Official starters

Since the race restarted in 1949, the organisers of the ‘24 Heures du Mans’ have invited a personality to start the race by lowering the French tricolore. 1949 M. Vincent AURIOL - President of the French Republic. 1950 M. Jean LETOURNEAU - Ministre Français des Etats Associés. 1951 M. le Vicomte de ROHAN - President of the Commission Sportive Internationale 1952 M. Wilfrid ANDREWS - President of the Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain. 1953 M. Jean MASSON – Secretary of State for Education. 1954 H.R.H. Prince Bernhard. Consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands 1955 Count MAGGI - President of the Mille Miglia organising committee. 1956 M. Simon de PEYERIMOFF - President of the Automobile-Club de France. 1957 M. HERRINGTON – American ambassador to France. 1958 M. Jean-Yves CHAPALAIN – Mayor of Le Mans. 1959 M. Maurice HERZOG – Under Secretary of State for Youth and Sport. 1960 Prince de MERODE - President of the FIA and the Belgian RAC. 1961 M. Paul PANHARD - President of the Chambre Syndicale des Constructeurs. 1962 M. Wilfrid BAUMGARTNER - President of the Commission Sportive Internationale. 1963 Comte Hadelin de LIEDEKERKEBEAUFORT - President of the Automobile-Club de France. 1964 Prince Paul METTERNICH - Vice-President of the F.I.A. and President of the l’Automobilclub Von Deutschland 1965 M. Maurice HERZOG - Under Secretary of State for Youth and Sport. 1966 M. Henry FORD II – President of the Ford Motor Company. 1967 M. François MISSOFFE - Minister for Youth and Sport. 1968 M. Giovani AGNELLI - President of Fiat. 1969 M. Bernard CONSTEN - President of the F.F.S.A. 1970 Dr Ferry PORSCHE - Constructor. 1971 M. Steve McQUEEN -Producer and star of the film ‘Le Mans’. 1972 M. Georges POMPIDOU - President of the French Republic. 1973 M. Sylvain FLOIRAT - President of Matra. 1974 M. Olivier GUICHARD – Industry Minister. 1975 M. Jean-Marie BALESTRE - President of the F.F.S.A. 1976 M. “Bill” FRANCE Sr. - Director of the Daytona Speedway. 1977 M. Pierre UGEUX - President of the Commission Sportive Internationale 1978 M. Raymond POULIDOR – Cycling champion. 1979 M. Joël LE THEULE – Minister of Transport. 1980 M. Joachim SPRINGER - President of the German Automobile Club Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (A.D.A.C.). 1981 M. Jean-Marie BALESTRE - President of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile 1982 M. Luigi CHINETTI - Triple winner of the 24 Heures du Mans. 1983 M. Bernard MALSAIT - Commissioner of the Republic - Préfet of la Sarthe. 1984 M. Franz STADLER - President of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club. 1985 M. Alain CALMAT – Minister of Youth and Sport. 1986 Sir John EGAN - President of Jaguar. 1987 The Honourable Gerald LASCELLES - President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club. 1988 M. Kyohei YOKOSE - Chairman of the SUMITOMO group (DUNLOP). 1989 M. Roger BAMBUCK – Secretary of State for Youth and Sport. 1990 M. Raymond RAVENEL - President of the ‘Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles’, with M. Roger BAMBUCK, Secretary of State for Youth and Sport 1991 Mme Hélène BLANC - Préfet of la Sarthe. 1992 His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco. 1993 M. René MONORY - President of the French Sénat. 1994 M. Charles PASQUA – Minister of the Interior. 1995 M. Philippe SEGUIN - President of the National Assembly. 1996 M. Alain DELON - Actor. 1997 M. Jacques REGIS - President of the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile. 1998 M. Bill CAMPBELL – Mayor of Atlanta. 1999 Mme Joan HALL, “Honorary Starter”, Minister of Tourism of South Australia. 2000 M. Jacky ICKX, elected “Driver of the Century” in the “24 Heures du Mans”. 2001 Dr. Ferdinand PIECH, President of the Board of the Volkswagen AG Group. 2002 M. Luc BESSON, Film-maker. Co-director of the film ‘Michel Vaillant’ 2003 M. Don PANOZ, Constructor, initiator and promoter of the AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES. 2004 M. François FILLON, Minister of Education. 2005 Prof. Dr. Martin WINTERKORN, President of Audi AG 2006 Jean-Martin FOLZ, president of PSA Peugeot Citroën 2007 Roland du Luart, Président du Syndicat Mixte des 24 Heures du Mans 2008 Jean Loup Chretien (spationaute), Mark Brown (astronaute), Vladimir Titov (cosmonaute)

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