The first running in 2002 was the first time since 1923 that the full 24-hour circuit — part of which is public road for the rest of the year — was closed specifically for an event other than the modern 24 Hours of Le Mans. To compete, drivers must hold an FIA International Competition licence.
The event consists of races for cars which have competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or for similar cars of the same model. Cars are broken into six different eras, originally covering cars from prior to 1979, later extended to 1981. Three new classes have been added by Peter Auto in recent years to reflect the broader history of the event. Car shows and auctions are hosted on the Bugatti Circuit grounds, with various car clubs meeting to display machinery.
Each class competes separately on the full 13.65 km Circuit de la Sarthe. The current Heritage classes are: 1923–1939, 1949–1956, 1957–1961, 1962–1966, and 1967–1975. The current Legend classes are: 1976–1982; 1983–1993 Group C; 1994–2000 GT Cars; 2001–2005 prototypes or 2001–2010 LM GTE; and 2006–2012 prototypes with 2011–2020 GTE. Cars retired at the end of the 2020 FIA WEC season in prototypes and 2023 in GTE are eligible. Support races for retired GT3 cars and historic NASCAR race cars up to 2021 are also offered, in association with NASCAR Holdings' Historic Sportscar Racing.
Beginning in 2005, the SERO organization launched Le Mans Classic Japan, intended to run in alternating years from the French event. The inaugural event was held at the Mine Circuit; in 2007 it moved to Fuji Speedway as part of the Japan Le Mans Challenge. Cars and drivers must meet the same qualifications as in France, divided into eras and requiring competition licences.
Six classes competed. Class 1 was won by Gareth Burnett and Julian Bronson in a Talbot 105. Class 2 was won by Vary Paerson and Nigel Webb in a Jaguar C-Type. Class 3 was won by the same drivers in a Jaguar D-Type on total laps, with a Saab 93 driven by Fredrik Tornérhielm, Bo Lindman and Göran Dahlén winning on adjusted performance. Class 4 was won by Christian Glasel in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by Olivier Cazalier in a Ferrari 512S. Class 6 was won by Jean-Marc Luco and Jürgen Barth in a Porsche 936.
Class 1 was won by Albert Otten in a BMW 328. Class 2 was won by Peter Neumark and JS Baxter in a Jaguar D-Type. Class 3 was won by Willi Balz and Frank Stippler in a Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage. Class 4 saw Christian Glasel repeat in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by Bernard Thuner in a Lola T70 Mk III. Class 6 was won by Jean-Marc Luco, partnered by Jacques Nicolet, in a Porsche 936.
Class 1 was won by C. Traber and B. Trenery in a Talbot Lago. Class 2 was won by G. Pickering in a Jaguar D-Type. Class 3 was won by Wills, Twyman and Pirro in a Lotus 15. Class 4 was won by L. Voyazides and R. D'Abel De Libran in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by Bernard Thuner in a Lola T70 Mk III. Class 6 was won by C. MacAllister in a Gulf Mirage.
Class 1 was won by Michael Birch and Gareth Burnett in a Talbot 105. Classes 2 and 3 were both won by Gary Pearson and Chris Harris in a Jaguar D-Type. Class 4 was won by Hans Hugenholtz in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by David Hart in a Lola T70 Mk III. Class 6 was won again by C. MacAllister in a Gulf Mirage.
Class 1 was won by Christian Traber and Spencer Trenery in a Talbot Lago. Class 2 was won by Andy Wallace in a Jaguar D-Type. Class 3 was won by Chris Ward-Lister in a Costin. Class 4 was won by Shaun Lynn in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by Bernard Thuner in a Lola T70 Mk III. Class 6 was won by Ulrich Schumacher and Marco Werner in a Porsche 936.
Class 1 was won by Michael Birch and Gareth Burnett — winners of the same class in 2014 — in a Talbot AV105. Class 2 was won by Niklas Halusa and Lukas Halusa in a Jaguar D-Type. Class 3 was won by Andy Wallace in another Jaguar D-Type. Class 4 was won by Diogo Ferrao in a Ford GT40. Class 5 was won by Philippe Scemama in a Ford GT40. Class 6 was won by Stephen Dance in a Ford Capri RS 2600.
The 2023 edition celebrated the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, attracting almost 235,000 visitors.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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