#100th 24 Hours of Le Mans

[sunkissedfawn]

“oh… that’s a slow start for the Ferrari #50… they’re getting tired…” — commentator

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Zagato Maserati Mostro, 2015. A special edition of 5 cars to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Maserati that referenced the Maserati 450S of 1957 which raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours

[maranello]

FERRARI HAS WON THE 100TH 24 HOURS OF LE MANS UPON THE FIRST YEAR OF RETURNING TO THE TOP CLASS OF ENDURANCE RACING AFTER A 50 YEAR LONG ABSENCE.

[robinfrinjs]

2023 24H of Le Mans - All you need to know

It's almost time for Le Mans! Tomorrow it's test days and next week we're racing!

This year we see the 91st running of the oldest active endurance race in the world. Its inaugural race was in 1923 which means this year its it’s 100th anniversary, this means it’s the Centenary Edition. the 24 Hours of Le Mans is recognised as the most prestigious and gruelling test for innovations and improvements in motorsport technology.

It’s not only a special edition because of the 100th anniversary, but also because we’re seeing the most cars in the top class in a while. 16 cars will take the start, representing the biggest manufacturers in the world; Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Cadillac, Peugeot & Glickenhaus.

Because it’s the Centenary edition, we have a special trophy for the overall winner as well. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, has sealed a partnership with the Monnaie de Paris. The oldest institution in France has thus created a unique Trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Before the race it has travelled the world to places such as Goodwood, The International Concours of Elegance St.Moritz, Bahrain and more.

Before the race it has travelled the world to places such as Goodwood, The International Concours of Elegance St.Moritz, Bahrain and more.

History

You might know Le Mans for the running starts. A type that has been used for many types of racing. When the start flag dropped drivers had to run across the track to their cars, climb in, start the car and drive away.

Those kinds of starts were obviously rather unsafe. Drivers would rush to fasten their seat belts to get as fast of a start as possible. This was the reason why it was banned in English racing from 1962.

In 1969 Jacky Ickx decided to walk to his car instead of run, and then took the time to fasten his seat belt. This meant he effectively started last but he still ended up winning the race. In this same race, a driver named John Woolfe died on the first lap after he hadn’t secured his seat belt properly.

This meant it was abolished the following year. Nowadays this type of standing start is only used in Endurance Motorcycle racing. Nowadays at Le Mans, a rolling start is used where cars line up alongside each other at a slow pace and start to race once the green flag is dropped.

The 24H of Le Mans has a rich history, but not a very pretty one in some parts. Back in 1955 one of the biggest tragedies in motorsports occurred. On the straight around the pit wall a huge collision occurred. Usually referred to as the 1955 Le Mans disaster, 84 people died and over 120 were injured. For many countries this meant an immediate ban on motorsport, though a lot of those bans were lifted within a year.

One country, that did not lift the ban, is Switzerland. In 2009 a proposal to lift the ban was defeated by the Swiss Parliament but in 2015 the ban was relaxed for electric vehicles only. Which meant Formula E could race on the streets of Switzerland, even though the ban was technically still there. Now in 2022, at the end of May the ban was finally lifted and motorsport is allowed again in Switzerland.

Please proceed with caution, the Wikipedia page includes one uncensored picture of the incident. The BBC documentary includes footage and pictures and the Reddit post does not include any pictures or videos but does link to the them.

/u/CookieMonsteFL made a post about the incident

The Deadliest Crash Is a BBC documentary on the 1955 Le Mans disaster

Wikipedia Page about the incident

Some more documentaries and movies on Le Mans’ history:

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.

Michael Fassbender: Road To Le Mans Season 1 and 2, Season 3, Season 4

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

McLaren at Le Mans: Pursuit of Perfection - The story behind McLaren's 1995 victory

The fastest ever lap at the Circuit de la Sarthe by Kamui Kobayashi

The Track

The track that is currently used is 13.6 kilometers long. It combines the permanent Ford Chicanes, pit straight, under the Dunlop bridge and through to tetre rouge as well as normal everyday roads of the Mulsanne straight through to Indianapolis and Arnage.

The track used to have a 6km long straight where Group C prototypes could reach up to 400km/h. This was changed in 1990 as the FIA required the track to have a straight no longer than 2km to be sanctioned. This is why nowadays two chicanes can be found on the Mulsanne straight. The fastest lap ever on the track was driven by Kamui Kobayashi with a 3:14.791 in 2017.

If you have the time, try to get familiar with the corner names as that’s often how commentators will refer to them.

T1, T2 etc stands for turns 1, 2 etc.

MP1, MP2 etc stands for the Marshall posts. This is important as yellows are often located by race control under the marshall posts.

Points

The race is part of the World Endurance Championship and this means there are also points to score for that championship. The winner of the race will receive 50 points, meaning this race means a lot in the championship.

Points to score:

Women at Le Mans

All credit for the info in here goes to Twitter user @smokingpuppy841 he created these two threads: Women at Le Mans & Why Women Were Banned at Le Mans

This year Lilou Wadoux is one of the women to compete at the 24H of Le Mans. in 2021 year she turned heads when she managed to completely destroy the field in one of the support series at Le Mans. In the French Porsche Sprint Challenge, she beat the field in qualifying by several seconds and then went on to win the race by a huge margin. Within just five years she went from racing in a Peugeot 206 to racing in a World Championship.

Last year she raced in LMP2 but for this year she switched to GTE as she has become a Ferrari Factory driver. This season she already took a win and hopes to do so again at Le Mans.

In 1930 Marguerite Mareuse and Odette Siko become the first women to compete at Le Mans, they finished 7th overall and second in their class.

Odette Siko also finished 4th overall in 1932 and took the win in her class which makes her the best finishing woman at Le Mans. In 1935 a record of 10 women competed at Le Mans, Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier was the best placed of them when she finished 18th overall and third in class.

Unfortunately in 1957 women were prohibited from participating. In 1956 Annie Bousquet, who was known as a spectacular but risky driver, tragically lost her life in the 12 Hours of Reims. As well as driving, Bousquet was also responsible for the preparation work, which involved picking up the car the day before and driving it 500km through the night to the race.

She started the race, but unfortunately, tragedy unfolded when her car would roll on lap 17 after it lost a wheel. She broke her neck and passed away immediately. Following the 1955 disaster which nearly ended motorsport, the ACO were very nervous about another accident. These nerves were only heightened by another tragedy at the 1957 Mille Miglia which saw the Italian government intervene to prevent a repeat.

These worries, combined with Bousquet’s reputation as a risky driver, meant they banned women from the event. A woman hadn’t even competed at Le Mans since 1951, which madethe ban, kind of pointless. The ban was eventually lifted in 1971 and this yearwe will see 5 women at the start again. Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting share a car in the GTE Am class while Lilou Wadoux also drivers in the same class. Doriane Pin drives in the LMP2 class.

All the women competing at Le Mans this year have already taken a podium in the regular season. While Lilou Wadoux even took two with a 2nd and 1st place. Expectations are high as all these women have the pace to win their respective classes.

Qualifying

Just like last year we will see the Hyperpole format. This sees a one hour session on Wednesday evening where all cars of all classes are allowed on track to set a time. The top 8 cars of all classes (Hypercar, LMP2, GTE AM) at the end of the session move on to the Hyperpole session on Thursday evening. This sets the top of the grid for each class. The remaining order is already decided by the one hour session on Wednesday. During the one hour qualifying session every team is allowed to nominate two drivers that can set a lap time.

Refuelling is forbidden during the Hyperpole.

For the LMGTE Am category, only a Bronze driver can participate in the Hyperpole.

Any car causing a red will have all or some laps deleted

Any car causing a red will not be allowed to rejoin the qualifying session

Schedule

This is all in local time which is CEST/GMT+2. Here’s a link to the detailed schedule in PDF version.

Sunday June 5th

10:00 – 13:00 FP1 (Official Test Day) 15:30 – 18:30 FP2 (Official Test Day)

Wednesday June 8th

14:00 – 17:00 FP1 19:00 – 20:00 Qualifying 22:00 – 00:00 FP2

Thursday June 9th

15:00 – 17:00 FP3 20:00 – 21:30 Hyperpole 22:00 – 00:00 FP4

Saturday June 11th

12:00 – 12:15 Warm Up 16:00 – 16:00  Race (24H)

Support Series

Not only WEC will be racing the coming week, also on the agenda are:

Ligier European Series

Porsche Carrera Cup

Ferrari Challenge

Road To Le Mans (Le Mans Cup)

Regulations

Balance Of Performance

As both the Hypercar class and the GTE AM class have several manufacturers running in the class, there’s a balance of performance in place. BoP” was introduced by the FIA with the aim of achieving a level playing field for the different vehicle concepts.

After an initial grading by the FIA, the performance data of the vehicles are acquired during the races via telemetry in order to adjust the balance of performance. This data input is automatically analysed and incorporated into the “BoP”. The most frequently used means of adjusting the performance level is through adding or subtracting weight as well as increasing or limiting the engine output through a restrictor or boost.

Here’s a short video on BoP

Tyre Allocation

Down below you can see the tyre allocation for dry weather tyres. GTE Pro is crossed out as that class does not exist anymore. Wet weather tyres aren’t limited. This is tyres, not sets. This makes it 14 sets for LMP2 & Hypercar during the race for example. Meaning the tyres will definitely need to be double stinted at times.

Drive Time

The maximum driving time for each driver is limited to 4h for any period of 6h. Every driver has to drive a minimum of 6H across the whole race or the team will be penalised. Every driver is only allowed to drive a maximum of 14H across the whole race.

What's a stint?

A stint is the time the car spends on the track between pit stops. So when tyred are “double stinted” at Le Mans, it means the driver didn't change their tyres during the last stop and only refuelled. Also allowed, is only changing two tyres on the car.

Safety Car Rules

The safety car rules for this year's race have been completely revised. These changes have been made in hope of having less influence on the race. As previously being caught by the wrong safety car could loose the teams a lot of time.

However, these new rules could be a disadvantage for the class leader as it does bring cars closer together. Some critisicse these new rules as they will “manufacture battles at the front.”

When the order is given to deploy the Safety Cars, all marshal posts will display waved yellow flags, and “SC” boards. Pit exit will be closed, and the pit exit light turned red, while the pit entry will remain open.

There will be 3 safety cars, starting from their respective positions, (as can be seen on the track map below). They will join the track regardless of where the overall leader is. All the competing cars must then form up in line behind the Safety Cars no more than five car lengths apart.

Pit exit green light will be turned on after the last car in line behind a Safety Cars has passed Safety Car Line 2, to allow all cars at pit exit to rejoin the track at an appropriate speed until they reach the queue behind that Safety Car.

When the Race Director deems it is safe to proceed with the merging process, the race control message ‘Incident clear – Prepare for Merging’ will pop up. This is followed by the Pit entry being closed Then safety Car B and Safety Car C will proceed to turn on their green lights, then cars which were positioned behind Safety Car B and Safety Car C will overtake their respective Safety Car and will continue as quickly as possible without compromising safety and without overtaking between themselves until they reach the line behind Safety Car A.

Once this is done, a pass around will be started. Any car that has their class leader behind them in the safety car queue will be allowed to pass the safety car.

After this the drop back procedure starts, first in line are the LMP2s. Race control will notify “Drop Back LMP2”, then all LMP2 cars will pull to the right-hand side of the track, then the rest of the cars, will overtake them to take position behind the Safety Car. Then the LMP2 cars will join the line again.

Once this is done, race control will notify “Drop Back LMGTE”. LMGTE cars will drop to the right side just like the LMP2s did. The rest of the cars will overtake them to take position behind the SC.

Once this is done it means that all Hypercars are together at the front, followed by all LMP2s and then the GTEs.

This wave around procedure won't be used in the last 60 minutes of the race.

Red Flag Rules:

During red flags it is not allowed to work on the car, only if allowed by the race director for safety reasons teams are allowed to change the tyres.

Slowzones:

To not immediately neutralize the complete field in case of an accident or debris. There's slowzones in place. The track is divided into 9 zones, when a slowzone is active cars will have to adjust their speed to 80 kph.

It is possible to have several slowzones going on at the same time. For example when an accident happens on the border of a slowzone, it is likely both zones will be deployed.

Penalties:

Speeding in the pitlane during Practice or Warm Up results in a fine of 100 euros for each kph over the limit. Besides that the driver's lap times leading up to the infringement are deleted. During the race the 1st infringement will result in either a drive through (between 60 and 70kph) or a 5 sec stop & go penalty (70kph+). The 2nd infringement will result into another drive through (between 60 and 70kph) or a 10 sec stop & go penalty (70kph+). The third infringement will result into a dsq in both cases.

It is prohibited to spin the wheels when a car leaves its pit, this will result into a stop & go. Aside from that refuelling may only be done when the car is completely on the ground which means tyres can't be changed during refuelling.

Links

Here’s a link to the regulations for this year’s race

Here’s a link to this year’s WEC regulations

Here’s a link to the noticeboard

Here’s a link to the timing results

Here’s a link to committee decisions

Media Guide to WEC

Might seem like a weird one to link but it’s really interesting to read. It goes into further depth about classes, and talks about previous winners etc

Entry List

R/WEC Scratchpad - This is the landingspage, you'll be able to find the scratchpad for practice & qually and for the race here

By this you’re able to catch up on any missed action, penalties and retirements. Obviously it’s difficult following a 24H race in its whole so this is a great way to catch up.

The Classes

The WEC grid consists of three different classes during the complete season, those are Hypercar, LMP2 & GTE. However for Le Mans two subclasses join the race. Neither of those score points for the championship (LMP2 Pro/Am & Innovative Car/Garage 56)

Each class has its own driver requirements, meaning both Amateur drivers and Pro drivers will be on track together.

Hypercar

Red number board with “Hypercar” next to it.

The current top class in endurance sportscar racing is “Hypercar”. This combines cars built to the LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) specifications.

The ultimate aim of the ACO, FIA and IMSA is for these two types of car to compete against each other in the FIA WEC and in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and, therefore, to race in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

LMH (Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, Glickenhaus & Vanwall)

These regulations leave scope for a wide variety of architectures and allow a front-axle hybrid system to be fitted. They are designed to a strict set of requirements dictating maximum power, drag coefficient, and weight.

LMDh (Porsche & Cadillac)

In LMDh, the backbone of the car – i.e. the whole car minus the internal combustion engine, the body and the hybrid system – will be supplied by one of four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier or Oreca.

The driver line ups in this class consist of only pro drivers, with all drivers rated platinum or gold. Technically, lower rated drivers are allowed in the class, but that’s not likely to happen.

LMP2

Blue number board with “P2” next to it.

The LMP2 class features a spec drivetrain and gearbox, using a Gibson V8 producing 400kW, and a selection of three chassis to choose from, of which the Oreca 07 has been the chassis of choice. So much, that every single LMP2 car on this year’s entry list is an Oreca

Driver’s line-ups have to consist of at least one Bronze or Silver driver. When one of the drivers is bronze rated a car is automatically scored in LMP2’s sub class “LMP2 Pro/Am”

A Pro/Am car is easily recognised by the “Pro/Am” sign under the car number

GTE AM

Orange number board with “AM” next to it.

This is the last year we’ll see the GTEs at Le Mans as next year the GT clash switches to GT3 cars.

Although there is no Pro category, the driver quality in GTE-Am is still incredibly high. The grid features factory drivers, young stars, experienced champions, and every level of experience in between. Each car features one Bronze and one additional Bronze or Silver rated driver.

Innovative Car/Garage 56

Black number board with “IC” below it.

Garage 56, is reserved for innovative cars. In recent years we’ve also seen a modified LMP2 car that allowed paraplegic drivers to race. The car was modified and fitted with a braking, clutch and throttle system controlled by a hand-controlled steering wheel.

The Garage 56 entry runs outside the official classification, and will start last no matter where they qualify. This year it will host a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entered by the Hendrick Motorsports team for its maiden appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This is a heavily modified version of the Next Gen NASCAR that competed in the 2022 Cup Series. The car will be symbolically numbered #24 and driven by Jenson Button, former Formula One World Champion, Mike Rockenfeller, winner of the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours, and Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Spotters guide

I used to make my own ones but there’s no use in making one myself when @GrosiakMateusz already makes perfect ones. You can find it on spotters.guide. The planned release date is June 6th.

Where to Watch?

Official stream OUTSIDE US ONLY - The Le Mans package gives you access to all WEC sessions (Practice, Qualifying, Warm Up and the Race) with a choice of on boards. It’s a rip-off quite honestly, it costs 13 euros and the platform is prone to crashing. If you’re buying I’d recommend just buying for the rest of the season, usually WEC will put up a discount code - PAID

Multiviewer F1 (Source) - The developer of this app says their goal is to get it ready before Le Mans. It will be integrated with FIAWEC.TV - PAID (Need FIAWEC.TV subscription)

Robin Frijns server, I will be streaming the WEC Coverage, all sessions from qualifying on Wednesday evening - FREE

Eurosport will likely be broadcasting the event in a variety of locales throughout Europe. This will be updated when confirmed - FREE WITH ADS OR PAID DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU WATCH IT

Radio Le Mans will be streaming live radio for every session (Including the test days) - FREE

For American audiences, unfortunately the Official stream is geoblocked for your area. American and English-speaking Canadian audiences can access coverage through Motortrend On Demand. Motortrend should have a free trial so you can try that if needed. - PAID (BUT FREE TRIAL)

Complete Broadcast distribution list

Live Timing

This is Official Livetiming it’s okay, but I recommend using the Timing71 Beta extension

As said the creator of Multiviewer F1 is trying to integrate WEC into the app as well, this would also likely include live timing. If there’s an update on that, i’ll post it.

I hope this is all, but for any questions, my askbox is always open!

[countingstars-17]

Charles Leclerc during the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe June 10, 2023. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)

[diabolus1exmachina]

Maserati Mostro Barchetta Zagato (1 of 5). 

Any Zagato has always been something extraordinary and has been so now for over 100 years, that the company has been in existence. The Zagato Mostro is no exception. The first Mostro to be introduced to the world was the Gullwing Coupe version, and no better way to reveal such a beauty than at Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance in 2015 under 250 km away from the factory where the soul and spirit of the Mostro was brought to life, to the celebration the 100th anniversary of Maserati. Seven years would pass by before the presentation of the roofless version of the Coupe version, the Zagato Mostro Barchetta as it was given by name . This hyper exclusive car was limited to a production run of only five cars, of which all were sold. The Mostro coupe was made as a tribute to the Maserati 450 S which the late great racingdriver Juan Manuel Fangio drove in 1956 race in Buenos Aires. This very powerful race car had had been redesigned in 1957 by British designer Frank Costin to much more aerodynamic principles, and then hand built in Milan by Zagato. It was to be raced by Sir Stirling Moss in the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Sir Stirling then dubbed that car ¨The Monster¨, as the more aerodynamic lines were not conventionally more pretty. In this sense the Zagato Mostro Barchetta is truer in its nature as the original race car was a roofless car also. To keep the spirit as close to a race car as possible Zagato decided to use a genuine racing car chassis.

Therefore, underneath the lovely design from Norihiko Harada there lies a lightweight chassis built by Gillet. Gillet has been around since the start of the 1990´s, and is most known for building lightweight chassis, made from carbon fibre and formula 1 inspired materials. The Zagato Mostro Barchetta is not only incredibly successful in terms of design, but a true masterpiece of automotive engineering too. This is the type of a stunning supercar you can only achieve with a collaboration between two legendary Italian brands - Maserati and Zagato. The engineering performance of this car is not to be overlooked, as under the elegant bonnet of the Zagato Mostro Barchetta lays pure music to your ears: a 4.2-liter V8 Maserati engine that delivers a 420 BHP to the rear wheels via a manual sequential six-speed gearbox. When entering the Zagato Mostro Barchetta the driver is meet with a luxurious and comfortable environment with a spectacular combination of carbon fibre and aluminium. To sum up the Zagato Mostro Barchetta it is a modern masterpiece of automotive haute couture, with each one of the only five produced being hand-built to showcases the exquisite attention to detail and craftsmanship. It is not all about looks either as the Mostro not only offers great performance but also the now rare satisfaction of selecting the gears manually and enjoying the Maserati V8’s bark with each gearchange. Surely the Mostro with all its history and spectacular looks is a great collector’s car, that is also a very engaging drive.

[feraltwinkseb]

100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 10, 2023 - Le Mans, France Source: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

[juergenklopp]

Let’s close with what could be a fun one, if and when it gets confirmed. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin took to social media this week to tease his need to learn Daytona’s roval circuit, and from what I’ve learned, he’ll be competing in his first Rolex 24 At Daytona in January in the LMP2 class. Even better, I’m told it will be a #BusBros-themed driver lineup with Penske teammate Josef Newgarden in the same car. And if that isn’t enough of a party, the final bit might be the coolest of all as McLaughlin and Newgarden are said to be continuing their LMP2 adventure together after Daytona where they’re meant to make their debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the middle of June on the great endurance event’s 100th anniversary. From conversations I’ve been part of regarding IndyCar-grade drivers being considered for factory GTP seats at major endurance races, most manufacturers have been very strict in their requirements for the McLaughlins and Newgardens of the world to first gain experience in similar cars at big events before the door would opened to racing in those factory cars at Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. This has a similar feel. Assuming everything moves forward for Penske’s IndyCar stars at Daytona and Le Mans 2023 – and it’s with an excellent LMP2 team – I would not be surprised to see their names listed as enduro drivers with the Porsche Penske Motorsport GTP program or one of its customer teams in 2024.

Racer.com | MARSHALL PRUETT: IndyCar silly season update, November edition

[f1]

2023 Le Mans 24 Hours in pictures

Pictures from the 100th anniversary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Start, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Start, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Start, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Start, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Start, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Romain Dumas/Olivier Pla/Ryan Briscoe, #708 Glickenhaus 007, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Bourdais/Renger Van Der Zande/Scott Dixon, #3 Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Franck Mailleux/Nathanael Berthon/Esteban Gutierrez, #709 Glickenhaus 007, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, #51 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Bourdais/Renger Van Der Zande/Scott Dixon, #3 Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, #51 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, #50 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Spectators, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, #51 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, #50 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa, #8 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Loic Duval/Gustavo Menezes/Nico Mueller, #94 Peugeot 9X8, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Dane Cameron/Michael Christensen/Frederic Makowiecki, #5 Porsche 963, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Spectators, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Felipe Nasr/Mathieu Jaminet/Nicholas Tandy, Porsche 963, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Earl Bamber/Alex Lynn/Richard Westbrook, Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Bourdais/Renger Van Der Zande/Scott Dixon, #3 Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Felipe Nasr/Mathieu Jaminet/Nicholas Tandy, Porsche 963, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, #50 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Earl Bamber/Alex Lynn/Richard Westbrook, Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Felix Da Costa/Will Stevens/Yifei Ye, #38 Porsche 963, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, #50 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, #51 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen, #50 Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari 499P, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Luis Felipe Derani/Alexander Sims/Jack Aitken, #311 Cadillac V-Series.R, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa, #8 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Mike Conway/Kamui Kobayashi/Jose Maria Lopez, #7 Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Marshal, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa, Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Dane Cameron/Michael Christensen/Frederic Makowiecki, Porsche 963, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 Sebastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa, Toyota GR010, Le Mans 24 Hours, 2023 World Endurance Championship Browse all World Endurance Championship articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[dasupercarblog]

NASCAR-inspired Chevrolet Camaro Garage 56 Edition debuts

The 100th Le Mans 24 Hours will be flagged off this weekend, and making a special appearance this year is the Garage 56 NASCAR Camaro. To celebrate this, Chevrolet has announced a special edition of the Camaro. The 2024 Camaro ZL1 Garage 56 Edition will be limited to just 56 units. The car is painted in a shade called ‘Riptide Blue’ with a livery inspired by the NASCAR that will race at Le Mans…

[sunkissedfawn]

flipping back and forth between Belmont Stakes and Le Mans trying not to miss anything good

[leopauldelr]

My Top 10 Iconic Le Mans Legends

This weekend, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and with 62 cars from different classes gathering around in this centennial milestone as well as special guest stars, rest assured that the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is going to be historical indeed.

As the whole world is bracing for the centennial running of the legendary endurance race that pushes carmakers over the limit in the name of speed and survival, it's time for me to jot down my top ten iconic Le Mans legends.

10) GR010 - Following the success of their LMP1-class TS050, which propelled Toyota Gazoo Racing to three straight overall titles at Le Mans, Toyota created this competitor to the new Hypercar class, which replaced the LMP1 class after the 2020 season. Complying with Hypercar regulations, the GR010 is powered by a 3.5L V6 twin-turbo engine mated to an electric motor that powers the front wheels, making it a 4WD machine where the petrol engine powers the rear wheels while the electric motor takes care of the front, a drastic change compared to its LMP1 predecessor. Toyota defended its Le Mans success in the new Hypercar class with the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing car emerging as the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for two years, making it its fifth win in a row.

9) Toyota TS050 - In the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, being the only manufacturer-backed LMP1 racer competing in its class, the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050, piloted by Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, Formula E driver Sebastien Buemi, and Kazuki Nakajima, made a historic victory at Le Mans, marking the second time a Japanese carmaker won Le Mans since the legendary Mazda 787B and the first time a Japanese driver became part of the Le Mans-winning team. In 2019 and 2020, with the latter being the final year for the LMP1 era, Toyota emerged victorious in Le Mans.

8) Jaguar XJR-9 - Built in collaboration between Jaguar and Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Jaguar's Group C competitor is powered by two V12 engines; a 7.0L for the WSPC and a 6.0L for IMSA GTP class. Both produce 760PS of power and 828Nm of torque, while mated to a 5-speed March/TWR manual gearbox, making the XJR-9 capable of hitting a 245mph top speed. A Silk Cut-sponsored Jaguar XJR-9 won the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, and Andy Wallace behind the wheel.

7) Peugeot 905 - The V10-powered Peugeot 905 cemented the French carmaker to the list of Le Mans winners when it won the legendary endurance race twice in 1992 and 1993.

6) Audi R18 TDi - The Audi R18 TDi is known as the only diesel-powered racing machine that conquered Le Mans three times from 2012 to 2014. Not only that, it has dominated two WEC championship titles from 2012 to 2013. Such achievement proves that diesel is king until dieselgate came and most carmakers are ditching diesel-powered engines for good.

5) 919 Hybrid  - In 2014, Porsche returned to LMP1 endurance racing with their 919 Hybrid and although it didn't fare well in its first run, which led to its 3rd place finish at the constructor's championship at the 2014 WEC season, it came back with a much fighting chance and because of such will power, it managed to win not just Le Mans but also three WEC seasons on the trot from 2015 to 2017. Porsche has left the LMP1 racing program after their three-win streak with the 919, only to make a comeback in the Hypercar class with the 963 racing machine.

4) Sauber-Mercedes C9 - As part of the Sauber-Mercedes partnership, this Group C prototype was introduced in 1987 and its first success can be traced back to the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #63 C9 driven by Jochen Mass, Manual Reuter, and Stanley Dickens, achieved a win. During qualifying for Le Mans, the C9, with its Mercedes-Benz M119 HL 90º 5.0L Turbo V8 engine with two KKK turbos, achieved a top speed of 248.0 mph (400 km/h) at the Mulsanne Straight of Le Mans.

3) 917K - The Porsche 917K is known as the short-tail version of the legendary 917, a sports prototype race car, and it gave Porsche their first overall wins at Le Mans for two straight years since 1970. Thanks to such success, it even gained a starring role in the Le Mans movie starring Steve McQueen.

2) 787B - Built as an improved version of the 787, it features the same R26B 4-rotor Wankel engine as its predecessor which produces up to 690HP of power. Aside from that, it features carbon-fiber bodywork which resulted in a light, rigid body structure and other improvements. In the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, Mazda sent two 787B machines with the race-winning #55 car driven by Bertrand Gachot, Johnny Herbert, and Volker Weider. The 787B not only became the first Japanese-manufactured race car to win Le Mans, but it's also the first-and-only rotary-powered race car to win the said endurance race.

1) GT40 Mk. II - Ford's trial-and-error process of creating a racing machine that can crush Ferrari in Le Mans is nothing more of an act of revenge from the Blue Oval following Ferrari's rejection to become part of the Ford empire. Armed with the 7.0L V8 engine producing 485HP of power and mated to a 4-speed gearbox, the GT40 Mk.II from Ford delivered a stunning podium sweep at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race, more than enough to crush Ferrari into it. Such achievement has been profiled in the biopic movie Ford vs. Ferrari.

In this centennial running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will it be a milestone for Toyota Gazoo as it's seeking a three-peat in the Hypercar class? Will the return of Ferrari in Le Mans crush Toyota's dreams for a three-peat? Find out as this legendary endurance race unfolds this Saturday, June 10th. Don't miss it!

[maranello]

LE MANS, 2023 — Alessandro Pier Guidi crosses the finish line in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P to win the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ferrari. (Photo by Antonin Vincent)

[small-dr3ams]

Rolex Releases New Le Mans Daytona

Rolex is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race with an original version of its chronograph.

This 2023 Daytona Le Mans Anniversary Edition has been launched by Rolex precisely during the Le Mans race —that&

... via JustLuxe.com from Jack Miller https://ift.tt/Ulu9wOr

[williamchasterson]

Why Le Mans is more important than you realise

The 100th anniversary of the first edition of the Le Mans 24 Hour race tapped into the event’s glorious past. What it might mean for the next 100 years of motoring is just as profound. from BBC News – World https://ift.tt/hdtPQbE via IFTTT

[motogadi]

History Made: Ferrari Ends Toyota's Domination at Le Mans, Claims First Victory Since 1965

Ferrari breaks 58-year drought, clinching victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans, shattering Toyota’s winning streak. Dramatic twist at Le Mans as Ferrari capitalizes on Toyota’s mistake, secures historic triumph after intense battle. Ferrari won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 1965, denying Toyota its sixth consecutive triumph. On the 100th anniversary of the endurance racing classic,…