2000

It was Jacky Ickx, the newly named driver of the century, who gave the start to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Audi was already the favourite in just its second appearance. The illustrator Yahn Janou was not to be mistaken and gives the silhouette of the German prototypes to the cars presented on the poster projects that he intends for the 2000 race. These posters were ultimately refused by the organisers.

The German cars which were reliable enough for their first appearance, proved to be incredibly fast and the three cars set the best times in qualifying. The Audis settled definitively in the top places from the 17th lap onwards, and, the positions between the three Audis remained intact after eleven hours of racing.

The strategy of the Ingoldstadt firm paid off with this clinical victory: the three Audis entered and finished these 24 hours of motor racing on the podium. No. 8 Audi R8 driven by Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro came first, the No.9 Audi R8 driven by Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish and Stéphane Ortelli was runner-up, and the No.7 Audi R8 driven by Christian Abt, Michele Alboreto and Rinaldo Capello finished in third place. This was the brand's first hat-trick! The other competitors were lagging more than twenty laps behind the leading trio.

57% of the 3,266 cars that took part in the Le Mans 24 Hours from 1923 to 2000 never crossed the finish line!