French · Le Beausset, Var, France · Born 28 July 1961Yannick Dalmas is a French former racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times with four different manufacturers, a unique achievement in the race's history, after an unsuccessful Formula One career.
The only driver ever to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with four different manufacturers — Peugeot in 1992, a Dauer-Porsche in 1994, McLaren F1 GTR in 1995, and BMW in 1999 — Yannick Dalmas built a legacy at the world's greatest endurance race that no competitor has equalled. He won the French Formula Renault title in 1984 and the French Formula Three Championship in 1986, including a prestigious win at the Monaco Grand Prix support race, earning comparisons to compatriot Alain Prost. He progressed to Formula One in 1987, but a disappointing four-year stint yielded just two championship points from 49 Grand Prix entries, further hampered by a bout of Legionnaires' disease that sidelined him late in 1988. Dalmas left Formula One in 1990 and joined Peugeot's sports car programme, a decision that transformed his career. He won the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans and that year's World Sportscar Championship for Peugeot, beginning a remarkable run in which he went on to win Le Mans again in 1994 with a Dauer-Porsche 962, in 1995 with a McLaren F1 GTR in only the car's second competitive outing, and in 1999 with a BMW V12 LMR — becoming the only driver in the race's history to win with four different manufacturers. Dalmas also won the 1997 12 Hours of Sebring in a Ferrari 333SP and continued competing at Le Mans until 2002. He has remained closely involved with the race since retiring from driving, serving as the FIA World Endurance Championship's official safety car driver and a driver advisor and consultant since the series' inception in 2012, and was named Grand Marshal of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025.
Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times, each with a different manufacturer, a unique feat in the race's history
How They Played
Consistent, adaptable endurance racer skilled at quickly mastering unfamiliar machinery
Lasting Impact
One of the most successful and versatile endurance racing drivers of the 1990s, now a respected figure in the World Endurance Championship paddock
Career Honours
- 4x 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (1992, 1994, 1995, 1999), each with a different manufacturer
- World Sportscar Champion (1992)
- French Formula 3 Champion (1986)
- 12 Hours of Sebring winner (1997)
| Constructor | Season(s) | Races |
|---|---|---|
| Larrousse/AGS (F1) | 1987–1990 | — |
| Peugeot Talbot Sport | 1991–1993 | — |
| Dauer/McLaren/Porsche/BMW (Le Mans) | 1994–2002 | — |
| Career Total | — | 0 |
French Athletes