1983 Le Mans 24 hour race

The works Porsche 956 with start number 2. Stefan Bellof and Jochen Mass retired with this car after 281 laps with engine failure

The Lancia LC2 (front) with starting number 4 from Teo Fabi, Michele Alboreto and Alessandro Nannini. Failure after 27 laps due to a technical defect

The 51st 24-hour race at Le Mans , the 51 ^s Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans , and 24 Heures du Mans Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans , was held at from 18 to 19 June 1983 the Circuit des 24 Heures .

The race

After the introduction of Group C and the overall victory of Porsche in 1982 with the new Porsche 956 , the German company also sold its Group C prototype to private teams. A third of the field in the Group C class was therefore a Porsche 956. The works team started with three vehicles and started the race as the favorite team. Last year's winners Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell also formed a team in 1983. Then there were the two Americans Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert , who formed a team with the Australian Vern Schuppan , and the young German Stefan Bellof , who shared a cockpit with Jochen Mass . The Joest Team , which also fielded a Porsche 956, acted as the strongest opponent . Lancia brought three LC2 to the Sarthe, but the Italian racing cars were not trusted to keep up the distance.

The American Formula 1 world champion from 1978 , Mario Andretti, was also at the start. He shared the cockpit of a Kremer Porsche 956 with his son Michael Andretti and the French Philippe Alliot .

Shortly after the start, Jacky Ickx had a collision with Jan Lammers in the Mulsanne and had to go to the pits for repairs. The three works Porsches had left the field by midnight when the Bellof / Mass Porsche broke down with engine damage just after midnight and the Ickx / Bell car had to pit again unexpectedly due to problems with the electrical system. The three factory Lancia had already retired.

As unexciting as the race was, the final lap was just as dramatic. The leading Hurley Haywood, who lost a door at full speed during the night, had an engine failure on the last lap and dragged the battered Porsche over the finish line with the engine smoking. Jacky Ickx, who almost made up for the deficit with Derek Bell, was unable to catch up with the sister car because the Belgian ran out of gas on the last lap and he also crossed the finish line at a slow pace.

The first eight places in the overall standings were taken by Porsche 956, a record in Le Mans history, plus tenth place. That was the reason for an advertising poster in the USA with the headline "Nobody's Perfect".

Results

Pilots by nationality

48 French	30 British	15 Germans	12 Americans	10 Belgians
10 Italians	4 Swiss	3 Japanese	3 Canadians	2 Irish
2 Colombians	1 Argentine	1 Australian	1 Chilean	1 Dane
1 Moroccan	1 Dutch	1 Austrian	1 Swede	1 South African

Final ranking

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis	engine	tires	Round
1	C.	3	Rothmans Porsche	Vern Schuppan Hurley Haywood Al Holbert	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	370
2	C.	1	Rothmans Porsche	Jacky Ickx Derek Bell	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	370
3	C.	21st	Porsche Kremer Racing	Mario Andretti Michael Andretti Philippe Alliot	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	G	364
4th	C.	12	Sorga SA Joest Racing	Volkert Merl Clemens Schickentanz Mauricio de Narváez	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	361
5	C.	16	John Fitzpatrick Racing	John Fitzpatrick Guy Edwards Rupert Keegan	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	G	358
6th	C.	8th	Sorga SA Joest Racing	Klaus Ludwig Stefan Johansson Bob Wollek	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	354
7th	C.	18th	Obermaier Racing	Axel Plankenhorn Desiré Wilson Jürgen Lässig	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	347
8th	C.	14th	Canon Racing	Jonathan Palmer Jan Lammers Richard Lloyd	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6		339
9	C.	46	Sauber Team Switzerland	Diego Montoya Tony Garcia Albert Naon	Clean C7	BMW M88 3.5L I6	D.	338
10	C.	47	Preston Henn T-Bird Swap Shop	Preston Henn Jean-Louis Schlesser Claude Ballot-Léna	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	G	327
11	B.	93	Charles Ivey Racing	John Cooper Paul Smith David Ovey	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6		303
12	C Jr	60	Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd.	Takashi Yorino Yōjirō Terada Yoshimi Katayama	Mazda 717C	Mazda 13B 1.3L 2- Wankel	D.	302
13	B.	92	Georg Memminger	Georg Memminger Heinz Kuhn-Weiss Fritz Müller	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6	D.	299
14th	C.	54	Valentin Bertapelle	Bruno Sotty Gérard Cuynet	URD C81	BMW M88 3.5L I6	D.	292
15th	B.	95	Alméras Fréres team	Jacques Alméras Jean-Marie Alméras Jacques Guillot	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6	M.	279
16	C.	10	WM Secateva	Roger Dorchy Alain Couderc Pascal Fabre	WM P83	Peugeot PRV 2.8L Turbo V6	M.	278
17th	C.	41	EMKA Productions Ltd.	Tiff Needell Steve O'Rourke Nick Faure	EMKA C83 / 1	Aston Martin -Tickford 5.3L V8		275
18th	C Jr	61	Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd.	Steve Soper Jeff Allam James Weaver	Mazda 717C	Mazda 13B 1.3L 2-Wankel	D.	267
19th	C.	29	Christian Bussi	Daniel Herregod's Jean-Paul Libert Pascal Witmeur	Rondeau M382	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	D.	265
20th	B.	96	Michel Lateste	Raymond Touroul Michel Lateste Michel Bienvault	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6	M.	264
Not classified
21st	B.	97	Raymond Boutinaud	Raymond Boutinaud Patrick Gonin Alain Le Page	Porsche 928S	Porsche 4.7L V8	D.	234
22nd	C.	53	AS École Supérieure de Tourisme	François Hesnault Thierry Perrier Bernard Salam	Lancia LC1 / 82	Lancia 1.4L Turbo I4	D.	232
23	C.	51	Scuderia Sivama engine	Oscar Larrauri Massimo Sigala Max Cohen-Olivar	Lancia LC1	Lancia 1.4L Turbo I4	D.	217
24	C Jr	65	François Duret	John Sheldon François Duret Ian Harrower	De Cadenet-Lola	Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8		214
Disqualified
25th	C.	30th	Primagaz	Lucien Guitteny Pierre Yver Bernard de Dryver	Rondeau M382	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	D.	266
Failed
26th	B.	94	Claude Haldi	Claude Haldi Günter Steckkönig Bernd Schiller	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6	M.	217
27	C.	2	Rothmans Porsche	Jochen Mass Stefan Bellof	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	D.	281
28	C.	39	Viscount Downe - Pace Petroleum	Ray Mallock Mike Salmon Steve Earle	Nimrod NRA / C2B	Aston Martin -Thickford DP1229 5.3L V8	A.	218
29	C.	24	Ford France	Thierry Boutsen Henri Pescarolo	Rondeau M482	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8	M.	174
30th	C.	20th	Cooke Racing	Ralph Kent-Cooke Jim Adams François Sérvanin	Lola T610	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8	G	165
31	B.	90	Brun Motorsport	Leopold Prince of Bavaria Angelo Pallavicini Jens Winther	BMW M1	BMW M88 3.5L I6	D.	160
32	C Jr	63	Scuderia Jolly Club	Carlo Facetti Martino Finotto Marco Vanoli	Alba AR2	Giannini Carma FF 1.9L Turbo I4	P	158
33	C.	28	Jean Rondeau Ford France	Vic Elford Joël Gouhier Anne-Charlotte Verney	Rondeau M379	Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8		136
34	C.	6th	Martini Racing Lancia	Paolo Barilla Alessandro Nannini Jean-Claude Andruet	Lancia LC2	Ferrari 268C 2.6L Turbo V8	D.	135
35	C.	11	John Fitzpatrick Racing	John Fitzpatrick David Hobbs Dieter Quester	Porsche 956	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6	G	135
36	C.	5	Martini Racing Lancia	Piercarlo Ghinzani Hans Heyer Michele Alboreto	Lancia LC2	Ferrari 268C 2.6L Turbo V8	D.	121
37	C.	9	WM Secateva	Jean-Daniel Raulet Michel Pignard Didier Theys	WM P83	Peugeot PRV 2.8L Turbo V6	M.	102
38	C.	26th	Ford France	Alain Ferté Jean Rondeau Michel Ferté	Rondeau M482	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8	M.	90
39	C.	13	Primagaz	Alain de Cadenet Yves Courage Michel Dubois	Cougar C01B	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	M.	86
40	C.	22nd	Porsche Kremer Racing	Derek Warwick Patrick Gaillard Frank Jelinski	Kremer CK5	Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6	G	76
41	C.	38	Dome Racing	Eliseo Salazar Chris Craft Nick Mason	March RC82	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8		75
42	C Jr	64	Hubert Striebig	Hubert Striebig Noël del Bello Jacques Heuclin	Sthemo SM01	BMW 2.2L I4		71
43	C.	49	Grid Motor Racing Ltd.	Fred Stiff Dudley Wood Ray Ratcliff	Grid Plaza S1	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8	F.	69
44	C.	36	Brun Motorsport	Jacques Villeneuve Ludwig Heimrath junior David Deacon	Sehcar C6	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8	D.	68
45	C.	72	Communaute Pays de Loire	Dany Snobeck Xavier Lapeyre Alain Cudini	Rondeau M382	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	M.	31
46	C.	4th	Martini Racing Lancia	Michele Alboreto Teo Fabi Alessandro Nannini	Lancia LC2	Ferrari 268C 2.6L Turbo V8	D.	27
47	C.	43	Peer Racing	François Migault Dave Kennedy Martin Birrane	Ford C100	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	G	16
48	C.	25th	Ford France	Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Philippe Streiff	Rondeau M482	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8	M.	12
49	C.	15th	Belga Team Joest Racing	Jean-Michel Martin Marc Duez Philippe Martin	Porsche 936C	Porsche Type-935 2.7L Turbo Flat-6	D.	9
50	C.	42	Richard Cleare Racing	Tony Dron Richard Cleare Richard Jones	Kremer CK5	Porsche Type-935 3.0L Turbo Flat-6		8th
51	B.	91	Edgar Dören	Alain Yvon Jean-Marie Lemerle Michael Krankenberg	Porsche 930	Porsche 3.0L Turbo Flat-6		7th
Not started
52	C.	37	Brun Motorsport	Hans-Joachim Stuck Harald Grohs Walter Brun	Sehcar C83	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6		1
Not qualified
53	C Jr	62	Manns Racing	David Palmer Pierre Honegger Roy Baker	Harrier RX83c	Mazda 13B 1.3L 2-Wankel		2

¹ engine failure in training ² not qualified

Only in the entry list

Here you will find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race but did not take part for a variety of reasons.

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis	engine
54	C.	17th	Tiga Racing Services	Neil Crang Howden Ganley	Tiga GC83	Chevrolet 5.0L V8
55	C.	31	Courage Compétition	Yves Courage Alain de Cadenet Michel Dubois	Cougar C02	Cosworth DFL 3.3L V8
56	C.	34	Cheetah Automobiles Switzerland	Loris Kessel Laurent Ferrier Florian Vetsch	Cheetah G603	Cosworth DFL 4.0L V8
57	C.	35	Brun Motorsport	Hans-Joachim Stuck Walter Brun	Sehcar SH C6	BMW M88 3.5L I6
58	C.	41	Cheetah Automobiles Switzerland	Bob Evans John Cooper Tiff Needell	Cheetah G604	Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8
59	C.	48	GRID Motor Racing Ltd.	Emilio de Villota	Grid S2	Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8
60	C.	50	North American Racing Team		Ferrari 512BB-C	Ferrari 5.0L Flat-12
61	C.	52	Scuderia Sivama engine	Joe Castellano Duilio Truffo	Lancia LC1	Lancia 1.4L Turbo I4
62	GTO		Jacky Hery	Jacky Hery Bernard Bouvet	Porsche 911	Porsche 3.3L Turbo Flat-6
63	C.		Nimrod Racing Automobiles		Nimrod NRA / C2	Aston Martin-Thickford DP1229 5.3L V8
64	C.		Cooke Racing		Lola T600	Chevrolet 6.0L V8
65	C.		March Racing		March 83G	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6
66	C.	10	Porsche Kremer Racing	Kees Kroesemeijer Volkert Merl	Kremer CK5	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6
67	C.	49	URD Junior		URD C83	BMW M88 3.5L I6
68	GTX	69	Jan Lundgårdh	Jan Lundgårdh Kurt Simonsen Mike Wilds	Porsche 935L1	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6
69	B.		Gerard Brucelle	Gerard Brucelle Anne-Charlotte Verney Jean-Jacques Vernier	Porsche 930	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6
70	B.		Hobby rally	Motta Piazza Fabio Ciseri Jean-Pierre Frey Mario Regusci	Porsche 930	Porsche Type-935 2.6L Turbo Flat-6

Class winner

class	driver	driver	driver	vehicle	Placement in the overall ranking
Group C	Vern Schuppan	Hurley Haywood	Al Holbert	Porsche 956	Overall victory
Group C Junior	Takshi Yorino	Yōjirō Terada	Yoshimi Katayama	Mazda 717C	Rank 12
Group B	John Cooper	Paul Smith	David Ovey	Porsche 930	Rank 11

Racing data

• Registered: 70
• Started: 51
• Rated: 20
• Race classes: 3
• Spectators: 60,000
• Honorary starter of the race: Bernard Malsait, Superidendant of the Sarthe region
• Weather on the race weekend: warm and dry
• Route length: 13.626 km
• Driving time of the winning team: 24: 00: 00,000 hours
• Total laps of the winning team: 370
• Distance of the winning team: 5047.934 km
• Winner's average: 210.330 km / h
• Pole position: Jacky Ickx - Porsche 956 (# 1) - 3.15.560 = 249.560 km / h
• Fastest race lap: Jacky Ickx - Porsche 956 (# 1) - 3.29.070 = 233.922 km / h
• Racing series: 4th round of the sports car world championship in 1983

literature

• Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre, Alain Bienvenu: 24 heures du Mans, 1923–1992. Éditions d'Art, Besançon 1992, ISBN 2-909413-06-3 .

Web links

Commons : Le Mans 24 Hours 1983  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Previous race 1000 km race on the Nürburgring 1983

Sports car world championship

Successor race 1000 km at Spa-Francorchamps 1983