2004 24 Hours of Le Mans

Teams that won their class in the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans received automatic entries. Teams that won Le Mans-based series and events in 2003, such as the Petit Le Mans, the 1000 km of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), were also invited. Some second-place finishers also received automatic entries into specific series and races. Entries were also granted to the 2003 FIA GT Championship winners and runners-up in the GT and N-GT categories.[9] Had the entry of the 2003 Petit Le Mans category winner been the same as the 2003 American Le Mans Series class champion, the second automatic entry would have been awarded to another team in that category under an agreement with the ACO and the ALMS.[10] Because entries were pre-selected to teams, teams were not permitted to switch cars from one year to the next. They were allowed to switch categories as long as they did not change the car make and the ACO gave official permission for the switch.[11]

The ACO published its initial list of automatic invitations on 20 November 2003.[9] Team Bentley, Infineon Team Joest, Pescarolo Sport (after switching engine suppliers from Peugeot to Judd), RN Motorsport, Dyson Racing and Alex Job Racing declined their automatic entries; their places were taken by Champion Racing, Audi Sport Japan Team Goh and Lister Racing due to their performance in the GT category during the 2003 FIA GT Championship.[12]

Automatic entries for the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans

Reason Entered	LMGTP/LMP900	LMP675	LMGTS/GT	LMGT/N-GT
1st in the 24 Hours of Le Mans	Team Bentley	Noël del Bello Racing	Veloqx Prodrive Racing	Alex Job Racing
2nd in the 24 Hours of Le Mans	Team Bentley	RN Motorsports	Corvette Racing	Orbit Racing
1st in the Petit Le Mans	Champion Racing	Intersport Racing	Prodrive	Alex Job Racing
1st in the American Le Mans Series	Infineon Team Joest	Dyson Racing	Corvette Racing	Risi Competizione
1st in the FIA GT Championship			BMS Scuderia Italia	Freisinger Motorsport
2nd in the FIA GT Championship			BMS Scuderia Italia	JMB Racing
1st in the 1000 km of Le Mans	Audi Sport Japan Team Goh	Courage Compétition	Care Racing	Cirtek Motorsport
2nd in the 1000 km of Le Mans	Pescarolo Sport	Intersport Racing	Care Racing	Freisinger Motorsport
Source:[9]

On 25 March 2004, the ACO's seven-member selection committee announced the full 50-car entry list for Le Mans, plus six reserves.[13][14] Following the publication of entries, several teams withdrew their entries. Arena Motorsport withdrew its Dome S101 car, promoting the No. 4 Taurus Sports Racing Lola B2K/10-Judd vehicle.[15] Thierry Perrier's Porsche 911 GT3-RS was allowed to race after one of pre-selected BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello's was withdrawn,[15] because the team did not have enough time to make the car compliant with ACO regulations and it wanted to focus on the 2004 FIA GT Championship.[16] Later, Risi Competizione's Ferrari 360 Modena GTC was replaced in the list of entries by XL Racing's Ferrari. Following that, Konrad Motorsport and Welter Racing were granted the fourth and fifth reserve entries, respectively, and XL Racing withdrew its Ferrari. A second Racing for Holland Dome car was promoted, giving the team two LMP1 entries.[15]

On 21 April, the Car Racing team confirmed that its No. 67 Ferrari 550 was withdrawn due to financial problems from a lack of sponsorship and its place in the LMGT category was taken by a second Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport-entered TVR Tuscan 400R.[15] Force One Racing withdrew its Pagani Zonda from the race after a heavy crash at the ACI Vallelunga Circuit in Italy halted development. This allowed Seikel Motorsport's No. 84 Porsche into the race.[17] When the Spinnaker Clan Des Team withdrew on 1 June due to a lack of preparation and testing, the No. 36 Gerard Welter car took its place.[18] Officials required Courage Compétition and its satellite operation Epsilon Sport to withdraw one C65 chassis per team after an engine supply agreement with Mecachrome was terminated, and both outfits sourced replacement engines from JPX.[19]

Pole position winners in each class are indicated in bold. The fastest time set by each entry is denoted in gray.

The weather at the start before 200,000 people was overcast with an air temperature of 25 °C (77 °F) and a track temperature of 28 °C (82 °F).[43][44] At 16:00 local time, François Fillon, Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research, waved the French tricolour to begin the race,[1] which was led by pole sitter Jamie Davies.[45] There were 48 cars scheduled to start, but the No. 10 Lola B2K/10 and the No. 61 Barron Connor Racing Ferrari 575-GTC started from the pit lane due to clutch and engine changes, respectively. The No. 14 Team Nasamax DM139 was forced off the track after a fuel consumption test, but it rejoined the grid.[43] Davies held off teammate McNish into the Dunlop Curve to lead the opening laps. The other two Audis of Lehto and Capello, as well as Lammers' Racing for Holland Dome entry, passed Andy Wallace's Zytek car, demoting it from third to sixth.[45] The top five LMGTS cars were nose-to-tail, with Kox leading and Lammers had a throttle sensor problem on the Mulsanne, falling to 24th. Capello spun into a gravel trap at the Dunlop Curves four laps later and rejoined behind Lammers. Before the first hour ended, Capello's Team's electronic control unit was replaced. Goh's Audi dropped him off the lead lap as Gavin's Corvette took the lead of LMGTS.[43] His teammate Fellows was forced to enter the pit lane after colliding with a tyre barrier at Arnage corner. Repairs to the No. 63 car's front cost it five laps and O'Connell replaced Fellows.[46]

On 1 hour and 52 minutes,[47] McNish and Lehto's cars lost control when they drove onto a patch of oil laid on the track at the entrance to the Porsche Curves,[48] spun across a gravel trap and crashed into a tyre barrier in unison,[47] temporarily knocking McNish unconscious.[49] McNish and Lehto were able to return to the garage for extensive repairs after both cars sustained significant damage.[47] McNish collapsed shortly after leaving the garage in the No. 8 car, and two doctors examined him.[49] He was taken to the circuit's medical centre with a sore knee and a concussion.[50] Doctors ruled him unfit for the rest of the event.[51] The safety cars were deployed to slow the race as marshals cleared debris from the track.[48] Brabham's Zytek suffered bodywork damage from a puncture as the safety cars were recalled, and John Field crashed the No. 27 Intersport Lola car at the second Mulsanne Chicane.[52] Later in the second hour, the Champion and Team Goh Audi entries returned to the track outside of the top 40 overall positions.[48] Ryo Michigami's No. 9 Kondo Dome vehicle had a transmission failure on the final third of the lap and he drove to the garage for repairs. He fell to fifth, behind Érik Comas No. 18 Pescarolo C60 car and Katsutomo Kaneishi's No. 15 Racing for Holland car. The attrition rate promoted Sam Hancock's No. 31 Courage C65 car to sixth overall.[53][54]

Smith's No. 88 Audi R8 led Team Goh's Seiji Ara by one lap at the front of the pitch. Enge set the fastest LMGTS lap time of 3 minutes, 53.327 seconds, trailing the class-leading Jan Magnussen's No. 64 Corvette by 17 seconds. Lammers' Racing for Holland Dome car overtook Benoît Tréluyer's No. 17 Pescarolo C60 car for third overall until a fuel pump failed and had to be replaced.[53][55] Hancock's No. 31 Courage C65 car ceded the lead in LMP2 to the sister Epsilon Sport entry,[53] after a faulty rear gearbox selection mechanism required attention from mechanics. Repairs took 20 minutes and dropped the car down the race order. Soon after, Robert Hearn lost control of Freisinger's No. 86 Porsche and collided with the inside barrier at the Karting Esses exit. Hearn was unable to restart the Porsche and retired. After relieving Smith, Herbert responded to Ara's faster pace by closing the gap at the front of the field, which had grown larger after Ara entered a gravel trap on the Mulsanne Straight. McRae's No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari was second in LMGTS until he spun at the Mulsanne Chicane after moving onto a dirty section of track to let a faster LMP car past. After that, his clutch began to slip, and Prodrive replaced it; the resulting pit stop dropped McRae eight laps behind Gavin's LMGTS-leading Corvette.[55]

With the alternator belt broken, the No. 17 Pescarolo C60 car was driven into the team's garage as night fell. Hayanari Shimoda's No. 22 Zytek car was repaired in 14 minutes and re-entered the top ten. Fellows' No. 63 Corvette was thrown into a barrier after a rear-left puncture on a crest on the Mulsanne Straight. The rear and left-hand corner of the car were severely damaged. When a thick dust cloud obscured Paul Belmondo's vision, the No. 37 Courage C65 car crashed. The car had a puncture in the tub's front-right section and was retired to the garage. The accident prompted a second brief safety car intervention.[56] As the safety car period ended, Darren Turner spun the No. 65 Prodrive Ferrari into a gravel trap at the Dunlop Chicane, and Chris Dyson made a pit stop after driving the No. 15 Racing for Holland car into a gravel trap.[57] At midnight, the two lead Audis were separated by a lap, and Lehto drew closer to the LMGTS class leader, the No. 64 Corvette, which was fifth overall. In the Porsche Curves, Maassen slid the No. 90 White Lightning Porsche on oil, but he still led the LMGT class. Lehto overtook Beretta to take the lead over all LMGTS entries, bringing the number of Audis in the top five overall to three.[56]

After Davies' No. 88 Audi received a stop-and-go penalty for passing under yellow flag conditions, he and Magnussen collided at the Ford Chicane, sending the No. 64 Corvette into a trackside tyre wall. Davies and Magnussen were able to return to the pit lane for repairs. The incident gave Alain Menu's No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari the lead in LMGTS, and the gap between Davies and Kristensen was reduced to less than one lap.[58] The No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari was later forced to enter the pit lane with a suspected misfire though it was later discovered that a section of rubber was lodged inside an air restrictor.[59] Menu's Ferrari spent seven minutes undergoing repairs; it rejoined the race with his lead in the LMGTS category over the No. 64 Corvette lowered from four to 2+1⁄2 laps and the Kondo Dome moved ahead of him.[60] The No. 90 White Lightning Porsche continued to lead the LMGT class but in the eleventh hour,[60] the car ceded the lead it had held for the majority of the race when Bergmeister entered the pit lane to replace a broken shifter linkage cable on its sequential gearbox and to change brakes. Patrick Long relieved Bergmeister and returned to the track in second, three laps behind Ralf Kelleners' No. 85 Freisinger Porsche.[61][62] The No. 32 Intersport Lola car of William Binnie was required to enter the pit lane with a broken right-rear halfshaft but the car rejoined the circuit more than half an hour later without losing the lead in LMP2.[61]

The No. 22 Zytek car began leaking oil across the circuit at the Porsche Curves as the race approached half distance, possibly due to a broken chunk of bodywork hitting an oil union as the engine compartment caught fire due to a lack of oil pressure. As the safety cars were dispatched for the third time, Brabham drove the car into the pit lane with flames erupting from its compartment bay.[60][63] During the safety car period, Kristensen brought the Team Goh Audi into the pit lane to correct a two-hour misfire and the Barron Connor No. 61 Ferrari experienced a left-front brake disc fire that required the car's retirement after mechanics were unable to extinguish the fire and a change of uprights on its suspension system failed to work.[60][64][65] Gavin damaged the No. 64 Corvette's front when he missed the braking point for the first Mulsanne Chicane in the 12th hour.[66] A 15-minute pit stop dropped the Corvette to 11th overall, six laps behind Kox's LMGTS-leading No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari.[67] Soon after, Turner's No. 65 Prodrive Ferrari experienced gear selection issues, and the car spent the majority of the past hour in the garage, falling to fifth in LMGTS. The safety cars separated the field at the front, with Herbert's Audi Sport UK R8 one lap ahead of Ara's Team Goh R8.[66]

Pirro's Champion Audi was fifth early in the morning but fell behind Martin Short's No. 6 Rollcentre Dallara SP1 car owing to an eight-minute brake disc change. The No. 17 Pescarolo vehicle passed Enge for eighth overall.[67] IIntersport's Clint Field picked up a right-rear puncture, causing the No. 31 Lola to spin out of the Ford Curves before entering the pit lane. He was able to return to the pit lane for a replacement wheel, and the Lola maintained its lead in LMP2.[68] Short's No. 6 Dallara was hit from behind by Bourdais' No. 17 Pescarolo entry while lapping the car after the Dunlop Curve and beached in a gravel trap before the end of the 15th hour. Short was extricated from the gravel by trackside equipment and continued in fourth place.[67] Davies' No. 88 Audi Sport UK R8 returned to the garage for seven minutes to correct a handling imbalance caused by a seized rear suspension pushrod bearing,[69] promoting Capello's Team Goh car to the lead.[70] Short's No. 6 Dallara car, which lost fourth to the Champion Audi, suffered a left-rear suspension failure in the Karting Esses. The car spun 360 degrees before crashing broadside into a tyre barrier at high speed. Short was unharmed, but the car was damaged and was retired.[70][71]

At this point, Davies set the race's fastest lap at 3 minutes and 34.264 seconds to lower Capello's lead.[72] Comas maintained third place by driving the No. 17 Pescarolo car into the pit lane for engine repairs. Pirro, in fourth, ran straight at the Mulsanne Corner and beached the Champion Audi R8 in a gravel trap. He recovered with the help of marshals, made a pit stop for new tyres, and Lehto relieved him.[71] Capello, the race leader , soon locked his tyres and ran through the second Mulsanne Chicane. He drove the Team Goh Audi into the pit lane due to a heavily flat spotted tyre disintegrating and Kristensen took over the No. 5 car.[73] Tréluyer's No. 17 Pescarolo 60 car launched over a kerb at a Mulsanne Chicane, and a subsequent crash into the barrier dropped him to third behind Lehto's Champion Audi R8.[74] Enge's No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari was leading the LMGTS category by five laps when its front-left wheel bearing seized in the Dunlop Chicane, damaging the front splitter. The car was returned to the garage, giving Beretta's No. 64 Corvette the class lead.Davies spun the No. 88 Audi Sport UK R8 at the Dunlop Chicane, but the error cost him little time. Further down the order, the No. 85 Freisinger Porsche suffered an oil feed problem, allowing White Lighting to take the lead of LMGT.[75][76]

When fuel was spilt on the rear of Capello's R8 and ignited, Team Goh became concerned. Capello quickly exited the car as flames spread to its right rear, though marshals extinguished the fire. Capello resumed driving after 30 seconds after mechanics checked for damage. The incident allowed Davies' No. 88 Audi Sport UK R8 to close to within 90 seconds of the Team Goh Audi, but then slower traffic delayed him.[77] Over an hour after losing the LMGTS lead, Menu, driving the No. 66 Prodrive Ferrari, was forced to replace the front splitter in order to correct a handling issue. It did not, however, result in an improvement, and Menu drove into the garage for additional undertray repairs. Enge replaced Menu and damaged the front of the Ferrari during his first lap out of the pit lane when he collided with a wall at Indianapolis corner. He fell to fourth in class, trailing Papis' No. 63 Corvette and Rydell's No. 65 Prodrive Ferrari. ChoroQ Racing Team moved to second in LMGT after Freisinger's Porsche of Ortelli developed a misfire and fell to third in class.[78]

Ara's No. 5 Team Goh Audi held off Herbert's faster No. 88 Audi Sport UK car in the race's final two hours to take Audi's fourth win in five years at Le Mans by 41.354 seconds,[79] at a distance of 5,169.9 km (3,212.4 mi) and an average speed of 215.418 km/h (133.855 mph).[80] It was Ara's first Le Mans win, Capello's second and Kristensen's sixth.[81] Kristensen equalled Jacky Ickx's all-time record of six victories and was the first driver to win the 24-hour race five times in a row.[82] Champion Racing recovered from its crash in the second hour to finish third. The highest-placed non-Audi was the No. 18 Pescarolo C60 car of Ayari, Comas and Tréluyer in fourth and Frank Biela and Kaffer's No. 8 Audi Sport UK R8 finished fifth.[79] Although Corvette Racing ran out of spare parts because of the incidents it was involved in,[83] the No. 63 held an 11-lap lead over the No. 64 to finish sixth overall and win the category, earning the team their third class victory. McRae, Rydell, and Turner's No. 65 Prodrive Ferrari finished third in class, ahead of Enge, Kox, and Menu's No. 66 car.[79] Porsche took the first six positions in the LMGT class as the No. 90 White Lighting entry won its second consecutive category race following its 2003 victory with Alex Job Racing, bringing the Porsche 911-GT3 RS's total Le Mans class victories to six since its debut in the 1999 edition.[79][84] Team Nasamax's bio-ethanol-powered DM138 finished 17th, making it the first renewable-fuelled car to complete the Le Mans race.[85][86] The No. 32 Intersport crew won the LMP2 class, finishing 25th overall and eight laps ahead of the No. 24 Rachel Welter WR LM2001 vehicle, the only other vehicle in the category.[87]