18/06/2024
1989 Sauber C9 24h du Mans.
The C9 was the result of teamwork between the Sauber racing team, who built the chassis, and Mercedes-Benz, who manufactured the 5.0-litre turbocharged V8 engine. The first season of World Sports Car Championship racing ended in disappointment with a twelfth place finish after scoring in only one race. Neither of the team's two cars were able to finish the famous Le Mans 24hr endurance race, and the team resolved to improve their luck in the following year's race. The second racing season, in 1988, brought five points-scoring finishes and second place in the championship but again the team was forced to prematurely end their Le Mans race effort. For the 1989 World Sports Car Championship season, Mercedes-Benz improved the engine further and the entire team set their sites on success for the championship and at Le Mans. Their focus was rewarded with wins at all but one race in the WSCC series, and after two disappointing attempts at Le Mans, the #63 Sauber C9 won the 1989 Le Mans 24hr race with drivers Jochen Mass, Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens. During qualifying, the C9 broke the top speed record for the Mulsanne Straight during qualifying by reaching 400 kmh (248mph), a record which stood until the following year. These fabulously high top speeds were the reason two chicanes were installed for the 1991 race, forever setting the C9's speed as the second fastest ever in the history of endurance racing.
