Sportscar

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, known in French as 24 Heures du Mans, is the world’s oldest active sportscar race in endurance racing. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been held every year since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France, located just southwest of Paris.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency because race teams have to balance vehicle speed against the car’s ability to run constantly for 24 hours without causing mechanical damage. The car’s consumables, including fuel, tires, and braking materials, also need to be carefully managed by teams.

Drivers spend approximately two hours behind the wheel in shifts before switching off at a pit stop to allow a relief driver to take over. Then, drivers refuel their bodies and rest before driving the car once more. The race requires three drivers to share each competing vehicle.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) organizes the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race is run on the Circuit de la Sarthe, which contains a mixture of closed public roads as well as specialized motor racing circuit. The circuit is designed to test cars as well as the driver’s ability to be quick. Circuit is also designed to last over a 24 hour period.

Competing teams are separated into classes. All teams in a class have cars of similar specifications. However, during the race, all classes compete against one another for top overall spot.

The biggest difference between Le Mans and other Formula events is the fact that the race was originally held for cars that were sold to the general public. These cars were called sportscars, as opposed to the specialist racing cars seen in Grand Prix events. Today, the cars raced at Le Mans are not publically available, and there are four classes of cars involved in the race.

There are 56 cars in total involved in Le Mans. Car were originally required to have at least two seats, although today, cars are only required to have the ability to fit a second seat, and physically placing a seat in the cockpit is not required. No more than two doors are allowed on vehicles, although open cockpit cars do not require doors.

The number of classes has varied over the years. Today, the competition includes 4 separate classes, including:

-2 classes of specialized enclosed bodywork two-seat prototype sportscars. These cars are custom-built Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and make up the top two classes of the race, LMP1 and LMP2. Cars are divided into classes based on speed, weight, and power output.

-2 classes of Grand Touring cars which resemble the high performance sportscars sold to the general public, including GT Endurance Pro and GT Endurance AM classes, both of which utilize the FIA GT2 class.