1987 Le Mans 24hr

Introduction

Arguably the World's most prestigious endurance motorsport event, the Le Mans 24hr race takes place annually at the 8.5 mile Circuit de la Sarthe. The track is made up partly of public roads that are open to the public for the majority of the year and closed off for racing for this event, including the famous 3.7 mile Mulsanne Straight where cars reach over 230mph!

Organised and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the race began in 1923 and has gained a reputation as the ultimate test of car and driver. At the time, there were less restrictions on the time a driver could spend at the wheel and the number of drivers per car. The race traditionally began with the drivers sprinting to their cars when the flag was dropped, now replaced with an Indianapolis-style rolling start.

Jaguar had last won at Le Mans in 1957 with the D type and they hoped that one of their three XJR-8LMs would bring victory to the Coventry-based team but they knew that it wouldn't be easy, particularly with the three turbo-charged Porsche 962Cs also gunning for victory. The 1987 race was marked by rain which made the conditions treacherous and leading to many retirements and crashes - one of which was caught on camera by a spectator and is included here.

Video

This was originally produced by Videovision in 1987 and is obviously a VHS to DVD transfer. The picture is a little soft and whilst being VHS quality it is a marked improvement over previous years. The luminescent flare and smearing from the headlights which blighted the low-light footage of earlier races is virtually absent here and the coverage benefits from the entry of a car specifically fitted with a camera, designed to give the viewer the best idea of what it was like to be at the wheel.

Audio

A perfectly acceptable Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack with informative and well delivered commentary, obviously provided after the event rather than live.

Conclusion

As I said, this was originally produced by Videovision in 1987 and is exactly the same as the VHS would have been. However, given that that format is obsolete the release of this on DVD is to be welcomed. There is far more nighttime racing shown than the previous years due to improvements in the recording equipment and a slightly longer running time.

Whilst not the most accomplished motor racing DVD ever produced, I quite enjoyed this despite its shortcomings and it is interesting to see what the Le Mans 24 hours race looked like 21 years ago. I imagine the DVD of this year's event would be considerably longer, with better photography, more varied camera angles and behind the scenes footage making for a more entertaining package.

24 hours of racing plus build up and celebration has been condensed into a 59 minute package, but considering this was made for TV (where there was no live coverage) or the home video market, this is understandable. I did enjoy seeing a younger and slimmer Martin Brundle on the other end of the microphone as he talks up the chances of victory for the Silk Cut Jaguars.