Nine-Time Le Mans Winner · Endurance

Tom Kristensen

Nine wins at La Sarthe from eighteen starts, six of them consecutive, with three different manufacturers. The official Kristensen collection: the debut win, the Audi years, and the ninth.

Nationality
Danish
Born
7 July 1967 · Hobro, Denmark
Teams
Joest · BMW · Audi · Bentley
Le Mans wins
9 (1997, 2000–2005, 2008, 2013)
Also won
FIA WEC (2013) · American Le Mans Series (2001)
Also raced
DTM (2004–2011), 61 starts
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of legendary nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen wearing his red and white Audi Sport racing suit, featuring his Audi e-tron quattro race car.
Nine-Time Le Mans Winner
1997 — 2014
9
Le Mans Victories
6
Wins in a Row
18
Le Mans Starts
1
World Endurance Title

Who is Tom Kristensen?

Tom Kristensen (born 7 July 1967) is a Danish racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times — in 1997, 2000 to 2005, 2008 and 2013 — more than any other driver, which earned him the nickname Mr. Le Mans. Six of those wins were consecutive. He also won the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship and the 2001 American Le Mans Series.

Full name
Tom Kristensen
Nationality
Danish
Racing years
1991–2014
Best known for
Nine wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 7 sources

Rider Profile

Tom Kristensen: Full Biography

Tom Kristensen is a Danish racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans nine times, more than anyone else in the race’s history. The nickname followed: Mr. Le Mans.

Winning First Time He came up through German and Japanese single-seaters, taking the German Formula 3 title in 1991 and the Japanese Formula 3 title in 1993, and reached Le Mans in 1997 as a late call-up for Joest Racing. He won it, sharing the TWR Porsche WSC-95 with Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson on his first attempt.

The Audi Years Audi signed him for 2000 and he won three in a row with Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro, then a fourth for Bentley in 2003 and a fifth and sixth back with Audi machinery in 2004 and 2005 — six consecutive victories across three manufacturers. An eighth came in 2008 with the diesel R10 TDI.

The Ninth He also won the American Le Mans Series in 2001 and raced in the DTM for six seasons. In 2013, at forty-five, he took a ninth Le Mans win and the FIA World Endurance Championship title in the same year. He retired at the end of 2014.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Tom Kristensen

Chapter 01

First Time Out

He was a late addition to the Joest Racing line-up for the 1997 race, drafted in alongside Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson. The TWR Porsche WSC-95 completed 361 laps and won, which made Kristensen a Le Mans winner at the first attempt. He had spent the previous years winning single-seater titles in Germany and Japan without finding a route into Formula 1.

Tom Kristensen in his helmet in the cockpit of the Audi R8 in the pits at Le Mans in 2004 Audi R8 · Le Mans, 2004 Photo: Tom Kristensen, Audi Sport Japan Team Goh — Le Mans, 2004 by Martin Lee from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Six in a Row

Audi took him on for 2000 and the R8 gave him three straight wins with Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro. He then won for Bentley in 2003, in a Speed 8 shared with Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith, and returned to Audi machinery for victories in 2004 and 2005. Six consecutive wins at Le Mans, taken with three different manufacturers, and none of them by a small margin.

Tom Kristensen's victorious 2003 Le Mans race car, the No. 7 Bentley Speed 8 co-driven by Capello and Smith, on display. Bentley Speed 8 · Le Mans winner, 2003 Photo: Tom Kristensen's victorious 2003 Le Mans race car by Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 03

The Ninth

A diesel-powered eighth win came in 2008. Then in 2013, at forty-five and in the hybrid R18 e-tron quattro, he took a ninth with Allan McNish and Loïc Duval — the most any driver has won the race. That same season he won the FIA World Endurance Championship. He retired at the end of 2014 with eighteen Le Mans starts and nine victories.

Tom Kristensen, along with Allan McNish and Loïc Duval, drove the Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro to victory at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi R18 e-tron quattro · Le Mans winner, 2013 Photo: Tom Kristensen drove the Audi Sport Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro by David Merrett from Daventry, England — CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Career Timeline

Tom Kristensen Career Timeline: 1967–Present

Born in Hobro

Tom Kristensen is born on 7 July in Hobro, in northern Denmark.

German F3 Champion

Wins the German Formula 3 championship.

Japanese F3 Champion

Takes the Japanese Formula 3 title and stays in Japan for Formula 3000.

Le Mans, First Attempt

Called up by Joest Racing and wins the 24 Hours outright.

BMW

Two seasons with BMW Motorsport at Le Mans, both ending in retirement.

Audi

Wins with the R8 alongside Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro.

ALMS Champion

Wins the American Le Mans Series and a second Le Mans in a row.

Bentley

Wins Le Mans for Bentley in the Speed 8, a fourth consecutive victory.

Six Straight

A sixth consecutive win at La Sarthe.

Diesel

An eighth win, in the Audi R10 TDI.

The Ninth

Wins Le Mans for a ninth time and takes the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Retirement

Finishes second at Le Mans in his final race and retires from competition.

By the Numbers

Tom Kristensen at Le Mans, Year by Year

Tom Kristensen season-by-season record: team, car, co-drivers, laps, class and final standing.
SeasonTeam Car Co-drivers Laps Class Pos.
1997 Joest Racing TWR Porsche WSC-95 Alboreto · Johansson 361 LMP 1
1998 BMW Motorsport BMW V12 LM Stuck · Soper 60 LMP1 DNF
1999 BMW Motorsport BMW V12 LMR Lehto · Müller 304 LMP DNF
2000 Audi Sport Joest Audi R8 Biela · Pirro 368 LMP900 1
2001 Audi Sport Joest Audi R8 Biela · Pirro 321 LMP900 1
2002 Audi Sport Joest Audi R8 Biela · Pirro 375 LMP900 1
2003 Team Bentley Bentley Speed 8 Capello · Smith 377 LMGTP 1
2004 Audi Sport Japan Goh Audi R8 Ara · Capello 379 LMP1 1
2005 ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 Lehto · Werner 370 LMP1 1
2006 Audi Sport Joest Audi R10 TDI Capello · McNish 367 LMP1 3
2007 Audi Sport N. America Audi R10 TDI Capello · McNish 262 LMP1 DNF
2008 Audi Sport N. America Audi R10 TDI Capello · McNish 381 LMP1 1
2009 Audi Sport Joest Audi R15 TDI Capello · McNish 376 LMP1 3
2010 Audi Sport Joest Audi R15 TDI plus Capello · McNish 394 LMP1 3
2011 Audi Sport N. America Audi R18 TDI Capello · McNish 14 LMP1 DNF
2012 Audi Sport Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro McNish · Capello 377 LMP1 2
2013 Audi Sport Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro McNish · Duval 348 LMP1 1
2014 Audi Sport Joest Audi R18 e-tron quattro Gené · di Grassi 376 LMP1-H 2

Winning years are highlighted. Nine victories from eighteen starts — 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2013 — the most by any driver in the history of the race, and six of them consecutive. This table lists his 24 Hours of Le Mans appearances rather than a championship season, so the columns carry the car, his co-drivers, laps completed and class. Figures verified 14 August 2026.

Tom Kristensen in his own words

In His Own Words
The biggest pain I've ever had was retiring from a four lap lead.
Tom Kristensen · on retiring from the 1999 race while four laps ahead
Frequently Asked

Tom Kristensen: Frequently Asked Questions

How many times did Tom Kristensen win Le Mans?

Nine — in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2013. It is the most by any driver in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from eighteen starts.

Why is Tom Kristensen called Mr. Le Mans?

Because of that record. He won the race on his first attempt in 1997 and six times in a row between 2000 and 2005, and the nickname followed him through the rest of his career.

Which manufacturers did Tom Kristensen win Le Mans with?

Three. The 1997 win came in a TWR Porsche WSC-95 run by Joest Racing, 2003 was with Bentley in the Speed 8, and the other seven were with Audi machinery.

Did Tom Kristensen ever race in Formula 1?

No. He won the German Formula 3 title in 1991 and the Japanese Formula 3 title in 1993 and raced in Formula 3000, but never started a Grand Prix.

What else did Tom Kristensen win?

The 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, the American Le Mans Series in 2001, and single-seater titles in Germany and Japan. He also raced in the DTM from 2004, taking four wins from 61 starts.

Who were Tom Kristensen's regular co-drivers?

Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro for the three Audi wins from 2000 to 2002, then Rinaldo Capello across much of the following decade, and Allan McNish from 2006 onwards. Loïc Duval joined them for the ninth win in 2013.

When did Tom Kristensen retire?

At the end of the 2014 season. His final Le Mans, that June, ended with second place overall for Audi alongside Marc Gené and Lucas di Grassi.

How old was Tom Kristensen when he won his last Le Mans?

Forty-five. He won the 2013 race in the hybrid Audi R18 e-tron quattro, and took the World Endurance Championship the same season.

Shop His Gear

Tom Kristensen Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Tom Kristensen — Le Mans prize list and statistics · Automobile Club de l'Ouest (official)
  2. The inimitable Tom 'Mr. Le Mans' Kristensen · Automobile Club de l'Ouest (official)
  3. Tom Kristensen on Le Mans · FIA WEC (official)
  4. FIA World Endurance Championship · FIA WEC (official)
  5. Audi MediaCenter · Audi AG (official)
  6. Tom Kristensen · Wikipedia
  7. Tom Kristensen (Q438117) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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