The Porsche Corners

If one asks the drivers which part of the Circuit des 24 Heures they prefer, many will say the Porsche curves. This rapid succession is where the track leaves the county road and arrives at an area closed off the rest of the year since it is not part of the Circuit Bugatti, just like the White House straight which follows. Indeed, the entire stretch, going from the first Porsche curve to the Ford chicane is often called the "new portion."

The predominance of the Porsche curves is in fact wrong. Purists call them the Porsche curve, the Pont corner and the Karting corner. This entire area was overhauled in 1972 thanks to a large-scale renovation that went from the Arnage corner to the grandstands.

Leaving the former White House road, the new layout is as it is now since only the approaches, like the creation of a spectator zone outside the Porsche curve in 1999, have been modified since. The Karting corner, named because of its proximity to the karting track, is the only sloped corner of the circuit, which makes it particularly tricky and why many incidents take place at this spot.

Though the Corvette corner, which was redone between 2013 and 2014 with the creation of a gravel trap, is not strictly speaking a part of the Porsche curves, it closes the area and ends up at the White House straight with a fast "right-left." At the exterior is the White House circuit reserved for the Driving School.

The spectator zone situated at the outside of the Porsche corners, due to its elevation, gives a large panoramic view that goes practically to the Arnage corner. This area is accessible via the road that leads to the Beauséjour campground, outside the heart of the circuit. On the other side of the track, a zone allows visitors to see the karting circuit and the corner of the same name. The action on the track is often stunning at this spot, making the zone highly coveted by spectators, especially since it is accessible with a simple "general admission" ticket.

To be continued...

Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: Copyright - Yoann BOULAY / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES. Aerial view of the Porsche Corners.