Photo: Daimler AG
Exactly 25 years ago, during the golden age of top speeds at the Le Mans 24 Hours race, a Sauber-Mercedes C9 double-victory marked the apotheosis of the return of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the prestigious race.
On 11 June 1989, precisely a quarter of a century ago, the Sauber-Mercedes C9 with the starting number 63 was driven for 24 hours straight by Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens, managing to finish first.
The triumph was completed by a second Sauber-Mercedes C9 (starting number 61), which finished second after being driven by Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli.
Car number 62 – driven by Jean-Louis Schlesser, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Alain Cudini – only managed to finish in fifth place, despite having achieved the best time during qualifying and starting from pole position.
It seems that an accident during the second hour was pretty much all it took for the three Sauber-Mercedes C9 cars not to do a 1-2-3 finish and fill the podium at the 1989 Le Mans 24 Hours race.
Having left motorsport altogether after the largest crash in the history of motorsport - back in 1955 - Mercedes-Benz was more than happy with a one-two finish as well, especially since the new Silver Arrows not only won at Le Mans but also managed to win no less than 16 out of 18 races in 1989 and 1990, including at Suzuka, Jarama, Brands Hatch and Donington Park, in the ADAC Trophy on the Nurburgring, at Spa-Francorchamps and the Trofeo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico.
Jean Louis Schlesser also won the Group C Drivers' Championship in 1989, while the Sauber-Mercedes won the Team Championship with 155 points.
Despite not competing in the queen class at Le Mans in the upcoming weekend, Mercedes-Benz is still active and very successful in motorsport, with the three-pointed star actually breaking records in the 2014 Formula One Championship.
The triumph was completed by a second Sauber-Mercedes C9 (starting number 61), which finished second after being driven by Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli.
Car number 62 – driven by Jean-Louis Schlesser, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Alain Cudini – only managed to finish in fifth place, despite having achieved the best time during qualifying and starting from pole position.
It seems that an accident during the second hour was pretty much all it took for the three Sauber-Mercedes C9 cars not to do a 1-2-3 finish and fill the podium at the 1989 Le Mans 24 Hours race.
Having left motorsport altogether after the largest crash in the history of motorsport - back in 1955 - Mercedes-Benz was more than happy with a one-two finish as well, especially since the new Silver Arrows not only won at Le Mans but also managed to win no less than 16 out of 18 races in 1989 and 1990, including at Suzuka, Jarama, Brands Hatch and Donington Park, in the ADAC Trophy on the Nurburgring, at Spa-Francorchamps and the Trofeo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico.
Jean Louis Schlesser also won the Group C Drivers' Championship in 1989, while the Sauber-Mercedes won the Team Championship with 155 points.
Despite not competing in the queen class at Le Mans in the upcoming weekend, Mercedes-Benz is still active and very successful in motorsport, with the three-pointed star actually breaking records in the 2014 Formula One Championship.
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