The Most ICONIC Le Mans Ever!

[@GTRain]

Special thanks to Mateusz Grosiak for the incredible car illustrations in this video! You can check out his work from this video, and a spotters guide for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans at the link below. spotters.guide

[@ilovelimpfries]

For me the 2010 LM was the most iconic, the battles and the storyline in every class was equally as riveting. Audi's redemption, pugs dropping off like flies, the last GT1 race, honda unofficial victory in lmp2 and ill fated ford gt return by matech. It kept me on the edge of my seat for 24 hours, I didnt sleep for 28 hours that weekend.

[@koraxi8958]

Off top I think for me it's '95-'99, '03, '10, '13-'16 and finally '23❤

[@6lemans10]

Saleen S7R only Le Mans category win!!😎😎😎😎😎😎

[@joh2434]

I was there! 🙋‍♀ 11 years old and my second Le Mans. Had seats in the grandstand opposite the BMW pit, every time that V12 pulled away it was beautiful 🤩

[@derekmccord3798]

And boy we did have yet another great race this year. The Hypercar class will go down in history like the Group C class of the 80s and early 90s.

[@Tom_Hadler]

1999 LM was an absolute classic. One for the ages

[@edelkebap]

My god, look at these cars. The Toyota GT one, the Mercedes CLK, Panoz... This is art and nothing less.

[@nikolaimikuszeit3204]

Yep....remember this one. Still loving it.

[@rasmusbrekke9412]

Fantastic video, awesome work!

[@csykes23]

The last lap in 2016 was the only time I reeaaaally stopped in my tracks in shock and disbelief at a motor race.

[@jakub_frohlich]

Great video! I also think that 1999 was the best Le Mans ever. I even have a poster of the winning BMW in my room.

[@owenconwell6838]

Excellent recap. Toyota Gt-One is my all time favorite racecar. A real shame they suffered from bad reliability and bad luck. Never able to convert such a beautiful car into a race winner. Car was 5 years ahead of its time!

[@jingorooroad2559]

It's mostly bad luck for Toyota sadly (2016 was the best proof of it), as their GT-One suffered many tyres punctures, specially when they were about to catch bmw and maybe overtake them. This car was amazingly fast for the time.

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

I watched this whole race live. I was doing my GCSEs at the time (British school exams) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@scotts7907]

99 was absolutely the best LeMans I've ever watched. I'm open to having my mind changed this year. But, the sheer diversity of the cars in that race was amazing. The beautiful CLRs, BMWs built with a Williams F1 engine, crazy fast Toyotas, the wild and very loud panoz powered by a big block Ford, the beautiful Audis. Not to mention all the other cars below those. It was a nuts race. Lots of gearbox changes. When it comes to a battle for the overall win, it doesn't get better than that 1. The CLRs tried to fly away. Somehow Mercedes accidentally stumbled across the lifting body concept. Hopefully 2024 will be this good. Please change my mind.

[@giuseppemaggio5894]

Well, have you changed your mind after watching this year's edition?

[@michaelbonade4667]

That footage never fails to send chills up my arms ...I’ve watched a Concorde take off from the Tower at JFK....that’s what it looks like😳

[@FlyinBlaney]

A truly riveting video! Love these short history vids.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Great video. Had no idea what year it was with the flying Mercedes. Please do make that video explaining the different classes because it is very confusing for those who are new to endurance racing and want to look at the history.

[@nathanstroud2223]

Well for starters, the GT1 class of the late 2000s used to be GT2 in the 90s. Same story for the rung directly beneath it. The GTE formula that was recently killed off was the GT2 class from 2005-2010, but if you go back further to 1998, before that class was even introduced at Le Mans, it was the GT3 class in the SCCA and IMSA. That's only scratching the surface of how confusing and convoluted it can get when talking about the history of multiclass sports car racing.

[@KGmodels]

I am about to build a 1/24 model of the Toyota ts020,so great to hear this history and learn more about it,thanks for all the information about such an iconic race!

[@Eagleracer38x]

The McLean GT1's that won Le Mans were a joint venture with BMW. The Factory team had Schnitzer mechanics for the engines as part of their work on the BMW V12 LM project they were planning. But, that's just semantics... lol. Great video! Nicely done.

[@GTRain]

Great point! One I actually thought about bringing up in the video but decided against because some things are simpler when not said. The engine in the 1999 winning V12 LMR was actually derived from the same engine that powered the McLaren winner in 1995.

[@Eagleracer38x]

I only bring it up when talking about that car and the Bentley Speed 8, because they were a part of an unprecedented 15 year point of German engines won Le Mans.

[@Marcinek_Marcinek]

Every LeMans fan has its own Iconic Race. For me it was 2016, with a ongoing fight between Porsche and Toyota, with a dramatic japaneese failure 3 minutes before the end. The point is not to argue which was the best, but to share experience and feelings about each race. LeMans has its ups and downs, it happens to be boring and predictable, but when it thrills... It thrills like hell! Cheers to every Endurance Racing Maniacs! :)

[@jingorooroad2559]

The most dramatic was clearly 2016, specially when the leading Toyota finally succeeded to restart and complete the last lap. Impossible to be more dramatic than this one.

[@minusmoment1584]

Man I love this channel

[@King_Ears]

I miss the days of poor reliability. Nowadays it's just a 24 hr sprint race with barely any major mechanical issues

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Uh yeah it's not like technology improved in 25 years or anything.....why wouldn't race cars improve as well??

[@krismolina_]

Unless you're alpine

[@adillakandi.r]

French still fighting for reliability just like in the good old days

[@Yoshiman2024]

Which means everyone is even MORE on edge and prone to make mistakes. One wheel on the grass, and you're out. We've seen a lot of crashes in the past couple of years of cars which were potential winners. Instead of the "random" factor, the sprint racing provides a more regulated playing field in which skill is more important than ever.

[@adamigo1000]

Wow! This video is so well made! I hope there are more great pieces in the making ;)

[@samuelececchin9654]

I think now we have a new greatest 24 le Mans. More than 1999

[@MarbleFox162]

Well I mean… 1966. You know… there was only an entire movie made about it, but oh well.

[@ethon711]

Didn't realize Mercedes has not returned, that's crazy

[@nicka3526]

Could have been their 2nd tragic event at Le Mans. Probably don’t want give any chance to a 3rd

[@patrickanderson9023]

They have been to busy with F1 as well as DTM over the past 25 years.

[@NexXxu]

I through Mercedes returned in Le Mans as GT class

[@asherjoseph4377]

Didn't the 'AMG' name back to Isotta engine?

[@WilliamSorber]

The closest they have gotten is a potential lmgt3 slot in 2025/26. We probably won’t ever see a MB prototype ever

[@SlowPokeRacing33]

Great vid, really interesting! Thanks

[@georgiaguardian4696]

That indeed is a crazy Le Mans!

[@JoseRodriguez-rl3ch]

For me the most iconic 24hr race was the 2003 Daytona 24hr when Kevin Bucklers GT3 Porsche took the overall win…I don’t think we’ll ever see an upset like that again.

[@Itsgamingtime11-co5kp]

The 2023 one also had another story line. The nascar cup car was there as its own class. It was Nascars 75th anniversary, and it made sense to bring it to Le Mans

[@betrayed_cargo]

I wish prototype class cars could remain as unique looking and diverse as they were then. At the cost of safety. I dont expect anyone to die during lemans now which honestly takes a lot of the thrill out of it.

[@yudhabagaskara98]

When the flying car became the unexpected meme

[@SandroDoulis]

Fantastic video!

[@CadanHartleyElliott]

Craziest flip in motorsport history.

[@nascarnational]

ironically enough, emplemon made a video right when you did covering this particular instance & how it traces back to mercedes' cursed history at le sarthe 😅

[@JollyRogerVF84]

It happened to Porsche in 1998 with the car #26 as well.

[@jamesrobert4106]

They may have achieved flight, but goodness, the Mercedes was a beautiful car.

[@LagmasterB]

That’s CLR issue is insane

[@Xtonishing]

Today is golden era, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Peugeot, Porsche & Toyota

[@theairaccumulator7144]

Audi and merc should come back some day for it to be really complete

[@electricpaisy6045]

well this years race was iconic for not giving deserved penalties

[@firebladeviper]

Yo dirá que las ediciones 97,98 y 99 fueron las mejores.

[@fabricefauconnier2358]

2011 was the best I guess,after the great 60s and 70s period with the Ferrari P4 Ford Gt40 battles and the overwhelming mighty Porsche 917 afterwards.. In 2011,you could see or rather hear the screaming 1991 Mazda on opening of the race and then the famous battle between Peugeot and Audi who lost two cars in some spectacular accidents but succeeded in winning with the one left. Dr Ulrich did weep more than ever that year !

[@Yosh1az]

I hope Mercedes returns to LeMans because they currently have a platform and a capable engine that meet the LMH ruleset.

[@MinusMOD98]

Are you thinking of the AMG ONE? No, they can't use that design for LMH, they need a clean sheet.

[@darrickkoko2987]

​@@MinusMOD98 amg one definitely the worse option for endurance race they literally have to make a new car if they want to transfer amg one to lmh. It'll be better if they just make a new car for lmh

[@sdx3918]

With how far they are into the F1 rabbit hole making an LMDh prototype would probably be the more sensible option if they were to come back. Then again, their bank account can say otherwise.

[@theairaccumulator7144]

@@sdx3918 their pockets are deep enough but management would disapprove since their new CEO really hates motorsport and really wants them to become an electric only brand

[@patrickanderson9023]

99 was great.

[@gwrgamer3606]

it's a pity the prototype class was so barren after this race, really goes to show what Audi's domination did to the top class. Until last year this was the best year for prototypes at Le Mans, can't wait for this years.

[@arikelvara]

How about a back to back Ferrari win at the 24 hours of Le Mans!

[@huyra8019]

Wait its pronounced cou-rage?

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Ah the Toyota GT-Ones attempt at redemption from their 98 failed attempt, yet 99 was not to be as well....

[@somebloke2238]

More iconic than 1966?

[@eno88]

Mercedes should maybe stop being all huffy and get back in the game. It's been a hot minute since 1999.

[@EreqtWaffle]

The BMW hopes did not live up this year

[@RamonRainer]

I love WEC the best in the best f1 is seconde

[@johnbarrert3732]

Wow so far off it's mind-blowing,1969 is the iconic le man's,you people born after 2000? By any chance.

[@AndersGetherSoerensen]

Most Iconic??? What about the 9 time winner??? Tom Kristensen. Mr. Le Mans.

[@fittipaldi7326]

Are Mercedes truly cursed at Le Mans?

[@AoStoRmGod]

Boutsen what a b

[@woodstocknun]

not a fan of the open cockpit cars

[@riaanpotgieter475]

😳 Build a racecar not an aircraft. Downforce please, not lift??? Maybe last minute changes to the aerodynamics?

[@live4life767]

Why is it that f1 is the only car racing that has so much drama n bs? f1 is suppose to be the pinnacle of car racing? Says who? There are so many other racing series all over the world but they don’t get coverage they deserve which makes it harder for us fans to watch. The drama queens in f1 are all men. Of course not everyone is full of crap but… They rob their fans at the race track by kicking them out after they paid as in las vegas n canada. Their safety measures are sub par by not welding down manholes etc! I’m so sick of f1🤮🤮🤮🤮 Lifelong Ferrari fan born & raised in USA, im also from Italian descent & lived in Italia for 7 yrs. im a nobody but i have to say $400 million dollars to pay lewis to drive for Ferrari in 2025 is OUTRAGEOUS!!! Actually it’s DISGUSTING that an f1 driver would ask for that kind of money & for an f1 team to pay a driver that kind of money!!! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!! i really like Charles Leclerc & i really like Carlos Sainz & i wish they would have kept him because they make a great team & have been progressing forward. Charles or Carlos definitely could have won the title for Ferrari. i lost all respect for ferrari & f1. i could care less if ferrari ever wins a world title or not. From this moment forward i won’t be cheering for ferrari & i wont be watching any f1 races or anything to do with f1, unless they let Team🇺🇸Andretti in. If Enzo were alive he would NEVER have paid even 1/8 that kind of money for any driver & probably would have fired the people who came up with that disgusting idea!!!

[@samuelgarrod8327]

Absolute dross.