The 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 52nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 16 – 17 June 1984. It was also the third round of the 1984 World Endurance Championship. There were two big stories going into the race weekend: the absence of the Porsche works team and their drivers, and the return of Jaguar. Bob Tullius had commissioned the new Jaguar XJR-5 to run in the IMSA series and entered two for Le Mans. Earlier in the year, FISA had announced abrupt changes to the fuel regulations to bring them more in line with IMSA. Porsche and Lancia objected strongly because of their strong investment in the existing rules. In the absence of dominant Porsche works team, the race was left wide open between Lancia and the number of strong Porsche customer teams.
Run in excellent weather, it was a race of excitement and tragedy. Lancia had qualified 1–2 on pole but from the start it was a hotly contested event. The lead changed fifteen times in the first 50 laps, as a half-dozen cars jostled for the lead with close racing that thrilled the spectators. This group did not include the Joest Porsche of former winners Henri Pescarolo and Klaus Ludwig, who had been badly delayed by fuel-pressure issues in the first hour and were down in 30th position. The previous fragility of the Lancias was not apparent and going into the night Bob Wollek's Lancia held a narrow lead. It was at 9:15pm, as dusk was falling, that the most serious accident of the race occurred. The two Nimrod-Aston Martins were travelling in line astern on the Hunaudières Straight when John Sheldon's leading car suddenly veered off the road at the Mulsanne kink leading up to the hairpin. Hitting the Armco barrier, it ricocheted violently across the track into the fencing on the other side and burst into flames. In avoiding the disintegrating car, his team-mate also hit the barrier. A track marshal, Jacky Loiseau, was killed by flying debris and another seriously injured. Sheldon was airlifted to hospital with serious burns. After an hour behind safety cars to allow repairs to be done, the race resumed. The Lancias soon established themselves 1–2 at the head of the field ahead of the pursuing pack of Porsches.
The race was also notable for the very large numbers of mechanical incidents with almost no car left unaffected and without a delay. It also meant no car was able to establish a dominant lead. Everything changed around breakfast time on Sunday. Having led through the night, the Wollek/Nannini Lancia had a long stop to fix its gearbox and the JFR Porsche in second pitted running on five cylinders. This all left the Pescarolo/Ludwig Porsche in the lead after charging back up the field after their initial delay. The American Porsche of Preston Henn was second, one of the few that had had a smooth run through the race. It stayed fairly static at the front for the rest of the race, with Pescarolo getting his fourth Le Mans outright victory, and Ludwig his second. The ailing JFR Porsche held on for third, while Wollek took the Lancia out in the last quarter-hour to come home eighth, the first non-Porsche finisher. Winner of the C2 Class was the Lola-Mazda sponsored by the BF Goodrich tyre company, while neither of the Jaguars finished although they had run in the top-10 for most of the race. Such was the attrition the winners distance was 11 laps fewer than that of the 1983 winner. It was also the biggest comeback in the race by a team after an early-race delay.
Regulations In March 1984, just before the start of the season and only months before the race, the sport's governing body FISA (Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile) announced that IMSA classes would be eligible for the World Championship. Hence the minimum weight rose 50 kg to 850 kg to accommodate them.Clarke 1999, p.30 Autocar Jun16 1984Norris 1984, p.155 It also stated that the fuel-formula at the heart of the Group C regulations would be scrapped in 1985, in favour of IMSA's system of sliding weight-scale to balance engine capacity. The works teams (essentially Porsche and Lancia) were furious after the considerable investment they had put into developing fuel-efficient engines (and engine-management systems), forecasting it would lead to a spiralling contest for more power over weight. In response FISA agreed to review the decision.Spurring 2012, p.164Norris 1984, p.163 Therefore, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) was obliged to admit entries from the IMSA series. The GTP class was very similar to Group C. Its biggest engines were linked to a minimum weight of 900 kg. Only a single turbo was allowed and there were different rules regarding aerodynamics. Safety measures such as a steel rollcage and having footpedals behind the front suspension were further differences. For Le Mans, their usual 120-litre fuel tanks had to be exchanged for the 100-litre ones as used by Group C.
Meanwhile, the Group C Junior class was renamed Group C2, and the senior class became Group C1. The ACO kept the 25-lap limit on oil-replenishment. However, a simple fuel-counter mechanism allowed teams to track their fuel consumption, thereby removing the need for a mandatory number of pit-stops, when there was a set total volume (2600 litres) per car for the race.Clarke 1999, p.33 Autocar Jun23 1984 This did encourage teams to try alternative fuel strategies to gain an advantage.Wimpffen 2008, p.115 The C2 class were now fitted with 100-litre fuel-tanks but kept their reduced fuel allowance. They also had to comply to the IMSA requirement to fit the pedals behind the line of the front axle.
Entries In light of the FISA pronouncement, the Rothmans Porsche works team chose to boycott Le Mans. This made it the first since Porsche's debut in 1951 that a works team would not be present.Spurring 2012, p.167 Despite the open invitation to IMSA competitors, very few actually took it up, with only eleven entries submitted. However, of those, a significant drawcard was the return of Jaguar to Le Mans after over 20 years. Group C was flourishing, filling up over half the field. Overall, around 25 cars could be classed as works entries from manufacturers and small constructors, or with direct factory support.Spurring 2012, p.163
Class Quantity Turbo/Rotaryengines Group C1 36 / 29 25 / 21 IMSA-GTP 4 / 4 2 / 2 Group C2 14 / 11 7 / 6 Group B 8 / 5 4 / 2 IMSA-GTX 3 / 1 0 / 0 IMSA-GTO 5 / 3 2 / 2 Total Entries 70 / 53 38 / 33 Note: The first number is the number accepted, the second the number who started.
Group C1 and GTP In the absence of the works team, and their contracted drivers, the onus of success instead fell on the customer teams. The race-winning model from last year was available for sale now – with its revised suspension and including the Bosch Motronic engine-management system. Now called the 956B, one each was picked up by the three leading teams – Joest, Kremer and JFR (John Fitzpatrick Racing). Walter Brun, moving on from the unsuccessful Sehcar project snared a fourth. Along with the older models there were fully 16 cars in the entry list, making Porsche still a strong favourite for the win. Many of the older cars were being retrofitted by their teams with the Motronic system.Spurring 2012, pp.166-7Clarke 1999, p.32 Autocar Jun23 1984Wimpffen 2008, p.112 Joest Racing had two cars entered, sponsored by the New Man jeans company. They had enticed three-time winner Henri Pescarolo and 1979 winner Klaus Ludwig to join the team and they were given the 956B. The older 956 would be run by young F1 driver Stefan Johansson, Jean-Louis Schlesser and wealthy Colombian flower-merchant Mauricio de Narvaez. Dieter Schornstein had bought Joest's other 956 (that had finished 4th in 1983). Volkert Merl, who had driven it then, was again on the crew, along with Louis Krages on debut (who ran under the pseudonym "John Winter").
Porsche Kremer Racing likewise had two cars entered. The 956B had 1983-winner Vern Schuppan (not a contracted Porsche works-driver this year, hence not covered by the boycott). He was joined by fellow-Australian Alan Jones and Jean-Pierre Jarier, both of whom had left F1 this year. Their other 956 was the car that had finished third for Kremer the year before. Tiff Needell / David Sutherland / Rusty French would be its drivers this year.Spurring 2012, p.168
Meanwhile, Porsche had been developing a car for the IMSA series as the 956 was ineligible from its pedal placement. The Porsche 962 had a longer wheelbase, for the pedals to fit behind the axle for the American GTP class. It was fitted with a 2.9-litre single-turbo engine. Two of the first customers were Preston Henn's Swap Shop team and John Fitzpatrick's Skoal Bandit team, who both brought their cars to Le Mans.Spurring 2012, pp.172-3 Fitzpatrick instead chose to fit a standard Porsche 2.65-litre engine, as used in the 956, and entered it in Group C1. This year, he stayed in the pits as team-manager, giving the driving duties to Guy Edwards, Rupert Keegan and debutante Roberto Moreno. A second JFR car was also entered – a brand new 956B, for David Hobbs/Philippe Streiff/Sarel van der Merwe. He also supported the entry from Team Australia, loaning them the 956 that had run the previous year. It would be driven by Bathurst champions Peter Brock and Larry Perkins. Henn raced his 962 in the GTP class. His first-choice drivers were unavailable: A. J. Foyt (family matters) and Hurley Haywood (leg injury) so he instead he got Michel Ferté and Edgar Dören to drive with him. Henn also had a second Porsche in the C1 class, to be driven by previous race-winner Jean Rondeau alongside John Paul Jnr.Clarke 1999, p.23 Autosport Jun21 1984
Walter Brun had ended his partnership with Seger & Hoffmann and Brun Motorsport purchased both a 956B and a 956 with the uprated Motronic engine-system. Brun himself raced the new car, with American Bob Akin and German Prinz Leopold von Bayern. The second car had the regular championship pairing of Oscar Larrauri and Massimo Sigala, with Joël Gouhier joining for a one-off drive.Spurring 2012, p.181 Richard Lloyd's GTi Engineering had expanded to a two-car team, with his Canon sponsorship. The lead car was driven by pro-drivers Jonathon Palmer and Jan Lammers, and the team had done their own development work to improve its aerodynamics.Spurring 2012, p.176 The other car was the ex-works one that Stefan Bellof had crashed at the Nürburgring the previous year. Lloyd ran it as a camera-car, and brought in Dakar Rally winner René Metge and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason as co-drivers. The large field of 16 Group C/GTP Porsches was rounded out with the German Jürgen Lässig/Hans Obermeier car and a new car for the Charles Ivey team stepping up to the main class.
Without the Porsche works team, Lancia saw its best opportunity to win. The Ferrari V8 engine had been bored out from 2.6 to 3.0-litres, tied with electronic engine management from Magneti Marelli. They also had new Abarth gearboxes installed. The LC2 was very fast – able to reach over 350 kp/h (220 mph) on the straights. Team principal Cesare Fiorio had enticed Bob Wollek away from the Porsche teams, with up-and-coming F2 driver Alessandro Nannini. The other team car was driven by Mauro Baldi/Hans Heyer/Paolo Barilla. A third car, driven by Pierluigi Martini/Beppe Gabbiani/Xavier Lapeyre, was not in Martini livery but in the yellow of the Malardeau-sponsored Jolly Club team.Spurring 2012, p.169