Le Mans 24 Hours – The World’s Most Famous Endurance Race

2019 sees the 87^th Le Mans 24 Hours race. The event takes place at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France and of course, the race lasts for a full 24 hours, a real gruelling challenge for those drivers. It’s as much a test of the cars as it is the drivers, with only 41 of the 60 starters finishing in 2018. The race was devised to be a test of reliability rather than the usual racing focus of speed. With parts of the race taking place of public roads, which are of course closed to the public, it’s an extra challenge compared to smooth, highly maintained race track conditions.

The race begins mid-afternoon and runs continuously through the night, finishing at the same time the next day. These days, drivers can easily cover over 3000 miles during the race time. That’s around 18 times the distance of a Formula 1 Grand Prix race.

In the past, some drivers have tried to run the entire race solo, but driving for 24 hours straight, especially at high speeds was deemed to be too dangerous and so this was banned. There have been many teams of just two drivers, but this too was banned in the 1980s. Now a team must consist of at least 3 drivers and no driver can race for more than 240 minutes in any 6 hour period, or drive for more than 14 hours over the entire race.

So much more to see and do

The race itself is thrilling, but there’s so much more going on too. You can take on the challenge of an Escape Room, have a go on the DS 3 simulator, and browse the many stalls selling food, drink and merchandise. There’s even a music festival there with concerts from top selling artists such as Franz Ferdinand and Dissident. There’s a special kids zone, and a fun fair with bumper cars, a Ferris wheel and more. It really is a great family event. In addition, your General Enclosure ticket gives you free access to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum which will give you a great insight into the history of this famous race.

24 Fantastic 24 Plates

For fans of the Le Mans 24 Hours, or even of the cult TV show 24, we bring you 24 brilliant 24 plates…

OIL 24 –  BD 24 – TIB 24 – WAZ 24 – NEZ 24  – 24 NS

24 AR – 24 YG – SMR 24 – GMM 24 – KKZ 24 – JAZ 24

NUI 24 – 24 HO – 24 CU – 24 TN – 24 XM – 24 BLE

24 RAB – 24 CJ – 24 CT – 24 RE – 24 TWC – 24 RED