Pre Le Mans - 14/06/2001   Hoorah for England Or Deutschland Uber Alles?   The Le Mans 24 Hour race has always been viewed by many as a contest between both the great marques and the competing nations. Whether it’s Porsche for Germany or Jaguar for Great Britain, the flag waving hordes always have a favourite or two. This year’s race has an added significance. Just to add a little spice to the pre-race Audi vs Bentley hype, it just so happens that the most prolific winners (Germany and Great Britain) are tied on 20 wins apiece (and before the TotalMotorSport forum erupts into a frenzy of “Oh no it isn’t – Oh yes it is” type debate, the figures count Ford GT40s as British (because they were) and the TWR Porsche as German (because we’re magnanimous!). So what, until now, had been an interesting side issue of which of the two VAG brands would triumph, suddenly becomes a matter of national pride, with Audi battling to take the total of German winning cars past the British total for the first time since the 24 hours began. So at 4pm on Sunday will it be a joyous display of Union Flags heralding a new sporting era for Bentley, or a repeat of last year’s crushing Audi superiority? Those 20 wins each: GB Jaguar – 7 wins (1951,1953,1955-57,1988 and 1990) Bentley – 5 wins (1924 and 1926-30) Ford – 4 wins (1966-69) Lagonda – 1 win (1935) Aston Martin – 1 win (1959) Mirage – 1 win (1975) McLaren – 1 win (1995) GERMANY Porsche - 16 wins – (1970-71, 1976-77, 1979, 1981-87, 1994, 1996-98) Mercedes Benz – 2 wins (1952 and 1989) BMW – 1 win (1999) Audi – 1 win (2000) And we can be sure that Porsche won't win this time.......(or Mercedes, or BMW) Graham Goodwin. Official website of the Le Mans 24 Hours Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport