The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans), the world’s oldest active endurance sports car race, was conceived at the 1922 Salon de l'Automobile in the Grand Palais, Paris. It was founded by Georges Durand, the general secretary of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), along with key members of the club, and Émile Coquille, the French representative for Rudge-Whitworth detachable wheels. Held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France, the race is often referred to as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency.
In this grueling race, teams must balance the car's speed with its ability to endure 24 hours of continuous running, minimizing mechanical failures while managing consumables like fuel, tires, and brake materials. The drivers' endurance is also put to the test, as they spend over two hours behind the wheel in each stint before swapping with a relief driver during pit stops. During breaks, drivers take brief opportunities to eat and rest before taking on another stint. Today, regulations require that each car is shared by three drivers.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and takes place on the Circuit de la Sarthe, a track that combines closed public roads with sections of a specialized racing circuit. This challenging course is designed to test not only a car and driver's speed but also their ability to endure a 24-hour race.
Teams compete in different classes, with cars grouped by similar specifications, while also vying for overall placement across all classes. Initially, the race featured cars that were sold to the public, known as Sports Cars, as opposed to the specialized racing machines used in Grands Prix. Over time, the vehicles have evolved, moving away from their road-car origins. Today, the competition is divided into two main categories: Prototype sports cars—two-seater, enclosed-body vehicles designed solely for racing—and Grand Touring (GT) cars, which closely resemble the high-performance sports cars available to the public.
Competing teams in the 24 Hours of Le Mans come from a wide range of backgrounds. These include the competition departments of road car manufacturers eager to showcase the superiority of their products, as well as professional racing teams backed by commercial sponsors, some of which represent car manufacturers looking to win without establishing their own teams. There are also amateur teams, driven by the desire to compete in the prestigious race, while also aiming to secure victory for their commercial partners.
The race takes place in June, which can result in very hot weather conditions for the drivers, especially in closed-roof vehicles where cabin temperatures can rise to uncomfortable levels due to limited ventilation. Despite the heat, rain is also a common occurrence, adding to the challenge for drivers and teams.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts in the mid-afternoon, running through the night and into the following morning, before finishing at the same time it began the next day. During the 24-hour period, modern competitors cover over 5,000 km (3,110 miles), with the current record being 5,410 km (3,360 miles), set during the 2010 race. This distance is more than six times the length of the Indianapolis 500 and roughly 18 times longer than a typical Formula One Grand Prix.
Over the years, the race has inspired similar 24-hour endurance events around the world, popularizing the format at tracks like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Sebring, and Mount Panorama. Today, the American Le Mans Series and the European-based Le Mans Series—both multi-event sports car championships—are derived from Le Mans regulations. Additionally, there are spin-off events such as the Le Mans Classic, which features vintage race cars, a motorcycle version held on the Bugatti Circuit, as well as the 24 Heures Karting and 24 Heures Camions for karts and trucks, respectively
The race has also been a part of the World Sportscar Championship for extended periods, although Le Mans has always held a greater prestige than the championship itself. Currently, it is a key round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The race is also considered one part of the informal Triple Crown of Motorsport, which connects Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing as a prestigious career achievement for drivers. In addition, it is recognized as a leg of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing, alongside the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona, which together represent the three biggest events in endurance racing.
On May 26th and 27th, 1923, the first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held on public roads around the town of Le Mans. Initially, the event was planned as a three-year competition for the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup, with the winner being the car that covered the greatest distance over three consecutive 24-hour races. This format was abandoned in 1928, and from then on, winners were declared annually based on who covered the farthest distance within a single 24-hour race. The early years of Le Mans were dominated by British, French, and Italian drivers, teams, and cars, with Bentley, Alfa Romeo, and Bugatti being the leading marques.
By the late 1930s, innovations in car design started to emerge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bugatti and Alfa Romeo introducing aerodynamic bodywork that allowed for higher speeds on the Mulsanne Straight. In 1936, the race was canceled due to strikes in France. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the race was put on hold for a decade, resuming only after the war.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans resumed in 1949 after the reconstruction of the circuit facilities, sparking increased interest from major car manufacturers. Following the establishment of the World Sportscar Championship in 1953, of which the Le Mans race was a part, manufacturers like Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz began sending multiple factory-supported cars to compete against their rivals.
Unfortunately, this heightened competition led to tragedy during the 1955 race when Pierre Levegh's car crashed into a crowd of spectators on the pit straight, resulting in the deaths of more than 80 people. The accident was caused by miscommunication; Lance Macklin, attempting to let Mike Hawthorn pass, signaled that he was heading to the pits, which contributed to the devastating incident.
Unaware of Levegh's approaching Mercedes, Macklin moved to the center of the track, causing Levegh's car to collide with the Austin Healey. The impact sent the car careening into the crowd, where it disintegrated and caught fire, with debris scattering into the spectators.
Being made of magnesium the emergency crews putting the flames out with water made the situation worse.
This tragic event prompted widespread safety measures to be implemented, not only at Le Mans but also throughout the world of motorsport. In response, Mercedes withdrew from competitive racing, and Switzerland banned motor racing altogether. Despite the improvements in safety standards, the achievable top speeds of the cars continued to rise. The transition from open-cockpit roadsters to closed-cockpit coupes allowed vehicles to exceed 200 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. During this period, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars were primarily based on production road cars.
By the end of the 1960s, Ford entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with their GT40s, achieving four consecutive victories before the era of production-based cars came to an end. Despite changes in regulations, speeds exceeding 200 mph are still regularly attained at various points on the Le Mans circuit.
The rising costs of competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans prompted many major automobile manufacturers to reassess their participation in the early 21st century. Among them, only Audi continued to compete, easily dominating the races with their R8. While MG, Panoz, and Chrysler made brief attempts to challenge Audi, none could match the performance of the R8. After securing three consecutive victories, Audi supplied engines, support staff, and drivers to their corporate partner Bentley, which returned to the race in 2001. These factory-backed Bentleys ultimately triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003, finishing ahead of the now privateer Audis.
By the end of 2005, after securing an impressive five victories with the Audi R8 and six with its V8 turbo engine, Audi embarked on a new challenge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by introducing the R10 TDI, a diesel engine prototype. While it wasn't the first diesel vehicle to compete in the race, it was the first to claim victory.
During this era, various alternative fuel sources were explored, including bio-ethanol. In response to Audi's success, Peugeot decided to enter the fray with their Peugeot 908 in 2007 and 2008. They put up a strong challenge but ultimately finished behind the R10 on both occasions. In 2009, the Peugeot 908 secured victory, ending Audi's streak of Le Mans wins. However, Audi returned in 2010, achieving a 1-2-3 finish after all four Peugeot entrants suffered engine failures and suspension problems, forcing them to retire.
2011 witnessed one of the closest races in Le Mans history, with Audi narrowly finishing ahead of its Peugeot rivals. However, the race is likely to be remembered for two significant crashes involving Audis driven by Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller. Thankfully, both drivers were able to walk away from the wreckage of their cars.
The 2012 Le Mans race marked the introduction of hybrid technology for both Audi and Toyota in the LMP1 class. Following Peugeot's withdrawal due to financial issues, Toyota emerged as Audi's primary challenger. However, two significant crashes, one of which resulted in driver Ant Davidson suffering a broken back, left Audi unchallenged at the front. Ultimately, Audi's hybrid diesel, the R18 E-tron quattro, claimed victory.
Le Mans 2013 saw the first win by a Hybrid car with the Audi R18 again winning
The 2014 Le Mans race marked the return of outright winners Porsche with a new LMP1 car to challenge Audi and Toyota. Additionally, Nissan achieved a milestone by completing the first full electric lap of the track with their ZEOD.
The 2015 Le Mans race saw the return of Nissan with a radical new LMP1 car to compete against Audi and Toyota. However, this venture was plagued by numerous problems that ultimately led to its failure
Information courtesy various sources