Before the Bugatti Circuit was built, the Le Mans site was used exclusively for the famous 24-hour car race and occasional other events run on the full semi-permanent layout. As car speeds increased dramatically through the late 1950s and early 1960s, pushing the limits of the existing track configuration, a shorter permanent circuit was needed for use outside of the main race season. The Bugatti Circuit was created in 1965 by adding an infield section that branches off the main straight after the Ford Chicane at the Dunlop Bridge.
The circuit's shared sections with the full Le Mans layout include the pit complex, the main straight where the Dunlop Tyres bridge is located, and the Ford Chicane at the end of the lap. Vehicles approaching the junction point can turn left to continue onto the full Circuit de la Sarthe toward Tertre Rouge and Mulsanne, or turn right at La Chapelle to follow the infield Bugatti Circuit. The infield section passes through Garage Vert, a back straight, the S du Garage Bleu, and the Raccordement corner, which rejoins the main track at the Ford Chicane.
In 2002, as part of renovations to the Bugatti Circuit, the junction between the two tracks was reconfigured. A left-right sweep was added at the point where the circuits overlap, improving the transition for both motorcycle safety and traffic management between the two layouts.
The circuit hosted the 1967 French Grand Prix, the only occasion on which the Formula One World Championship visited the Bugatti layout. The race remains the sole World Championship Formula One event held on the circuit.
The Bugatti Circuit is most prominently associated with motorcycle racing. It hosts the French motorcycle Grand Prix as part of the MotoGP World Championship, making Le Mans a regular fixture on the MotoGP calendar. The circuit also hosts the 24 Heures Motos, a 24-hour motorcycle endurance race that forms part of the FIM Endurance World Championship. The circuit's combination of a flowing layout, the iconic Dunlop Bridge, and the wider Le Mans paddock atmosphere makes it one of the most popular venues on the motorcycle racing calendar.
The circuit also hosts rounds of the MotoE World Championship, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, the French Superbike Championship, and the Sidecar World Championship.
The Bugatti Circuit has hosted rounds of the International Formula 3000 Championship and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series in the past. It was part of the World Series by Renault during the 2000s and hosted rounds of the Superbike World Championship in 1988 and 1990. The European Truck Racing Championship holds its 24 Heures Camions event at the circuit annually.
The circuit serves as the base for Pescarolo Sport, the endurance racing team founded by Henri Pescarolo, one of the most successful drivers in 24 Hours of Le Mans history.
A regular non-motorsport event, the 24 Rollers, a 24-hour race on inline skates and quad skates, takes place at the Bugatti Circuit and is one of the largest events of its kind in France.
The Bugatti Circuit occupies a distinctive position in motorsport geography: a permanent venue embedded within one of the world's most legendary semi-permanent circuits. Its shared infrastructure with the 24 Hours of Le Mans layout gives it an atmosphere unlike any other motorcycle circuit on the MotoGP calendar, with the iconic Dunlop Bridge and the wider paddock facilities of the Le Mans complex providing a backdrop that connects two eras of the sport. The circuit continues to serve as a busy permanent racing venue throughout the year, giving the Le Mans complex a dual identity as both the home of the world's most famous endurance car race and a front-line motorcycle Grand Prix venue.