Le Mans is the endurance race. The track is one of the fastest, most
challenging in the world and the race lasts not just a few minutes or even a
few hours. It lasts an entire day. Which is why most would agree that Les
Vingt-Quatre Heures du Mans, which takes place next weekend, is one of the
greatest races in the world.
Certainly, British fans need no convincing. For decades tens of thousands of
Brits have flocked to Le Mans, making it the third most popular motor sport
event after the British Grand Prix and the Goodwood Revival.
In fact many of the 35,000 British spectators have come to regard it as a
British motor race that just happens to take place in France. You have only
to look at the bulging British campsites and the endless convoys of British
sports cars making their way from the Channel ports to the circuit just
south of the city of Le Mans to know it.
Why do they do it? Most British fans look upon it not only as a race but a
great weekend away. They tend to go in groups, driving down, camping at the
track, drinking too much, staying up most of the night and soaking up the
sights and sounds and smells of the race.
The prizes go to the cars that cover the most distance in 24 hours. Teams
compete in four separate classes, though they share the same track at the
same time. Top of the pile are custom-built Le Mans prototypes, which are
split into two categories, LMP1 and LMP2, and divided by speed, weight and
power output. The next two classes are production-based grand tourers, also
divided by speed, weight and power output and known as GT1 and GT2.
Traditionally the race began with a Le Mans start, with the cars parked in the
pit lane and the drivers running to them, clambering in, turning on the
ignition and racing away. The practice has been replaced with a rolling
start because of safety concerns (with a Le Mans start, there was no time
for drivers to strap themselves into safety harnesses before pulling away).
Once under way, the cars may stop to refuel and to be repaired as often as
they need, but the clock is ticking so the race is as much a test of the
cars’ stamina and reliability over 24 hours as that of the drivers.
Originally two drivers would take it in turns behind the wheel. However, in
recent years this has changed in an attempt to reduce driver fatigue and
crashes. Today drivers are not allowed to drive for more than four hours
consecutively, and no driver can drive for more than 14 hours in total.
This year’s main race is likely to be a battle between Audi and Peugeot. Each
team is fielding three diesel-powered prototype racing cars. Jacques
Villeneuve, the former Formula One world champion, is driving for Peugeot
while Scotland’s Allan McNish lines up in the Audi squad.
In the GT class, Aston Martin will be hoping for a successful defence of last
year’s win with its DBR9 racer. It has Heinz-Harald Frentzen, another F1
driver, to help beat its principal opposition, the Chevrolet Corvette.
Getting there for the prerace fun
— Le Mans can be reached easily from all Channel ports including Le Havre,
Cherbourg, Dieppe and St Malo. The quickest way for most, however, is to go
to via Calais.
— From Calais there are two main routes: the most direct one is via
Rouen and Alençon. The other is via Paris. If speed is vital and you avoid
the Parisian rush hour, the Paris route is longer and less scenic but
quicker.
— Watch out for police, particularly on the Rouen-Alençon route. They
know you’re coming, they know exactly where you’re going to overtake that
truck that’s been holding you up for the past 10 miles and the fines can be
savage.
— You can also reach Le Mans by train, taking the Eurostar to Paris and
then the TGV to Le Mans. Journey time is approximately four and a half
hours.
— If you have the means and want the really easy option, you can charter
a light aircraft to take you to Le Mans, where there is a runway opposite
the track. Flight time from Farnborough is about 45 minutes.
— However you get there, don’t turn up just before the start of the race
on Saturday afternoon. Friday night in the campsite is party night and it’s
not something you’ll want to miss.
— Take the chance on Friday to walk up the pit lane – it’s open to the
public for most of the day and you’ll be able to get close to the cars and
drivers.
— Don’t be tempted into going to the driver’s parade in the city of Le
Mans late on Friday afternoon. It’s just a bunch of drivers in overalls,
most of whom you’ll have never heard of, waving to an annoyingly large
crowd. The traffic is terrible and parking is a nightmare.
— Don’t spend Saturday morning sleeping off your hangover. Instead watch
the cavalcades on the track and at least one support race for some of the
historic cars that took part at Le Mans in years gone by.
— A tip for after the race: if the outcome seems a foregone conclusion,
leave half an hour before the finish and you should be able to drive
straight out of the circuit. If it’s a cliffhanger, stay for a couple of
hours after the finish and avoid the traffic that way.
Where to see the best action
— Don’t buy a grandstand seat. There is free viewing at all the good
points of the circuit and, with a day and night to watch, you’re going to
want to move around.
— The start is one of the greatest sights in racing, so get in position
at least an hour before 3pm. We recommend standing on the infield just after
the first curve and before the chicane under the Dunlop Bridge.
— Take a pocket radio with you or buy one there and tune in to Radio Le
Mans, a British station that is now as much part of the fabric of Le Mans as
the Mulsanne Straight. It is the only way to keep up with who’s doing what
during the race.
— Don’t just watch from one place. A lap of Le Mans is more than eight
miles and you can catch shuttle buses to far-flung corners of the circuit.
We recommend going to Arnage and Indianapolis Corners and doing so at night
to watch brake discs glowing red hot as the cars slow from 200mph.
— Try to get some sleep. Staying up all night sounds romantic but not if
it means feeling ghastly for half the race and nodding off at the wheel on
the way home.
— Spend time in the Le Mans village, on the infield next to the paddock.
Here you’ll be able to buy all the beer, burgers and team merchandise you
could wish for.
— Go to the funfair on the outside of the track in the middle of the
night. The queues are long and some of the shows are rubbish but the
rollercoasters are fun and Le Mans cars have never looked more interesting
than when viewed from upside down.
— The public lavatories at Le Mans on Sunday morning make Glastonbury’s
look like the Ritz. If you know anyone with access to private facilities,
you’ll never call in a better favour. If not, at least take your own loo
paper. Some operators have been known to sell it outside the lavatory blocks
– by the sheet.
— Eat Grand Marnier pancakes. There is a tent in the village that cooks
tens of thousands of pancakes to which customers then apply as much Grand
Marnier as they like from colossal bottles at the end of the counter. It is
the taste of Le Mans. My record for the weekend stands at 17.
— Don’t try to watch the entire race. The spirits of even the most avid
petrolhead will flag. Instead have a look around the excellent museum
adjacent to the main entrance.
A blagger’s guide
— The first Le Mans 24 hours was held in 1923 and the event has been
held every year since except 1936 and 1940-8.
— The most successful constructor is Porsche with 16 wins, followed by
Ferrari (nine) and Audi and Jaguar (seven each).
— The most successful driver is Denmark’s Tom Kristensen with seven
wins, followed by Belgium’s Jacky Ickx (six). Britain’s Derek Bell lies
third with five. The record of “Bentley Boy” Woolf Barnato, who raced only
three times (1928-30) and won all of them, remains unmatched.
— The most successful celebrity at Le Mans was the film star Paul Newman
who came second in 1979. Nick Mason, the Pink Floyd drummer, has taken part
five times while Steve McQueen made a film about the 1970 race but was not
allowed to compete for insurance reasons.
— The highest speed recorded at Le Mans is 252mph by a WM-Peugeot in
1988. Since 1990 the Mulsanne Straight has been divided by chicanes to keep
speeds down.
— The worst motor racing disaster occurred at Le Mans in 1955 when
Pierre Levegh was killed in a crash after which the engine of his Mercedes
flew into the crowd, leaving more than 80 spectators dead.
— Levegh is the only person to attempt to drive Le Mans solo. In 1952 he
was leading with less than three hours to go when he missed a gearchange and
blew his engine.
— The biggest winning margin was set by Bentley in 1927 – 217 miles
ahead of the second car. The closest nonstaged finish was in 1969 when Ford
beat Porsche by just over 100 yards.
— Most of the circuit, including the Mulsanne Straight, is public road,
closed for the race.
— A 24-hour motorcycle race is held each year in April on the smaller
Bugatti circuit, which includes part of the main track.
