1994 24 Hours of Le Mans
One and a half hours might seem a long time in a sport measured by tenths of a second, but remember, this is also two-thirds of a grand prix distance and would prove just as heart-breaking for a Formula One team controlling a race up until that point – just ask Daniel RIcciardo about his Monaco race this year.
So it was for the SARD-Toyota 94C-V of Eddie Irvine, Mauro Martini and Jeff Krosnoff , who had controlled the 1994 Le Mans 24 Hours from the early hours of Sunday morning until just after lunchtime. Ironically, the factory outfit had just usurped the semi-factory supported Trust-Toyota from the lead when that car experienced differential issues.
90 minutes before glory, the 94C-V mirrored scenes from Toyota’s 2016 embarrassment by losing all drive right in front of the pit straight, but was sparred having to do another lap and could be assisted into its garage. However a thirteen minute repair job desimated their previous near one-minute advantage.
Setting out after and passing Thierry Boutsen in the Dauer-entered 962 on the penultimate lap secured the runner-up spot, but only served to magnify how much more was left on the table.