Sunday 5 June

Test Day will be held on the first Sunday in June. All the teams taking part in the race will have the chance to get out on the track for up to eight hours. The morning session will run from 9.00am to 1.00pm, with the day’s second session following on from 2.00 to 6.00pm. Lap times clocked during the day are relatively unimportant as they have no bearing on grid positions for the big race. However drivers who will be competing in their first 24 Hours of Le Mans, or who have not appeared on the list of confirmed drivers since 2011, will be required to cover ten laps.

 

Le Pesage des 24 Heures du Mans, on y vient en famille #LEMANS http://t.co/xkwgjfTRYR pic.twitter.com/Mtw2Wo1loG

— 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) June 7, 2015

 

Sunday 12 June

The Technical and Administrative Checks, commonly known as “Scrutineering”, kick off a great week of festivities. Place de la République in Le Mans city centre is where it’s all happening as the 60 cars that will line up for the race are presented for mandatory checks. The 22 scheduled on Sunday 12 June, from 2.30 to 7.00pm, include the Porsche Team with their two Porsche 919 Hybrids, Toyota with their pair of TS 050 Hybrids, and also the four works Ford GTs and the Alpines.
Scrutineers appointed by the race director will carry out a range of checks to ensure that every component of the cars complies with the regulations. The drivers’ licences and equipment are examined too. Scrutineering is a tremendous opportunity to exchange a few words with the drivers set to take part in the world’s greatest race and see the cars at close quarters.

 

L'endurance, une discipline "historique" pour @alpine_cars ! @signaturerace #AlpineisBack https://t.co/6Kaq81SdAs pic.twitter.com/R8A7mlWect

— 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) February 17, 2016

 

Monday 13 June

Second day of Scrutineering. Place de la République will again be the venue as the remaining 38 cars are inspected. Team AAI and their Chevrolet Corvette will start the day’s proceedings at 10.00am followed by a procession of Ferraris (including the AF Corse team’s cars), Porsche 911 RSRs, Aston Martin V8 Vantages and Rebellions. The two Audi R18s, among the favourites for outright victory, are expected during the afternoon, which is due to conclude by 6.00pm. Other teams of particular interest to spectators will be newcomers Manor (Oreca) and US outfit Michael Shank Racing, also making their Le Mans début this year.

 

 

If you could choose any of these cars, which one would it be? #LM24 #24lm #lemans

Une photo publiée par 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) le 10 Déc. 2015 à 11h32 PST

 

Tuesday 14 June

On Tuesday, the Circuit de la Sarthe will still be relatively quiet as the cars will not take to the track until the following day. The pit lane however will be a hive of activity as it opens for the traditional autograph session. All drivers will be around from 5.00 to 6.30pm to hand out memorabilia, sign posters and have a quick chat.

Wednesday 15 June

The only practice session scheduled this year will be held from 4.00pm on Wednesday 15 June. The teams and drivers will have just four hours to get back into the groove and quickly find the right settings as the first qualifying session follows shortly afterwards, from 10.00pm to midnight. This is traditionally a lively session as the teams look to record a fast time early on in case any gremlins throw a spanner in the works on day two. In addition to the 24 Hours field, the cars entered in The Road to Le Mans race will also be taking to the track during the interlude, from 8.30 to 9.30pm. The 24 Hours of Le Mans village will also be coming to life with the funfair and a whole host of stores, demonstrations, competitions and lots more. Live music will also be on the evening’s agenda with Naked (in the sphere) and Shake Shake Go set to appear from 8.00pm.

 

 

A Chevrolet Corvette win in LM GTE PRO. The official Corvette had some hard times when the C7-R n°63 crashed in qualifying with Jan Magnussen at the wheel. But the Americans were able to find resources for the victory. Une Chevrolet Corvette s'impose en LM GTE PRO. L'équipe officielle Corvette semblait pourtant en difficultés lorsque la C7-R n°63 a été accidentée aux essais qualificatifs par Jan Magnussen. Mais les Américains ont su trouver les ressources pour décrocher la victoire. #LM24 #LeMans

Une photo publiée par 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) le 14 Juin 2015 à 6h25 PDT

 

Thursday 16 June

Final day of qualifying with two-hour sessions scheduled from 7.00 to 9.00pm, and from 10.00pm to midnight. Final preparations will be made for the big day as the 60 cars in the field will be going all out to earn the best possible spot on the starting grid. The final minutes of the night session promise to be exciting and full of suspense as we wait to find out who will be in pole position for the big race. Audi, Porsche or Toyota? Place your bets!

This year, track action will not be reserved to the evening as, for the very first time, the circuit will be open in the morning. The Ferrari Challenge will be keeping early birds enthralled from 10.00 to 10.45am and from 11.30am to 12.15pm. The Road to Le Mans competitors will then be back on track from 2.30 to 3.30pm. The Ferraris will be return to action from 4.00 to 5.00pm for their qualifying session. Thursday’s live music will see Retrospective, a French rock outfit from Montpellier, and English singer-songwriter Julian Perretta take to the stage from 8.00pm.

Friday 17 June

Final day before the big race. If you think that this is just a rest day, then think again! Spectators holding a General Enclosure ticket are free to take a walk up the pit lane and get a close-up view of their favourite teams’ garages at any time from 10.00am to 8.00 pm. In the late afternoon, the crowds flock to Le Mans city centre as the great Drivers Parade gets under way at 5.30pm. All 180 competitors will be travelling aboard a convoy of vintage cars, dishing out goodies and signing autographs. The Drivers Parade and its carnival atmosphere are not to be missed ahead of the big day.

 

Engouement autour de la 84e édition des @24HeuresduMans préparez votre venue ! #LEMANS24 https://t.co/QNibueOKos pic.twitter.com/2Xa2bLKFTq

— 24 Heures du Mans (@24heuresdumans) May 19, 2016

 

Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June

From 9.00am, the teams can take to the track once again for a 45-minute warm-up. This is their final opportunity to make sure that the car is ready for the pending 24-hour marathon. The Saturday morning support races will then be held, beginning with the Ferrari Challenge from 10.05 to 10.50am. The first-ever Road to Le Mans will then be run from 11.10am to 12.10pm with LM P3s and GT3s sharing the circuit for a one-hour race.

At 12.30pm, do not miss the magnificent lap of honour dedicated to French marque Inaltera which will follow on from a parade of over a hundred cars produced by Ford, who are making their Le Mans comeback this year. It will then be time for the starting procedures as the clock ticks down to 3.00 pm. With the arrival of the French national flag, the cars lining up against the pit lane wall, and the flyover by Air Force demonstration team Patrouille de France, there is always something to see. At 3.00pm, the flag will be waved to unleash the 60 cars for a 24-hour battle. Teams and drivers will all be striving to top their class in the world’s finest, most prestigious endurance race.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one great party away from the track too with concerts featuring DJ Loran, Kazi Lambist, The Shoes and The Avener, a funfair and lots of stores selling an array of merchandise.

The magical weekend will reach its climax at 3.00pm on Sunday when the leading car storms across the line and becomes the 84th winner of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

Geoffroy Barre — Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: The 24 Hours of Le Mans – a week of festivities culminating in the chequered flag at 3.00pm on Sunday 19 June.