1997 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14 and 15 June 1997.

It was won by teammates Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson, and Tom Kristensen.

The race saw the first of a record (as of 2024) 9 wins at Le Mans for Danish driver Kristensen, on what was his La Sarthe debut.

Pre-race
The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti Circuit. Frenchman Sébastien Enjolras lost his life in a pre-qualifying accident in his Welter Racing WR LM97-Peugeot.

Qualifying
The race’s governing body, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), decided that the starting order would be decided by the fastest LMP cars lining up in the odd positions of the grid, and the fastest GT1 cars lining up in the even positions.

Class leaders are in bold.


 * The no. 40 Team Davidoff McLaren was withdrawn from the race after being damaged in a fire during Saturday morning warm-up.

Race
The 1997 race was won by the same chassis as had won in 1996, marking the second time that Joest had won back-to-back Le Mans with the same chassis (previously done in 1984 and 1985). They were able to beat factory teams in the GT1 and LMP classes from Porsche, BMW and Nissan. The TWR-Porsche was not the fastest on track during the race, but was able to take advantage of the leading Porsche 911 GT1's and McLaren F1 GTR's mechanical problems, allowing the Joest Racing machine to claim victory by one lap.

Official results
Class winners in bold.

Statistics

 * Pole Position - #7 Joest Racing - 3:41.581
 * Fastest Lap - #7 Joest Racing - 3:45.068
 * Distance - 4909.6 km
 * Average Speed - 207 km/h
 * Highest Trap Speed — Porsche GT1-Evo - 326 km/h (qualifying)