Cadillac entered three cars in the world’s most famous endurance race’s premier class for the first time in 20 years. Cadillac entered “Le Monstre” at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1950. In the early 2000s Northstar LMP program was their last World Endurance Championship race. Since the rules enabled crossover between the World Endurance Race and IMSA top classes, the American automobile company returned in 2023—Cadillac Racing marathon. Racetracks are smaller. The 8.5-mile track’s 38 bends are public roads until the race. Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and Le Mans 24 Hours compose the Motorsport Triple Crown. Le Mans 24 Hours began in 1923. Mulsanne, Hunaudières, Arnage, and Porsche Curves made many racers heroes. Qualifying a week prior determines pole position. On Friday, teams disassemble and test their automobiles. Teams replace engines for safety or qualification. After a fire, Sébastian Bourdais, Scott Dixon, and Renger van der Zande started the third Cadillac with a new engine Thursday. The Romans founded Le Mans, where cars will parade Friday. Fans wave and take selfies with their favourite drivers on tiny, historic streets. Fans chant “USA, USA” and tell the drivers to crank their V-8 engines as they race the Corvette squad and antique Vettes. The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans attracted 325,000 spectators. Sports fans are exceptionally loyal to endurance racing. A group of teenage women shouts out driver names and waves team flags. Saturday, automobiles line up before fans fill the front straight. The grid is denser than Times Square. Three Cadillac V-Series. R race cars and the bright yellow LMGTE AM class leader Corvette stand out with their red, blue, and gold paint schemes. After pausing, drivers exit the grid. Since traditions last hours, the crowd is tense before the race. Thousands of people happily chant the French national anthem when the grid is clear. Military planes fly overhead as a soldier ziplines down to wave the French flag to start the race. LeBron James started the year. He flagged and began the engines. The jets smoke a French flag next. All 62 racers collided at the first turn. The Mulsanne chicane rains but not the front straight. Rain causes No. 311 Cadillac driver Jack Aitken to hit a wall. Another vehicle spins out and limps to the pits on the dirt—a pre-safety automobile. The Circuit de la Sarthe’s size makes caution unusual. Officials raise yellow flags to warn behind them that the car ahead is going off the road. Riskier accidents create “slow zones,” where cars can’t pass and must travel 50 mph. The safety car repairs broken barriers by bringing tractors and other extensive equipment onto the track. Pit stops distinguish. Four-second F1 pit stops. Le Mans tire replacements take a minute. To avoid fines for driving outside the box, teams must move the cars before their assignment. Avoid penalties by fitting cars in their boxes. Tire change and fueling are incompatible. The pit crew replaces tires after the fuel hose breaks. Several teams train for the abrupt stop. Drivers can only drive four hours in six. Drivers alternate. The three drivers’ sizes make pit stops unique. Smaller drivers are comfortable with foam seat cushions. The driver’s helmet’s magnetic attachment can be connected to a hose inside the car to blast cool air. The driver’s air vent is honeycomb-shaped. Good tires aid races. Michelin protects its race car technology. Data engineers work in teams. Michelin’s trade secrets are kept from groups. Before pit stops, big, black boxes heat tires to 175 degrees. Drivers must warm up tires on the out lap to maximize grip. Drivers must be patient due to several fights. One driver said you might lose at the first turn but not win. Tracks vary. Rain periodically throughout the evening makes the race line more dangerous. Many circumstances cause a wave of teams to stop the marathon early, disappointing the months-long-trained teams. Pit personnel fill gas tanks and adjust tires for drivers. One team member cleans headlights and wipes the windscreen while others clean cooling ducts. Replace damaged ends. Screws remove modular parts. The worst case is towing the autos to a shop for an engine or framework. Racing above 150 mph at night is exhilarating. The dark sky makes night driving easier. As night falls, opponents’ spotlights blind some. Elite Hypercars alert GT cars of their speed by flashing their lights. Technicians and engineers must stay awake as drivers sleep and expend adrenaline. During breaks, some workers nap on the rough concrete floor or against spare pieces. Others watch the race on TV or peruse their phones. Energy drinks and sweets keep kids up all night. Late-night crowds fill the track. Others enjoy music and an outdoor club while watching the races from the fences. Some devotees stay till sunrise. Many more have slept on the grassy slopes due to exhaustion or intoxication. Club music reaches far. In this year’s event, a Chevy Camaro ZL1 adapted to NASCAR standards raced all day. Garage 56 isn’t for high-tech cars like the Camaro. Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 car had a booming 5.8-liter V-8 engine. The Camaro beat GT cars for over 20 hours before its driveline collapsed. After 285 runs, the vehicle finished 39th. See Garage 56’s modified car. At 4:00 p.m. Sunday, the chequered flag is flown. Ferrari 499P wins after 50 years. Second-place Toyota GR010. Cadillac Racing finishes second at Le Mans after 20 years. The No. 2 Cadillac wins the podium, while the gold No. 3 finishes fourth. The Action Express Racing No. 311 Cadillac finished 17th after the first lap mishap. LMGTE AM leader Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finishes 26th. Corvette wins the first class. People gather in the pit lane to see the cars return to their sheds. Cadillac’s Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook, and Earl Bamber wave to fans before lifting their trophies and pouring champagne. RVs will provide rest. The team will want to top its impressive third-place finish next year.
