The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the biggest round of the FIA’s World Endurance Car championship, and we’re on the ground for the Centenary
The Nürburgring 24 Hours has been and gone for 2023, but the 100th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is just around the corner. Held as the flagship event for the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 2023 event marks 100 years since it first ran in 1923, making it the oldest active endurance race in the world. US basketball star LeBron James will wave the starting flag on Saturday June 10 at 1500 (BST), with over 60 cars vying for victory through day and night.
Having made its debut last year, the exciting new Le Mans Hypercar class (LMh) sits at the top of the grid, with this year’s Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDh) debut bringing total top-class entrants to 16. LMGTE Pro has been axed for 2023 with the LMGTE Am category now larger than ever with 21 cars, joined by 24 in the existing LMP2 class. As featured in evo issue 309, there's also the experimental Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, driven by Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller.
The Le Mans 24h endurance race was first run 100 years ago in 1923, making it the oldest running active endurance race in the world. While the specific Circuit de la Sarthe has evolved over the years, its basic location near the French town of Le Mans, just north of the Loire Valley, has always been fixed.
The track is based on both public roads and some dedicated racing tarmac. Its most iconic feature is the Mulsanne straight, which at 3.7 miles long, was the longest on any track until two chicanes were added in 1990 to comply with a new rule introduced that limited straight lengths to 1.2 miles.
A total of four practice sessions are held during the week, with qualifying held on Wednesday (June 7) and the Hyperpole race on Thursday (June 8), before the flag drops for the 24 hour race on Saturday (June 10). Full timings in British Summer Time are as below:
- Free Practice 1: 1300 – 1400
- Qualifying: 1800 – 1900
- Free Practice 2: 2100 – 2300
- Free Practice 3: 1400 – 1700
- Hyperpole: 1900 – 1930
- Free Practice 4: 2100 – 2200
- Warm up: 1100 – 1115
- RACE START: 1500
- RACE END: 1500
The Hyperpole is a qualifying runoff driven by the six highest qualifying cars in each class. It was introduced in 2020, and is a chance for all the contenders to run at full pace over a shorter distance, in the end defining the final starting grid.
There are three categories of car that compete at Le Mans today, with the newest and most controversial being the Le Mans Hypercar class. Initially designed to attract more OEM manufacturers to the sport after the spiralling costs associated with the LMP1 class became a barrier, it had a stunted start due to various factors before finally being introduced in the 2022 season.
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Le Mans Daytona Hybrid entrants will also sit alongside them for 2023, with the likes of the Porsche 963, BMW M Hybrid and Cadillac V-Series.R making an appearance. Peugeot and Ferrari are also competing in the top-flight Le Mans Hypercar class this year, with Vanwall, Toyota and Glickenhaus making a return.
Below this is a continuation of the previous LMP2 class, which is designed largely for privateer teams. As such, the cars run one of four control chassis, with a single power unit shared across all entries. Below this sits the GTE Am class, featuring the likes of the Porsche 911 RSR, Ferrari 488 GTE EVO and Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – GTE Pro has now been axed.
With the top Hypercar class now more exciting than ever, the Centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is set to be a strong one. Follow our social accounts for the very latest over the racing weekend.
Unlike the N24, there’s no free live-stream on which to watch the Le Mans 24h online. Eurosport has the rights to the live coverage, and broadcasts all the practice sessions, qualifying, hyperpole and the race itself on the Eurosport app and website.
Keyword: FIA Le Mans 24 Hours 2023 – a guide to the year’s biggest endurance race