Official Store of the 24 Heures du Mans (2024)

FAQs

What is the 24 hour race at Le Mans? ›

The 24-Hours of Le Mans follow a simple rule:

the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours is the winner. It is the ultimate endurance test for man and machine. Each year, more than 250,000 enthusiastic spectators flock to 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France.

24 Hours of Le Mans, probably the world's best-known automobile race, run annually (with few exceptions) since 1923 at the Sarthe road-racing circuit, near Le Mans, France.

Le Mans is a tough endurance race with high pressure and high speeds. Being able to focus on the right things, talk to yourself in a positive helpful way, and control your emotions are all crucial skills that every racing driver should strive to incorporate into their routine.

For the event itself, tickets can be bought from the ACO at the official Le Mans race website. You'll need to purchase a general admission ticket to watch the race, but additional tickets (which give you access to the grandstands) can also be bought.

So while they don't accelerate as quickly as F1 cars, their top speeds aren't a million miles away. In the hypercar era, Ferrari claimed pole for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours with a time of 3m22. 982s where Antonio Fuoco hit a top speed of 343.2km/h, so slightly slower than an LMP1.

GTE Pro teams and drivers frequently work under the goal of winning Le Mans for their respective manufacturer or team owner. GTE-Am - With a nod toward privateers, the GTE Am class affords amateur drivers (i.e. individuals who don't race cars for a living) the opportunity to compete at Le Mans in a GTE car.

Looking at today's LMDh (it stands for Le Mans Daytona h) racecars, the Porsche 963 cars competing at the 2023 24h of Le Mans can hit top speeds of a dizzying 345km/h (214mph) in places.

Miles won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966, and he placed second at Le Mans. Miles died in a crash while testing Ford's J-Car later that year.

Le Mans has always had a distinctive set of traditions. The drivers race in teams, sharing just one vehicle. The famous “Le Mans Start” originally had drivers start outside their vehicles, run to their cars, start the engines, and drive off. This proved to be dangerous, so the procedure was changed in 1970.

Do American cars race at Le Mans? ›

The highest recorded lap count in the 2024 24 Hour of Le Mans race, in categories that consisted of American drivers, was LMP2's #22 United Autosports with a total of 297 completed.

Arriving rested at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a key objective to achieve, not to mention the ability to recover energy during the race itself. Each driver's bed is only a few metres from the pit box, located inside the motorhome dedicated to the Ferrari crews.

The Dakar Rally is said to be the “world's toughest motor race”. Two weeks of racing through punishing terrain, extremes of temperature lie ahead to challenge the competitors of the infamous off-road endurance race.

Considered one of the most prestigious races in the world, the winner of the Le Mans 24hr race is the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours is the winner. All teams must rotate three drivers through the car during the race, with no single driver behind the wheel for more than 14 hours in total.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is auto racing's Boston Marathon, a brutal test of endurance where competitors race stunningly fast cars for 24 straight hours at speeds that can exceed 200 mph on the fastest section of the incredibly long 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe road course.

The beginning of a long success story for MICHELIN tyres.

Organised by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest), it is a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It is the longest race of the series and takes place around the calendar's longest and fastest circuit (length: 13.626km / average speed: 240kph).

During the 24-hour race, drivers must drive for at least six hours but no more than 14 hours in all. In addition, they must not drive for more than four hours within any six-hour period, or risk a penalty.