Mauro Baldi put the #61 car on the outside of the front row, alongside Schlesser in #62. Though qualifying is of relatively little consequence at Le Mans, those at the head of the field often have a hard time remembering that Le Mans is not a sprint race! And 1989 was no different: Baldi got the jump on Schlesser and led the field into the first corner, moving as fast as possible to lead the opening laps before backing off the pace per team strategy.
Baldi was the first of the frontrunners in to the pits for a scheduled stop, handing over the driving duties to Kenneth Acheson. As the afternoon turned to evening, the #61 car was showing signs of battle fatigue, having had a variety of minor incidents. Baldi, Acheson and Brancatelli managed to remain in 4th, despite handling problems.
When the sun rose over Le Mans, #61 was lying in 2nd behind the Lammers Jaguar and was closely followed by #63. The Silver Arrow inherited the lead when Lammers pulled into the pits with gearbox problems. Cars #61 and #63 swapped the lead a few times by virtue of pit stops, but the final order was determined when Baldi's brakes failed and he spun off at the Dunlop Chicane. Three minutes were lost just struggling back onto the circuit followed by a six minute stop for repairs, but #61 was back on track in 2nd place. Adding insult to injury, #61 encountered gear selection problems with 90 minutes to go, eventually sticking in 5th! Using whatever was left of the clutch and with just enough fuel to go the distance, Acheson managed to regain the circuit, and cross the line in second position after a harrowing 24 hours!
