1976 Porsche 936/76 Win
Porsche's turbocharged 936 dominates as turbos arrive in force at Le Mans.
The 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 44th Grand Prix of Endurance, held on 12 and 13 June 1976. The race featured new Group 5 and Group 6 regulations and nine distinct classes, though it was not part of a World Championship.
Quick Facts
- Drivers
- Jacky Ickx, Gijs van Lennep
Lore & Background
Porsche introduced the 936 (Group 6), 935 (Group 5), and 934 (Group 4). BMW entered a modified 3.0 CSL in Group 5. Turbocharged cars arrived in force, led by the Renault Alpine A442. French constructors Jean Rondeau and Gérard Welter debuted in the new GTP class, and American IMSA and NASCAR entries were invited for the first time.
After an initial challenge from Renault Alpine, the Porsche 936 of Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep built an unassailable lead, winning by 11 laps despite a 30-minute stop for a cracked exhaust. Second was the Mirage of François Migault and Jean-Louis Lafosse, and third was Alain de Cadenet's privateer effort. The works Porsche 935 of Rolf Stommelen and Manfred Schurti won Group 5. Henri Pescarolo and Jean-Pierre Beltoise took the inaugural GTP win in their Inaltéra.
André Gahinet's privateer Porsche 911 won Group 4. Frenchman André Haller died when his Datsun 260Z crashed at the Mulsanne Kink.
Reader's Guide
The race was the first Le Mans with no Ferrari entrants since the company's founding in 1947. The winning drivers were Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep. Ickx was a previous race-winner; van Lennep had won Le Mans in 1971.
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