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Le Mans 1981 - unchallenged victory for the favored Porsche 936

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Created on May 15, 2011

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Archivbild

Porsche Archiv

Porsche AG

Archiv

Archivbild

Porsche Archiv

Porsche AG

Archiv

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Le Mans 1981 - Siegerfahrzeug Porsche 936 von Derek Bell und Jacky Ickx

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Gesamtsieger Porsche 936 in der Boxengasse (Jacky Ickx und Derek Bell) in Le Mans 1981

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Gesamtsieger Porsche 936 von Jacky Ickx und Derek Bell in Le Mans 1981

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Siegeseinfahrt des Gesamtsiegers Porsche 936 von Jacky Ickx und Derek Bell in Le Mans 1981

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Der NART Ferrari 512 BB/LM in Le Mans 1981 - schied frühzeitig aus.

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Der Pacecar von Le Mans zum ersten Mal im Einsatz gefolgt von einem Porsche 935

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Ein Lancia Beta Monte Carlo bei der Einfahrt zur Zielgeraden in Le Mans 1981

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Gesamtdritter Rondeau M379 von Gordon Spice in Le Mans 1981

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Porsche 936 - Gesamtsieger Le Mans 1981 von Jacky Ickx und Derek Bell

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Porsche 917 Kremer 1981 - Neu gebauter 917er für Le Mans 1981

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Summary

This article contains the following chapters

Victory for the reliable Porsche 936
Thirty years of Le Mans for Porsche
Disappointing 917 K
Mixed feelings about the Rondeau
Surprising Ferrari 512 BB
Porsche 944 GTP LM - harbinger of the series
Lancia as winner in the two-liter class
Series of defects in the BMW M1
Pace car for the first time
Woman at the start and sixth overall
Varying fuel consumption in the field
Final classification:
Further information

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans went down in racing lore as an uneventful, albeit uneventful, race. An unchallenged Porsche victory had been expected. Unfortunately, there were two fatal accidents involving the driver Jean Louis Lafosse and a marshal. In terms of the regulations, 1981 was a transitional year: previous Group 5 and 6 cars were allowed to compete again, while the new Group C (C82) was permitted for the first time. Various sub-categories also started according to the IMSA model: GTP (prototypes), GTO (over 2.5 liters) and GTU (under 2.5 liters) as well as the near-production road class GTX.

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