24 Hours of Le Mans is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. There are two major series that come together to take part in this annual event, Le Mans and American Le Mans (governed by IMSA).
The four classes of cars are Le Mans Prototype 1 and 2 (LMP1 and LMP2), and Le Mans Grand Touring 1 and 2 (LMGT1 & LMGT2). The LMP1 class features a number of rear-engine, open-cockpit cars, with wings on the rear to create downforce at high speed. Last year Peugeot mounted an effort to de-throne Audi, and their closed-cockpit diesel-powered entries fared well for their maiden 24.
The LMP2 class has similarly-designed machines that are smaller, lighter, and have less power. This is the class Roger Penske’s Porsche RS Spyders have dominated in the American Le Mans series. His drivers will compete in the race, but Penske is yet to enter his DHL-sponsored cars.
LMGT1 and GT2 have racing versions of exotic sports cars. Corvette Racing has been dominant in the GT1 class, with their yellow and black paint schemes taking honors for the better part of the past decade with the C5R and C6R models. They have been challenged by Aston-Martin, with the British Racing Green DBR9s giving chase, only to fall short, unless the Vettes suffer failures or are handicapped by added ballast to slow them down. A Saleen and a Russian team with a Lamborghini Murcielago will also vie for the LMGT1 title this year.
LMGT2 will possibly the most competitive and entertaining race to watch, as racing Porsche 911 GT3s, Ferrari F430s, and Spyker C8 sports cars duke it out for bragging rights.
Interesting Tidbits:
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the first known place where champagne was sprayed by the winner. This occurred in 1968 when A.J. Foyt, Jr. and Dan Gurney won in a Ford GT40. Gurney sprayed Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby, their wives, and a number of journalists (who predicted the duo would fail miserably) who were standing nearby.
The race was first held in May, but was moved to June, and is traditionally held the second weekend of the month. It was held in July in 1956, September in 1968, and was canceled in 1936, and during 1940-1948 for World War II.
A car must cross the finish line to be counted in the race results. Originally, the winner was declared by distance covered. This created controversy in the finish in 1966, when the Ford team crossed the line 1-2 in a photo formation. But the trailing car was declared the winner because it started farther back on the grid, and thus covered 8 meters more than the leading car. Now, the winner is based on laps completed.
The entrants in the field of 55 cars are invited to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams can qualify in based on performance in prior races and in the Le Mans and American Le Mans Series.
Analysis & Predictions:
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