Sunday 11th June 1989

The 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 57th Grand Prix of Endurance, ended. It was the last time the 24 Hours of Le Mans ran without the two chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight; for the interest of safety to reduce speeds after speeds reaching 250 mph (402 km/h) in the previous years and this race, these chicanes were installed the next year and remains in use. The speeds on the Mulsanne Straight were so high that many of the drivers were concerned if their cars would stay on the ground over the humps and bumps of the straight. There were no serious accidents, something Le Mans in the 1980s had many of. Having run his cars at Le Mans for a decade, Peter Sauber was aided by Mercedes in winning the 1989 race. His “Silver Arrows” Sauber C9s finished 1st, 2nd and 5th, with Porsches and Jaguars finishing behind.