We all know the story of the 1982 Le Mans 24 Hours, when Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell led the Porsche attack against the Rondeau machines, before the race for victory became a straight fight between the three works Porsche 956s.
Alongside Bell and Ickx, the Stuttgart marque’s drivers – Jochen Mass, Vern Schuppan, Hurley Haywood, Al Holbert and Jurgen Barth – would fill the podium positions, with similar Porsche success filtering its way down the other classes that featured in the 50th running of the French classic.
Taking class honours in the IMSA GTO category was the number 87 Porsche 924 Carrera GTR of Jim Busby, Doc Brundy and Marcel Mignot, who took the win in quite remarkable circumstances.
With their Le Mans campaign funded by the then American owned tyre company BFGoodrich, their 924 would compete shod with the manufacturer’s premium road legal rubber, the BFGoodrich Comp T/A Radial street tyre.
Despite suffering gearbox issues during the latter stages of the race, Busby managed to nurse the car home to win the class, finishing 16th overall out of 55 starters. A feat made all the more incredible by the fact they covered 273 laps – approximately 2,300 miles – having only used five of the Comp T/A Radial tyres.
Fortunately, this extraordinary triumph was captured in the form of a brilliant 20 minute documentary that was commissioned by BFGoodrich. Narrated by Busby, it provides a fascinating insight into the race from a lower class competitor’s perspective while also conveying the unique atmosphere that surrounds the event.
