Porsche’s First Le Mans Winner Hans Herrmann Passes Away

Sports car racing legend Hans Herrmann, who helped give Porsche its first overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has passed away at the age of 97.

Considered one of the most successful drivers of his generation, Hermann won the 1970 edition of the French endurance classic as well as numerous other classics such as the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio, achieving more than 80 overall and class victories, the vast majority in Porsche machinery.

“The passing of Hans Herrmann has deeply affected us all,” said Porsche’s Head of Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach “He was one of Porsche AG’s most successful factory racing drivers.

“With the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 in the Porsche 917, Richard Attwood and he made history.”

Herrmann, born in 1928, completed training as a confectioner, intending to later take over his mother’s cafe.

However, the Stuttgart native instead took a path towards motorsport, winning in his first circuit race at the Nürburgring in a Porsche 356.

The following year, he achieved a class victory at Le Mans in a Porsche 550 Coupe. Also in 1953, Herrmann claimed the title of German Sports Car Champion.

Mercedes-Benz then recruited him into their factory team, making him a colleague of Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, and Karl Kling.

In 1954, Herrmann continued to race for Porsche in smaller displacement classes and won class victories in the 550 Spyder at the Carrera Panamericana and the Mille Miglia.

The latter race is remembered for a particularly spectacular moment: Herrmann drove the open mid-engine sports car under a closing railway barrier.

Luck would remain a constant companion throughout his career.

After Daimler-Benz withdrew from motorsport, he spent years with Maserati, B.R.M., Borgward, and repeatedly Porsche.

In 1960, Olivier Gendebien and Herrmann triumphed with a 718 RS 60 Spyder at the Twelve Hours of Sebring – Porsche’s first overall victory in a World Sportscar Championship race.

Herrmann and Joakim Bonnier won the Targa Florio in the Porsche 718 RS 60 Spyder, and in the same year, he was celebrated as Formula 2 European Champion with the Porsche 718/2.

In 1962, he switched to Carlo Abarth to become a factory driver for the Viennese constructor from 1963 before returning to the Porsche factory team alongside drivers Jo Siffert, Vic Elford, Rolf Stommelen, Udo Schütz, and Gerhard Mitter.

Herrmann faced the toughest race of his life in the Porsche 917 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970.

“In 1969, I narrowly lost the victory to Jacky Ickx after we overtook each other several times in the last hour and a half of the race,” he recalled. “In 1970, Ferdinand Piëch ensured we had a stronger engine and a real chance of winning.

“Winning exactly one year after the narrowly missed victory at Le Mans was, of course, special. It was also Porsche’s first overall victory – and it was my last race,”

During his career, Herrmann raced for a number manufacturers, but his closest and most formative connection was always with Porsche.

He accompanied the Porsche Museum for decades after retiring from active racing at the age of 42, participating in driving events at renowned classic car events worldwide.

Herrmann leaves behind his wife, Magdalena, two sons and a grandson.