With the cars hitting Le Mans this weekend for the Le Mans test, now seems like an appropriate time to start putting this together. Here’s all of the information you’re going to need for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The Race

The 24 Heures du Mans brings up its 84th edition this year, and is the holy grail of endurance motor racing. After its first running in 1923, the course and cars have evolved to become the premier event in the World Endurance Championship, and the event is recognized as the most prestigious test for innovations in motorsport technology. Technologies such as disk and air brakes, streamlined bodywork, and a variety of engine configurations were trialled and tested at the 24 hours of Le Mans. The Mazda 787b (oh god listen to that sound!) was the first, and so far only car to win running a Wankel Rotary engine, winning in 1991. Additionally, it is also the only Japanese made car to win outright at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Audi brought diesel engines their first success in 2006 with the R10 TDI, and then brought Hybrid technology to victory for the first time in 2012 with the R18 e-tron Quattro.The race has seen many periods of domination in its time: Ford in the late 60’s with the GT40, Porsche in the 70’s and 80’s with the 917 and the 956/962, and through the 2000s by Audi team Joest. Currently, Porsche holds the most number of Le Mans victories at 17 overall wins, and over 100 class wins. Audi is second on the list of overall wins at 13, all since 2000. The driver with the most Le Mans wins is Mr Le Mans, Tom Kristensen, with 9 Le Mans wins to his name. He inherited the title “Mr Le Mans” from Jacky Ickx, a Porsche factory driver who won 6 times.

The Track

The Circuit de la Sarthe currently covers 13.6 kilometres of the French country side. It combines the permanent race components of the Ford Chicanes, the pit straight, under the Dunlop Bridge and through to Tertre Rouge as well as the normal everyday roads of the Mulsanne straight through to Indianapolis and Arnage. The track has gone through many iterations over the years; originally, the cars raced into the heart of the city, turning just before the river Sarthe, before hurtling down the 8.6 kilometre straight. In 1932, the circuit removed the journey into the city, and more closely resembled the track we see today. Here’s a video of Mike Hawthorn touring the circuit with a camera and microphone attached in 1956, one year after his involvement in the Le Mans disaster. The addition of the Porsche Curves and the Ford Chicanes in 1972 added an extra dimension to the high speed, fast flowing track. In the late 80’s, the Group C prototype cars would reach over 400km/h, achieving average speeds of almost 250km/h in qualifying for the entire lap. This is an onboard of Derek Bell’s Porsche 956 in 1983, showing the ridiculous speeds on this configuration of the circuit. This configuration remained relatively unchanged right up to 1990, until FIA mandations required that for the circuit to be sanctioned, it must not have a straight longer than 2km. The 6km Mulsanne straight was cut down into three relatively equal length portions by two chicanes, giving the iteration of the circuit used today. Allan McNish takes you on an onboard lap of the current circuit in this video. McNish is one of the gods of the modern prototype era, winning Le Mans 3 times; once with Porsche and twice with Audi. For a more comprehensive focus on the track, John Hindhaugh’s track walk takes you on a 30 minute exploration of the track, with in depth focus on corners like the Dunlop Esses, Tertre Rouge, Mulsanne Corner, and the Ford Chicanes.

The Dunlop Bridge

The iconic Dunlop Bridge has been a part of the Le Mans track since 1932, making it the oldest Dunlop Bridge at any track. This part of the track requires a good launch out of the first chicane before cresting the brow of the hill, and plunging through the esses out onto the Mulsanne straight. As the LMP cars are much more maneuverable, caution must be taken passing the slower GT traffic, as Allan McNish discovered in 2011.

Tertre Rouge

Tertre Rouge is the corner that launches the cars onto the long Mulsanne straight. Maintaining momentum through this corner as it opens on exit is imperative to ensure maximum straight line speed heading down the first part of the Mulsanne. The undulation in the road makes for fantastic viewing at night, with some magic images of the Porsches throwing up sparks on the exit in 2014. Finally, this was the location of Allan Simonsen’s fatal crash in mixed conditions in the 2013 Le Mans. The Danish flags will fly at the corner in his memory.

Mulsanne Corner

After the incredibly long Mulsanne straight, the Mulsanne corner nowadays features a subtle right hand kink before the tight 90 degree turn. Here, the cars decelerate from 340 km/h down to below 100 km/h, resulting in a brilliant opportunity to overtake. Again, care must be taken overtaking slower traffic; unaware drivers have caught out faster cars attempting to pass through the kink, such as Anthony Davidson’s spectacular crash in 2012 resulting in a broken vertebra for Davidson.

Indianapolis and Arnage

The Indanapolis and Arnage complex is one of the most committed areas of the track. Hurtling down the hill from the Mulsanne Corner, the road suddenly bends to the right, a corner which only the bravest prototype drivers take flat out, followed by a beautifully cambered open left hander taken in third gear. A short sprint leads the cars into Arnage, the slowest point on the track. The tight right hander was the scene of heartbreak for Toyota in 2014 when the leading #7 broke down and had to be retired after an FIA sensor melted and shut off the electronics. Kazuki Nakajiima was unable to make it to the pits, leaving him stranded on the circuit.

The Porsche Curves

High speed and with barely any run off, the Porsche Curves is the most committed part of the lap. Getting caught behind GT traffic in this section can mean losing phenomenal amounts of time. This was the site of Loic Duval’s horrific crash in practice for the 2014 event. Keeping momentum through the flowing right-left-right handers that lead into Maison Blanche requires 100% commitment and ultimate precision, with severe punishment for getting it wrong.

The Ford Chicanes

The final chapter in the 13.6km rollercoaster that is Le Mans is the Ford Chicanes. Two tight left-right handers with massive kerbs are all that separates the driver from the finish line. Watching the cars bounce over the kerbs in beautiful slow motion is certainly something to behold, but 24 hours of mistreatment can lead to suspension and steering issues. The drivers have to be attentive until the very end, lest they throw it all away in the last minutes of the race. This year, it’s expected that the LMP1 teams will have to flawlessly navigate the circuit over 400 times during the 24 hours of racing.

The Cars

Many amazing and revolutionary cars have graced the tarmac of La Sarthe over the circuit’s 84-year history. Here’s some of the highlights throughout the ages.

• The early races were dominated by the Bentley company in their Speed 6, who won 5 of the first 7 races. Cars were separated into classes by their engine displacement, and the overall winner was based on distance covered. If two cars had finished with the same number of laps, the car with the smaller displacement was declared the winner
• After the second world war, teams such as Jaguar, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin became the dominant teams. This era featured the legendary Jaguar D type, the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR, the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, and the Aston Martin DBR1. Jaguar won 5 times between 1951 and 1957, followed by an era of Ferrari dominance. This era also saw the introduction of a GT lower class to the race.
• Ford then ushered in the late 60’s with their GT40 Mk II, taking their first win in 1966. They had tried to buy out Ferrari, and to retaliate the knockback of the deal, they went ahead and destroyed them on track, winning 4 years in a row.
• The 1970’s saw the dawn of Porsche, with the 917k, the 936 and the 956/962c dominating the race for the next 20 years. In fact, from 1970, Porsche won 12 times in 18 events, including 7 in a row, and they miiight have been a bit cheeky about it. This era coincided with the introduction, and subsequent destruction of the Group C sportscar formula, widely regarded as the best Sportscar championship regulations of all time… until today! Porsche’s dominance was eventually ended by Jaguar in the XJR-9LM, at the height of Group C’s magic.
• GT cars became a force to be reckoned with at the end of the Group C era, with classes being split into LMGTP and LMP. McLaren and Porsche had wins in GTP cars, in the F1 GTR and the 911 GT1 respectively, while Porsche, BMW and Peugeot scored LMP wins.
• The 2000’s ushered in the era of Audi, with all 13 of their wins coming since the turn of the century. GTP was disbanded due to safety issues, being replaced by GT1 and GT2. Audi picked up wins in the R8, the R10, the R15, and the R18, often dominating the might of the Peugeot 908.
• This year, Audi, Porsche and Toyota will take to La Sarthe to battle it out for overall honours, with each team having something to strive for: Audi looking to tack another victory to their era of dominance, Porsche hoping to stretch their lead in overall and class wins, and Toyota searching for their maiden victory and to become only the second Japanese manufacturer to win at Le Mans. LMP2 sees a field full of Orecas and Ligiers battling it out against some smaller manufacturers to see who will take the top Amateur class honours, and GTE-Pro will see factory teams from Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Ford, and Corvette take to La Sarthe in a battle of the powerhouses.

Videos and Documentaries

• Truth in 24 and Truth in 24 II - The story of Audi’s victories against testing conditions and the might of Peugeot in 2008 and 2011.

• Le Mans - made in 1971, this movie follows a fictional Le Mans race in 1970, featuring fantastic footage and sounds of the Porsche 917 and the Ferrari 512 starring Steve McQueen

• The Deadliest Crash - The BBC documentary on the 1955 Le Mans disaster. For more information, see /u/CookieMonsteFL’s amazing post on the incident

• Our Return: A documentary of our road to Le Mans 2015 - Porsche’s youtube documentary chronicling their return to Le Mans and their eventual win.

• Highlights from last year - A Porsche and Audi slugfest around a competitive GT field which saw some late race drama bring Corvette and SMP racing the GT wins and the 3rd Porsche car win overall! (no commentary)

• Mark Blundell’s explosive lap - Blundell was going so fast, he was overheating the blowers in the car. After being told to turn down the engine and abandon the lap, in true racing driver fashion he simply turned off the radio.

Entry List and Spotters Guide COMING SOON!

World Endurance Chat

The World Endurance Chat podcast will be doing 2 Le Mans focussed episodes; one on the entry list, and one on everything else! They'll be linked here for your enjoyment!

Streaming and Television

• Official stream, 720p, stable as anything - 110% recommend. The Le Mans package gives you access to all WEC sessions (Practice, Qualifying and the Race) with a choice of on boards, cross platform compatibility, and up to 5 devices connected at once. Additionally, replays of the event are free for three weeks after the race.
• Radio Le Mans will be streaming live radio for every session, including the Le Mans test day as well

EVERYTHING ELSE COMING AS IT IS RELEASED!

Live timing - Free official live timing for every practice and qualifying session, as well as the race!

IRC Chat

By far the most fun you can have watching an endurance race is watching it with the #wec IRC chatroom. Come join us! We get pretty ridiculous in there!

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Shout out to /u/Sindroome24 for helping me put this together last year! Couldn't have done it without ya :P