Porsche Factory Teams Finish ONE-TWO at Le Mans.

By P. Michael Clarke and Joe Hansen

LE MANS, France, June 7 - Porsche began this year's running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a parade lap of Porsches old and new, celebrating the company's 50th Anniversary. It ended in similar fashion - with a two-car parade of Porsche 911 GT1s taking the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon.

The Porsche factory team battled the elements, mechanical mishaps and a formidable field of competitors to claim its third consecutive victory and 16th overall win here at the Sarthe circuit. The winning Porsche 911 GT1, driven by Allan McNish, Laurent Aiello and Stephane Ortelli, completed 351 laps and covered 2,990 total miles with an average lap speed, including pit stops, of 200 kph (124 mph).

Ironically, the same set of circumstances that prevented the Porsche factory team from claiming the one-two spots on the podium last year worked in their favor this year, as Toyota lost its leading car to transmission failure with a little more than 90 minutes remaining in the race. While the turn of events was heart-wrenching for the Toyota team, it was not completely unexpected: virtually all of the Toyota GT One entries retired with gearbox problems at some point during the race.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW were picked as the odds-on favorites entering the 66th running of Le Mans, but it was Porsche, Toyota and Nissan that battled throughout the night and into the next morning to contest for the coveted podium positions.

At the break of day on Sunday -- more than 15 hours into the race -- the Porsche GT1s were comfortably out in first and second place, with a cushion of four laps separating the front-runner from its third-place rival. Within a few short minutes, however, both Porsches were parked in their garages for repairs in what appeared to be a cruel re-enactment of last year's event. Jorg Muller damaged the undertray and front radiator mounts on his vehicle after losing control in a chicane, while Allan McNish suffered a leak in a water conduit pipe that necessitated extensive repairs.

Toyota took advantage, quickly reeling in the two Porsches and securing first place before either car could return to the track. The final few hours of the race saw both manufacturers pressing to outlast and blow past the other. The lead changed hands multiple times following each and every pit stop prior to the Toyota's retirement.

The Porsche factory also fielded two Joest/Porsche prototypes in this year's race. Reinhold Joest was denied a third consecutive podium finish at Le Mans, however, when the fabled Joest/Porsche #7 car - the overall winner in 1996 and 1997 - expired in the middle of the night, a victim of electrical problems. The fate of its stablemate was sealed near daybreak when it went off the track during one of the many isolated showers that punctuated the night shift.

This year's win serves as a well-deserved reward for the entire Porsche race team and the legacy they strive to uphold. It also serves as a fitting tribute to a man whose vision for engineering the world's finest sports cars knows no finish line.