The 12th edition of Le Mans Classic delivered 24 hours of racing across six grids, with more than 800 cars taking to the circuit in front of a record 238,000 spectators. From pre-war Aston Martins to Ferrari prototypes and turbocharged Porsches, every era of the 24 Hours was represented on track.
Victory in the overall team standings went to Team #9, which covered 103 laps combined across the six grids. Among its standout performances were Stephen Skipworth and Nigel Armstrong in a 1939 Aston Martin Speed Model, Thomas Ward in a 1951 Jaguar XK120, and Russell Busst aboard a Chevron B31. The Performance Index – which rewards age, displacement and distance – was won by Team #43, featuring a 1930 Bentley Speed Six, Peugeot 203, and a Porsche 935 K3.
The first grid celebrated Le Mans’ formative years, with Fritz Burkard winning the first heat in a 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM before Martin Halusa and Alexander Ames took the final two races in a 1932 8C Spider Zagato. The second batch, covering 1949-1956, was dominated by Nigel Webb and Chris Ward in a 1952 Jaguar C-type, who took a clean sweep despite a strong challenge from a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
Watch the full Saturday race here:
The 1957-1961 contingent saw three different winners: Emanuele Pirro and Hans Hugenholtz opened strongly in a Lister Costin, Remo Lips and Diego Meier countered with their Ferrari 250 GT SWB, and the final victory went to an Aston Martin DB4 GT driven by the Alexander brothers. The overall class win went to the Ferrari team.
Racing was fierce in the Ford versus Ferrari-era fourth grid. A trio of Ford GT40s traded wins in mixed conditions, but it was Emile Breittmayer’s #28 car that emerged on top overall, fending off a Shelby Cobra 289 and a Ferrari 250 LM. The spectacle of two GT40s finishing within half a second of each other was among the weekend’s most memorable sights.
Later grids brought prototypes to the fore, with the1966-1971 race featuring the likes of a Lola T70, Porsche 908 and Ferrari 512M – with the latter claiming class honours. The 1972-1981 grid saw Maxime Guenat dominate all three races in a 1979 Lola T286, with Chevron and Porsche runners completing the podium.
Group C Racing brought thunderous entertainment, with the first race won by a Peugeot 905 Evo, while the second wet-weather race was claimed by Ivan Vercoutere and Ralf Kelleners in a Porsche 962C. The Porsche 917K triumphed in the standalone Porsche Classic Race Le Mans, after fending off a trio of 935s.
Endurance Racing Legends welcomed machinery from the 2000s and early 2010s. Maxwell Lynn won the opener in a 2003 Bentley Speed 8 after a penalty demoted Jamie Constable’s Zytek, while Max Shilton won the sprint finale in another Zytek 04S after a late pass on Emmanuel Collard’s Pescarolo C60.
Aside from the racing, the event featured 220 clubs displaying 9200 classic cars, and a growing emphasis on sustainability. Thanks to partner Aramco, many competitors ran on synthetic fuel. The next Le Mans Classic is scheduled for 2-5 July 2026, following the recent announcement that the event will now run annually.
For more info, visit lemansclassic.com
