Landmark events

1998

On October 10, 1998, Yannick Dalmas completed an impressive back flip in his Porsche 911 GT1. On September 30, 2000, American Bill Auberlen inadvertently did the same in a BMW V12 LMR. Both drivers were left more shaken than injured – and, given the force of each accident, that was something to be thankful for.
Click on the image to start the video (www.youtube.com).

1999

Andy Wallace (born 1961 in Oxford, England), plus team-mates David Brabham and Eric Bernard, won Petit Le Mans in a Panoz LMP-1 Roadster. S. Wallace became the first driver in history to win the three classic endurance races: the Le Mans 24 Hours, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

2000

The closing stages of this race were illuminated by an incredible battle in the GTS category between a works Dodge Viper and a Chevrolet Corvette. At the end of this thrilling duel, the Corvette driven by Andy Pilgrim, Franck Fréon and Kelly Collins emerged victorious, to bring an end to the Viper’s era of dominance in endurance racing.

2001

Born in Caracas (Venezuela), Milka Duno was the first woman to regularly enter ALMS races. She took four category wins, including one at Petit Le Mans driving an LMP 675. Duno became the first woman in history to win the event.

2002

The four winning driver combinations in each class of the fifth edition of Petit Le Mans also won the 12 Hours of Sebring at the start of the season !

2003

Johnny Herbert had endured a frustrating year, with third-place finishes at Sebring and in the Le Mans 24 Hours. But he rounded off his season in style, winning Petit Le Mans alongside JJ Lehto.

2004

Jyrki Järvilehto, universally known as JJ Lehto (born January 31, 1966), became the first driver to win the event two years in a row. Following his success with Johnny Herbert in 2003, Lehto was paired with Marco Werner for the 2004 race – and once again claimed the trophy. He also won the American Le Mans Series in the same year.

2005

This was the end of the road for the Audi R8, which had scored six consecutive wins. But its successor, the Audi R10, successfully took up the challenge to win the next three races.

2006

Following a brilliant drive, and after having closed to within a second of the N°1 Audi, Guy Smith unfortunately lost control of the N°20 Lola following suspension failure… Fortunately, he emerged unscathed.
Click on the image to start the video (www.youtube.com).

2007

Torrential rain over the circuit disrupted the “Speed Challenge GT race” at Petit Le Mans. Conditions weren’t much fun for the drivers, but these spectators certainly enjoyed the action.

Click on the image to start the video (www.youtube.com).

2008

Last year's race featured plenty of accidents and spectacular crashes. Among the more artistic of these were Patrick Pilet’s shunt in the middle of the night, while Stefan Johansson found himself in a rather uncomfortable position.

Click on the image to start the video (www.youtube.com).