Le Mans – At The Apex of Automobile Endurance

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, known colloquially as simply ‘Le Mans’, is considered by many to be the crème de la crème when it comes to motorsport racing and this epic, day-long event needs little introduction. Unfortunately motorsport fans were unable to get their annual 24 Hour fix last year due to you-know-what and the proceedings were held behind closed doors, inaccessible to the public, but this weekend sees the legendary endurance race throw open its gates once more to warmly welcome those of us hankering after a taste of one of the most illustrious and historic events in the racing calendar and one that attracts the world’s greatest drivers in search of ultimate glory.

So What is it?

Part of the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2012 the rules for the 24 Hours of Le Mans are quite simple – the car that covers the greatest distance in a 24 hour time period wins. It is an endurance test of both car and driver but it takes more than just speed, talent and mettle to win here – the whole team, including the three drivers, needs to work together as one to ensure victory. It is imperative that the machine is well-oiled, both figuratively speaking as well as literally to achieve that synergy. Unlike Formula One or other more conventional, single class races, the 24 Hours consists of multiple categories of car, with one car per team, competing individually but on the same track, at the same time. It’s quite the spectacle to see GT cars sharing the asphalt with top-spec prototypes and it definitely makes for some exciting racing.

The Circuit

This weekend marks the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans, making it the world’s oldest active endurance race with the very first event being held by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest in 1923 on the public streets of the quaint, northern French city of Le Mans located on the edge of the Loire Valley. The circuit, known as the Circuit de la Sarthe and named after the river that flows through the city, has since evolved from its original, nearly 11 mile route to include a stretch on the purpose-built Bugatti circuit constructed in 1965, but with the overall length of the course reduced to just over 8 miles, a large percentage of which is spent at full chat. It remains one of the longest in the world however and it’s a very fast circuit too which only adds to the huge appeal of this race – the infamous Mulsanne Straight, for example, has seen it’s fair share of speed records with 251mph being the top whack ever recorded by Frenchman Roger Dorchy in his Peugeot in 1988. Chicanes have since been installed to curtail these insane, and often dangerous speeds however. The streets are cordoned off for race day and quickly re-instated thereafter but for the locals it’s all part and parcel of living next to such a famous and significant landmark.

Do the Evolution

Over the years the 24 Hours of Le Mans has grown from its humble roots as a means of testing the durability of materials and innovations in the sport to the pinnacle of motor racing that it is today. From those early races dominated by the Brits, Italians and French driving Bugattis, Bentleys, and Alfas, through the post-war era that saw an influx of cars and new teams as well as an increase in competitiveness, to what is widely regarded as the heyday of the 60s, 70s and 80s – which is where things got really interesting. So good was the racing in 1966, in fact, that Hollywood recently got involved to tell the story of the infamous Ford Vs Ferrari rivalry in which the American Ford GT40s toppled the Italian’s dominance in monumental fashion.

And that’s not the only time that this distinguished race has been put onto celluloid either with Steve McQueen’s 1971 blockbuster ‘Le Mans’ also focussing on the action. It was a time of great development in the sport with vast improvements in vehicle dynamics and overall speed. The classic standing start whereby drivers had to run to their cars at the beginning of the race was also changed to a more conventional rolling start. Personally speaking though we would love to see a return to that original opening and the sight of the drivers legging it to their cars in a bid to be first off the line.

80s and 90s

The 1980s is where we see most frequent champions Porsche begin to dominate (wearing the now famous white and purple Rothman’s livery) in the newly created Group C formula that was conceived to emphasise more lightweight, fuel efficient cars. Jaguar (another famous car decked out in its Silk Cut attire) would wrestle the title away from the Germans in 88 and 90 with Mercedes winning in the intervening year – their first appearance since the catastrophic 1955 disaster that saw the tragic deaths of over 80 people after a huge crash in which pieces of debris went hurtling into the crowd. The Japanese also joined the party at this time and Mazda would be the first of the bunch to win in 1991 with their rotary-powered car. Peugeot would also come to the fore with notable victories in the early nineties in addition to that record speed run we mentioned earlier.

Recent History

The 2000s were all about Audi. They decimated everyone and everything, winning 8 races between 2000 and 2010, including being the first to win with a diesel powered car, and whilst diesels had appeared at Le Mans for decades, one had never managed to bag first place until now. The 24 Hour saw additional regulation changes in the second half of the decade too including the requirement for all top-class LMP1 cars to have a closed cockpit and manufacturers began to gravitate towards and embrace the electric movement with Porsche and Toyota both winning with their hybrid prototypes.

This year sees the introduction of the new ‘Hypercar’ class (LMH) to replace the LMP1 cars that we all know and love and are governed by strict technical regulations introduced in part to address the spiralling costs of competition. These new cars will compete side-by-side with the LMP2 cars as well as the LMGTE class of road-legal racers with professional outfits and amateur privateers competing across both of these two lower categories. The full roster of teams, cars and drivers can be found on the official 24 Hours of Le Mans website but notable entrants include Kamui Kobayashi and Sébastien Buemi of Fomula One fame – both driving top level Toyota Hypercars.

It’s not just about the racing

The charm of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at least for us anyway, doesn’t just lie in the racing itself – which is absolutely glorious, make no mistake – but it’s also about the event as a whole and if you can take your own car (a classic if at all possible), get a bunch of friends together and all drive to northern France in convoy we can pretty much guarantee that the whole experience will be just as enjoyable as watching a track full of cutting edge racing cars flying by.

It’s about making an occasion out of the whole thing, spending the weekend, checking out the village within the bowels of the track and the activities available, enjoying the support races with a few over-priced beers and chatting to like-minded motorsport fans – of which you’ll meet plenty, both at the track and on the way whenever you stop for fuel and supplies. And if you’re a true petrol head, as we suspect you are if you’re reading this, then the obligatory car-spotting during the journey to the 24 Hours of Le Mans is also a time-honoured and favoured pastime to be encouraged and cherished. So what are you waiting for?