The 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 57th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 10 and 11 June 1989.

Race

The race was the last time the 24 Hours of Le Mans ran without the two chicanes on the

Mulsanne Straight The Mulsanne Straight (''Ligne Droite des Hunaudières'' in French) is the name used in English for a formerly long straight of the Circuit de la Sarthe around which the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race takes place. Since 1990, the straight is int ...

; for the interest of safety to reduce speeds after speeds reaching in the previous years and this race, these chicanes were installed the next year and remains in use. The speeds on the Mulsanne Straight were so high that many of the drivers were concerned if their cars would stay on the ground over the humps and bumps of the straight. There were no serious accidents, something Le Mans in the 1980s had many of. Having run his cars at Le Mans for a decade, Peter Sauber was aided by Mercedes in winning the 1989 race. His "Silver Arrows" Sauber C9s finished 1st, 2nd and 5th, with Porsches and Jaguars finishing behind.

Qualifying

Class leaders are in bold *Several factory teams used the lengthy qualifying periods as a shakedown for their T-cars, and set some competitive lap times in the process. The #38 Toyota T-car actually set the 2nd fastest qualifying time overall, but the team chose to stick with their main car for the race itself, meaning they forfeited the T-car lap time and started 25th.

Official results

Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).

Statistics

* Pole Position - Jean-Louis Schlesser, #62 Team Sauber Mercedes - 3:15.040 (155.234 mph/249.826 km/h) * Fastest Lap - Alain Ferté, #4 Silk Cut Jaguar - 3:21.093 * Distance - 5265.115 km * Average Speed - 219.990 km/h * Highest Trap Speed - Jaguar XJR-9 - 241.713 mph (389 km/h) (race), Sauber Mercedes C9 - 249.13 mph (401 km/h) (qualifying) {{DEFAULTSORT:1989 24 Hours Of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans races

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...