How well do you know the Le Mans 24 Hours?

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest active endurance racing event, held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. The race is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours and is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, with the other events being the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. The race comprises two classes: prototypes and Grand Touring cars. Competing teams race in groups called "classes", or cars of similar specification. The race is held in June, leading to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation. Concept cars intended to test new automotive technologies may participate in the race under the "Garage 56" banner. Initially, there were no rules on the number of car drivers or how long they could drive. Another rule unique to Le Mans is that cars must be switched off while refueling in the pits. There are various long-standing traditions at Le Mans, including the waving of the French tricolor to start the race and the spraying of champagne during celebrations.Overview of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

• The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an annual endurance race held in France since 1923, except for interruptions during World War II and in 2020 due to COVID-19.

• The race takes place on a 13.626 km circuit that includes permanent track and public roads temporarily closed for the event.

• The Le Mans start, in which drivers ran across the track to enter and start their cars, was used until the late 1960s and caused safety concerns due to drivers ignoring their safety harnesses.

• The race classification is determined by the car that completes the greatest distance as of the final lap's completion, with additional requirements to be classified.

• The race has been dominated by French, British, and Italian drivers and teams, with Bugatti, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo being the top brands in the early years, and Porsche and Ferrari being dominant in later years.

• A tragedy during the 1955 race led to the widespread introduction of safety measures, and innovations in car design began appearing in the late 1930s.

• Privateer constructors scored the only victories for a privateer in the 1970s, and Porsche dominated the race in the 1980s under the new Group C race car formula that encouraged fuel efficiency.

• The 1990s saw a resurgence of production-based grand tourer cars due to a loophole in the rules, leading to Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan, and Panoz building exotic supercars to skirt the ACO's rules regarding production-based race cars.

• The race usually takes place on the second weekend of June, with qualifying and practice taking place on the Wednesday and Thursday before the race, and a parade of all the drivers through Le Mans is held on Friday.

• The traditional Le Mans start was changed in 1970 to a rolling start, in which cars do one formation lap behind the safety car before the start of the race.

• The race has been cancelled ten times, in 1936 due to a labour strike during the Great Depression and between 1940 and 1948 due to World War II.Le Mans 24 Hours: A History of Innovations, Successful Marques, and Drivers

• Le Mans 24 Hours is one of the oldest and most prestigious endurance races in the world, held annually since 1923 in Le Mans, France.

• The race is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and attracts top manufacturers and drivers from around the world.

• The early years of the race saw fierce competition between French and Italian manufacturers, with Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, and Bentley winning multiple times.

• The 1950s and 1960s saw the rise of Jaguar and Ferrari, with the latter winning six consecutive races from 1960 to 1965.

• The 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of Porsche as the dominant force, winning 7 consecutive races from 1981 to 1987 and 19 overall victories in total.

• The 1990s saw the return of strong manufacturer influence with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lotus entering the GT categories.

• The 2000s saw Audi dominate with the R8 and later the R10 TDI, which was the first diesel to win at Le Mans.

• The 2010s saw the introduction of hybrid vehicles and the return of Toyota, which won its first race in 2018.

• Porsche remains the most successful manufacturer at Le Mans with 19 overall victories.

• Three drivers stand apart for their number of victories: Tom Kristensen with 9, followed by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell with 6 and 5 wins, respectively.

• Le Mans has seen many innovations in automotive design to counteract the circuit's difficulties, including aerodynamics, engines, and brakes.

• Aerodynamics became all-enveloping, while bodywork also began to cover the cockpit for less drag. Open cockpits would come and go over the years as rules varied.

• Engines have varied greatly in size, and alternative fuel sources have been used, including diesel, ethanol, and hydrogen.

• Brakes became a key issue for teams attempting to safely bring their cars down to a slow enough speed to make the Mulsanne Corner turn.History and Accidents of the Le Mans 24 Hours Race

History:

• Only three drivers have won every Le Mans race they participated in.
• Henri Pescarolo won the race four times and holds the record for the most Le Mans appearances at 33.
• Graham Hill is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
• Claude Ballot-Léna holds the most class victories other than Kristensen with seven wins in GT class cars.
• Le Mans has seen many fatal accidents due partly to the very high-speed nature of all variants of the track throughout history.
• The largest accident was in 1955 when 83 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh were killed.
• Safety regulations were implemented in all motorsports after this accident.
• Almost all decades in which Le Mans has been run have seen their fair share of horrific accidents.
• The 1980s were a decade where some of the race's worst-ever accidents occurred.
• Gartner's fatal accident remained the most recent death in the race until Allan Simonsen's crash in 2013.
• In 2011, two horrific accidents occurred to two of the three factory Audis in the LMP1 class.
• In 2012, Anthony Davidson suffered broken vertebrae.
• The race is broadcast on the radio by Radio Le Mans.

Accidents:

• In 1972, Swede Jo Bonnier was killed instantly after hitting a privately entered Ferrari near the Indianapolis section.
• In 1981, Belgian Thierry Boutsen crashed horrifically on the Mulsanne Straight in his WM-Peugeot, killing a marshal.
• In 1984, British privateer John Sheldon crashed at more than 320 km/h (200 mph) at the Mulsanne Kink.
• In 1985, Briton Dudley Wood survived after his car collided with the Armco at more than 370 km/h (230 mph).
• In 1986, Jo Gartner drove a Porsche 962C into the Mulsanne barriers and was killed instantly.
• In 1987, American Price Cobb crashed a works Porsche 962C after slipping on oil during Wednesday practice.
• In 1999, the Mercedes-Benz CLRs suffered from aerodynamic instability leading to airborne cars.
• In 2011, two horrific accidents occurred to two of the three factory Audis in the LMP1 class.
• In 2012, Anthony Davidson, driving for the returning Toyota team in a Toyota TS030 Hybrid, collided with a Ferrari 458 GT2 of Piergiuseppe Perazzini, and became airborne before crashing into the tyre barrier of the Mulsanne Corner at high speed.
• In 2013, Dane Allan Simonsen died after crashing into the barriers at Tertre Rouge.

Coverage:

• Motors TV covered the Le Mans 24 Hours in its entirety in 2006 and 2007.
• In the United States, FOX owned SPEED Channel aired complete race coverage live either on-air or online through a combination of coverage from the French host broadcaster and its own pit reporting crew for several years.
• Eurosport secured a multi-year deal to show the entire race, including the qualifying and the motorcycle race.
• Eurosport provided live streaming on its website to subscribers.
• Since 2009, Eurosport and Eurosport 2 have covered all the action.
• Radio Le Mans broadcasts the race in English.

Appearances in Media