Tom Walkinshaw was bang on when he predicted it would take three years for Jaguar to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. That’s the Silk Cut TWR-Jaguar team, of course. An encouraging debut for TWR in 1986, after the US Group 44 team’s visits the previous two years, was followed by a proper challenge to Porsche in ’87. Another year on and it would be Jaguar’s turn.

The drivers involved in that historic race remember a confidence in the camp leading up to the race. “There was definitely a feeling that Jaguar was going to do it,” says Jan Lammers, one third of the winning line-up alongside Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries. “Everyone was so committed to making it happen and that year we did have the fastest car.”

That should, correctly, read Lammers and his team-mates had the fastest car. Asked which car from history he wished he’d raced, long-time Jaguar driver Martin Brundle came up with the number two Jaguar XJR-9LM that went on to win the race. Walkinshaw’s favoured son knew he was in trouble when Lammers flew on the Mulsanne Straight during the opening lap.