1987 Le Mans 24hr

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1987 Le Mans 24hr
Review added by
David Beckett

13 -14 June 1987 Review
Certificate: E
Running Time: 59
Retail Price: £12.99
Release Date: 14/07/2008
Content Type: TV Series

Synopsis:
The greatest endurance race in the world is the ultimate mix of high-speed action, drama and skill and the 1987 running of the Le Mans 24 hours race was no exception.

It had been 30 years since Jaguar's last Le Mans win, and the trio of Silk Cut-backed XJR-8LMs were determined to end that losing streak. However, the dominant works Rothmans Porsches were equal to the challenge and prepared three of the awesome turbo-charged 962Cs.

This superb review brings you all the action as these two legendary marques went head-to-head, with amazing footage capturing the vital passes, the massive speeds and decisive moments. Dramatic in-car footage comes courtesy of first the Brun Porsche 962 of Bill Adam, Richard Spendard and Scott Goodyear then the Rothmans Porsche 961 of René Metge, Claude Haldi and Kees Nierop - including the race-ending fiery crash!

Reliability and accidents, many sparked by wet conditions, would decimate the field, reducing the works Porsche challenge to just one car before nightfall. The hours of darkness would claim one of the Jaguars, Win Percy luckily escaping a massive crash - captured on this review by an amateur cameraman.

Reliability problems would be Jaguar's undoing, a second car retiring with eight hours to go and the final XJR-8LM dropping down the order as it battled mechanical woes. That left the Porsche of Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert virtually unchallenged in the final hours, but the victory was no less sweeter for that - they had taken Jaguar on, and won.

Enjoy fast and furious race action, interviews with stars like Bell, Stuck, Martin Brundle & Eddie Cheever, plus all the colour and atmosphere that surrounds this amazing event.

Special Features:
None