Description

A new logo, new technical regulations and fresh
excitement placed the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours
under the banner of innovation. In front of a record
crowd of 263 000 spectators the race fulfilled all
its promise. The battles between Toyota, Porsche
and Audi in LM P1 and Ligier and Zytek in LM P2,
and the fantastic scrap between Corvette, Porsche,
Aston Martin and Ferrari in grand touring endurance
kept the spectators on tenterhooks throughout the
24 hours. Finally, victory went to Fässler-Lotterer-Tréluyer,
the trio's third since 2011 and Audi's thirteenth
since 2000 in a car that used 30 % less fuel
than the R18 e-tron quattro, which won 12 months
earlier. In LM P2 the outcome was decided in the final
hour with British team Jota Sport snatching victory.
In grand touring the spoils went to Ferrari with its
458 Italia in GTE Pro after its success in 2012 and its
win in the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours a few weeks
before the Sarthe classic. In GTE Am Aston Martin
emerged victorious in the year that Prodrive, which
prepares and runs the V8 Vantages, is celebrating
its 30th birthday. The 2014 race was an all-action
thriller punctuated with numerous upsets which you
can relive in full in words and pictures in this book.