24h Le Mans
From the late 1980s onwards, the big Group C duels, which saw Porsche pitted first against Lancia then Jaguar, made way for a series of three-way tussles when Sauber-Mercedes and Nissan joined in the battle for victory.
1990 is also the year that the two chicanes were added to the Mulsanne Straight. 1989 winners Sauber-Mercedes didn’t come back to defend their title but Jaguar and Porsche had a new challenger to content with – Nissan.
Nissan led the way right from qualifying and, thanks to British driver Mark Blundell, became the first Japanese manufacturer to take pole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nissan placed four cars in the top five while Porsche had one car on the front row and Jaguar were relegated to seventh on the grid.
Nissan also became the first Japanese marque to lead Le Mans when the pole-sitter #24, driven by Julian Bailey at that point, went to the front. On lap 10, Masahiro Hasemi, at the wheel of the #23 car, became the first Japanese driver to lead the 24 Hours.
The first hours of the race were marked by a magnificent tussle between Nissan and Jaguar, with Porsche never far behind. Nissan’s luck changed in the night however, when the #24 driven by polemen Blundell/Bailey/Brancatelli was hit by a Toyota and the #23 lost time due to brake trouble. This left the Porsche with Larrauri/Pareji/Brun at the wheel and a horde of Jaguars (there were four of them in the first five) fighting for victory. However, Nissan would not admit defeat and, mid-race, Brabham/Robinson/Daly found themselves in P2, sandwiched between two Jaguars.
By Sunday morning, however, technical issues meant the race for the win really was over for Nissan, leaving Jaguar and Porsche to battle it out. Late Sunday morning, the Jaguar driven by future winners Nielsen/Cobb/Brundle lost time with brake worries, but still led the race. The Porsche raced by Laurrauri/Pareja/Brun was less than one lap behind the leaders, but had to pull out with just 15 minutes to go to the chequered flag. In the end, Jaguar scored a 1-2 finish with two Porsches just behind, then two Nissans. A result that reflects just how tense the race was from start to finish.
Have you read the previous instalments in the series?
The great Group C rivalries (1) - Porsche and Lancia 1983-1985
The great Group C rivalries (2) - Porsche and Jaguar 1984-1988
The great Group C rivalries (3) - Jaguar, Porsche and Mercedes 1989
Photo: In 1990, Nissan became the first Japanese manufacturer to take pole and lead the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
