HISTORY 1988 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
With just three laps left of the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans, the leading Jaguar XJR-9 was in serious trouble. Suffering from a chronic gearbox issue, it was doubtful the car could reach the finish. Not only would failure have handed Porsche its 13th overall victory but also ended the dreams of the 50,000 partisan British spectators who had travelled to Le Mans to see Jaguar take its sixth and first for 31 years.
After Jaguar's team principal, Tom Walkinshaw, instigated a risky plan to try and ensure victory, everyone held their breath, crossed their fingers and counted down the laps…
Ever since the former Massey Ferguson and Unipart director, (Sir) John Egan, had become Jaguar's chairman in 1980, he'd understood the importance of motorsport on the company's fortunes.
“I had realised that there had to be a place for racing in the scheme of things,” he said in his 2015 biography, . “Our heritage here was very powerful.”
