There’s nothing quite like Le Mans. It’s arguably the biggest name on the racing circuit and, where other races have faded into obscurity, it has endured - this week’s race will mark 83 years since the Automobile Club d’Ouest first mapped out their plans for a 24 hour endurance race…



It was the gruelling nature of the race and the sacrifices drivers made to compete that drew Steve McQueen to Le Mans in the first place - as well as the skill required to pilot cars like the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512, with their flimsy fibreglass bodywork and hulking V12’s, around the Circuit de la Sarthe with precious little in the way of electronics or safety features.

Take a closer look at the history behind the oldest active endurance sportscar race here:

1920’s

The first races were held in 1923, with the original framework resembling that of a three race event - a plan that was abandoned by the organisers in 1928 in favour of the one race format more familiar to modern motorsport fans. Early races were dominated by British, French and Italian drivers as marques like Bentley, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo dominated the podium positions.

1930’s

The 1930’s ushered in a new era for car design and innovation - and with it, a new wave of aerodynamic cars from Alfa Romeo and Bugatti. The result? Faster cars, more exciting races - and more dangerous conditions for drivers.

1940’s

After a ten year hiatus during WWII, The 24 Hours of Le Mans emerged once more in 1949 with renewed interest from major car manufacturers. The stage was set for something big…

1950’s

After the formation of the World Sportscar Championship in 1953, things started to get serious. Teams began to receive the backing of the factories that supplied them, which allowed them to send multiple cars to the Circuit de la Sarthe - often a necessity given the danger of the circuit and the fragility of the cars…

The extent of this danger was exposed by the tragic death of Pierre Levegh and 80 spectators in 1955 - an accident that in turn led to widespread safety measures being brought in at Le Mans and other WSC venues.

1960’s

The 60’s saw manufacturers move away open cockpit roadsters in favour closed cockpit coupés - a trend that would increase speeds to above and beyond 200mph. King amongst these coupés was the Ford GT40, a car that recorded 4 consecutive victories at Le Mans - and the last production car to assert such dominance on the racetrack for reasons that will become clear…

1970’s

The 70’s saw the arrival of purpose built prototypes on the circuit, with the result being that production cars moved down to the lower classes of competition.

Porsche was particularly dominant during this period, with the 917 and 935 at times proving unstoppable, though French manufacturers Matra-Simca and Renault also scored notable victories for their home country…

1980’s

Whilst Porsche continued to assert their dominance with the 956, the 80’s also saw returns to the fray for Jaguar and Mercedes Benz, as well as new entries from Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Mazda - with the latter scoring a memorable victory in the rotary engine powered 787B in 1991.

1990’s

It was in this decade that the Circuit de la Sarthe undertook the most significant change of its history, with the iconic Mulsanne straight altered to include two chicanes. With this came a resurgence from production cars like the McLaren F1 (which won in its first outing in 1995), who could claim reliability and better mileage over their prototype peers. This in turn sparked fierce competitions between cars competing in the race’s GT and prototype classes.

2000’s

With many car manufacturers withdrawing from active competition at Le Mans, Audi emerged as the dominant force on the Circuit de la Sarthe in the R8 - until Bentley finally knocked the Germans off their perch in 2003.

This paved the way for a Franco-Teutonic rivalry that would last the rest of the decade, as Peugeot and Audi experimented with different engines and fuel sources like diesel and bioethanol in a bid to outdo each other.

2010’s

After Peugeot withdrew from competition for financial reasons, it was left to Audi and Toyota to grapple for overall first at the Circuit de la Sarthe throughout the 2010’s - a period of dominance that was interrupted by the return of Porsche to the top flights of competition in 2014. With the resurgence of Nissan’s NISMO racing team to contend with also, the stage is set for an intriguing matchup this weekend…