le Mans

The track's fundamental character is defined by extreme speed. Up to 85 percent of the 24-hour circuit lap time is spent at full throttle, placing intense stress on engines, drivetrains, brakes, and suspension. Cars must decelerate from over 322 km/h (200 mph) to around 100 km/h (62 mph) for the sharp corner at the village of Mulsanne. Even with extensive modifications over the decades, prototype cars still average in excess of 240 km/h (150 mph) per lap.

The original road course was triangular: south from Le Mans to Mulsanne, northwest to Arnage, and back north to Le Mans. The track at that time ran 17.261 km (10.725 mi) and was unpaved. A city bypass in 1929 shortened the layout, and the classic 13.492 km (8.384 mi) configuration — used almost unaltered for over four decades — was established in 1932 with the addition of the section from the pits via the Dunlop Bridge and the Esses to Tertre Rouge.

The most famous section of the circuit was the Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, commonly called the Mulsanne Straight in English, a roughly 6 km (3.7 mi) section of the public D338 road. Cars exiting Tertre Rouge spent nearly half a lap at full throttle before braking for Mulsanne Corner. The Porsche 917 long tail reached 362 km/h (225 mph) on this straight in the 1969–1971 period. Group C prototypes exceeded 400 km/h (250 mph) in the late 1980s. In 1988, Roger Dorchy driving the WM P87 for Team WM Peugeot was clocked by radar at 407 km/h (253 mph), the fastest speed officially recorded at Le Mans. Fatal accidents involving Jean-Louis Lafosse in 1981 and Jo Gartner in 1986 intensified safety concerns. Before the 1990 race, two chicanes were inserted into the straight to limit maximum speeds; the FIA had also decreed it would no longer sanction circuits with straights exceeding 2 km (1.2 mi). Despite the restrictions, the fastest qualifying lap average speed fell only modestly, from 249.826 to 243.329 km/h in 1992.

The circuit has undergone fifteen major layout revisions. Key changes include: the addition of a Ford chicane before the pits for the 1968 race; Armco barriers fitted for 1969; the revamped pit area in 1972 at a cost of 300 million francs, which also added the Porsche Curves bypassing the dangerous "Maison Blanche" section; a 1987 chicane at the Dunlop Curve where cars had previously passed under the Dunlop bridge at 180 mph; and the 2006 redevelopment of the Dunlop Chicane area. Following the fatal crash of Allan Simonsen at the 2013 race, Tertre Rouge was re-profiled with the radius moved approximately 200 m inward and new tyre barriers installed. The current layout, designated Circuit N°15, has been in use since 2018.

A 4.185 km (2.600 mi) permanent track, the Bugatti Circuit, was constructed within the larger complex in 1965 and named after Ettore Bugatti. It shares the pit complex and Dunlop Straight section with the full Le Mans circuit, diverging at La Chapelle corner into a separate infield section. The Bugatti Circuit hosted the 1967 French Grand Prix — the only Formula One World Championship race held at Le Mans — and now serves as the regular host of the French MotoGP round as well as club events, truck racing, and other series throughout the year. The permanent facility has a capacity of 100,000 spectators, and the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans is located at the main entrance of the venue.