1976 24 Hours of Le Mans

French automobile endurance race 1975 1976 1977 The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 44th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1976. This year the FIA introduced its new Group 5 and Group 6 regulations and the race was now open to nine distinct classes, although it was again not part of a World Championship. Porsche introduced its new models, the 936 in Group 6, the 935 in Group 5 and the 934 in Group 4. In response, BMW had its modified 3.0 CSL in Group 5. It was the year that turbos arrived in considerable numbers, with over a dozen turbocharged entries, led by the Renault Alpine A442. It saw the arrival of French prototype manufacturers Jean Rondeau and Gérard Welter in a new GTP class and a first-time invitation to American IMSA and NASCAR entries.Clausager 1982, p.169-70 Once an initial challenge from Renault Alpine was seen off, the 936 of previous race-winners Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep built a relentless, inexorable lead that was never headed. Even a 30-minute stop to repair a cracked exhaust on Sunday morning was not enough for the following pack and they won by a comfortable 11-lap margin. Second was the Mirage of French drivers François Migault and Jean-Louis Lafosse – the same car that had finished third the year before. Alain de Cadenet’s privateer effort showed far greater reliability this year and he achieved his best Le Mans result with third place. The works Porsche 935 turbo of Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti was fourth, easily winning the Group 5 class. After early issues, Henri Pescarolo and Jean-Pierre Beltoise bought their new Inaltéra home in 8th to take the inaugural GTP-class win. André Gahinet's privateer Porsche 911 was the unexpected winner in Group 4 when all the major teams, and their new Porsche 934s faltered. The race also saw the death of Frenchman André Haller when his Datsun 260Z crashed at speed at the Mulsanne Kink and caught fire. thumb|300px|Le Mans in 1976 Regulations After a year's delay, the CSI (Commission Sportive Internationale - the FIA’s regulations body) issued its new regulation. The former Group 5 was renamed as Group 6. Engines permitted were either a standard production engine up to 5-litre capacity or racing engines up to 3-litres (or 2.1 litres if turbo-charged). The FIA revived the World Sportscar Championship for the Group 6 cars.Spurring 2011, p.202 The new Group 5 was for Special Production Cars. A silhouette formula that allowed considerable modification of a Group 2 or Group 4 car, with no minimum production required.Wimpffen 2007, p.186 The FIA used the separate World Championship of Makes (with more endurance races) for the new Group 5 with Group 4 and Group 2 cars, run separately but in parallel to the Group 6 cars. To encourage manufacturers to join in, the FIA also dropped the required production number of Group 4 cars from 500 to 400. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) saw the small fields in these events and decided it needed to open its entry to both categories in one race, against current FIA policy.Clarke 1997, p.28: Motor Sport July 1976 The FIA promptly scheduled a championship race at the Circuit Paul Ricard on the same weekend which, unsurprisingly, then had to be cancelled for lack of entries.Clarke 1997, p.22: Autosport Jun17 1976 Ostracised by the FIA, the ACO instead developed closer bonds with the developing IMSA organisation in North America. A new Le Mans-Daytona Trophy was inaugurated linking the 24-hour sports-car races. The ACO opened its entry list to IMSA-category cars as well as NASCAR racers to encourage American participation. For their own part, the ACO continued with its GTX non-homologated class – a counterpoint to Group 5. Significantly, this year it also introduced its new GTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class – a counterpart of Group 6. These cars were closed-topped cars at least 110 cm high, 850 kg minimum weight (heavier than Group 6) and without wings, nominally as prototypes for new GT designs.Clarke 1997, p.31: Road & Track Oct 1976 GTP was to become the forerunner of the Group C regulations used in the 1980s.Wimpffen 2007, p.206 All together there were now nine separate classes of entry. The ACO's 1975 experiment with the fuel limitations was not repeated (although GTP cars had to use less than 25 litres of fuel per 100 km). Consequently, the freedom to replace and repair all parts was also rescinded. It was now not permitted to replace the engine block, cylinder heads, gearbox or differential within the course of the race. The ACO stated that all entries had to have been built from January 1, 1972. They also dictated that every driver had to do at least 1 lap with 125% of the fastest 3 laps done by drivers in their category. Finally, there was no Index of Thermal Efficiency competition. Instead, this year the ACO offered £1000 prizemoney to the cars that covered the most laps within each 6-hour period.Clarke 1997, p.37: Autocar Jun19 1976 Entries This year the ACO received 97 applications, of which 68 were accepted and 58 arrived for qualifying on race week. Significantly, it was the first Le Mans with no Ferrari entrants since that company's founding in 1947.Spurring 2011, p.261Laban 2001, p.179 Works teams from Porsche, BMW and Renault arrived. It was notable that with the times of limited finances, even major manufacturers only ran 1-2 car works teams.Laban 2001, p.180 It did see an increase in the number of turbo-powered cars. With the 1.4x capacity equivalence, the power increase versus extra weight made them very attractive: 17 turbo cars arrived for race week. Class Large-engines >2.0L classes Medium-engines < 2.0L classes Group 6 S Sports 3-litre 10 / 9 9 / 8 Group 5 SP Special Production16 / 16 0 Group 4 GTS Special GT10 / 10 0 Group 2 TS Special Touring 1 / 1 0 GTP Le Mans GT Prototype 4 / 4 0 GTX Le Mans GT Experimental 2 / 1 0 IMSA GT 4 / 4 0 NASCAR Stock car 2 / 2 0 Total Entries49 / 47 9 / 8 Note: The first number is the number of arrivals, the second the number who started. thumb|300px|right|Porsche 935 The Porsche works team returned with two new designs for the new regulations. Norbert Singer had led the development of the Group 5 Porsche 935 from the 934 Turbo of 1974. The 2.85-litre flat-6 engine was augmented by a KKK (Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch) turbo, producing 590 bhp and capable of 335 kp/h (210 mph). The chassis only weighed 900 kg, well under the 970 kg minimum stipulated for a 4-litre car in the rules, allowing the compulsory ballast to then improve weight distribution. Regulations also permitted the lights to be recessed into the front spoiler further improving aerodynamics. For Le Mans, the works car was driven by Rolf Stommelen/Manfred Schurti.Spurring 2011, p.209 The Porsche 936 was even newer – developed in only nine months. Group 6 cars were allowed 40 litres more fuel and to be more than 200 kg lighter. Its 2.1-litre flat-6 engine was also turbocharged and could produce 520 bhp and, when the turbo was wound up, could reach 320 kp/h (200 mph).Spurring 2011, p.204-5 Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass had been doing double-duty running both the works 936 and 935 in alternate races of the World Championships, and were entered in the lead 936 for Le Mans. A second works car was prepared, taking over an entry of Joest Racing and driven by that team's regular drivers, Reinhold Joest himself with Jürgen Barth. Renault-Alpine would be Porsche's main opposition in the shorter-format World Championship races. Gérard Larrousse had retired from racing at the end of 1975 and taken up the role of motorsport director at Renault. The company bought out the final share of Jean Rédélé at Alpine and renamed it Renault Sport. Over the winter the A442 had been developed and a longtail version was found to be best for Le Mans. With its Garrett turbo, it could produce 500 bhp and reach 335 kp/h (210 mph). As the race clashed with the Formula 1 Swedish GP, Larrousse had fewer driver options, so only one car was entered. This would be driven by Jean-Pierre Jabouille, José Dolhem and Patrick Tambay (in his first race out of a single-seater).Spurring 2011, p.206 With John Wyer’s retirement, the Gulf-Mirage operation was taken over by American Harley Cluxton. With John Horsman still as technical director, the same two cars that had finished first and third in the previous year's race were entered again. Rebadged as Mirages again, they were driven respectively by Derek Bell/Vern Schuppan and former Ligier drivers François Migault and Jean-Louis Lafosse.Spurring 2011, p.210 Without the tight fuel restrictions of the previous year, they could run the cars back at higher revs.Clarke 1997, p.23: Autosport Jun17 1976 thumb|300px|right|Lancia Stratos turbo of Lombardi/Dacremont The rise of the privateer car-builder continued. Alain de Cadenet, with his regular co-driver Chris Craft, returned with a slightly modified version of his Lola T380, now capable of 320 kp/h (200 mph).Spurring 2011, p.212 This year was the production debut for another man passionate to win the race in a car of his own design: Le Mans local Jean Rondeau’s team was the first to build a car to the ACO's new GTP specification. Financed by Charles James of French home-furnishings company Inaltéra, the car had the proven Cosworth DFV V8 engine and Hewland gearbox. A team of notables was brought in to run the cars: Vic Elford was team manager, with Henri Pescarolo/Jean-Pierre Beltoise in the lead car and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud/Christine Beckers with Rondeau himself in the second car.Spurring 2011, p.213 Peugeot designer Gérard Welter and engineer Michel Meunier had started making their own racing cars under the name WM. They designed the P76 for the new GTP formula, using the Peugeot 2.7-litre V6 PRV engine. In patriotic red-white-blue, they had French drivers Claude Ballot-Léna, Guy Chasseuil and Xavier Mathiot.Spurring 2011, p.219 The final GTP entry was a return of Lancia after 23 years. The Lancia Stratos, homologated in Group 4, was a successful rally-car for the works team, and was being adapted to the Group 5 regulations by designer Giampaolo Dallara and ex-Ferrari racer and engineer Mike Parkes. A privateer entry of French rally drivers Robert Neyret and Bernard Darniche added a KKK-turbo to the 2.4-litre Ferrari V6 and modified the bodywork and suspension. Driver were the female pairing of Lella Lombardi and Christine Dacremont.Spurring 2011, p.224 Kremer Racing was one of the strong customer Porsche teams and the first to get the new 935. Under their own modification, what became known as the 935K-1 retained more of the look of the original 911 RSR. Team driver Hans Heyer teamed up with Mexicans Juan Carlos Bolaños, Eduardo Negrete and American Billy Sprowls.Spurring 2011, p.218 Porsche also supplied the RSR 2.1-litre turbo engine to customers to retrofit into their 908 prototypes to keep them competitive. Reinhold Joest and Egon Evertz both entered their uprated cars.Spurring 2011, p.223 The under-2000 class was essentially a battle between Lola and Chevron. The cars were designed to fit a variety of powerplants, with most teams settling on either the British Cosworth FVC or French ROC engines. A solid entry of nine cars was accepted that also included two from the Société ROC and cars from small manufacturers Jörg Obermoser (Toj) and Charles Graemiger (Cheetah). thumb|300px|right|BMW 3.0 CSL "Art-car" by Frank Stella Porsche's main rival in Group 5 was BMW. Porsche, through Peter Gregg’s Brumos Racing, had won the 1975 IMSA season and both manufacturers had won two Championship races this season. The BMW used the 3.0 CSL as the base design, releasing cars to their customer teams. Schnitzer Motorsport entered one for Dieter Quester, Alpina-Faltz had one for Harald Grohs and new British team Hermetite Racing had John Fitzpatrick as lead driver. There was also a first privateer entry from Australia led by Peter Brock. The works team also adapted a CSL, fitting it with 19” rear tyres, a 3.2-litre engine and twin KKK-turbochargers that put out a monstrous 750 bhp. Painted by American artist Frank Stella, it was the second BMW Art Car and was driven by Brian Redman and Peter Gregg (along with art-car originator Hervé Poulain as reserve).Spurring 2011, p.214-5 Group 4 was dominated by Porsche. As well as the 340 bhp 911 Carrera RSR, a number of the top customer teams ran its successor, the 934. The 3-litre was turbocharged to now put out 480 bhp. The German Kremer and Gelo teams, and French ASA-Cachia teams were early purchasers.Spurring 2011, p.216 The only opposition to the Porsche juggernaut was the returning French privateer Andre Haller, who had uprated his Datsun to the new 2.6-litre variant.Spurring 2011, p.227 The ACO was working closer with IMSA and Bill France Jr. of NASCAR and Daytona Speedway, to encourage inter-series racing. To that end four IMSA and two NASCAR-spec cars were entered. Although the race clashed with a NASCAR race at Riverside two of the junior teams arrived. Hershel McGriff raced with his son in their Dodge Charger, while Dick Brooks shared his Ford Torino with Dick Hutcherson (also a NASCAR-driver, and veteran from the 1966 race with Ford) and Marcel Mignot (a driving instructor at Le Mans circuit).Spurring 2011, p.220 The cars had to be adapted for hard right-hand turns and be fitted with window wipers and lights.Clarke 1997, p.24: Autosport Jun17 1976 Easily the heaviest cars at the race, they attracted considerable media attention and were very popular with the French public.Wimpffen 2007, p.210http://www.motortrend.com/classic/features/c12_0606_nascar_goes_to_le_mans/viewall.html motortrend.com Americans in Paris, Nascar goes to Le Mans - Motorsport - Motor Trend Classic 2017-05-07 Current American Trans-Am champion John Greenwood had previously brought Corvettes over to race. This year his IMSA-spec modified Corvette, nicknamed the “Batmobile” arrived.Wimpffen 2007, p.189 The chassis was designed by Bob Riley (ex-Ford GT and Saturn rocket engineer) and aerodynamics by Zora Arkus-Duntov. Although heavy, and with big disc-brakes, its giant 427 cubic inch V8 pushed out 700 bhp and got the car up to an impressive 355 kp/h (220 mph).Spurring 2011, p.221 Michael Keyser bought one of the new Chevrolet Monzas modified by DeKon Engineering, built to take on Porsche in the IMSA series.Spurring 2011, p.222Wimpffen 2007, p.208 Tom Vaugh and Diego Febles also entered two of those IMSA-spec Porsches for the race. Practice On Wednesday, the first day of practice, Jean-Pierre Jabouille immediately threw down the gauntlet with a blistering 3:33.1 lap that dissuaded the Porsches from trying to compete for pole position. Ickx's best time in the 936 was a distant 3:39.8 for second and Stommelen was third in the 935 with 3:41.7. Xavier Lapeyre, in his privateer Group 6 Lola impressed getting fourth fastest with 3:44.0, ahead of Joest in the other works Porsche (3:45.4). Next were the two Mirages at almost identical times to their qualifying times from the previous year. Eighth was Brian Redman in the Group 5 BMW art-car, but they blew both engines in the process. After a clutch failure, John Greenwood's Corvette monster made it to ninth, and Chris Craft in the De Cadenet rounded out the top-10.Spurring 2011, p.201 The Pescarolo/Beltoise Inaltéra was fastest of the GTP class in 12th (3:56.9) with the Hezemans/Schenken Gelo Porsche the quickest in Group 4 (4:.01.1) by four seconds over Wollek's Kremer Porsche. The Alpina-Faltz BMW had qualified 18th. But its ultra-thin doors flexed at speed and let in the exhaust fumes makes the drivers quite nauseous.Clarke 1997, p.29 Motor Sport July 1976 Best qualifier in the 2-litre group 6 class was Servanin/Ferrier Chevron of Société ROC in 19th (4:05.4). Both TOJ entries had considerable problems and neither qualified. The big NASCARS struggled with the tight corners and winding track and could only manage 47th (McGriff 4:29.7) and 54th (Brooks 4:38.0) while working on engine problems caused by the fuel's low octane rating.Spurring 2011, p.231Clarke 1997, p.25: Autosport Jun17 1976 Race Start The hot weather through the week continued into the race weekend – it was to be one of the hottest Le Mans in years. Honorary starter this year was Bill France Jr., President of NASCAR.Spurring 2011, p.200 From the rolling start, the Alpine immediately shot out into the lead, followed by the works Porsches. Redman, knowing he was on borrowed time, wound the BMW's turbo right up and blasted past Stommelen and Joest up into third before an inevitable oil-leak forced him to pit in a cloud of smoke. Meanwhile, on the first lap, the NASCAR Dodge had ground to a halt with burnt-out pistons from the lower-octane fuel. Other early casualties included the French Lola with engine issues, and the IMSA Chev Monza that had battled for sixth with John Greenwood's IMSA-Corvette. A bent propshaft put the Monza in the pits and out of the race. After an hour, the two 936s and the Alpine had a lap over the Martini 935, then back to De Cadenet, the two Mirages, Greenwood, Kinnunen in the Evertz 908, and the two Inaltéras filling the top-10. The Alpine had pitted after 10 laps to check rising engine temperatures, and with its smaller fuel-tank the Alpine had to pit more often. A misfire necessitated changing sparkplugs and then the ignition box, dropping Tambay to 7th. Ickx took over the lead when the French car was delayed. In the third hour three of the BMWs had problems: Redman's engine finally gave out, as did that of the Hermetite car, stranding Walkinshaw out at Arnage, while Posey had to bring his in to change the windscreen. Many drivers were suffering in the strong late-afternoon heat. The Inaltéra team had its problems: the Pescarolo/Beltoise had oil-leak and alternator issues, while the Rondeau car needed a shock absorber replaced twice.Clarke 1997, p.26: Autosport Jun17 1976 Also before 8pm the thirsty works 935 was delayed as night fell having to have its alternator replaced, then a puncture at high-speed tore up the rear bodywork. A puncture also put out the Greenwood Corvette when it damaged the rear suspension and fuel-cell. Then, at 9pm, as it started getting darker there was a bad accident on the Mulsanne Straight. André Haller, just out on his second driving stint, lost control of his Datsun 260Z when it slipped onto the grass verge at the kink near the end of the straight. It spun several times, crashed in to the barrier and caught fire. Although marshals managed to extricate Haller from the wreck, he died en route to hospital from severe chest injuries. Night The Kremer 935 had been holding a solid 7th behind the De Cadenet when the clutch failed as night fell, dropping it down the order. The Alpine had fought its way back up the field (Jabouille setting the fastest lap of the race), overtaking the Bell/Schuppan Mirage to get into third until it was stopped for good by a blown piston. When the lead Mirage lost 4 laps at 1am fixing its alternator, the team car of Migault/Lafosse took over 3rd place. The remaining two works BMWs were running eighth and tenth at midnight. But the Schnitzer car was put out by a broken camshaft early in the morning, just as the British Hermetite entry had. By the halfway point, at 4am, Ickx and van Lennep had completed 180 laps, with a 2-lap cushion over their 936 teammates and six over Lafosse in the Mirage. The De Cadenet was fourth (169) from the second Mirage (168) and Martini 935 (167). The Gelo Porsche was next (162), leading Group 4, followed by the Alpina-BMW (161), the Touroul/Cudini Porsche RSR (160) and the Joest 908 in tenth. thumb|300px|right|The Migault/Lafosse Mirage Morning As the morning broke the Ickx/van Lennep Porsche was still running like clockwork doing a metronomic 15 laps per hour. However, behind them most cars started having problems: The other 936 lost 20 minutes at 7am fixing its valve-gear, and then its clutch broke straight afterward. The Mirages had issues with their fuel pumps, while the De Cadenet lost a crucial 8 minutes with a jammed wheel nut The works 935 had been closing fast, but then had an ignition malfunction, and later a turbo failure at midday. thumb|300px|right|Porsche 934 of Kremer Racing drivers Wollek/Pironi This left the Ickx/van Lennep car with a 16-lap lead, until they lost five laps spending 34 minutes repairing a split exhaust pipe (to keep the turbo working) just before midday.Clarke 1997, p.27: Autosport Jun17 1976 With four hours to go, the Migault/Lafosse Mirage was now only two laps ahead of the De Cadenet, the Stommelen/Schurti 935 three laps further back then the second Mirage in fifth a distant 6 laps behind. The Gelo Porsche had been comfortably leading Group 4, and was running sixth overall, when it came to the pits running with only 1st and 2nd, to get a gearbox rebuild. They resumed and eventually finished 16th. The Porsche Club Romand car inherited the class lead, but then its engine expired soon after midday while running in ninth. Finish and post-race Things were coming to a predictable end when drama broke out in the final hour. Hans Heyer was at speed on the back straight when an oil line came loose in the Kremer 935's engine. A spectacular fire broke out but Heyer was able to park it by the marshal post at Mulsanne corner and get out safely. With less than twenty minutes to go, the rear engine cover of Lafosse's Mirage flew off. Although the car lost time in the pits getting it replaced, and then trying to restart, he was able to stay a lap ahead of a hard-charging Chris Craft in the resurgent De Cadenet. In the end Ickx and van Lennep cruised to an eleven-lap victory, and with two Le Mans victories (including the record-breaking 1971 race) Gijs van Lennep immediately announced his retirement. It was the first victory for a turbo or super-charged car since Bugatti in 1939.Spurring 2011, p.203 The 935 of Stommelen/Schurti was fourth, 23 laps behind their teammates but clear winner in Group 5. The other Mirage, race-winner in 1975, was fifth. The Pescarolo/Beltoise Inaltéra won the new GTP class, finishing 8th, while the winner of Group 4 was the privateer Porsche of “Segolen”/Gadal/Ouvière after all the new 934s failed. Tom Waugh's 911 RSR was the sole IMSA finisher in 14th. In the 2-litre Sports class, the three Lolas finished while the three Chevrons did not. Winning the class was Daniel Brillat's Lola-Cosworth in 15th by a clear 27 laps.Spurring 2011, p.226 The only Group 2 entry, the BMW of Jean-Louis Ravenel, was the final classified finisher over 100 laps and 1500 km behind the winner. It was a strong debut by the new Porsche 936 and 935, which would re-assert the company's dominance at Le Mans, and in world sports-car racing, over the next few years. It would also mark the start of the turbo-era. Official results Finishers Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACOSpurring 2011, p.2 Class Winners are in Bold text. Pos Position Class No. Car number Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Laps Laps completed 1 Gp.63.0 20 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System BEL Jacky IckxNLD Gijs van Lennep Porsche 936 Porsche 2.1L F6 turbo Goodyear 349 2 Gp.63.0 10 USA Grand Touring Cars Inc. FRA Jean-Louis LafosseFRA François Migault Mirage M8 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Goodyear 338 3 Gp.63.0 12 GBR A. de Cadenet(private entrant) GBR Alain de CadenetGBR Chris Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 LM76 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Goodyear 337 4 Gp.5SP 40 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System DEU Rolf StommelenLIE Manfred Schurti Porsche 935 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 331 5 Gp.63.0 11 USA Grand Touring Cars Inc. GBR Derek BellAUS Vern Schuppan Mirage M8 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Goodyear 326 6 Gp.5SP 52 FRA G. Méo(private entrant) FRA Raymond TouroulFRA Alain Cudini Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Dunlop 314 7 Gp.63.0 17 DEU Joest Racing DEU Ernst KrausDEU Günther Steckkönig Porsche 908/3 Turbo Porsche 2.1L F6 turbo Goodyear 313 8 GTP 1 FRA Inaltéra FRA Henri PescaroloFRA Jean-Pierre Beltoise Inaltéra LM Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Michelin 305 9 Gp.5SP 63 DEU Egon Evertz K.G. DEU Heinz MartinDEU Hartwig BertramsDEU Egon Evertz Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 302 10 Gp.5SP 42 DEU BMW Motorsport GmbHDEU Alpina-Faltz DEU Harald GrohsUSA Sam PoseyBEL Baron Hughes de Fierlandt BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Goodyear 299 11 Gp.5SP 54 FRA L. Meznarie(private entrant) FRA Hubert StriebigFRA Anne-Charlotte VerneyDEU Helmut Kirschoffer Porsche 934/5 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 298 12 Gp.4GT 71 FRA "Ségolen" (private entrant) FRA "Ségolen” (André Gahinet)FRA Michel OuvièreFRA Jean-Yves Gadal Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Michelin 292 13 Gp.5SP 53 FRA ASA Cachia FRA Thierry SabineFRA Philippe DagoreauFRA Jean-Claude Andruet Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Goodyear 288 14 IMSA GT 77 USA T. Vaugh(private entrant) USA Tom VaughUSA John Rulon-Miller FRA Jean-Pierre Laffeach Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Goodyear 283 15 Gp.62.0 35 FRA Daniel BrillatCHE Georges Morand(private entrant) CHE Georges MorandCHE François Trisconi CHE André Chevalley Lola T292 Cosworth BDG 1998cc S4 Firestone 279 16 Gp.4GT 57 DEU Gelo Racing Team AUS Tim SchenkenNLD Toine Hezemans Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Goodyear 277 17 Gp.4GT 67 FRA J. Laplacette(private entrant) FRA Joël LaplacetteFRA Alain LerouxFRA Georges Bourdillat Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Michelin 273 18 Gp.5SP 50 FRA T. Perrier(private entrant) FRA Thierry PerrierFRA Guy de SaintpierreFRA Martine Rénier Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Dunlop 273 19 Gp.4GT 65 DEU Kremer Racing FRA Bob WollekFRA Didier PironiFRA Marie-Claude Beaumont Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Goodyear 270 20 GTP 3 FRA Aseptogyl ITA Lella LombardiFRA Christine Dacremont Lancia Stratos Turbo Ferrari Dino 2.4L V6 turbo Michelin 265 21 GTP 2 FRA Inaltéra FRA Jean RondeauFRA Jean-Pierre JaussaudBEL Christine Beckers Inaltéra LM Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Michelin 264 22 Gp.62.0 31 GBR Chandler IBECGBR Dorset Racing Associates GBR Tony BirchenhoughGBR Ian Bracey GBR Simon PhillipsGBR Brian Joscelyne Lola T294 Cosworth FVC 1950cc S4 Goodyear 252 23 Gp.5SP 55 FRA Equipe Alméras Frères FRA Christian PoirotFRA René BoubetFRA Jean-Claude Lagniez Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Dunlop 245 24 Gp.2TS 95 FRA Les Maisons de Week-End(private entrant) FRA Jean-Louis RavenelFRA Jean ‘Jacky’ Ravenel FRA Jean-Marie Détrin BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Dunlop 237 N/C* Gp.62.0 30 FRA J.-M. Lemerle(private entrant) FRA Jean-Marie LemerleFRA Alain LeviéFRA Patrick Daire Lola T294 Simca-ROC 1996cc S4 Goodyear 218 N/C* Gp.4GT 61 FRA ASA Cachia FRA Jean-Claude AndruetFRA Henri CachiaFRA Jacques Borras Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 203 N/C* Gp.4GT 70 BEL "Beurlys"(private entrant) BEL “Beurlys” (Jean Blaton)GBR Nick FaureAUS John Goss Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 168 'Note *: Not Classified because did not cover sufficient distance (70% of the leader) at the 12, 18 or 24-hour intervals.Spurring 2011, p.8 Did Not Finish Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Laps Reason DNF Gp.5SP 47 DEU Porsche Kremer Racing MEX Juan Carlos BolañosMEX Eduardo Lopez Negrete MEX Billy Sprowls DEU Hans Heyer Porsche 935 Porsche 2.8L F6 turbo Goodyear 272 Fire (24hr) DNF Gp.4GT 58 CHE Porsche Club RomandFRA G.V.E.A. CHE Bernard CheneviéreCHE Peter ZbindenCHE Nicolas Bührer Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Michelin 270 Engine (22hr) DNF Gp.62.0 26 FRA Société Racing Organisation Course FRA Fred StalderFRA Albert DufrèneFRA Alain Flotard Chevron B36 Simca-ROC 1996cc S4 Goodyear 241 Oil pump (23hr) DNF Gp.4GT 69 CHE Schiller Racing Team CHE Claude HaldiCHE Florian Vetsch Porsche 934 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Goodyear 219 Engine (19hr) DNF Gp.63.0 18 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System DEU Reinhold JoestDEU Jürgen Barth Porsche 936 Porsche 2.1L F6 turbo Goodyear 218 Engine (17hr) DNF Gp.5SP 46 AUS Team Brock(private entrant) AUS Peter BrockAUS Brian MuirFRA Jean-Claude Aubriet BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Dunlop 156 Transmission (19hr) DNF IMSA GT 78 PRI Diego Febles Racing(private entrant) PRI Diego FeblesGBR Alec PoolePRI Hiram Cruz Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Goodyear 144 Transmission (15hr) DNF Gp.63.0 19 FRA Renault Sport FRA Jean-Pierre JabouilleFRA Patrick Tambay FRA José Dolhem Renault Alpine A442 Renault 1997cc V6 turbo Michelin 135 Engine (11hr) DNF Gp.5SP 44 FRA ASPM-Tanday Music(private entrant) FRA Jean-Claude JusticeFRA Jean Bélin BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Dunlop 128 Engine (13hr) DNF GTP 5 FRA Ecurie Batteries et Piles TS FRA Claude Ballot-LénaFRA Guy ChasseuilFRA Xavier Mathiot WM P76 Peugeot PRV 2.7L V6 Michelin 125 Fuel cell (16hr) DNF Gp.63.0 16 DEU Egon Evertz K.G. DEU Egon EvertzFIN Leo Kinnunen Porsche 908/3 Turbo Porsche 2.1L F6 turbo Dunlop 124 Engine (11hr) DNF Gp.5SP 43 DEU BMW Motorsport GmbHDEU Schnitzer Motorsport AUT Dieter Quester DEU Albrecht Krebs BEL Alain Peltier BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Goodyear 117 Engine/fire (12hr) DNF NASCAR 90 USA NASCARUSA W.C. Donlavey USA Dick BrooksUSA Dick HutchersonFRA Marcel Mignot Ford Torino Ford 7.0L V8 Goodyear 104 Transmission (11hr) DNF Gp.62.0 27 FRA Société Racing Organisation Course FRA François ServaninFRA Laurent Ferrier Chevron B36 Simca-ROC 1996cc S4 Goodyear 88 Transmission (11hr) DSQ Gp.62.0 29 FRA J. Thibault(private entrant) FRA José ThibaultFRA Alain HubertFRA Michel Lateste Lenham Cosworth FVC 1840cc S4 Goodyear 88 Insufficientdistance(15hr) DNF Gp.4 /GTX * 72 CHE W. Vollery(private entrant) CHE William VolleryCHE Jean-Pierre AeschlimannFRA Roger Dorchy Porsche 911 Carrera RS Porsche 3.0L F6 Michelin 82 Electrics (9hr) DNF Gp.4GT 62 FRA P. Dagoreau(private entrant) FRA Christian BussiFRA Philippe Gurdjian FRA Christian Gouttepifre Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Dunlop 79 Engine (9hr) DNF Gp.5SP 49 DEU Gelo Racing Team DEU Clemens SchickentanzNZL Howden Ganley Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche 3.0L F6 Goodyear 74 Transmission (7hr) DNF Gp.62.0 33 CHE Schäfer Team(private entrant) CHE Georges SchäferFRA Jean-Pierre Adatte CHE Riccardo Albanesi Chevron B36 Cosworth FVC 1980cc S4 Firestone 62 Engine (7hr) DNF Gp.4GT 73 FRA Sion Auto(private entrant) FRA André HallerFRA Claude Buchet FRA Jean-Luc Favresse Datsun 260Z Datsun 2.6L S6 Goodyear 39 Fatal accident (7hr) DNF IMSA GT 76 USA IMSAUSA Greenwood Corvettes USA John GreenwoodFRA Bernard Darniche Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Chevrolet 7.0L V8 Goodyear 29 Fuel cell (5hr) DNF Gp.5SP 41 DEU BMW Motorsport GmbH GBR Brian RedmanUSA Peter Gregg BMW 3.0 CSL Turbo BMW 3.2L S6 turbo Goodyear 23 Oil leak (5hr) DNF Gp.5SP 45 GBR Hermetite Productions Ltd. GBR John FitzpatrickGBR Tom Walkinshaw BMW 3.0 CSL BMW 3.5L S6 Goodyear 17 Engine/fire (3hr) DNF IMSA GT 75 USA IMSAUSA M. Keyser USA Michael KeyserUSA Eddie Wachs Chevrolet Monza GT Chevrolet 4.4L V8 Goodyear 11 Transmission (3hr) DNF Gp.63.0 21 CHE GVEA Porsche Club RamondFRA X. Lapeyre(private entrant) FRA Xavier LapeyreFRA Bernard Chevanne Lola T286 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Goodyear 9 Engine (4hr) DNF Gp.5SP 48 FRA J.-L. Chateau(private entrant) FRA Jean-Louis ChateauFRA Dominique Fornage FRA Jean-Claude Guérie Porsche 934/5 Porsche 3.0L F6 turbo Dunlop 9 Transmission (7hr) DNF NASCAR 4 USA NASCARUSA H. McGriff USA Hershel McGriffUSA Doug McGriff Dodge Charger Dodge Hemi 5.6L V8 Goodyear 2 Oil leak (2hr) DNF Gp.62.0 36 CHE Cheetah Racing Cars FRA Daniel BrillatCHE Michel DegourmoisFRA "Dépnic" (Jean-Claude Depince) Cheetah G-601 BMW 1998cc S4 Goodyear 2 Transmission (3hr) Note: listed as a Group 4 car in Spurring and on 1976 Le Mans program's Entry List. http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1976-06-13.html Racing Sports Cars RacingSportsCars.com 2018-07-20 But listed as GTX by World Sports Cars, http://www.wsrp.cz/nonchamp1976.html#19 World Sports Cars World Sports Racing Prototypes.com 2018-07-20 Le Mans History http://www.lemans-history.com/provas.php?ano=1976 Le Mans History LeMans-History.com 2018-07-20 & TeamDan http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1976/76lemans.html Team Dan TeamDan.com 2018-07-20 websites . Did Not Start Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Reason DNS GTX 82 CHE Wicky Racing Team FRA Martial DelalandeFRA Jacques MarchéMAR Max Cohen-Olivar De Tomaso Pantera Ford 5.8L V8 Engine DNQ Gp.63.0 8 CHE Racing Team Schulthess(private entrant) CHE Heinz SchulthessFRA Jean-Claude LagniezFRA Max Antichan Toj SC301 Cosworth DFV 3.0L V8 Goodyear Did not qualify DNQ Gp.62.0 25 CHE Racing Team Schulthess(private entrant) CHE Heinz SchulthessFRA Jean-Claude LagniezFRA Max Antichan Toj SC204 Simca-ROC 1996cc S4 Goodyear Did not qualify DNQ Gp.4GT 83 DEU P. Rilly(private entrant) FRA Paul RillyFRA Roger Le Veve Porsche 911 Carrera SC Porsche 3.0L F6 Michelin Failed scrutineering Class Winners Class Winning car Winning drivers Group 6 S Sports 3-litre #20 Porsche 936 Ickx / van Lennep * Group 6 S Sports 2-litre #35 Lola T292 Trisconi / Morand / Chevalley * Group 5 SP Special Production #40 Porsche 935 Stommelen / Schurti * Group 4 GTS Special GT #71 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR “Segolen” / Ouvière / Gadal Group 2 TS Special Touring #95 BMW 3.0 CSL Ravenel / Ravenel / Detrin GTP Le Mans GT Prototype #1 Inaltéra LM Pescarolo / Beltoise * GTX Le Mans GT Experimental no entrants IMSA GT #77 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Waugh / Rulon-Miller / Laffeach * NASCAR Stock car no finishers Note: setting a new class distance record. Six-Hour Segment Winners Spurring 2011, p.233 Bracket Sponsor No Team Drivers Chassis Laps 1 – 6hours Prix Inaltéra 20 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System Ickx / van Lennep Porsche 936 91 7 – 12hours Prix SMGF 20 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System Ickx / van Lennep Porsche 936 90 13 – 18hours Prix Nescafé 20 DEU Martini Racing Porsche System Ickx / van Lennep Porsche 936 91 19 – 24hours Prix Moët et Chandon 12 GBR Alain de Cadenet De Cadenet / Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 LM76 84 Statistics Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO Pole Position –J.-P. Jabouille, #19 Renault-Alpine A442 – 3:33.1secs; 230.43 km/h on Fastest Lap – J.-P. Jabouille, #19 Renault-Alpine A442 – 3:43.0secs; 220.20 km/h on Winning Distance – 4769.92 km on Winner's Average Speed – 198.7 km/h on Attendance – ? Citations 30em References Clarke, R.M. - editor (1997) Le Mans 'The Porsche Years 1975-1982' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books 1-85520-387-1 Clausager, Anders (1982) Le Mans London: Arthur Barker Ltd 0-213-16846-4 Laban, Brian (2001) Le Mans 24 Hours London: Virgin Books 1-85227-971-0 Spurring, Quentin (2011) Le Mans 1970-79 Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing 978-1-84425-539-9 Wimpffen, János (2007) Spyders and Silhouettes Hong Kong: David Bull Publishing 1-893618-83-8 External links Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1976 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 7 Aug 2018 Le Mans History – Le Mans History, hour-by-hour (incl. pictures, quotes, YouTube links). Retrieved 7 Aug 2018 World Sports Racing Prototypes – results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 7 Aug 2018 www.teamdan.com, as archived at web.archive.org – results & reserve entries, explaining driver listings Unique Cars & Parts – results & reserve entries. Retrieved 7 Aug 2018 Formula 2 – Le Mans results & reserve entries. Retrieved 7 Aug 2018 YouTube - Colour report of race (10mins). Retrieved 19 Aug 2018 YouTube - Report by BMW of the BMW-Porsche GT duel (in German - 5mins). Retrieved 19 Aug 2018 YouTube - Colour report of race (in German - 13mins). Retrieved 19 Aug 2018 YouTube - Article about the #76 Greenwood Corvette (6mins). Retrieved 19 Aug 2018 YouTube - Article about the #41 BMW artcar (2mins). Retrieved 19 Aug 2018 Category:24 Hours of Le Mans races Le Mans Category:1976 in French motorsport