Marc Lieb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marc Lieb |
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![]() Marc Lieb at the Silverstone race in 2014
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Nationality | ![]() |
Born | Stuttgart, West Germany (now Germany) |
4 July 1980
Racing licence | ![]() |
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
Years | 2003–2005, 2009–2016 |
Teams | Orbit Racing, Alex Job Racing, Team Felbermayr-Proton, Porsche AG Team Manthey |
Best finish | 1st (2016) |
Class wins | 4 (2005, 2010, 2013, 2016) |
Marc Lieb (born 4 July 1980) is a former German Porsche factory motor-racing driver. He is famous for winning many big races. These include the FIA GT Championship in 2003 and 2005. He also won the European Le Mans Series four times. Marc Lieb won the tough 24 Hours Nürburgring race four times. In 2016, he won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also won the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring, the 2003 24 Hours of Spa, and the 2007 Petit Le Mans. In 2016, he became the FIA World Endurance Champion.
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Marc Lieb's Racing Journey
Marc Lieb was born in Stuttgart, Germany. He started his racing career in 1992, driving go-karts. In 1995, he moved to racing cars. He competed in the German Formula Renault 1800 championship. The next year, he finished second in that championship. In 1998, he moved up to German Formula Renault 2000. By 1999, he was third in the Formula Renault Eurocup.
In 2000, Marc Lieb joined Porsche as a junior driver. He raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup, finishing fifth. In 2001, he got a podium finish in the Porsche Supercup.
Winning Championships
In 2002, Marc Lieb won the Carrera Cup championship. He had four wins that season. He also won two N-GT races in the FIA GT Championship. In 2003, he became a full Porsche factory driver. He won the N-GT championship with his teammate, Stéphane Ortelli. They won three races, including the Spa 24 Hours in his Porsche 911 GT3-RS. He also finished second in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 2004, Marc Lieb raced in the American Le Mans Series. He finished second at Sebring and won races at Portland and Laguna Seca. He ended the championship in fourth place.
Combining Racing with Studies
After 2004, Marc Lieb started studying engineering. He went to the University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen. He balanced his studies with a reduced racing schedule for Porsche. He had previously studied automotive engineering. Marc finished his degree after seven semesters. He then combined his racing career with a job as an engineer at Porsche Motorsport.
In 2005, Marc Lieb returned to the FIA GT Championship. He won the GT2 Drivers title with Mike Rockenfeller. They also won their class at the Spa 24 Hours. He raced in the Le Mans Endurance Series, winning three races and the championship. Marc also won the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year. In 2006, he won the Le Mans Series GT2 championship again.
From 2007 to 2008, Marc Lieb drove for Team Felbermayr-Proton. He raced a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR.
More Wins and New Challenges
In 2009, Marc Lieb teamed up with Richard Lietz. They drove a Porsche 911 for Felbermayr Proton. They won the GT2 class championship in the European Le Mans Series. He also earned his third victory in the 24 Hours Nürburgring for Manthey. In the American Le Mans Series, he had strong finishes at Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz won the GT2 class titles again in the 2010 Le Mans Series. They had three wins. He also won his second GT2 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was again with Lietz and Wolf Henzler.
In 2011, Marc Lieb continued with the Felbermayr-Proton team. He and Lietz got two podium finishes. He also won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring for Manthey. He even tried racing in the V8 Supercars series in Australia.
In 2012, his team moved to the World Endurance Championship. Marc Lieb and Lietz won two races and had six podiums. He also finished third in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He raced a Holden Commodore in Australia again.
Becoming a World Champion
In 2013, Porsche officially joined the World Endurance Championship. Marc Lieb drove one of the new Porsche 911s for Manthey. With his teammates, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also finished second overall in the 24 Hours of Spa. He was seventh overall at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
In 2014, Porsche announced that Marc Lieb would join their Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 program. This was for the 2014 World Endurance Championship.
On September 4, 2013, Marc Lieb set a very fast lap time. He drove a Porsche 918 Spyder around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. His time of 6:57 was one of the fastest for a street-legal car.
Marc Lieb won the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans overall in a Porsche 919 Hybrid. This was a huge victory. As of 2023, this was his last time racing in that famous event.
Career Accolades
- Spa 24 Hours overall winner: 2003
- FIA GT Championship N-GT/GT2 champion: 2003, 2005
- 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class winner: 2005, 2010, 2013
- Spa 24 Hours GT2 class winner: 2005
- Le Mans Series GT2 champion: 2006
- 24 Hours Nürburgring champion: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
- Le Mans Series 2007 vice champion
- 24 Hours of Le Mans: Overall Winner 2016
- 13 overall victories in Nürburgring Endurance Series.
See also
In Spanish: Marc Lieb para niños