24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the most famous endurance car race of the world, a true symbol of the city, known on all continents. The Le Mans audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this mythical event created in 1923 by Georges Durand, that for a century has tested the resistance of cars over twenty-four hours, and makes the name of Le Mans shine throughout the world.

The mythical endurance race

Even in the heart of the city, difficult to escape the aura of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. More than a simple race, it is a true symbol for the city, known throughout the world. Everything begins at the start of the 1920s: the automobile industry is in full rise, and the manufacturers are looking for a way to prove the reliability of their cars. It is then that a man, Georges Durand, general secretary of the Automobile Club of the West, has a bold idea: to organise an endurance race of twenty-four hours, on an open road, to test not only the speed, but especially the resistance of the vehicles over time. In 1923, the first edition is launched on a circuit traced south of Le Mans. At the time, the drivers raced without a helmet, without a powerful headlight, and some took the wheel alone for the whole duration of the race, in heroic conditions. Over the decades, the 24 Hours became a ground of technological innovation, where the greatest manufacturers, from Bentley to Ferrari, from Porsche to Audi, competed and wrote the legend of motor sport. The race takes place each year in June, on the circuit of the Sarthe, and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators come from all over the world, in a unique festive atmosphere. A museum and the circuit, nearby, perpetuate this memory. A mythical race and a pride of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a fine stop of the discovery of the city.

What to see

Here you discover the aura of the most famous endurance car race of the world, created in 1923 by Georges Durand to test the resistance of cars over twenty-four hours; a world symbol of Le Mans, it is run each year in June on the circuit of the Sarthe, before hundreds of thousands of spectators, and has seen the greatest manufacturers compete. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the pride of the city. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is run each year in June on the circuit of the Sarthe, south of the city, reachable by transport or by shuttle during the event. The museum of the 24 Hours and the circuit can be visited all year according to their hours, which vary. It is best to enquire in advance, especially during the race, very frequented.

When was the 24 Hours of Le Mans created?

The first edition was launched in 1923 on a circuit traced south of Le Mans, on the initiative of Georges Durand, general secretary of the Automobile Club of the West, who wanted to test the resistance of cars over twenty-four hours; become the most famous endurance race of the world and a symbol of the city, it is run each year in June on the circuit of the Sarthe.

Where is the 24 Hours of Le Mans run?

On the circuit of the Sarthe, south of Le Mans, in France.