LE MANS, France, 19 June 2005 — Former Formula One driver Johnny Herbert drove his Jaguar to victory in the Le Mans Legend yesterday, the historic support race at the 24-hour motor racing classic.
The Le Mans Legend is a one-hour, two-driver race with cars from the 1935-1955 era.
Briton Herbert, 40, won the world’s most famous endurance race in 1991 in a Mazda but did not show up on the podium after being taken ill and rushed to hospital.
“It is so special for me to win with the very car which won the 24 Hours fifty years ago, with (Mike) Hawthorn and (Ivor) Bueb,” said the former Lotus, Benetton and Jaguar driver.
“It was also the year when so many people died in Le Mans and in spite of this, the race remained a legend, the crowd is still coming in numbers,” he added.
In 1955, Pierre Levegh ran into the back of a slower Austin-Healey, was catapulted upwards and crashed into an earth bank designed to protect the crowd, killing the Mercedes driver and 79 spectators.
Herbert, who is used to driving modern Formula One cars, said after his win: “It’s amusing and comical to drive these old cars. My Jaguar went up to 172 kph during the qualifying sessions but is not as steady as an Audi or a Bentley”.
