Nifty 9 – Kings of the twice‑round‑the‑clock classics

Ahead of this weekend’s twice-round-the-clock enduro at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the ‘big four’ alongside the Le Mans, Daytona and Nürburgring 24 Hours, we’ve trawled the results archive to work out who has racked the most across the Belgian, French, American and German classics. These, then, are the nine long-distance legends with six or more 24-hour wins on their CV.

Tom Kristensen – 9 wins

The Dane tops the list of endurance heroes, thanks entirely to his nine Le Mans wins. He won the Sebring 12 Hours on a record six occasions, of course, but for the purposes of this exercise, they don’t count!

24-hour victories

Le Mans – 1997 (Porsche), 2000 (Audi), 2001 (Audi), 2002 (Audi), 2004 (Audi), 2005 (Audi), 2006 (Audi), 2008 (Audi), 2013 (Audi)

Derek Bell – 8 wins

Britain’s greatest sportscar racer and Goodwood veteran won Le Mans on five occasions, with four other podium finishes, in his 26 starts at La Sarthe. He also racked up three Daytona wins for his beloved Porsche.

24-hour victories

Le Mans – 1975 (Mirage), 1981 (Porsche), 1982 (Porsche), 1986 (Porsche), 1987 (Porsche)

Daytona – 1986 (Porsche), 1987 (Porsche), 1989 (Porsche)

Hurley Haywood – 8 wins

The American Porsche veteran is the joint most successful in the Daytona 24 Hours, with five wins – a tally he shares with fellow American Scott Pruett. His victories came 18 years apart, such was the longevity of his career. He also won at Le Mans three times – once in the 1970s, once in the ’80s and once in the ’90s.

24-hour victories

Le Mans – 1977 (Porsche), 1983 (Porsche), 1994 (Dauer-Porsche)

Daytona – 1973 (Porsche), 1975 (Porsche), 1977 (Porsche), 1979 (Porsche), 1991 (Porsche)

Timo Bernhard – 7 wins

The German began his sportscar career in GT cars, taking Daytona victory in a 911 and winning at the Nordschleife five times, including four on the trot in a Manthey Racing 911. He then graduated to LMP1 cars and won at Le Mans in 2010 for Audi, breaking the distance record that had stood since 1971.

Le Mans – 2010 (Audi)

Daytona – 2003 (Porsche)

Nürburgring – 2006 (Porsche), 2007 (Porsche), 2008 (Porsche), 2009 (Porsche), 2011 (Porsche)

Romain Dumas – 7 wins

Like Manthey and Audi stablemate Bernhard, Frenchman Dumas began in GT cars and won at the Nürburgring four times (with Bernhard) and at Spa in 2010 in a Porsche 911. A two-time winner at Le Mans – for Audi in 2010 and dramatically this year with Porsche – he’s the only man to win the French enduro for two different marques among the current crop of LMP1 weapons.

Le Mans – 2010 (Audi), 2015 (Porsche)

Nürburgring – 2007 (Porsche), 2008 (Porsche), 2009 (Porsche), 2011 (Porsche)

Spa – 2010 (Porsche)

Marc Duez – 7 wins

The underrated Belgian all-rounder, who has raced and rallied with aplomb for many years, won at the Nürburgring on four occasions and at Spa on three. In racing circles, he was best-known for his tin-top exploits and took five of his big wins with BMW and two with Chrysler.

Nürburgring – 1992 (BMW), 1995 (BMW), 1998 (BMW), 1999 (Chrysler)

Spa – 1997 (BMW), 1998 (BMW), 2001 (Chrysler)

Jacky Ickx – 7 wins

One of motorsport’s greatest and most versatile racers, Belgian Ickx would’ve been on eight wins had the 1972 Daytona event he won for Ferrari with Mario Andretti not run to 6 Hours. Still, he scored six wins at Le Mans – a record that stood from 1982 until 2006, when Tom Kristensen took his seventh win. At the start of his career, Ickx also won at Spa in 1966 in a BMW 2000Ti.

Le Mans – 1969 (Ford), 1975 (Mirage), 1976 (Porsche), 1977 (Porsche), 1981 (Porsche), 1982 (Porsche)

Spa – 1966 (BMW)

Klaus Ludwig – 6 wins

Another great all-rounder in roofed-racing circles (he never made it to F1), ‘King Klaus’ won Le Mans three times for Porsche, including 1984, when he and Henri Pescarolo took the last win for a two-man crew. He also won at the Nürburgring three times, twice for Ford and once for Chrysler, with a 17-year gap between the first and third! 

Le Mans – 1979 (Porsche), 1984 (Porsche), 1985 (Porsche)

Nürburgring – 1982 (Ford), 1987 (Ford), 1999 (Chrysler)

Hans-Joachim Stuck – 6 wins

Hans-Joachim Stuck, son of pre-war Grand Prix winner Hans Stuck, has raced almost everything with wheels, from Formula 1 to Group C cars, via European Touring Cars and US prototypes – all to good effect. He won Le Mans twice, alongside Derek Bell and Al Holbert in the Rothmans Porsche 962, and at the Nürburgring on three occasions – 34 years apart! He won the inaugural event in 1970 and took his third in 2004. Proving that versatility yet further, he took a sole Spa win in 1972 in a Ford Capri alongside Jochen Mass.

Le Mans – 1986 (Porsche), 1987 (Porsche)

Nürburgring – 1970 (BMW), 1998 (BMW), 2004 (BMW)

Spa – 1972 (Ford)

Honourable mentions

5 wins – Frank Biela (5x Le Mans), Pedro Lamy (5x Nürburgring), Jean-Michel Martin (4x Spa, 1x Nürburgring), Henri Pescarolo (4x Le Mans, 1x Daytona), Emanuele Pirro (5x Le Mans), Scott Pruett (5x Daytona), Roberto Ravaglia (3x Spa, 2x Nürburgring), Marcel Tiemann (5x Nürburgring), Eric van de Poele (5x Spa)