# 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 6 and 7 June 1998.

## Schedule

Events for the 24 Hours of Le Mans began on 2 May with technical inspections, before initial pre-qualifying on 3 May. The race week began on Monday 1 June with renewed technical inspections.
Schedule :
| Date | Time (local) | Event |
| Saturday, 2 May | Unknown | Pre-qualifying sporting checks and administrative scrutineering |
| Sunday, 3 May | 07:30 – 13:30 | Pre-qualifying |
| Sunday, 3 May | 14:30 – 20:30 | Pre-qualifying |
| Monday, 1 June | 15:00 - 18:00 | Sporting checks and administrative scrutineering |
| Tuesday, 2 June | 9:00 - 17:00 | Sporting checks and administrative scrutineering |
| Wednesday, 3 June | 19:00 – 00:30 | Qualifying Session 1 & 2 |
| Thursday, 4 June | 19:00 – 00:30 | Qualifying Session 3 & 4 |
| Saturday, 6 June | Morning | Warm-up |
| Saturday, 6 June | 14:00 | Start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans |
| Sunday, 7 June | 14:00 | Finish of the 24 Hours of Le Mans |

## Entries

1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast GT-One racing cars, while BMW, in association with WilliamsF1, launched the new BMW V12 LM. Nissan sent 4 of their new R390 GT1s. The United States was also represented properly with a two car team from Panoz, with Ford powered Esperante GTR-1s, and factory-backed Chrysler Viper GTS-R in the GT2 class entered by Oreca.

### Automatic invitations

Automatic entry to the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was granted to teams that had performed well in the previous year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as the 1997 season of the FIA GT Championship and the Le Mans Autumn Cup. Entries with a blue background were granted entries, but did not accept their invitations.
| Reason entered | LMP1 | GT1 | GT2 |
| 1st in 24 Hours of Le Mans | Joest Racing GmbH$^1$ | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Elf Haberthur Racing |
| 1st in Le Mans Autumn Cup | Courage Compétition | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Société Chereau |
| 1st in 1997 FIA GT Championship | | AMG-Mercedes | Viper Team Oreca |
    1. Joest Racing forfeited their automatic inclusion by racing under the works Porsche team (car number 7).

### Scrutineering

A total of 63 entries, including those already automatically qualified, were presented for scrutineering on Saturday, May 2. 61 cars passed the scrutineering checks, but two entries - the #37 Newcastle United Lister Storm and the #59 Pilbeam Racing Designs Lotus Esprit, were denied on technical grounds. With no time to effect the necessary changes both entries would be unable to take part in pre-qualifying for the race.

### Pre-qualifying

Pre-qualifying for the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans took place on Sunday, May 3. The entries were divided into two groups of qualifiers where the slowest entries in each class would be eliminated and thus not qualify for the race. A total of 49 starting slots were available for the entered cars, including those already automatically pre-qualified, and were divided on a session- and class-basis. The pre-qualifying results were as follows:
Morning session (7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.)
It was an expectedly tight session for the GT1 cars, with 7 strong entries competing for 5 slots on the grid. In the end it was the unfortunate Larbre and Zakspeed entries that were out of luck despite trying hard with in the case of number 38 spectacular moments. Slowest of all in GT1 was the GTC McLaren with the Mercedes (which had a stop on the Mulsanne at 12:30, reason unknown) splitting the two non pre-qualifiers.
In LMP1 8 entries battled for 6 slots on the grid, with the Moretti Ferrari setting the fastest time. The non-qualifiers were the number 17 Kremer K8 (4:02) and the WR (3:56) which suffered a spin into the gravel trap at the Dunlop curve early in the session. Slowest of the LMP1 cars was the already-qualified Courage #24.
The GT2 group consisted of 11 entries competing for 8 slots. The lone LMP2 entry to the race, the #22 Debora, had been grouped into this category in the absence of any other competition. The predicted Oreca Viper benefit, 4.3 seconds clear of the fastest 911 GT2. The non-qualifiers were two 911 GT2's and the Helem PRV V6.
| Pos | No. | Team | Car | Drivers | Class | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 25 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | Jörg Müller Uwe Alzen Pierre-Henri Raphanel | LMGT1 | 3:38.909 | |
| 2 | 30 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | John Nielsen Franck Lagorce | LMGT1 | 3:40.926 | +2.007 |
| 3 | 32 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | Aguri Suzuki Kazuyoshi Hoshino | LMGT1 | 3:40.927 | +2.008 |
| 4 | 27 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | Ukyo Katayama Ralf Kelleners | LMGT1 | 3:41.301 | +2.382 |
| 5 | 45 | Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz GTR-1 | David Brabham Andy Wallace | LMGT1 | 3:41.667 | +2.748 |
| 6 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Ferrari 333 SP | Gianpiero Moretti Mauro Baldi Didier Theys | LMP1 | 3:43.735 | +4.816 |
| 7 | 38 | Zakspeed | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | Michael Bartels Armin Hahne | LMGT1 | 3:43.911 | +4.992 |
| 8 | 1 | Team BMW Motorsport | BMW V12 LM | Steve Soper Tom Kristensen | LMP1 | 3:44.528 | +5.609 |
| 9 | 7 | Porsche AG | Porsche LMP1-98 | Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson David Murry | LMP1 | 3:44.720 | +5.801 |
| 10 | 36 | AMG-Mercedes | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | Jean-Marc Gounon Ricardo Zonta Christophe Bouchut | LMGT1 | 3.46.020 | +7.101 |
| 11 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Courage C51 | Fredrik Ekblom Patrice Gay | LMP1 | 3:47.397 | +8.478 |
| 12 | 15 | La Filière | Courage C36 | Henri Pescarolo Olivier Grouillard Emmanuel Clérico | LMP1 | 3.49.061 | +10.142 |
| 13 | 48 | Larbre Compétition | Porsche 911 GT1 | Jean-Pierre Jarier Patrice Goueslard Robin Donovan | LMGT1 | 3:49.225 | +10.306 |
| 14 | 10 | Pilot Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | Michel Ferté | LMP1 | 3:50.770 | +10.851 |
| 15 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | Steve O'Rourke Tim Sugden | LMGT1 | 3:51.842 | +12.923 |
| 16 | 19 | Gerard Welter | WR LMP 98 | Jean-Bernard Bouvet Xavier Pompidou Marc Rostan | LMP1 | 3:56.582 | +17.663 |
| 17 | 52 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Olivier Beretta Karl Wendlinger Luca Drudi | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:01.921 | +23.002 |
| 18 | 17 | Kremer Racing | Kremer K8 Spyder | Tomás Saldaña Prince Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón Enrico Bertaggia | LMP1 | 4:02.163 | +23.244 |
| 19 | 24 | Courage Compétition | Courage C41 | Yojiro Terada Franck Fréon | LMP1 | 4:03.371 | +24.452 |
| 20 | 73 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | Toni Seiler Peter Kitchak Angelo Zadra | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:06.201 | +25.282 |
| 21 | 67 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | Michel Neugarten David Smadja | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:06.215 | +27.296 |
| 22 | 55 | Chamberlain Engineering | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Ni Amorim Gonçalo Gomes Hans Hugenholtz | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:06.608 | +27.689 |
| 23 | 71 | Estoril Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | Michel Maisonneuve Manuel Monteiro Michel Monteiro | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:08.246 | +29.327 |
| 24 | 74 | Cirtek Motorsport | Saleen Mustang SR | Rob Schirle Michel Ligonnet | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:08.998 | +30.079 |
| 25 | 22 | Didier Bonnet | Debora LMP296 | Lionel Robert | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:09.059 | +30.140 |
| 26 | 69 | Michel Nourry | Porsche 911 GT2 | Michel Nourry Thierry Perrier Michel Quiniou | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:10.716 | +31.797 |
| 27 | 65 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | Andy Pilgrim André Ahrlé Robert Nearn | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:14.452 | +35.533 |
| 28 | 58 | RJ Racing | Helem PRV V6 | Patrick Gonin Benjamin Roy | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:21.604 | +42.685 |
| 29 | 63 | Gerard MacQuillan | Porsche 911 GT2 | Thomas Erdos Gerard MacQuillan | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:45.350 | +1:06.431 |
Note: Pink background denotes non-qualifiers, green background denotes entries automatically pre-qualified.
Afternoon session (2:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.)
The afternoon session saw the final 9 GT1 entries competing for the remaining 7 slots on the grid. Fastest overall and in GT1 was the number 26 Porsche in the hands of Allan McNish after a titanic battle with Martin Brundle's Toyota in the closing hour, the difference ending up at only 0.09 seconds. The two who go no further in GT1 for this session were Hybrid Panoz and the second Zakspeed Porsche (meaning neither Zakspeed entry made it through to the race). The two Nissans (one TWR, one Nova) and the 'conventional' Panoz made it comfortably, despite the #33 Nova Nissan spinning into a gravel trap after only 10 minutes of the session, later resuming with the spare rear bodywork from one of the TWR cars.
In LMP1 there were 9 entries competing for 7 slots. Again a Ferrari was fastest, as the JB Ferrari beat the factory BMW and Porsche entries with 0.4 and 2.7 seconds respectively. The second Kremer K8 scraped home ahead of the Konrad K8 by 0.08 seconds and thus made the race. The other prototype not to progress was the other WR which never managed to set a competitive laptime.
GT2 was again dominated by the Oreca Vipers. 8 of the 10 entries would make it through, with the two non-qualifiers being the second Cirtek Mustang and the third Roock Racing 911 GT2.
| Pos | No. | Team | Car | Drivers | Class | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 26 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | Yannick Dalmas Allan McNish Stéphane Ortelli | LMGT1 | 3:37.689 | |
| 2 | 28 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | Martin Brundle Emmanuel Collard | LMGT1 | 3:37.696 | +0.007 |
| 3 | 35 | AMG-Mercedes | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | Bernd Schneider Mark Webber Klaus Ludwig | LMGT1 | 3:38.057 | +0.368 |
| 4 | 29 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | Thierry Boutsen Eric Hélary | LMGT1 | 3:39.649 | +1.960 |
| 5 | 31 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | Jan Lammers Érik Comas Andrea Montermini | LMGT1 | 3:40.778 | +3.116 |
| 6 | 5 | Jabouille-Boursche | Ferrari 333 SP | Vincenzo Sospiri Jean-Christophe Boullion Jérôme Policand | LMP1 | 3:41.039 | +3.350 |
| 7 | 2 | Team BMW Motorsport | BMW V12 LM | Pierluigi Martini Johnny Cecotto | LMP1 | 3:41.412 | +3.732 |
| 8 | 44 | Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz GTR-1 | David Brabham Eric Bernard | LMGT1 | 3:42.347 | +4.658 |
| 9 | 13 | Courage Compétition | Courage C51 | Didier Cottaz Jean-Philippe Belloc | LMP1 | 3:43.588 | +5.899 |
| 10 | 33 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | Satoshi Motoyama Mauro Martini | LMGT1 | 3:43.739 | +6.050 |
| 11 | 8 | Porsche AG | Porsche LMP1-98 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel Yannick Dalmas Bob Wollek | LMP1 | 3:43.786 | +6.097 |
| 12 | 12 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | Wayne Taylor Eric van de Poele | LMP1 | 3:44.442 | +6.753 |
| 13 | 39 | Zakspeed | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | Alexander Grau Jean-Denis Delétraz Fabien Giroix | LMGT1 | 3:44.794 | +7.105 |
| 14 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | Dr. Thomas Bscher Frank Biela Rinaldo Capello | LMGT1 | 3:47.902 | +10.213 |
| 15 | 21 | Philippe Gache | Riley & Scott Mk III | Philippe Gache Anthony Beltoise | LMP1 | 3:51.818 | +14.129 |
| 16 | 46 | Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz GTR-1 Hybrid | James Weaver Perry McCarthy | LMGT1 | 3:54.199 | +16.510 |
| 17 | 16 | Kremer Racing | Kremer K8 Spyder | Rocky Agusta Almo Coppelli | LMP1 | 3:54.617 | +16.928 |
| 18 | 18 | Konrad Motorsport | Kremer K8 Spyder | Franz Konrad | LMP1 | 3:54.625 | +16.936 |
| 19 | 51 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Olivier Beretta Dominique Dupuy Pedro Lamy | LMGT2 | 4:00.120 | +22.431 |
| 20 | 53 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Justin Bell Dominique Dupuy Pedro Lamy | LMGT2 | 4:00.665 | +22.976 |
| 21 | 72 | Larbre Compétition | Porsche 911 GT2 | Patrice Goueslard Patrick Bourdais Jean-Luc Chéreau | LMGT2 | 4:03.380 | +25.691 |
| 22 | 64 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | Bruno Eichmann Claudia Hürtgen | LMGT2 | 4:03.925 | +26.236 |
| 23 | 70 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | Larry Schumacher Nick Ham Martin Stretton | LMGT2 | 4:04.121 | +26.432 |
| 24 | 56 | Chamberlain Engineering | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | Gary Ayles Matt Turner Hans Hugenholtz | LMGT2 | 4:04.618 | +26.929 |
| 25 | 62 | CJ Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | John Morton John Graham Harald Grohs | LMGT2 | 4:06.814 | +29.125 |
| 26 | 61 | Krauss Race Sports International | Porsche 911 GT2 | Bernhard Müller Michael Trunk Ernst Palmberger | LMGT2 | 4:09.016 | +31.327 |
| 27 | 74 | Cirtek Motorsport | Saleen Mustang SR | Rob Schirle Michel Ligonnet | LMGT2/LMP2 | 4:09.895 | +32.206 |
| 28 | 68 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | Éric Graham Hervé Poulain Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière | LMGT2 | 4:23.924 | +46.235 |
| 29 | 20 | JL Sonnier | WR LMP 98 | Pierre Bruneau Dominique Lacaud | LMP1 | 4:48.010 | +1:10.321 |
| 30 | 66 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | John Robinson Hugh Price Sascha Maassen | LMGT2 | 5:00.367 | +1:22.678 |
Note: Pink background denotes non-qualifiers, green background denotes entries automatically pre-qualified.

### Reserve entries

The entries which failed to pre-qualify were placed on a reserve list, in case an entry from the list of 48 withdrew prior to the event. These entries were allowed to join the race entry list based on the fastest pre-qualifying times from the same group and class as the withdrawn entry.
Before the race, two LMGT2 entries from the first pre-qualifying session were withdrawn. First to be withdrawn was the lone Cirtek Mustang which had qualified, which promoted the #65 Roock Racing 911 GT2 into the race. Secondly Viper Team Oreca, which had a total of four Vipers qualified for the race including their automatic entry, withdrew Viper #52. This promoted the #58 RJ Racing Helem into the race.

## Qualifying

Of the 48 cars entered for the race 47 would take part in practice and qualifying. The Helem V6, which had been promoted following the withdrawal of the #52 Viper, ultimately failed race week scrutineering checks because of non-complying structural differences between the road car and the competition one entered in the 24 Hours. After barely scraping through on a reserve entry the car would thus not be allowed to take any further part in race proceedings.
Qualifying took place over a combined four sessions held on Wednesday and Thursday evening, with the fastest times set at any time across all sessions determining the starting grid for the race.

### Qualifying results

Class leaders are in bold.
| Pos | No. | Team | Car | Class | Driver | Time | Gap |
| 1 | 35 | AMG-Mercedes | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | LMGT1 | Bernd Schneider | 3:35.544 | |
| 2 | 28 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | LMGT1 | Martin Brundle | 3:36.552 | +1.038 |
| 3 | 36 | AMG-Mercedes | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | LMGT1 | Christophe Bouchut | 3:36.901 | +1.367 |
| 4 | 25 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | LMGT1 | Jörg Müller | 3:38.084 | +2.550 |
| 5 | 26 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | LMGT1 | Allan McNish | 3:38.407 | +2.873 |
| 6 | 2 | Team BMW Motorsport | BMW V12 LM | LMP1 | Pierluigi Martini | 3:38.829 | +3.295 |
| 7 | 29 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | LMGT1 | Thierry Boutsen | 3:40.042 | +4.508 |
| 8 | 27 | Toyota Motorsport | Toyota GT-One | LMGT1 | Ukyo Katayama | 3:40.472 | +4.938 |
| 9 | 7 | Porsche AG | Porsche LMP1-98 | LMP1 | Michele Alboreto | 3:40.503 | +4.969 |
| 10 | 30 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | Franck Lagorce | 3:40.649 | +5.115 |
| 11 | 45 | Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz GTR-1 | LMGT1 | David Brabham | 3:40.730 | +5.196 |
| 12 | 1 | Team BMW Motorsport | BMW V12 LM | LMP1 | Tom Kristensen | 3:41.599 | +6.065 |
| 13 | 31 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | Jan Lammers | 3:41.621 | +6.087 |
| 14 | 32 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | Aguri Suzuki | 3:42.397 | +6.863 |
| 15 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Courage C51 | LMP1 | Fredrik Ekblom | 3:43.244 | +7.710 |
| 16 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Courage C51 | LMP1 | Didier Cottaz | 3:43.471 | +7.937 |
| 17 | 5 | Jabouille-Boursche | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP1 | Jean-Christophe Boullion | 3:44.458 | +8.924 |
| 18 | 44 | Panoz Motor Sports | Panoz GTR-1 | LMGT1 | Éric Bernard | 3:44.602 | +9.068 |
| 19 | 33 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan R390 GT1 | LMGT1 | Takuya Kurosawa | 3:45.293 | +9.759 |
| 20 | 8 | Porsche AG | Porsche LMP1-98 | LMP1 | Pierre-Henri Raphanel | 3:45.452 | +9.918 |
| 21 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP1 | Didier Theys | 3:45.755 | +10.261 |
| 22 | 12 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP1 | Eric van de Poele | 3:46.289 | +10.755 |
| 23 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | Rinaldo Capello | 3:50.566 | +15.032 |
| 24 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | McLaren F1 GTR | LMGT1 | Tim Sugden | 3:50.863 | +15.329 |
| 25 | 15 | La Filière | Courage C36 | LMP1 | Olivier Grouillard | 3:51.535 | +16.001 |
| 26 | 21 | Solution F | Riley & Scott Mk III | LMP1 | Philippe Gache | 3:54.274 | +18.740 |
| 27 | 24 | Courage Compétition | Courage C41 | LMP1 | Olivier Thévenin | 3:56.658 | +21.124 |
| 28 | 10 | Pilot Racing | Ferrari 333 SP | LMP1 | Michel Ferté | 3:57.546 | +22.012 |
| 29 | 16 | Kremer Racing | Kremer K8 Spyder | LMP1 | Xavier Pompidou | 3:57.814 | +22.280 |
| 30 | 51 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | Olivier Beretta | 3:59.981 | +24.447 |
| 31 | 50 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | Karl Wendlinger | 4:05.006 | +29.472 |
| 32 | 60 | Société Chereau | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | 4:05.010 | +29.476 |
| 33 | 53 | Viper Team Oreca | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | Justin Bell | 4:05.648 | +30.114 |
| 34 | 70 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Nick Ham | 4:06.110 | +30.576 |
| 35 | 64 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Claudia Hürtgen | 4:06.205 | +30.671 |
| 36 | 72 | Larbre Compétition | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Patrice Goueslard | 4:06.511 | +30.977 |
| 37 | 67 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Michel Neugarten | 4:08.326 | +32.792 |
| 38 | 55 | Chamberlain Engineering | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | Ni Amorim | 4:08.958 | +33.424 |
| 39 | 71 | Estoril Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Michel Maisonneuve | 4:09.263 | +33.729 |
| 40 | 22 | Didier Bonnet | Debora LMP296 | LMP2 | Lionel Robert | 4:09.453 | +33.919 |
| 41 | 56 | Chamberlain Engineering | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | LMGT2 | Gary Ayles | 4:09.683 | +34.149 |
| 42 | 62 | CJ Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Harald Grohs | 4:10.215 | +34.681 |
| 43 | 61 | Krauss Race Sports International | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Michael Trunk | 4:11.606 | +36.072 |
| 44 | 65 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Robert Schirle | 4:11.910 | +36.376 |
| 45 | 69 | Michel Nourry | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Thierry Perrier | 4:19.476 | +43.566 |
| 46 | 73 | Konrad Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Toni Seiler | 4:20.426 | +44.892 |
| 47 | 68 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Porsche 911 GT2 | LMGT2 | Éric Graham | 4:23.655 | +48.121 |

## Race

Porsche won the race as the faster cars from Mercedes, BMW and Toyota retired with mechanical difficulties and accident damage. The remaining Nissans and outdated McLarens were unable to match the pace of the upgraded 911 GT1s. Following this race, Porsche went into a sabbatical, rumored to be part of a plan to allow Porsche's partner Audi to develop their own sportscar without competition from within the alliance.
Porsche would return to Le Mans in 2014; they would eventually win the 2015 race.
The GT2 class win by the Chrysler Viper GTS-R was the first GT class win for an American made car since the Shelby Daytona Coupe won in 1964.

## Official results

| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tyre | Laps |
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Engine | Tyre | Laps |
| 1 | LMGT1 | 26 | Porsche AG | Laurent Aïello Allan McNish Stéphane Ortelli | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | M | 351 |
| 1 | LMGT1 | 26 | Porsche AG | Laurent Aïello Allan McNish Stéphane Ortelli | Porsche 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 351 |
| 2 | LMGT1 | 25 | Porsche AG | Jörg Müller Uwe Alzen Bob Wollek | Porsche 911 GT1-98 | M | 350 |
| 2 | LMGT1 | 25 | Porsche AG | Jörg Müller Uwe Alzen Bob Wollek | Porsche 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 350 |
| 3 | LMGT1 | 32 | Nissan Motorsport | Aguri Suzuki Kazuyoshi Hoshino Masahiko Kageyama | Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 348 |
| 3 | LMGT1 | 32 | Nissan Motorsport | Aguri Suzuki Kazuyoshi Hoshino Masahiko Kageyama | Nissan VRH35L 3.5 L Turbo V8 | B | 348 |
| 4 | LMGT1 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Steve O'Rourke Tim Sugden Bill Auberlen | McLaren F1 GTR | P | 343 |
| 4 | LMGT1 | 40 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Steve O'Rourke Tim Sugden Bill Auberlen | BMW S70 6.0 L V12 | P | 343 |
| 5 | LMGT1 | 30 | Nissan Motorsport | John Nielsen Michael Krumm Franck Lagorce | Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 342 |
| 5 | LMGT1 | 30 | Nissan Motorsport | John Nielsen Michael Krumm Franck Lagorce | Nissan VRH35L 3.5 L Turbo V8 | B | 342 |
| 6 | LMGT1 | 31 | Nissan Motorsport | Jan Lammers Érik Comas Andrea Montermini | Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 342 |
| 6 | LMGT1 | 31 | Nissan Motorsport | Jan Lammers Érik Comas Andrea Montermini | Nissan VRH35L 3.5L Turbo V8 | B | 342 |
| 7 | LMGT1 | 45 | Panoz Motor Sports | David Brabham Andy Wallace Jamie Davies | Panoz GTR-1 | M | 335 |
| 7 | LMGT1 | 45 | Panoz Motor Sports | David Brabham Andy Wallace Jamie Davies | Ford-Roush 6.0 L V8 | M | 335 |
| 8 | LMP1 | 12 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Wayne Taylor Eric van de Poele Fermín Velez | Ferrari 333 SP | P | 332 |
| 8 | LMP1 | 12 | Doyle-Risi Racing | Wayne Taylor Eric van de Poele Fermín Velez | Ferrari F130E 4.0 L V12 | P | 332 |
| 9 | LMGT1 | 27 | Toyota Motorsport | Ukyo Katayama Toshio Suzuki Keiichi Tsuchiya | Toyota GT-One | M | 326 |
| 9 | LMGT1 | 27 | Toyota Motorsport | Ukyo Katayama Toshio Suzuki Keiichi Tsuchiya | Toyota R36V 3.6 L Turbo V8 | M | 326 |
| 10 | LMGT1 | 33 | Nissan Motorsport | Satoshi Motoyama Takuya Kurosawa Masami Kageyama | Nissan R390 GT1 | B | 319 |
| 10 | LMGT1 | 33 | Nissan Motorsport | Satoshi Motoyama Takuya Kurosawa Masami Kageyama | Nissan VRH35L 3.5 L Turbo V8 | B | 319 |
| 11 | LMGT2 | 53 | Viper Team Oreca | Justin Bell David Donohue Luca Drudi | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 317 |
| 11 | LMGT2 | 53 | Viper Team Oreca | Justin Bell David Donohue Luca Drudi | Chrysler 8.0 L V10 | M | 317 |
| 12 | LMP1 | 16 | Kremer Racing | Rocky Agusta Almo Coppelli Xavier Pompidou | Kremer K8/2 Spyder | G | 314 |
| 12 | LMP1 | 16 | Kremer Racing | Rocky Agusta Almo Coppelli Xavier Pompidou | Porsche Type-935 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 314 |
| 13 | LMGT2 | 51 | Viper Team Oreca | Olivier Beretta Pedro Lamy Tommy Archer | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 312 |
| 13 | LMGT2 | 51 | Viper Team Oreca | Olivier Beretta Pedro Lamy Tommy Archer | Chrysler 8.0 L V10 | M | 312 |
| 14 | LMP1 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Gianpiero Moretti Mauro Baldi Didier Theys | Ferrari 333 SP | Y | 311 |
| 14 | LMP1 | 3 | Moretti Racing Inc. | Gianpiero Moretti Mauro Baldi Didier Theys | Ferrari F130E 4.0 L V12 | Y | 311 |
| 15 | LMP1 | 24 | Courage Compétition | Yojiro Terada Franck Fréon Olivier Thévenin | Courage C41 | M | 304 |
| 15 | LMP1 | 24 | Courage Compétition | Yojiro Terada Franck Fréon Olivier Thévenin | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 304 |
| 16 | LMP1 | 15 | La Filière | Henri Pescarolo Olivier Grouillard Franck Montagny | Courage C36 | M | 300 |
| 16 | LMP1 | 15 | La Filière | Henri Pescarolo Olivier Grouillard Franck Montagny | Porsche Type-935 3.0 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 300 |
| 17 | LMGT2 | 64 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Claudia Hürtgen Michel Ligonnet Robert Nearn | Porsche 911 GT2 | Y | 285 |
| 17 | LMGT2 | 64 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Claudia Hürtgen Michel Ligonnet Robert Nearn | Porsche 3.8 L Turbo Flat-6 | Y | 285 |
| 18 | LMGT2 | 69 | Michel Nourry | Michel Nourry Thierry Perrier Jean-Louis Ricci | Porsche 911 GT2 | G | 276 |
| 18 | LMGT2 | 69 | Michel Nourry | Michel Nourry Thierry Perrier Jean-Louis Ricci | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 276 |
| 19 | LMGT2 | 56 | Chamberlain Engineering | Gary Ayles Matt Turner Hans Hugenholtz | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | D | 270 |
| 19 | LMGT2 | 56 | Chamberlain Engineering | Gary Ayles Matt Turner Hans Hugenholtz | Chrysler 8.0 L V10 | D | 270 |
| 20 | LMGT2 | 68 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Éric Graham Hervé Poulain Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière | Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 268 |
| 20 | LMGT2 | 68 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Éric Graham Hervé Poulain Jean-Luc Maury-Laribière | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | D | 268 |
| 21 | LMGT2 | 55 | Chamberlain Engineering | Ni Amorim Gonçalo Gomes Manuel Mello-Breyner | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | D | 264 |
| 21 | LMGT2 | 55 | Chamberlain Engineering | Ni Amorim Gonçalo Gomes Manuel Mello-Breyner | Chrysler 8.0 L V10 | D | 264 |
| 22 | LMGT2 | 65 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Rob Schirle André Ahrlé David Warnock | Porsche 911 GT2 | Y | 247 |
| 22 | LMGT2 | 65 | Roock Racing Motorsport | Rob Schirle André Ahrlé David Warnock | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | Y | 247 |
| 23 | LMGT2 | 72 | Larbre Compétition | Patrice Goueslard Jean-Luc Chéreau Pierre Yver | Porsche 911 GT2 | M | 240 |
| 23 | LMGT2 | 72 | Larbre Compétition | Patrice Goueslard Jean-Luc Chéreau Pierre Yver | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 240 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 29 | Toyota Motorsport | Thierry Boutsen Ralf Kelleners Geoff Lees | Toyota GT-One | M | 330 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 29 | Toyota Motorsport | Thierry Boutsen Ralf Kelleners Geoff Lees | Toyota R36V 3.6 L Turbo V8 | M | 330 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 71 | Estoril Racing | Michel Maisonneuve Manuel Monteiro Michel Monteiro | Porsche 911 GT2 | P | 277 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 71 | Estoril Racing | Michel Maisonneuve Manuel Monteiro Michel Monteiro | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | P | 277 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 44 | Panoz Motor Sports | Éric Bernard Christophe Tinseau Johnny O'Connell | Panoz GTR-1 | M | 236 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 44 | Panoz Motor Sports | Éric Bernard Christophe Tinseau Johnny O'Connell | Ford-Roush 6.0 L V8 | M | 236 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 13 | Courage Compétition | Didier Cottaz Marc Goossens Jean-Philippe Belloc | Courage C51 | M | 232 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 13 | Courage Compétition | Didier Cottaz Marc Goossens Jean-Philippe Belloc | Nissan VRH35Z 3.0 L Turbo V8 | M | 232 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Dr. Thomas Bscher Emanuele Pirro Rinaldo Capello | McLaren F1 GTR | G | 228 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 41 | Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren | Dr. Thomas Bscher Emanuele Pirro Rinaldo Capello | BMW S70 6.0 L V12 | G | 228 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 8 | Porsche AG | Pierre-Henri Raphanel David Murry James Weaver | Porsche LMP1-98 | M | 218 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 8 | Porsche AG | Pierre-Henri Raphanel David Murry James Weaver | Porsche Type-935 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 218 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 10 | Pilot Racing | Michel Ferté Pascal Fabre François Migault | Ferrari 333 SP | D | 203 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 10 | Pilot Racing | Michel Ferté Pascal Fabre François Migault | Ferrari F130E 4.0 L V12 | D | 203 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 67 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Michel Neugarten Jean-Claude Lagniez David Smadja | Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 198 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 67 | Elf Haberthur Racing | Michel Neugarten Jean-Claude Lagniez David Smadja | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | D | 198 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 28 | Toyota Motorsport | Martin Brundle Emmanuel Collard Éric Hélary | Toyota GT-One | M | 191 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 28 | Toyota Motorsport | Martin Brundle Emmanuel Collard Éric Hélary | Toyota R36V 3.6 L Turbo V8 | M | 191 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 5 | Jabouille-Boursche | Vincenzo Sospiri Jean-Christophe Boullion Jérôme Policand | Ferrari 333 SP | M | 187 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 5 | Jabouille-Boursche | Vincenzo Sospiri Jean-Christophe Boullion Jérôme Policand | Ferrari F130E 4.0 L V12 | M | 187 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 60 | Société Chereau | Jean-Pierre Jarier Carl Rosenblad Robin Donovan | Porsche 911 GT2 | M | 164 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 60 | Société Chereau | Jean-Pierre Jarier Carl Rosenblad Robin Donovan | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 164 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 62 | CJ Motorsport | John Morton John Graham Harald Grohs | Porsche 911 GT2 | G | 164 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 62 | CJ Motorsport | John Morton John Graham Harald Grohs | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | G | 164 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 21 | Solution F | Philippe Gache Wayne Gardner Didier de Radiguès | Riley & Scott Mk III | P | 155 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 21 | Solution F | Philippe Gache Wayne Gardner Didier de Radiguès | Ford 5.1 L V8 | P | 155 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Fredrik Ekblom Patrice Gay Takeshi Tsuchiya | Courage C51 | M | 126 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 14 | Courage Compétition | Fredrik Ekblom Patrice Gay Takeshi Tsuchiya | Nissan VRH35Z 3.5 L Turbo V8 | M | 126 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 7 | Porsche AG | Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Yannick Dalmas | Porsche LMP1-98 | M | 107 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 7 | Porsche AG | Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Yannick Dalmas | Porsche Type-935 3.2 L Turbo Flat-6 | M | 107 |
| DNF | LMP2 | 22 | Didier Bonnet | Lionel Robert Édouard Sezionale Pierre Bruneau | Debora LMP296 | M | 106 |
| DNF | LMP2 | 22 | Didier Bonnet | Lionel Robert Édouard Sezionale Pierre Bruneau | BMW S50 3.2 L I6 | M | 106 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 61 | Krauss Race Sports International | Bernhard Müller Michael Trunk Ernst Palmberger | Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 71 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 61 | Krauss Race Sports International | Bernhard Müller Michael Trunk Ernst Palmberger | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | D | 71 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 1 | Team BMW Motorsport | Hans-Joachim Stuck Steve Soper Tom Kristensen | BMW V12 LM | M | 60 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 1 | Team BMW Motorsport | Hans-Joachim Stuck Steve Soper Tom Kristensen | BMW S70 6.0 L V12 | M | 60 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 2 | Team BMW Motorsport | Pierluigi Martini Joachim Winkelhock Johnny Cecotto | BMW V12 LM | M | 43 |
| DNF | LMP1 | 2 | Team BMW Motorsport | Pierluigi Martini Joachim Winkelhock Johnny Cecotto | BMW S70 6.0 L V12 | M | 43 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 36 | AMG-Mercedes | Jean-Marc Gounon Ricardo Zonta Christophe Bouchut | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | B | 31 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 36 | AMG-Mercedes | Jean-Marc Gounon Ricardo Zonta Christophe Bouchut | Mercedes-Benz GT108B 5.0 L V8 | B | 31 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 50 | Viper Team Oreca | Karl Wendlinger Marc Duez Patrick Huisman | Chrysler Viper GTS-R | M | 28 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 50 | Viper Team Oreca | Karl Wendlinger Marc Duez Patrick Huisman | Chrysler 8.0 L V10 | M | 28 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 70 | Konrad Motorsport | Franz Konrad Larry Schumacher Nick Ham | Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 24 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 70 | Konrad Motorsport | Franz Konrad Larry Schumacher Nick Ham | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | D | 24 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 35 | AMG-Mercedes | Bernd Schneider Mark Webber Klaus Ludwig | Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM | B | 19 |
| DNF | LMGT1 | 35 | AMG-Mercedes | Bernd Schneider Mark Webber Klaus Ludwig | Mercedes-Benz GT108B 5.0 L V8 | B | 19 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 73 | Konrad Motorsport | Toni Seiler Peter Kitchak Angelo Zadra | Porsche 911 GT2 | D | 2 |
| DNF | LMGT2 | 73 | Konrad Motorsport | Toni Seiler Peter Kitchak Angelo Zadra | Porsche 3.6 L Turbo Flat-6 | D | 2 |

## Statistics

* Pole Position - #35 AMG-Mercedes - 3:35.544 (Bernd Schneider)
* Fastest Lap - #28 Toyota Motorsport - 3:41.809 (Martin Brundle)
* Distance - 4783.78 km
* Average Speed - 199.324 km/h
* Highest Trap Speed — Toyota GT-One - 345 km/h (practice)