | Lamberto Leoni Akio Morimoto Anders Olofsson | March 88S | 69 | |
| 43 DNF | C1 | 86 | Italiya Sport Team Le Mans Co. | Lamberto Leoni Akio Morimoto Anders Olofsson | Nissan VG30ET 3.2L Turbo V6 | 69 | |
| 44 DNF | C1 | 30 | Courage Compétition | Paul Belmondo François Migault Ukyo Katayama | Courage C22 | 66 | |
| 44 DNF | C1 | 30 | Courage Compétition | Paul Belmondo François Migault Ukyo Katayama | Porsche Type-935 2.8L Turbo Flat-6 | 66 | |
| 45 DNF | C1 | 51 | WM Secateva | Roger Dorchy Claude Haldi Jean-Daniel Raulet | WM P87 | 59 | |
| 45 DNF | C1 | 51 | WM Secateva | Roger Dorchy Claude Haldi Jean-Daniel Raulet | Peugeot ZNS4 2.8L Turbo V6 | 59 | |
| 46 DNF | C2 | 132 | Roland Bassaler | Jean-François Yvon Roland Bassaler Remy Pochauvin | Sauber SHS C6 | 53 | |
| 46 DNF | C2 | 132 | Roland Bassaler | Jean-François Yvon Roland Bassaler Remy Pochauvin | BMW M80 3.5L I6 | 53 | |
| 47 DNF | C1 | 52 | WM Secateva | Pascal Pessiot Jean-Daniel Raulet | WM P88 | 22 | |
| 47 DNF | C1 | 52 | WM Secateva | Pascal Pessiot Jean-Daniel Raulet | Peugeot ZNS4 3.0L Turbo V6 | 22 | |
| 48 DNF | C2 | 107 | Chamberlain Engineering | Claude Ballot-Léna Jean-Louis Ricci Jean-Claude Andruet | Spice SE88C | 17 | |
| 48 DNF | C2 | 107 | Chamberlain Engineering | Claude Ballot-Léna Jean-Louis Ricci Jean-Claude Andruet | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | 17 | |
| 49 DNF | C1 | 20 | Team Davey | Tim Lee-Davey Tom Dodd-Noble | Tiga GC88 | 5 | |
| 49 DNF | C1 | 20 | Team Davey | Tim Lee-Davey Tom Dodd-Noble | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L Turbo V8 | 5 | |
| DNS | C2 | 181 | Luigi Taverna Technoracing | Luigi Taverna Fabio Magnani Roberto Ragazzi | Olmas GLT-200 | - | |
| DNS | C2 | 181 | Luigi Taverna Technoracing | Luigi Taverna Fabio Magnani Roberto Ragazzi | Ford Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8 | - | |
| DNS | C1 | 61 | Team Sauber Mercedes | Mauro Baldi James Weaver Jochen Mass | Sauber C9 | - | |
| DNS | C1 | 61 | Team Sauber Mercedes | Mauro Baldi James Weaver Jochen Mass | Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L Turbo V8 | - | |
| DNS | C1 | 62 | Team Sauber Mercedes | Klaus Niedzwiedz Kenny Acheson | Sauber C9 | - | |
| DNS | C1 | 62 | Team Sauber Mercedes | Klaus Niedzwiedz Kenny Acheson | Mercedes-Benz M117 5.0L Turbo V8 | - |
Statistics
- Pole Position – Hans-Joachim Stuck, #17 Porsche AG – 3:15.64
- Fastest Lap – Hans-Joachim Stuck, #17 Porsche AG – 3:22.50
- Distance – 5332.97 km
- Average Speed – 221.765 km/h
- Highest Trap Speed - #51 WM Secaleva - 253 mph