Tom Kristensen has been named Grand Marshal of the 24h of Le Mans for the centenary edition which will be staged in the coming weeks on the historic and evocative Circuit de la Sarthe.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first edition held way back in 1923, there probably couldn’t have been a better person to represent this iconic race. Victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the pinnacle of many drivers’ careers.
Tom Kristensen’s first win at Le Mans was the springboard for an exceptional journey that took him to the pinnacle of endurance racing for almost two decades, linking his winning history to that of the German brand audi.
For the 2022 race, the nine-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was named ambassador for the centenary celebrations. The next logical step was therefore to give the role of Grand Marshal to ‘Mr Le Mans’, as he has been affectionately nicknamed thanks to his nine total victories.
Kristensen will have the privilege of leading the 62 cars on the formation lap for the Centenary race – the fourth round of this season’s FIA World Endurance Championship – just before 4pm on 10 June.
#2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro: Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, Loic Duval
Photo by: James Holland
The President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest commented on the choice as follows: “I am deeply honored to award Tom Kristensen and Akio Toyoda in this way and I sincerely thank them for agreeing to be here”, explained Pierre Fillon, who alongside upon Kristensen’s appointment as Grand Marshal, he awarded the Spirit of Le Mans Trophy to Akio Toyoda, an award that celebrates the men and women who embody the values of endurance racing: involvement, commitment, teamwork and sporting effort.
“These key figures perfectly illustrate what the 24 Hours of Le Mans stands for: innovation, perseverance, success and foresight. Tom is a living legend of the biggest endurance race in the world and has been a valued ambassador over the past year.”
“Akio Toyoda honors us with his presence at our 100th anniversary celebrations. We are delighted to present the Spirit of Le Mans trophy to the president of a company that embodies the values we stand for. Now, let the race begin!”
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