With last year’s Centenary celebrations drawing a record-breaking attendance of 325,000 spectators, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a historic and prestigious event, marked on the calendar of most motorsport fans. Making up part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, the Le Mans 24-hour race is the ultimate test of endurance. 

Follow along with this article to either refresh your memory if you have watched this 24 hour spectacle before, or learn the ropes if you have never watched before.

How does the 24 Hours of Le Mans work? 

With this race considered to be one of the most prestigious races in the world of motorsport, the winner of the Le Mans 24hr is determined by which car covers the greatest distance at the end of the 24 hour period. All the teams must rotate between three drivers over the course of the race, with a maximum amount of time one driver can be behind the wheel being 14 hours.

Why are there different types of cars and what do they mean?

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans counting as Round 4 of the World Endurance Championship, as of 2024 this championship will only field 2 classes of cars, the Hypercar and the LMGT3. However, Le Mans stands as an exception, with the grid fielding the previous WEC line-up of Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3.

Hypercar – This is the top prototype class at Le Mans, featuring the fastest and most technologically advanced cars in the race.

LMP2 – This is often seen as a stepping stone for drivers and teams aiming to move up into the Hypercar class, which its origins intended to be a lost-cost way for manufacturers to fight those cars at the top of the field.

LMGT3 – This is an amateur-level prototype class for modified versions of road-legal, production-based sports cars, such as Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche.

How does the race start?

Historically, the Le Mans start was infamous for having the drivers stand on the opposite side of track and race across to their cars to begin the race.

However, in 1970 this changed to drivers still starting from the side of the track, although already inside the vehicles with the safety harnesses strapped.

In 1971, the rule changed again, and the start that we will witness in 2024 appeared. A safety car will lead the driver round one lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe, with all the drivers following while maintaining the order in which they qualified. At the end of the lap, the safety car will enter the pit lane, signifying that the race can begin. The official 24-hour timer starts once all cars have crossed the line.

How does qualifying and the practice sessions work?

After passing the scrutineering test performed the weekend before the race, the teams are permitted free practice time to test their cars set-up on the track and make any final adjustments that they need. This year, there are 4 Free Practice sessions that have been allocated, ranging from during the day to at night, so the teams and drivers can get a real feel as to what the car will feel like at varying points of the race.

The qualifying stages are split into two sessions. The first session lasts for 60-minutes with all 62 cars on the track. The aim of this session is to finish in the top six of their class respectively. The second session, known as the Hyperpole, runs for 30 minutes and consists of the top sx qualifiers from each class competing for pole position. It is important to note that refueling is not permitted during the Hyperpole. If a car for whatever reasons fails to set a lap time during the Hyperpole session, then it will start sixth in its class, behind the Hyperpole runners but ahead of those who failed to qualify.

With the race being 24 Hours, how does refueling and tyre-changing work?

Once the car enters the pitlane (with the pit speed limiter activated via the steering wheel) and is in front of their garage, the engine must be switched off and the car has to be at a complete stop before any work can commence. Often viewers may see a member of the team attached a cable to the wheel of the car, with this being a grounding cable intended to prevent any static from igniting the fuel fumes, which are highly flammable.

The cars can be refueled and have their tyres changed on the same stop, but work to the tyres can only be performed once the fuel nozzle has been removed from the car. Major repair work is not allowed to the car, which is why quite often after contact you will see pieces of cars held together with heavy-duty tape to allow the cars to continue in the race. Only four mechanics are permitted to work on the car while it is in the pitlane.

How many laps are there in the Le Mans 24hr?

With the race being contended over a 24-hour period , there are no set number of laps for the drivers to complete. The victors of this race is the car that does the highest number of laps or covers the greatest distance within 24 hours. The record for the longest distance covered was broken in 2010, by the trio of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller with the Audi R15+ TDI, covering a distance of 5,410.713 km (397 laps).

How many miles is a lap of the Le Mans 24hr?

One lap of the Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe is approximately 8.5 miles (13.6 km) long.

What time does the race start and finish?

For 2024, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will start at 15:00 (CEST) on the 15th of June and end at 15:00 (CEST) on the 16th of June.

How many teams are there in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

There is a maximum limit of 62 cars allowed on the grid to race, with a reserve list on standby, in-case cars fail the pre-race scrutineering checks. In 2024, the Circuit de la Sarthe grid will consist of 23 Hypercars, 16 LMP2’s and 23 LMGT3’s.

There are a total of three drivers per car who alternate through-out the 24 hour period. Multiple drivers are required to swap over every few hours for safety reasons, with this rotation helping to keep fatigue at bay and allowing the drivers to race at a maximum performance over the full 24 hours.

Brief History:

The 24-hours of Le Mans isn’t just a race, with a reputation that precedes itself almost 100 years, motorsport fans make an almost pilgrimage-like excursion to the small north-western French city to witness the day-long race.

To help fans understand the legacy of Le Mans, below is a timeline looking at some key events from the last 100 years of the race and how it has become the racing spectacle it is today.

Brief History of 24 Hours of Le Mans

1923: The First 24-hour long race

Le Mans was famous before the 24 Hour race came to be, holding the first Grand Prix back in 1906. This race saw 36 cars on the entry list, racing a 103.18 km (64.11 miles) circuit for 12 laps on public roads around the town. The winner was Hungarian racer Ferenc Szisz, who drove for over 12 hours before taking the chequered flag.

In 1923, a plan was devised for a new race for France. Head of the Automobile Club de France Georges Durand decided to suggest something that at the time seemed outlandish – a 24 hours endurance race. The main selling point of this idea was that the car manufacturers would be able to prove to potential customers their cars’ worth.

A track of 17.2 km distance was created using the public roads around Le Mans, and the first race saw a grid of only 33 cars mostly from France. The winning car of Chenard-Walcker completed 128 laps in 24 hours.

1949: First race after a 10 year long break

During the Second World War, the airfield near the pits of the circuit was used by the RAF and then later the Luftwaffe, with the 5 km straight being used as a temporary airstrip. This made it a valuable target for bombing, and it wasn’t until 4 years after the conclusion of the war that the circuit was ready to be used for racing once again.

The government helped the circuit to re-open in style, with funding for the building of new pits and a 1000-seater restaurant for spectators to enjoy during the race. However, there was still a section of the circuit that was deemed off-limits as it hadn’t been cleared of landmines, a reminder of what had occurred half-a-decade before.

1966: Ford vs Ferrari

The 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans was definitely one to go in the history books. Ford, the American car company headed by namesake Henry Ford aimed to go head-to-head and finally defeat the dominant performing Ferraris.

In their first ever Le Mans entry, Ford caused one of the biggest upsets in motorsport history and won the race. Founder of Formula 1 team McLaren, Bruce McLaren took the Ford GT40 to first-place whilst partnered with fellow Kiwi Chris Amon.

However, this was not Ford’s only success during this particular Le Mans, with the manufacturer taking second and third to make it an all Ford podium.

Ford went on to win the next three editions of the race too.

1970: Traditional Le Mans start dropped

One of the most famous traditions of Le Mans that many people are able to distinguish as being unique to the day-long race, was its race start. The cars would line up on the straight alongside the pit wall, with the drivers lining up alongside the wall on the opposite side of the track. When the green flag dropped, the drivers would sprint across the track, strap themselves into their seat, start their engines and aim to be one of the first to get away. 

This race start style proved to be a spectacle for those who watched, but  it also proved to be dangerous. In the rush to clear the track to their cars, some drivers did not follow the proper safety procedures. One of the most notable mentions of this occurring was in 1968, when Willy Mairesse failed to shut his door properly, causing it to fly open during the first lap at a speed of 150 mph. In an attempt to close the door, he lost control of the car and it flew off track into some trees. Mairesse suffered broken bones, head injuries and was in a coma for two weeks following the crash.

Jacky Ickx was one of the most notable names to protest against this style of race start by refusing to rush across the track to his car, and only joining the track once he was sufficiently strapped into the car. This usually meant he was at the back of the pack immediately, however, this proved to not be a problem for the driver with him usually making his way back to the front and winning the race.

1970 was the first year to introduce a new race start procedure, with the drivers starting the race already being strapped into the car. The following year saw the introduction of the rolling start which has been the starting procedure ever since.

1972: Graham Hill makes motorsport history

Le Mans makes up a third of the triple crown of motorsport. Along with the Indy500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, they are considered the pinnacle of a driver’s racing career.

To win all three is deemed legendary in motorsport, and only one driver has ever achieved this feat. 

Graham Hill had already enjoyed a successful career in Formula 1, having won the championship twice and taken five wins in Monaco, and alongside his time in F1, he also entered the Indy500 a total of five times, failing to qualify in 1963, he eventually won the second part of the triple crown in 1966 on his second attempt.

Hill entered Le Mans every year between 1958 and 1966, with a second-place finish in 1964 being his highest finish. However, in 1972, Hill entered his tenth Le Mans. He was partnered with Frenchman Henri Pescarolo, and together they won the race comfortably in their Matra-Simca MS670, having lapped the second-placed car a total of 11 times on their way to victory.

For Briton Graham Hill, this sealed his name in history forever, as the first – and only – driver to ever achieve this feat. Two others have been close to achieving this feat, having completed two-thirds of the Triple Crown, Fernando Alonso only requiring a victory in the Indy500, and Juan Pablo Montoya only missing a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

1988: Peugeot break the speed record

With Le Mans being the ultimate endurance challenge in motorsport, manufacturers have to balance speed and balance with durability. At the end of the day, you can’t win the race if the car fails to make it to the line in one piece.

In 1988, Peugeot decided to prioritise in breaking a record not many who want to finish the race dare to dream about. They aimed to break the speed record. This year was their best shot, with the track having a 6 km straight that was set to be broken up by two chicanes in the following years.

The WM-P88 driven by Roger Dorchy reached a top speed of 407 kmh, or 253 mph. However, for marketing purposes, Peugeot reduced the figure to 405 kmh, to help promote their new family car, the Peugeot 405.

With the addition of the chicanes, the record still stands to this day and is unlikely to be beaten.

1995: McLaren’s shock win at Le Mans

Le Mans has a tradition of always being held on the weekend of the longest day of the year, in order to maximise the number of daylight hours during the race. This means it is usually held in June, however, in 1995, the race saw one of the wettest Le Mans races on record. 17 hours of rain created an unpredictable race, resulting in an unexpected winner.

McLaren, much like Ford in 1966, entered the endurance race for the first time, and driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masnori Sekiya, won the race by one lap. This win by McLaren also marked history, with Sekiya and Lehto’s wins being the first at Le Mans by a Japanese or Finnish driver respectively. Third place was also taken by the McLaren F1 GTR driven by Andy Wallace, Derek Bell and Justin Bell.

2000: Tom Kristensen’s Le Mans brilliance

No-one has been more consistent around the La Sarthe course than Denmark’s Tom Kristensen. He won his first race in 1997, and was in the winning car every year from 2000 to 2005. He took an additional two wins in 2007 and 2013.

His results at Le Mans are certainly impressive, with the Dane never finishing below fifth place, and finishing on the podium nine times out of his 14 entries.

2012: A new era for endurance racing

In 2012, motorsport fans welcomed the World Endurance Championships (WEC)  to their calendars, with this being the first endurance racing series since 1992.

Whilst the 24 Hours of Le Mans is definitely the flagship flag of the season, WEC took the concept of endurance racing all around the world. Silverstone would see a four-hour race, whilst Bahrain would be home to an eight-hour endurance delight, the championship aimed to test the cars and their drivers to their limits around some of the world’s greatest tracks.

2023: Centenary Celebrations

Le Mans celebrated 100 years since its inception, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 325,000 spectators who travelled from all over the world to watch what is arguably the greatest race in motorsport to this day.

This race saw the introduction of a new procedure to reduce the impact of the safety car on the race. Three safety cars would be deployed at certain parts along the track, however, two of them would be removed, meaning all the cars would then follow the remaining safety car. This would allow any lapped cars to pass the remaining safety car and go around the circuit until they reached the end of the queue. The field would then be sorted by the classes, with the Hypercars being at the front, followed by the LMP2 and LMGTE Ams each lined up behind their respective leaders. The new procedure would not be used in the final hour of the race, with the original safety car routine of three safety cars being implemented instead.

Ferrari took the top step of the rostrum, with James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi winning their first overall Le Mans, as well as making history as Ferrari’s tenth win and their first since 1965.