Top 22 facts about the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is currently under way in France, with drivers and machines pitted in a race that tests the limits of their endurance, concentration, reliability, skills and speed.

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Credit: Renault

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  • Alpine at Le Mans
  • Alpine at Le Mans
  • Alpine at Le Mans
  • Alpine at Le Mans
  • Alpine at Le Mans
  • Alpine at Le Mans

    The track

  1. Run on the Circuit de la Sarthe, which mixes purpose built race track with sections of temporarily converted public road.
  2. The Circuit de la Sarthe is currently 3.6km (8.5mi) long, and has 38 turns.
  3. Prior to 1990, the Mulsanne straight was a whooping 6km (3.7mi) long. New FIA rules meant that chicanes were added, reducing the straights to a maximum of 2km (1.2mi). Prior to these changes it was possible for the fastest vehicles to hit 400km/h (249mph).
  4. The track has plenty of straights, allowing cars to drive at incredible speeds for a very long period of time. The average speed of winners in the modern era is about 225km/h (140mph).

     

    The race

  5. Longest running, currently active, annual car race, it was first held in 1923.
  6. The race was cancelled in 1936 (Great Depression labour strike), and from 1940 to 1948 (World War II).
  7. Starts at 3pm on Saturday and ends 3pm Sunday. Times have varied over the years.
  8. Typically held on the second weekend in June.
  9. In the past drivers had to run across the track after the flag was dropped to signify the start of the race, hop into their cars, strap in, and start the vehicle. The so called Le Mans start was abandoned in 1970 due to safety problems and the odd death. A rolling start was adopted in 1971.
  10. The longest distance raced is 5,410km. That’s 397 laps.
  11. Regulations now require three drivers per car, and a driver change every four hours. One driver cannot drive more than 14 hours in total. These rules are fairly modern, and came about due to the ever increasing speed of race cars.
  12. Cars now compete in one of number categories, with the LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype 1) being the fastest and most likely to win. Vehicles in the GT categories are the most similar to road-going cars.
  13. The race is organised by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (Western Automobile Club). Its popularity has inspired the revival of endurance racing series and events, including the FIA’s World Endurance Championship and the America-centric United SportsCar Championship.

     

    Winners

  14. Porsche has won the race 16 times. Stablemate Audi has 13 wins under its belt, and has won every race since 2000, except for 2003 and 2009.
  15. The winner is the car that completes the most number of laps with 24 hours is the winner.
  16. The Audi R10, in 2006, was the first diesel car to win the race.
  17. Only one rotary engine car has ever won the Le Mans 24 Hour, the the Mazda 787B in 1991.
  18. Drivers from the UK and France have been the most successful, each nation being home to 29 winners each.
  19. Manufacturers tend to win in streaks. Porsche tops the pile with 7 consecutive wins (1981-1987), Ferrari has 6 (1960-1965), and Audi has managed 5-in-a-row twice (2004-2008, 2010-2014).
  20. German manufacturers have been the most successful, notching up 32 race wins. The UK has 17 and France 15.
  21. Tom Kristensen (Denmark) has won the race 9 times. Next up is Jacky Ickx (Belgium) with 6 victories.
  22. Kristensen has won at Le Mans an amazing 6 times in a row. He’s far ahead of a gaggle of drivers with 3 consecutive wins, including Ickx.
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