Tom Kristensen is a legendary figure at Goodwood
One of the best aspects of the Goodwood Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport is the competition in which everyone, both on and off the track, can partake in throughout the weekend.
The traditional Goodwood House Cup has been a focal point of the event since it returned in 2014, and sees the four Houses: Methuen, Aubigny, Darnley and Torbolton, compete against each other for points in an effort to win the House Shield. Each House is led by a Team Captain, four great racing drivers who are the regular faces of the Members’ Meeting.
Captain of Darnley, Tom Kristensen is one of motorsport’s greatest ever endurance racers, on account of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours a record nine times, six of those wins coming consecutively between 2000-’05. No surprise, then, that he’s also known as ‘Mr Le Mans’, but he also holds the record of the most wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, his six victories there leading to the christening of the Kristensen Corner in 2016.
Kristensen’s career began in karting in 1984 before his first four-wheeled races followed in Formula Ford and German Formula 3 in the late 1980s. Racing full time in German Formula 3 in 1991, that Championship was won in commanding fashion, with the Title in Japan’s Formula 3 series coming two years later.
After a handful of years in Japan, Kristensen graduated to international Formula 3000 in 1996, but it was the following year in which the legacy-building began. 1997 marked a debut Le Mans win, albeit after a late call up as a late replacement for an injured Davy Jones. The Dane stepped in to partner Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson at the wheel of a Joest Racing Porsche-powered WSC95 which took advantage of issues for the leading Porsche and McLaren outfits to take a one-lap victory. The first of many…
Away from Sarthe, success came at Sebring at the turn of the Millennium as did the American Le Mans crown in 2002 after stints in touring car championships in Germany and Britain.
From 2000 however, Kristensen made Le Mans his own. Six years of domination began with an all-Audi podium and a one-two finish for the German manufacturer followed in 2001. Kristensen and partners Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro made history in 2002 as the first driver team to win three in a row as their #1 car spearheaded another Audi podium lock-out.
The withdrawal of Audi’s factory operation ahead of the 2003 race was of no consequence to Kristensen, who joined the Bentley team alongside Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith to guide the British marque to its first Le Mans victory in almost 75 years aboard their #7 Speed 8.
It was back to Audi for yet another win in 2004, this time Audi Sport Japan and with Seji Ara joining Kristensen and Capello, while the final victory in this unrelenting spell came with the American team ADT Champion Racing though once again aboard a trusty Audi R8. A winning margin of two laps ensured that breaking Jacky Ickx’s Le Mans record was a straight-forward affair.
A finish of third in 2006 and a crash in 2007 gave his competitors a brief respite, before Kristensen returned to the top spot in an Audi Sport North America-run diesel R10 RDI, once again with Capello and Allan McNish. The ninth and final Le Mans 24 Hours victory would come in 2013, partnering McNish and Loïc Duval in an R18 for Audi Sport Team Joest, and this win would move the trio into the lead of the recently formed World Endurance Championship, which they would go on to win later that year with a race to spare.
It’s hard to imagine that record will be broken, and it only makes sense for such an iconic figure to be highlighted at Members’ Meeting. Tom Kristensen was inducted as one of the four House Captains in 2023, replacing Jochen Mass as Captain of Darnley and alongside Dario Franchitti, Gordon Shedden and Andy Priaulx, will be one of four headline acts at each of the Members’ Meetings for years to come.
Leading up to the 81st Members’ Meeting he said: “It’s a pleasure to be chosen to lead Darnley at the Members’ Meeting. I think I speak for all the new House Captains when I say that we’re looking forward not only to going to head-to-head on the track, but also encouraging our houses to victory in the House Shield competition.”
Kristensen is a longtime friend of Goodwood, he has competed at Revival every year since 2012. Just last year he took part in the Can-Am demonstration and came tenth in the Gordon Spice Trophy alongside Jack Tetley at 81MM in a Chevrolet Camaro Z28, and raced in both the Sussex Trophy and the RAC TT Celebration at Revival. Now his focus will be on leading Darnley to the Shield at 82MM.
Kristensen will be in action once again at the 82nd Members’ Meeting, which gets underway on 12th and 13th April. Tickets are now available for Members and Fellows of the GRRC.
If you’re not already a Member or Fellow and you’d like to enjoy all the racing, demos, and other exciting content at the Members’ Meeting, you’ll need to join the GRRC. Click here for more information or to join the club.
Le Mans images courtesy of Getty Images.
Goodwood photography by Amy Shore.
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