Last weekend, the Le Mans Classic celebrated its 10th anniversary by uniting more than 110,000 motorsport fans from around the world on its Grand Circuit racetrack. Richard Mille was naturally present at this event as the Principal Partner and Official Timekeeper of Le Mans Classic, a role it has held since the competition’s first edition in 2002.

Richard Mille at the 2012 Le Mans Classic (photo by Didier Gourdon)

The 24 hours track, an internationally renowned racing circuit stretching over 12 kilometres, was at the heart of this six-grid competition. The 1,000 drivers who raced in relays on the track included several big names from the motorsport world, six of whom were previous winners of the 24 Heures du Mans competition. Derek Bell and Emanuele Pirro, both of whom have five wins under their belts, were just some of those among the starting line-up, which also included gentlemen drivers of 30 different nationalities, as well as famous French names such as François Fillon. FIA President Jean Todt – accompanied by actress Michelle Yeoh, partner of the Richard Mille brand – made an off-duty appearance to start the race on Saturday, 7th July at 4 p.m.

After 24 hours of racing, the following teams were the first to cross the finish line, delighted to win the 6th Le Mans Classic: Traber/Tenery in Grid 1 (1929/1939) with a Talbot Lago, Gavin Pickering in Grid 2 (1949/1956) with a Jaguar Type D, Wills/Twyman/Pirro in Grid 3 (1957/1961) with a Lotus 15, Voyazides/D’Abel de Libran in Grid 4 (1962/1965) with a Ford GT40, B. Thuner in Grid 5 (1966/1971) with a Lola T70 MKIII and Chris MacAllister in Grid 6 (1972/1979) with a Gulf Mirage. A special mention goes out to Dominique Guenat, associate and friend of Richard Mille, who raced brilliantly to finish third in Grid 6 behind the wheel of a 1976 Lola T286.

Richard Mille at the 2012 Le Mans Classic (photo by Didier Gourdon)

In addition to the race, the numerous other highlights included an exceptional gathering of 23 Ferrari 250 GTOs (out of the 38 constructed) on Friday at the opening of the event to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary; the Little Big Mans parade, with its procession of miniature replicas from legendary brands driven by children aged 7 to 12, who darted around the track on Saturday before the competition began to thunderous applause from the stands; an auction organised by the Artcurial Auction House and directed by Hervé Poulain, which gave collectors the chance to acquire rare classics such as the Ferrari 275 GTC, which sold for more than 1.5 million euros; and a record gathering of more than 170 classic car clubs and 8,000 classic cars that descended, as is traditional, on Le Mans for the occasion.

During this 6th edition, Richard Mille presented two limited edition watches to celebrate the race in full Le Mans Classic style, which lovers of mechanical precision were able to admire all weekend long. Like the racing cars themselves, the RM 011 LMC chronograph and the RM 008 LMC tourbillon chronograph watch have been developed without compromise and with an unyielding focus on unbeatable technology and performance.

Source: Richard Mille