Le Mans 1985: Customers beat Works team

Group C

Jan 6

The 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the return of the Rothmans Porsche works team with three new 962C and a regulation change for the World Championship imposing manufacturers to improve fuel economy: the total available fuel for the 24 hours was reduced down by 15% to 2210 litres.

The new regulation triggered a strange race where teams were more mindful of fuel economy then speed. From the start the Joest Racing and Richard Lloyd Racing teams had the measure of the field with the old 956 chassis ending first and second ahead of Rothmans Porsche 962 #2.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. #7 Joest Racing Porsche 956.

Klaus Ludwig - Paolo Barilla with #7 Joest Racing Porsche 956 and Jonathan Palmer - James Weaver with #14 Porsche 956B of Richard Lloyd Racing alternated the lead between each other to minimise their fuel consumption until James Weaver had to pit the RLR Porsche twice (engine misfire and a faulty sensor), losing two laps to the leading #7 Porsche.

From then on, Klaus Ludwig - Paolo Barilla with #7 Joest Porsche 956B kept the lead until checkered flag covering 190 km further than they did the previous year and recorded the second-fastest race speed ever at Le Mans, only exceeded by the #22 Porsche 917K of Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep in 1971. Note that pay-driver Louis Krages alias "John Winter" did put in a single 75-minute stint during which a pace cars was released for 30-minutes to repair the safety barriers after Andruet’s accident at Mulsanne.

It was Joest Porsche second win in a row of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the same chassis and Klaus Ludwig third victory of the longest race of the championship.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. Porsche 956B of Richard Lloyd Racing

Despite losing two laps early in the night, Jonathan Palmer and James Weaver with #14 Porsche 956B of Richard Lloyd Racing retook second place at 8.30am, when Porsche #3 had to stop to replace a wheel bearing. They eventually ended second. Note that Richard Lloyd took the car out for a one-hour stint around Sunday midday.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. #2 Porsche 962C

Hans-Joachim Stuck did set a new lap record in his #2 works Porsche 962C during qualifying, with an average speed over 250 km/h for the first time. That record did stand for 32 years, until Kamui Kobayashi broke it during practice for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The works Porsches were running to a prescribed lap-time to conserve their fuel so that at midnight, the #2 Porsche was running third behind sister #3. At mid-race Bell - Stuck were sixth after having to pit for wheel-bearing changes a bit after midnight.

The #2 Porsche 962 of Derek Bell and Hans-Joachim Stuck, had got to third just before midday and held onto that to finish seven laps behind the winners.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. #4 Lancia Martini Lancia LC2

Bob Wollek, Alessandro Nannini and Lucio Cesario ended 6th with #4 Lancia Martini Lancia LC2 motorised by a Ferrari 308C 3.0L V8, 14 laps behind the winners.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. #5 Lancia Martini Lancia LC2

Sister Lancia LC2 #5 driven by Henri Pescarolo and Mauro Baldi ended 7th, 2 laps behind.

*📷 ©* Luc Warnotte at **1985 24 Hours of Le Mans**. #1 Porsche 962C

The 1982 winners Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass faced a series of issues – firstly replacing the Motronics box, then the gearbox, a few laps later an oil pipe, then replacing spark plugs ending 10th overall, 26 laps behind the winners.