Though the #63 car suffered a broken 5th gear in qualifying and failed to do better than an 11th place on the grid, starting position has little to do with the final result, especially in endurance racing.When the pace car pulled off the track and the green flag flew, Schlesser (#62) and Baldi (#61) diced for the lead. Baldi lead the opening laps before following team tactics and slowing to a more sustainable pace. Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens each started the race doing double stints in the #63 Silver Arrow. Mass had a clean drive, but Reuter soon ran over a piece of broken exhaust pipe on the track, leaving the trio down in 20th position. As the race wore on, Dickens enjoyed a steady drive that brought #63 back up to 8th.
A late night driver change for the winning #63 Sauber-Mercedes.
During the night Reuter rested while Mass and Dickens shared driving duties. And when dawn broke over the French countryside, the C9s were lying 2nd and 3rd between a pair of Jaguars. Soon, however, the leading Jaguar stopped for a new gearbox and the Mercedes-powered racers inherited a lead that they would not relinquish. The Mass/Reuter/Dickens car led every lap of the last 8½ hours, culminating in a 1-2 finish for the Sauber team, punctuated by an impressive formation finish with #61 car in 2nd and #62 in 5th position.
The first interviews with the winning drivers occurred right on the podium.
