The 24 Hours of Le Mans (; ) is an endurance sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. First run in 1923, it is the oldest active endurance racing event in the world and is widely considered one of the world's most prestigious races. It is part of informal "Triple Crown" events, as a Triple Crown of Motorsport with different car types along with the F1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, and as a Triple Crown of endurance racing with sportscars, with the Florida-based 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. The race is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). It is held on the Circuit de la Sarthe, composed of closed public roads and dedicated sections of a racing track.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans was often part of the World Sportscar Championship from 1953 until that series' final season in 1992. In 2011, it was a part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Since 2012, the race has been a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. A 10-hour American version of the race, called Petit Le Mans, has been held annually since 1998.
Purpose
Launched when Grand Prix motor racing was the dominant form of motorsport throughout Europe, Le Mans was designed to present a different test. Instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines, the 24 Hours of Le Mans would concentrate on the ability of manufacturers to build sporty yet reliable cars. This encouraged innovation in producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, because endurance racing requires cars that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible.
At the same time, the layout of the track required cars with better aerodynamics and stability at high speeds. While this was shared with Grand Prix racing, few tracks in Europe had straights of a length comparable to the Ligne droite des Hunaudières, often referred to as Mulsanne Straight after the village it leads to.
The oil crisis in the early 1970s led organizers to adopt a fuel economy formula known as Group C that limited the amount of fuel each car was allowed. Although it was later abandoned, fuel economy remains important as new fuel sources reduce the time spent during pit stops. Such technological innovations have had a trickle-down effect and can be incorporated into consumer cars. This has also led to faster and more exotic supercars as manufacturers seek to develop faster road cars in order to develop them into even faster GT cars.
In the 2000s, hybrid systems (flywheel, super-capacitor, battery coupled with both petrol and diesel) have been championed in the Le Mans prototype category as rules have been changed to their benefit and to further push efficiency.
Race
thumb|The [[Pit stop|pits in the daytime]]
The race is held in mid-June, near the summer solstice, meaning the shortest night and very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation. Rainy weather is common. The race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the following day at the same hour the race started the previous day.
Modern competitors often cover well over . The record is 2010's , more than six times the length of the Indianapolis 500 (500 mi or 805 km), or about 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers and their teams strive for speed and avoiding mechanical damage, as well as managing the cars' consumables – primarily fuel, tires, and braking materials. It also tests endurance, with drivers frequently racing for over two hours before a relief driver can take over during a pit stop while eating and resting. Current regulations mandate that three drivers share each competing vehicle, with individual limits of driving no more than 4 hours in a 6-hour period, and no more than 14 hours total.
Competing teams race in groups called "classes", or cars of similar specification, while competing simultaneously for outright placing amongst all classes. Originally, the race showcased cars as they were sold to the general public, then called "Sports Cars", in contrast with the specialised racing cars used in Grand Prix motor racing. Over time, the competing vehicles evolved away from their publicly available road car roots. Today, the race comprises three classes: the purpose-built Sports prototypes which are also known as "hypercar" and are the highest level in sports car racing, Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and the production-based Grand Touring (GT) cars similar to sports cars sold to the public which are based on road-going models and therefore, in general, are not as fast as Sports prototypes. These are further broken down into: Hypercar (LMH or LMDh), LMP2 and LMGT3 (GT cars).
thumb|The [[Pit stop|pits at dawn|223x223px|alt=]]Competing teams have had a wide variety of organizations, ranging from competition departments of road car manufacturers (eager to prove the supremacy of their products) to professional motor racing teams (representing their commercial backers, some of which are also car manufacturers who want to win without paying for their own teams) to amateur teams (racing as much to compete in the famous race as to claim victory for their commercial partners).
thumb|The [[Pit stop|pits at night]]
The race was part of the World Sportscar Championship every year from its inception in 1953 until its demise in 1992, except during the 1956, 1975–1979 and 1989–1990 seasons. In 2011, the race was part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, and since 2012 it has been part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. However, winning Le Mans is often considered to be more important than winning the championship itself.
The race is also known as a leg of the informal Triple Crown of Motorsport which links Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing to represent a career achievement for drivers. Additionally, it is seen as a leg of the Triple Crown of endurance racing, which links the three largest sports car races together, with the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring forming the other legs. Since 1998, an endurance race called "Petit Le Mans" has been held every year as a 10-hour American version of the Le Mans 24 Hours. From 1999 to 2013, Petit Le Mans was part of the American Le Mans Series along with the 12 Hours of Sebring. Since 2014, the IMSA SportsCar Championship (a merger of ALMS and the Rolex Sports Car Series) has held all four major American endurance classics, which teams can use to prepare for racing at Le Mans.
Cars
thumb|[[LM GTE|GTE cars approaching Dunlop Bridge|alt=|left]]
The race has approximately 60 competitors. Each car was required to have at least two seats. However, recently cars only need to have space to accommodate a second seat in the cockpit rather than the seat itself. Two doors are allowed; open cockpit cars do not require doors. Since 2014, all cars in the premier LMP1 category must have a roof due to safety concerns, with open-cockpit cars only permitted in the slightly slower LMP2 category. Since 2017, all prototype cars, Hypercar or LMP2, must have closed cockpits.
Although all cars compete at the same time, as of 2021 there are separate classes. A prize is awarded to the winner of each class and the overall winner. The number of classes has varied over the years, but there are now three: Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3.
Successor to the Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) is the custom-built Hypercar (LMH or LMDh) class. It is the top class and debuted in 2021. The new technical regulations are intended to prevent cost escalations while enabling greater variety in technical approaches and car aesthetics.
This is followed by the LMP2 class where teams are obliged to run one of four approved chassisORECA, Ligier, Dallara, or Multimatic/Rileymated with a standard 4.2-litre Gibson V8 engine. ORECA is the most commonly used LMP2 chassis. LMP1 teams are not subjected to chassis and engine restrictions. Their extra power, lower weight, and more complex aerodynamics result in much quicker lap times; LMP1 cars also may use hybrid technology.
The next class is LMGT3, which are similar to production-based sports cars.
The program debuted in 2012.
Drivers
thumb|left|Drivers photograph from 2018
Initially, there were no rules on the number of car drivers or how long they could drive. Although almost all teams used two drivers in the early decades, some Le Mans drivers such as Pierre Levegh and Eddie Hall attempted to run the race solo, hoping to save time by not having to change drivers. This practice was later banned. Until the 1980s, there were teams in which only two drivers competed, but by the end of the decade, the rules were changed to stipulate that at least three drivers must drive each car.
By the 1990s, due to the speeds of the cars and the strain it puts on drivers, additional rules to reduce driver fatigue mandated that drivers could not drive for over 240 minutes (over 4 hours) and that no one driver could run for over 840 minutes (14 hours) total. With careful management of driver stints, this makes it possible to complete the race with only two drivers (as Jeroen Bleekemolen and Cooper MacNeil did in 2014), although the vast majority of teams still continue to use three drivers.
In 2017, the driving time rules were further changed. If necessary, officials may require a drive time limit of 80 minutes of consecutive time behind the wheel and a minimum 30-minute rest break. The rule applies only if the air temperature is at least .
Traditions and unique rules
thumb|Fly-over with the tricolor of France
thumb|Marshals waving safety flags to congratulate Audi in 2010 race
Although it has been a part of the World Sportscar Championship for most of its existence, the race has had different regulations for safety and competition reasons partly due to its length. For many decades, cars had to run at least an hour into the race before they could refill fluids for the car, such as oil or coolant, except for fuel. This was an attempt by the ACO to help increase efficiency and reliability. Those who could not last the first hour without replacing lost fluids risked disqualification.
Another rule unique to Le Mans is that cars must be switched off while refueling in the pits. Not only is this safer and less of a fire hazard, but it is also another test of reliability, demanding a guaranteed ability to restart many times under race conditions. Another element of this rule is that mechanics are not allowed to work on the car while it is being refuelled (other than helping a driver in or out of the car), which has led teams to adapt innovative ways to decrease the time of these lengthy pit stops. Drivers can get out of the car and be replaced by another driver during refuelling. Those rules are also applied in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
There are various long-standing traditions at Le Mans, including the waving of the French tricolor to start the race. This is usually preceded by a fly-over featuring jets trailing blue, white, and red smoke. A similar flag tradition is track marshals waving safety flags during the race's final lap, congratulating the winners and other finishers.
Le Mans was the venue for the first televised instance of a winning driver celebrating by spraying champagne instead of drinking it. When Dan Gurney won the race with co-driver A. J. Foyt, the two drivers mounted the victory podium, and Gurney was handed a magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo. Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby. Gurney autographed and gave the bottle of champagne to Life photographer Flip Schulke, who used it as a lamp for years before returning it to Gurney.
Schedule
thumb|Driver parade in Le Mans in 2018
The first race was held on 26–27 May 1923 and has since been run annually in June with exceptions in 1956, when the race was held in July; 1968, when it was held in September due to nationwide political turmoil in May; 2020, when it was moved to 19–20 September due to the COVID-19 outbreak; and 2021, when it was moved to 21–22 August. The race has been cancelled ten timesin 1936 (a labour strike during the Great Depression) and between 1940 and 1948 (World War II).
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, following a car inspection on Monday and Tuesday. Currently, these sessions are held in the evening, with two separate two-hour sessions held each night. Friday serves as a day of rest, and a parade of all the drivers through Le Mans is held.
Test days held at the end of April or beginning of May served as a pre-qualification weeding out the slowest cars. However, in 2005 the exorbitant cost of transporting cars to and from Le Mans led organizers to move the test day to the first weekend of June. Pre-qualification was eliminated in 2000, meaning that all competitors invited to the test would be allowed into the race.
Since 2001 the Le Mans Legend races have mostly been part of the schedule, usually running exhibition races during qualifying days, a few hours prior to the sessions for the Le Mans entrants.
Since its inception, the race has usually started at 4:00 p.m. local time (Central European Summer Time, UTC + 02:00) on Saturday. The 2025 race is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Following is a list of exceptions to the standard 4:00 p.m. starting time:
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Year
! Start Time
! Reason
|-
| 1968
| 3:00 p.m.
| Race being in September, as a result of the protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France during the spring of 1968.
|-
| 1969
| 2:00 p.m.
| 1969 French presidential election
|-
| 1984
| 3:00 p.m.
| 1984 European Parliament election in France
|-
| 1998
| 2:00 p.m.
| 1998 French Open final
|-
| 2006
| 5:00 p.m.
| To maximise television coverage between the World Cup games.
|-
| 2007
| 3:00 p.m.
| 2007 French legislative election
|-
| 2009–2019
| 3:00 p.m.
|
|-
| 2020
| 2:30 p.m.
| Race being in September, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
|-
|}
Classification
Initially, the car that covered the greatest distance from its starting position was the winner. This is known to have caught out the Ford team in . With a dominant 1–2 lead, the two cars slowed to allow for a photo opportunity at the finish line, with Ken Miles slightly ahead of Bruce McLaren. However, since McLaren's car had started much farther back on the grid than Miles's, McLaren's car had covered the greatest distance over the 24 hours. With the margin of victory determined to be eight metres, McLaren and his co-driver, Chris Amon, were declared the winners. The decision cost Miles and Denny Hulme a victory. Miles had already won the other two endurance races at Sebring and Daytona. With a win at Le Mans, he would have become the first man to win all three and the first to win them all in the same year.
The "greatest distance" rule was modified with the introduction of a rolling start in 1971. Now, the car that completes the greatest distance as of the final lap's completionwhere "greatest distance" is measured by the start/finish line for all competitorswins. When two cars finish the same number of laps, their finishing order is determined by the faster overall completion time. This rule was used in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans to determine the race winner. The top two finishers completed 355 laps, with only 13 seconds difference between them.
Although "greatest distance run" determines the provisional order of finishers, additional requirements must be met for a car to be classified.
- A car must complete the last lap of the race and complete the entire circuit faster than a prescribed maximum lap time. Ambiguity in this classification requirement has led to dramatic scenes where damaged cars have waited in the pits or on the edge of the track close to the finish line, restarted their engines, and crawled across the line to be listed amongst classified finishers. The practice of intentionally "waiting for the final lap" in this manner has been prohibited by rule in recent years.
- Cars must complete 70 percent of the distance covered by the overall winner to be classified. Even if it finishes the last lap of the race, a car failing to complete this number of laps is not deemed worthy of classification because of poor reliability or speed.
All classification requirements hold except in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the race stewards.
Circuit
thumb|right|The [[Circuit de la Sarthe with the Bugatti Circuit (dashed line)]]
The circuit on which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is run is named the Circuit de la Sarthe, after the department that Le Mans is within. It consists of both permanent track and public roads temporarily closed for the race. Since 1923, the track has been extensively modified, mostly for safety reasons, and now is in length. Although it initially entered the town of Le Mans, the track was cut short to better protect spectators. This led to the creation of the Dunlop Curve and Tertre Rouge corners before rejoining the old circuit on the Mulsanne Straight. Another major change was on the Mulsanne itself in 1990 when the FIA decreed that it would no longer sanction any circuit that had a straight longer than . To comply with this, two chicanes were added to the straight, dividing it into three pieces about 2 km each. The addition of the chicanes was further influenced by the fact that the speed of Welter Racing's WM P88, driven by French driver Roger Dorchy, had been timed at during the 1988 race. This was the record speed before the addition of the chicanes. Originally planned to be a three-year event, as part of the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup, with a winner being declared by the car which could go the farthest distance over three consecutive 24-hour races, this idea was abandoned in 1928. Overall winners were declared for every year depending on who covered the furthest distance by the time 24 hours were up. The early races were dominated by French, British, and Italian drivers, teams, and cars, with Bugatti, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo being the top brands. Innovations in car design began appearing at the track in the late 1930s, with Bugatti and Alfa Romeo running highly aerodynamic bodywork to run down the Mulsanne Straight at faster speeds. The race was cancelled in 1936 due to general strikes in France, and the outbreak of World War II in 1939 resulted in a ten-year hiatus.
1949–1969
thumb|left|Jaguar D-Type in 1956
Following the reconstruction of circuit facilities, the race was resumed in 1949
The decade is also remembered for strong performances from many privateer constructors, with two scoring the only victories for a privateer in the decade. John Wyer's Mirage won in , while Jean Rondeau's self-titled chassis took .
1981–1993
thumb|[[Group C Porsche 962 from 1988|alt=|left]]
The rest of the 1980s was known for the dominance by Porsche under the new Group C race car formula that encouraged fuel efficiency. Originally running the effective 956, it was later replaced by the 962. Both chassis were affordable enough for privateers to purchase them en masse, leading to the two model types winning six years in a row. Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz returned to sports car racing, with Jaguar being the first to break Porsche's dominance with victories in 1988 and 1990 (with the XJR-9 and Jaguar XJR-12 respectively). Mercedes-Benz won in 1989, with what was seen as the latest incarnation of the elegant "Silver Arrows", the Sauber C9, while an influx of Japanese manufacturer interest saw prototypes from Nissan and Toyota. In qualifying for the 1988 race, a WM Peugeotbuilt for speed, not meant to (and it did not) endure 24 hoursset the never surpassed speed trap record of