The Apex of Automobile Endurance Racing: The 24 Hours of Le Mans
Scrutineering in process on the streets of downtown Le Mans the weekend before the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Le Mans, France. June 12, 2017.
When you say “France,” most people don’t word-associate automobile racing.
And yet.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans, in French) takes place on a racetrack near Le Mans, France. It is the oldest active—and most internationally famous—endurance race.
I had heard of the race before going to Le Mans several years ago to meet my now mother-in-law for the first time, but I confess that I didn’t know a thing about it until then. (I’ll also admit that I had it conflated with the spoof race in the United States called “The 24 Hours of Lemons.” Yeah, I know.)
What’s “Endurance Racing?”
My family is from the Midwest in the United States. I grew up watching the Indianapolis 500 every Memorial Day weekend.
And even I had no clue what the sport meant by “endurance racing.”
Turns out that endurance racing is different from most of the car races you might know in that its purpose is to see which car-and-driver teams can cover the greatest distance in a set amount of time.
Endurance racing is all about the durability of the machine and the participants.
The History of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Starting in 1923 and running more or less continuously since then—other than a cancellation one year due to a strike (hey, we’re talking France here) and a decent pause for getting through and past WWII—Le Mans hit its century mark in June 2023.
In the Le Mans race, the goal is for the car-and-driving team to drive nonstop other than pit stops for refueling and tires for 24 hours straight. Each race team must have three drivers, who alternate driving over the race’s duration, swapping out during pit stops.
Yep, this means the race teams drive all day and all night—though at least the night, in June every year, is one of the shortest of the year.
Whatever car and driving team makes it 24 hours straight without falling apart or crashing and accumulates the highest amount of distance in the timeframe of all the other cars and teams who survive, wins.
For safety—and to put more stress on the functioning of the vehicle—pit stops during the 24 Hours of Le Mans require the car to be turned off during servicing, refueling, and driver-swapping. Further, the team’s mechanics may not work on the car during its refueling. (Building a car that restarts reliably in racing conditions is no joke!)
The race starts in the afternoon and—you guessed it—ends the following afternoon.
Fun Traditions around the Le Mans Race
Leading up to race day, the city of Le Mans and the area around its racetrack become a magnetic festival site for road-racing fans from all over the world. People come for the full week leading up to the race to hang out with fellow fans, meet race teams, watch drivers warm up and practice on the track, and participate in go-kart races.
They also come for the “scrutineering” that takes place the weekend before the race. During the official scrutineering, all cars racing the following weekend are rolled into the roped-off streets of downtown Le Mans for two days of inspection by officials—and for two days of gawking and admiration from fans, who often also get to meet their favorite drivers and racing teams during the process.
As with many big sporting events around the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has its share of patriotism on display. A long-standing tradition involves waving the French flag to start the race that is immediately followed by a fly-over of jets with blue, white, and red contrails.
Yep, People Really Watch 24 Hours of Auto Racing
Think 24 hours of car racing’s an endurance sport for the spectators, too?
I’d agree.
Yet tickets to each race sell out well in advance. People even nonstop listen in on the radio and watch it on television, too.
Even if you get a ticket, you’ll want to listen in on the radio—as do most spectators. Watching is one thing, but it’s better when you can get live expert commentary. Do as most 24 Hours of Le Mans fans do and bring a portable radio or download a phone app to listen to Radio Le Mans.
And lest you worry that spectators might starve, the racetrack has food stands galore around the circuit for munching and many people supplement the offerings with packed lunches and dinners. After all, people who attend the race do try to stay in place for the entire twenty-four hours if they can.
Because the race is an endurance event of a sort for ticket-holding spectators as well, you’ll find that most bring along an entire set-up that includes food and drink (no glass allowed, by the way) plus sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen for the day, raingear just in case, and warm layers to put on during the overnight hours.
Want to Watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans?
As the city of Le Mans doesn’t get a lot of tourism, it doesn’t have a lot of accommodation for out-of-town visitors.
This means that you should book your accommodation well in advance if you want to get a room—especially if you want a room conveniently located for experiencing the race and all the events surrounding it.
As for what to eat and do when not at the racetrack or attending racing events—or if you’re in Le Mans for any other reason—I wrote up some guidance for what to see, do, and eat while you’re there.
Though I’ve visited Le Mans almost annually since my first visit (family, don’cha know), I have never personally attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. If you go, I’d love to hear about your experience!