Moving motorsport moments 2016: highlights of the year

' You don't win Le Mans, it has to let you win 'is a saying about the famous 24h race the Sarthe. In 2016 the monster Le Mans struck again. In a way that will forever burn into the minds of the racing drivers, team bosses, engineers, mechanics, fans, photographers and reporters involved.

Our reporters look back

Toyota, that has never won the classic, was on course for victory after 23 hours and 57 minutes. The tears of joy were ready to roll down when suddenly the Toyota TS050 Hybrid of Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima slowed down and finally starved to death on the home straight. From the dream of victory: the facial features of those involved froze, the team struggled to maintain composure, but Toyota did not say a bad word even at the moment of the most painful defeat. Porsche suffered with the competition, but dusted off the 18th victory at Le Mans. The monster just has to let you win.

Another unforgettable moment was the 24h race at the Nürburgring for the motorsport world. With strong support from the typical Eifel weather. After about an hour of racing, it was so hailing over the Nordschleife that various high-powered racing cars could no longer climb the slope to the Adenauer Forst. When the weather had calmed down, the 24-hour race culminated in a dramatic finale that was not decided until the final lap.

2016 saw many more moving and dramatic stories. For example, the rise of Max Verstappen, who first took the Red Bull cockpit from Daniil Kvyat and celebrated his first Grand Prix victory right in his first race for Red Bull. Or the exit of VW from the World Rally Championship and the exit of Audi after 18 years in Le Mans. Our reporters look back in our photo show.