Having overcome the teething problems that had somewhat plagued the new 956 group C cars in the first rounds of the 1982 endurance world championship, Porsche entered Le Mans as the favorite. That year, the private Porsche teams still did not have access to the 956 and made do as best they could with the various CK5s from Kremer or the 936Cs from Joest. Competition from Lancia was formidable in the shortest races but Le Mans was a story apart. The race saw the absolute domination of the three factory Porsche 956s, with Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell crossing the finish line first. That was the first of a long series of victories won by the Porsche 956 and 962C group C.