This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race – you may have heard of it – an endurance event held on an 8.4-mile track in the French countryside. Its venue, Circuit de la Sarthe, combines public roads and private track that weave through the woods on the outskirts of town, and the race features prototypes and sports cars – vehicles with huge speed differentials, all fighting to win their respective classes while dodging each other day and night.
Le Mans is a big deal. This year, 62 cars and 186 drivers signed up. They’ll swap in and out of cars for the next 24 hours, resting in-between to stay alert. Some will crash. Some will have mechanical failures. Some will win.
But that’s a discussion for later. Right now, everyone is fresh and new. The race will begin soon. We’ve decided to stay awake the whole time, not to document what’s happening on track – you can look up race recaps on topgear.com for that. I, an American raised on a diet of NASCAR and a Le Mans newbie, want to find out what it’s really like to be here, to soak in every sight and sound… and we want to take you along for the ride.
Tick tock.
The hours before Le Mans
Le Mans doesn’t start until 4pm local time, allowing for a huge buildup but also
