The race was conceived to test manufacturers' ability to build cars that were both sporty and reliable, rewarding engineering durability over raw speed. Its demanding circuit layout, with the long Mulsanne Straight as centrepiece, placed particular emphasis on aerodynamic stability and drivetrain longevity.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans grew from the Rudge-Whitworth Triennial Cup, an original format in which the winner was determined by the car covering the farthest cumulative distance across three consecutive 24-hour races. That format was abandoned in 1928, after which an outright winner was declared annually based on greatest distance covered in a single event.
The early races were shaped by French, British, and Italian manufacturers, with Bugatti, Bentley, and Alfa Romeo among the dominant marques. The race was cancelled ten times in total: once in 1936 due to a labour strike, and from 1940 to 1948 because of the Second World War. The 2020 edition was held without spectators for the first time, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Le Mans became synonymous with the Ligne Droite des Hunaudières — commonly known as the Mulsanne Straight — a 6 km (3.7 mi) section of the route départementale D338. After exiting Tertre Rouge, cars ran at full throttle for nearly half the lap before braking heavily for Mulsanne Corner.
Speeds on the straight climbed dramatically across the decades. The Porsche 917 long tail reached 362 km/h (225 mph) between 1969 and 1971. The 1978 Porsche 935 was clocked at 367 km/h (228 mph). Group C prototypes exceeded 400 km/h (250 mph) in the late 1980s. At the 1988 race, Roger Dorchy driving the WM P87 for Welter Racing was recorded at 407 km/h (253 mph) — the highest speed ever officially clocked at Le Mans. Although Peugeot later promoted the result as "405 km/h" to coincide with the launch of its new 405 road car, Dorchy's confirmed run was 407 km/h.
Fatal accidents on the straight — Jean-Louis Lafosse in 1981 and Jo Gartner in 1986 — combined with the FIA's decree that it would no longer sanction circuits with straights exceeding 2 km (1.2 mi) led to the insertion of two chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight before the 1990 race. Top speeds fell considerably, though the fastest qualifying lap average speed dropped only from 249.826 to 243.329 km/h by 1992.
The 1955 Le Mans disaster remains the deadliest single event in motorsport history. Pierre Levegh's car struck a slower vehicle and launched into the crowd, killing Levegh and more than 80 spectators. The pit complex was subsequently rebuilt further back, and the disaster accelerated safety reforms across the sport.
The traditional Le Mans start — in which drivers sprinted across the track to their cars — was itself a hazard. In 1969, Jacky Ickx protested the practice by walking to his car and carefully fastening his harness before pulling away, while privateer John Woolfe was killed in a first-lap accident having not secured his belts. The running start was abolished from 1970, and since 1971 a rolling start has been used.
In 1999, three separate Mercedes-Benz CLRs were launched backwards into the air by aerodynamic failures. Peter Dumbreck's car cleared the barriers and landed in the woods. Mercedes withdrew its remaining entry and ended its sports car programme. The 2011 accidents involving Allan McNish and Mike Rockenfeller led directly to the 2014 regulation requiring all LMP1 cars to run closed cockpits.
The fatal crash of Allan Simonsen at the 2013 race, where his car struck barriers at Tertre Rouge — a tree behind the barrier was preventing it from functioning correctly — led to Tertre Rouge being re-profiled, with the entry radius moved approximately 200 m inward and new tyre barriers installed. The current circuit configuration has been in use since 2018.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one leg of the informal Triple Crown of Motorsport, alongside the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, and also a component of the endurance Triple Crown alongside the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. The race was part of the World Sportscar Championship from 1953 to 1992 (with some exceptions), joined the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2011, and has been part of the FIA World Endurance Championship since 2012.
The race is held in mid-June, near the summer solstice, meaning the shortest night and some of the warmest conditions across the 24 hours. Modern competitors regularly cover more than 5,000 km in the race; the distance record of 5,410 km was set in 2010.
Porsche is the most successful manufacturer in Le Mans history with nineteen overall victories, including seven in a row from 1981 to 1987, and 107 class victories. Audi follows with thirteen wins and Ferrari with eleven. Tom Kristensen holds the record for most driver victories with nine wins between 1997 and 2013, including six consecutive. Henri Pescarolo holds the record for most Le Mans appearances with 33 starts.
Gallery · 4 related images
