Starters 24 Hours of Le Mans Since the revival of the race in 1949, the Le Mans 24-Hours organizers have asked a well-known personality to lower the French flag to start the race. He/she is sometimes accompanied by an honorary president. 1949 M. Christian PINEAU Public works and transport minister Honorary President: Mr. Vincent AURIOL President of the French Republic 1950 Mr. Jean LETOURNEAU French minister of Associated States 1951 Mr. le Vicomte de ROHAN President of the International Sporting Commission 1952 Mr. Wilfrid ANDREWS President of the British Royal Automobile Club 1953 Mr. Jean MASSON Sate secretary of the National Education ministry 1954 HHR Prince Bernhard de LIPPE Dutch prince, husband of Queen Juliana 1955 Mr. le Comte MAGGI President of the Mille Miglia Organizing Committee 1956 Mr. Simon de PEYERIMOFF President of the French Automobile Club 1957 Mr. Jean-Yves CHAPALAIN Le Mans deputy mayor 1958 Mr Paul von GUILLEAUME Nürburgring 1000-kms Clerk of the Course 1959 Mr. Maurice HERZOG Under secretary for Youth and Sports 1960 Mr. le Prince de MERODE FIA and RACB President 1961 Mr. Paul PANHARD President of the Manufacturers’ Association 1962 Mr. Wilfrid BAUMGARTNER President of the International Sporting Commission 1963 Count Hadelin de Liedekerke-Beaufort ACF President. 1964 Prince Paul Metternich FIA Vice President and President of the Automobilclub Von Deutschland 1965 Mr. Maurice HERZOG Under secretary for Youth and Sports 1966 Mr. Henry FORD II President of the Ford Motor Company (grandson of Henry Ford) 1967 Mr. François MISSOFFE Minister of Youth and Sports 1968 Mr. Giovani AGNELLI FIAT President. 1969 Mr. Bernard CONSTEN FFSA President 1970 Dr Ferry PORSCHE Manufacturer (son of Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the make) 1971 Mr. Arthur K. WATSON US Ambassador in France Honorary President: Mr. Steve McQUEEN Actor "Le Mans" 1972 Mr. Georges POMPIDOU President of the French Republic 1973 Mr. Sylvain FLOIRAT President of the Matra Company 1974 Mr. Olivier GUICHARD Industry minister 1975 Mr. Jean-Marie BALESTRE FFSA President 1976 Mr. "Bill" FRANCE Jr. * Daytona Speedway director 1977 Mr. Pierre UGEUX International Sporting Commission President 1978 Mr. Raymond POULIDOR Cyclist 1979 Mr. Joël LE THEULE Transport minister 1980 Mr. Joachim SPRINGER President of the Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil Club (ADAC) 1981 Mr. Jean-Marie BALESTRE President of the ‘Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile,(FISA) 1982 Mr. Luigi CHINETTI Three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours 1983 Mr. Bernard MALSAIT Commissioner of the Republic – Sarthe Prefect 1984 Mr. Franz STADLER President of the Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil Club (ADAC) 1985 Mr. Alain CALMAT Minister of Youth and Sports 1986 Sir John EGAN Jaguar president 1987 The Honourable G.D. Lascelle British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) President 1988 Mr. Kyohei YOKOSE Chairman of the Sumitoto Group (Dunlop) 1989 Mr. Roger BAMBUCK State Secretary Youth and Sports 1990 Mr. Raymond RAVENEL President of the International Motor Car Manufacturers’ Organization With Mr. Roger BAMBUCK State Secretary Youth and Sports 1991 Mrs Hélène BLANC Sarthe Prefect 1992 HRH Prince Albert of Monaco 1993 Mr. René MONORY President of the Senate 1994 Mr. Charles PASQUA Sate minister, Minister of the Interior and National and Regional development 1995 Mr. Philippe SEGUIN President of the National Assembly 1996 Mr. Alain DELON Actor 1997 Mr. Jacques REGIS President of the French Motor Sports Federation 1998 Mr. Bill CAMPBELL Mayor of Atlanta 1999 Mrs Joan HALL "Honorary Starter" Minister of Tourism for Southern Australia 2000 Mr. Jacky ICKX Elected Driver of the Century in the Le Mans 24 Hours 2001 Dr. Ferdinand PIECH President of the Volkswagen Group 2002 Mr. Luc BESSON Film director 2003 Mr. Don PANOZ Manufacturer, founder and promoter of the American Le Mans Series 2004 Mr. François FILLON National Education Minister, Universities and Research 2005 Prof. Dr. Martin WINTERKORN Audi AG President 2006 Mr. Jean-Martin FOLZ PSA Peugeot/Citroën President 2007 Mr. Roland du LUART President of the ‘Syndicat Mixte du Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans’ 2008 Mrs Jean-Loup CHRETIEN Astronaut Mark BROWN Astronaut Vladimir TITOV Astronaut in association with the International Space Station ISS 2009 Mr. Luca di MONTEZEMOLO President of the Fiat and Ferrari Spa Groups 2010 Mr. Bruno MEIER General manager of Rolex SA With Mr. Jean-Claude KILLY Member of the Board of Directors of Rolex SA 2011 Mr. Jean TODT President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) 2012 Mr.Takeshi Uchiyamada Vice President and Director of the Toyota Motor Corporation 2013 M. Jim FRANCE* Creator of Grand-Am Racing and N.A.S.C.A.R. president 2014 M. Fernando ALONSO Ferrari driver, Double F1 World Champion 2015 M. William Clay Ford Jr. Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company 2016 Brad Pitt Actor 2017 Chase CAREY President of the Formula One Goup NB:Between 1923 and 1939 some other personalities had the privilege of giving the start like Mr. Emile Coquille (director of the Rudge-Whitworth detachable wheels company) in 1926 and 1927. In 1931, he was followed by Mr. Georges Durand (ACO general secretary), and in 1932 Mr. Gaston Gourdeau (Sarthe MP and Tourist Under-Secretary) did the honours. In 1933, it was the turn of Colonel Lindsay Lloyd (Vice President of the British Royal Automobile Club) and in 1934, Viscomte de Rohan Chabot (President of the French Automobile Club and the National Federation of Clubs) gave the start. In 1937, famous English record breaker and driver John Cobb dropped the flag, and Mr Anatole de Monzie (Minister of Public Works) released the pack in the last pre-war race (1939). *Bill France Junior starter in 1976 and Jim France who gave the start in 2013 are brothers: the first time in the history of the event that this has happened. Start of the Formation lap. In 2013 to mark the 90th anniversary of the creation of the event, a spectator drawn by lot gave the start to the formation lap and the lucky man was Philippe Peu, a Le Mans regular since 1972! In 2015 Guillaume Roi, an ACO Member, had this honour after winning an on-line game. In 2016 because of the start behind the safety car Jacky Courtois, an ACO member since 1972, who was celebrating his 50th Le Mans 24 Hours was the first to give the start to the cars lined up in herring-bone formation, and the American actor Brad Pitt waved the French flag to unleash the field in pouring rain. .