This year’s Le Mans 100th anniversary is fun for everyone. If you appreciate racing, strategy, and vehicles or want something thrilling and entertaining to watch while you go about your day (and night and day again), the 24 Hours of Le Mans has much to offer. However, you may become engrossed with the race and its history. Good news. We’ll address your inquiries. Le Mans lovers, note! MotorTrend TV and MotorTrend+ will again be the only US and Canadian sources. MotorTrend+, the official presenter of the 2023 Le Mans race, will provide fans unprecedented access to the 24-hour event. The race starts at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT) on June 10 after practice and qualifying on June 7. The green flag will follow a day of intense track fights. MotorTrend+ subscribers will also get dashcam footage from 16 opponents and other exclusive presentations before and during the Le Mans weekend. Is it 24 hours like Le Mans? Yep. The 2023 Le Mans race begins in France on June 10 at 9:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. PT) ends the following day at 10:00 a.m. Except for World War II, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has held this race annually. At the event, Le Mans celebrates its 100th birthday. That may have been impossible with the constant bombing and the same people fighting them. Whoa. Driving on the highway for 10 hours got tiresome after two. Who goes all day? Three racers per car. They operate 45 minutes to four hours per squad. The most time a driver can be on the road is 14 hours. Teams switch drivers every 45 to 50 minutes for petrol and tires. Drivers are strapped in and given drink tubes and radios during driver changes. They may also adjust the driver’s seat. Gas and tire changes take about the same time. How Did “Le Mans” Originate? Le Mans is home to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The 8.46-mile circle pictured above has a lot of closed public highways. Listen for the Esses (3, 4, and 5), Tertre Rouge (6), Indianapolis (11), Arnage (2), Porsche Curves (13–17), and Ford Chicanes (18–21). The Mulsanne Straight connected Le Mans (pitlane to Turn 6) to Mulsanne (Turn 9). The straight now has Turns 7 and 8 to slow drivers. A driver’s Le Mans speed? Kamui Kobayashi’s 2017 Toyota TS050 Hybrid lapped the Circuit fastest. Kobayashi drove the legendary Track in under 3 minutes and 15 seconds at over 157 mph. In 2019, TS050 driver Mike Conway set a race lap record of 3 minutes and 17.297 seconds. Le Mans’ fastest speed? Roger Dorchy’s 1988 WM P88 record was over 252 mph. Chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight make it unlikely that a driver will beat Dorchy’s record. Le Mans lap length? The 8.5-mile Le Mans Track is named the Track de la Sarthe. How far is Le Mans driven in 24 hours? 2010 winner Audi R15 TDI Plus drove over 3,360 kilometres in 24 hours. Mike Rockefeller, Timo Bernhard, and Romain Dumas each drove the fuel-hungry race car. Most Le Mans winners? Tom Kristensen has the most wins. He won in 1997 and 2013. Which automaker has the most Le Mans wins? Porsche has the most Le Mans wins with 19. Second-best Audi has won 13 races. Toyota has won five consecutive Le Mans races—last year’s race winner. Which automaker has won Le Mans most often? Porsche was the only company to win Le Mans nine times afterward. The German automaker won from 1979 through 1987. Toyota aspires to win the Le Mans 24 Hours for the sixth year. Le Mans finish line: how close? Two 1966 Ford GT40 sports vehicles finished 66 feet apart. Ford planned for the race knowing its cars were far ahead of the competition. What separated the Le Mans winners and runners-up? Bentley won the 1927 event by finishing first. Second-placed Salmson was over 220 kilometres behind. Who won the Le Mans 24 Hours youngest? Alexander Wurz won the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans at 22 years and four months. Why so many car “classes”? Le Mans and endurance racing have long attracted fans who want to battle against fast vehicles. Races had multiple classes with comparable cars. You may only regularly race the automobile after you are on the road. Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship include four vehicle types. What distinguishes these groups? Le Mans’ premier class, LMH, stands for “Le Mans Hypercar.” These prototypes can use front-axle hybrid engines. LMDh, or GTP, is IMSA’s new second class of hypercars. LMDh vehicles employ Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier, or Oreca chassis. OEMs may build LMH automobiles. Toyota, Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Glickenhaus, Vanwall, Cadillac, and Peugeot will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. Le Mans had no IMSA Acura GTP cars this year. Private teams use cheaper LMP2 prototypes below Hypercars. Four builders—Dallara, Oreca, Riley-Multimatic, and Onroak—are competing. LM GTE Am is the GT class. Le Mans hosted the final LM GTE Pro event last year. LM GTE Am vehicles are road cars with production-car frames. Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Ford, Chevrolet, and BMW will race. GT racers might be pros or amateurs. “Balance of performance” (Bop) changes engine power and weight to level the playing field. How’s Le Mans racing? Drivers monitor gas, tire wear, and traffic when driving fast. For the Hypercar class, that means traversing more miles in two hours than in an F1 race and passing numerous slower vehicles. Each class’s struggle is close. Thus, the lead is, at most, two minutes. Who won last year? Toyota Gazoo Racing won its sixth consecutive championship in 2022. The Toyota Gazoo Hybrid racer won in 2021 and 2022. Can I watch The Race? MotorTrend TV and MotorTrend+ will again be the only US and Canadian sources. MotorTrend+, the official presenter of the 2023 Le Man’s race, will provide fans unprecedented access to the 24-hour event. The race starts at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT) on June 10 after practice and qualifying on June 7. The green flag will follow a day of intense track fights. MotorTrend+ subscribers will also get dashcam footage from 16 opponents and other exclusive presentations before and during the Le Mans weekend.
