1996 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1996.

Race
The 1996 race was won by a car that was considered by Porsche to not be a factory-backed entry, instead run by Joest Racing. Porsche themselves sent a team to compete in the GT1 class with a new mid-engined Porsche 911 GT1 with the intent of winning the race overall, defeating custom-built Le Mans Prototypes. Joining in the GT1 class were a fleet of customer McLaren F1 GTRs, the defending race winners. However Joest's prototype was born from the shell of a TWR-designed Jaguar XJR-14 racing car, modified to an open top design by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, and fitted with a Porsche 962 engine. The resulting TWR Porsche WSC-95, while not being the fastest car on track, won when the manufacturer-backed teams hit mechanical troubles.

Statistics

 * Pole Position - #8 Joest Racing - 3:46.682
 * Fastest Lap - #17 Racing For Belgium / Team Scandia - 3:46.958
 * Distance - 4814.4 km
 * Average Speed - 200.6 km/h
 * Highest Trap Speed - Courage C36 - 332 km/h (race)