The #51 Ferrari 499P winner of the 24 Hours Centenary has returned to a hero's welcome in Maranello, location of the Italian marque's historic headquarters.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

The 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans cemented the race's pioneering role in committing to responsible and sustainable best practices. Several initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental impact were implemented involving cutting-edge technologies as well as increased public awareness and societal commitment. Here is a look back.

Excellium Racing 100 has fuelled&nbsp;the cars at&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans and in the&nbsp;FIA WEC since 2022, representing&nbsp;the values ​​of reduced consumption and carbon-free mobility&nbsp;in sync with the goals of the ACO,&nbsp;FIA ​​and TotalEnergies

Tyre&nbsp;manufacturers have also played their part. Goodyear has decreased by&nbsp;33% the LMGT3 and LMP2 tyre quota thanks a special&nbsp;specification, and Michelin outfitted the 23 Hypercars at the start with tyres capable of lasting four stints without&nbsp;loss of&nbsp;performance. Also, the&nbsp;Michelin Pilot Sport Wet tyre for the&nbsp;Hypercars is made with&nbsp;45%&nbsp;renewable and recycled materials.

<h2>Hydrogen Takes Center Stage</h2>

 
The programme for the 92nd edition provided&nbsp;an excellent&nbsp;showcase for hydrogen cars with&nbsp;a&nbsp;spectacular running of four prototypes&nbsp;including Alpine&#39;s Alpenglow. The&nbsp;H24EVO, the third hydrogen-electric&nbsp;prototype released by&nbsp;MissionH24, was unveiled.&nbsp;The crowd&nbsp;was able to check out&nbsp;the car&#39;s&nbsp;sleek and revolutionary lines, ushering in a new and promising era. A hydrogen tuk-tuk also achieved an endurance record with&nbsp;only 2 kg of hydrogen while driving for 24 hours on the Alain Prost karting circuit!

The hydrogen village welcomed visitors with educational and fun activities, notably thanks to Horizon Educational and its remote-controlled car circuit and&nbsp;hydrogen fuelling demonstrations. No less than 20 partners and exhibitors participated.

<h2>YOUTH, innovation AND&nbsp;accessibilitY: COMMITTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE</h2>

YOUTH, innovation AND&nbsp;accessibilitY: COMMITTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE

The Green Ticket, available for the third year in a row, earned funds for&nbsp;M&eacute;c&eacute;nat Chirurgie Cardiaque.&nbsp;Those donations financed a life-saving operation for Abdoulaye, a&nbsp;Guinean boy, who suffered from a dysfunctional&nbsp;Ductus Arteriosus (the operation took place on 23 September at the hospital in&nbsp;Nantes, France). Meanwhile,&nbsp;efforts in carpooling, public transportation and soft mobility&nbsp;intensified.

The circuit also opened its gates to&nbsp;young&nbsp;fans on Tuesday&nbsp;11 June, Wednesday&nbsp;12 June and Friday&nbsp;14 June. On Tuesday,&nbsp;330 students from eight schools got to meet&nbsp;Lo&iuml;c Duval and&nbsp;Team Peugeot TotalEnergies driver&nbsp;Stoffel Vandoorne.&nbsp;These schoolchildren were able to discover the values ​​of endurance racing&nbsp;through educational projects.

During the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans press conference, the positive innovation facet&nbsp;of the&nbsp;2024 Sustainable Endurance Award by DHL rewarded&nbsp;Ferrari AF Corse, Team WRT and&nbsp;Alpine Endurance Team for their efforts. These teams received a new trophy made in Brittany out of sustainable French wood by Ewan Bryce. The ACO has also expanded facilities for individuals&nbsp;with reduced mobility with 11 dedicated areas and personalised support.

With its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-granted-iso-20121-and-fia-3-certifications-58882" target="_blank">ISO 20121 certifications and FIA 3* environmental accreditation</a>&nbsp;(the F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Internationale de l&rsquo;Automobile&#39;s highest distinction), the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans has solidified its status as a model for&nbsp;responsible event management. The greatest endurance&nbsp;race in the world continue to inspire and pave the way towards a more sustainable future.

2024 Review – The 92nd running champions sustainability

Le Mans, Ignite your senses | Since 1923, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been regarded as the ultimate test in endurance racing. Only 145 drivers and 25 brands have ever reached the top step on the podium. The race is regarded as the Everest of motorsport by fans and competitors alike. Every triumph recorded in the history of the French endurance classic tells the story of an extraordinary conquest, destined to be remembered for all time.

<h2>The rich flavour of victory</h2>

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is so much more than just a race. It is a monumental challenge, where the taste of victory is rich and complex. For some, it&rsquo;s the long-awaited redemption, a dream finally achieved after years of hard work and sacrifice. For others, it&rsquo;s the&nbsp;joy of coming through a gruelling ordeal, with every lap a battle against time, mechanical issues and the ever-changing elements.

Yet, triumph can leave a more bittersweet aftertaste. 2013 was a poignant example of this. As Tom Kristensen secured a record-breaking ninth victory, the tragic loss of his compatriot Allan Simonsen cast a sombre shadow over the celebrations

<h2>Reaching the chequered flag, a victory in itself</h2>

Taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans means competing at the pinnacle of endurance racing, while confronting a challenge unlike any other. For many teams, simply crossing the finish line is considered a victory in itself. It&rsquo;s a feeling that reflects the remarkable nature of the event, where the experience holds almost as much weight as the outcome. As the teams overcome technical, sporting and human challenges, the very essence of endurance is brought to the forefront.

In the last two years, Ferrari AF Corse has savoured two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.&nbsp;Kenji Concy, a mechanic for the Italian team assigned to the Ferrari&nbsp;499P, enjoyed the even sweeter taste of triumph at the Centenary edition.&nbsp;He tells us what victory feels like.

For him, the feeling is above all &ldquo;insatiable.&rdquo; &ldquo;Once you&rsquo;ve won the race, you want to savour that taste of victory again.&nbsp;At the start of the race, you never know what to expect. But when you&rsquo;re at the top of the leaderboard, the more the time goes by, the more you start to believe it can happen. Paradoxically, though, the doubts grow stronger because anything can happen, right up to the very last moment. It&rsquo;s only when the chequered flag is lowered that you finally realise.&nbsp;That&rsquo;s when the real taste of victory hits,&rdquo; he says.

When asked what epitomises the taste of success, the mechanic quickly replies, &ldquo;Champagne, though enjoyed in moderation!&rdquo;&nbsp;But beyond the celebration, it&rsquo;s the memory of the team effort that will stay with him. &ldquo;Since the start of our campaign, we&rsquo;ve come through a lot together.&nbsp;For six months, it was test after test. And before the tests, there was the entire assembly of the car. It was exhausting. I&rsquo;ll always think back to the path that led to victory. It was filled with obstacles and sleepless nights.&quot;

<h2>An indelible taste</h2>

Engaging our sight, sense of smell, touch, taste and hearing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a powerful, multi-sensory experience. Victory, when it comes, is the culmination of a journey fraught with challenges. Yet it is this blend of perseverance, doubt and hope that gives it a flavour both distinctive and deeply cherished. At Le Mans, victory embodies the essence of teamwork, the sweet taste of accomplishment, and the lasting resonance of a dream fulfilled.

The taste of victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: hard work, dreams and emotion

In 2024, MissionH24, the collaborative program between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project for the promotion of hydrogen in Endurance, has multiplied numerous experiments, some quite special.

What can we say about the highway trip, between Paris and Le Mans, for the H24 with St&eacute;phane Richelmi at the wheel? Users of the A11 that April day still remember it. 
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The flight over the H24 by a PC21, a fighter pilot training aircraft, will remain in the memory of all participants in this exchange organized in Cognac then on the Paul Ricard circuit, on high performance and the energy transition between MissionH24 and the Air and Space Force. 
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In June, alongside the various activities of the H24, the future H24EVO was presented by the team at the 24 Hours. With its futuristic lines, the H24EVO looks full of promise, for a zero-emission competition, which Zin&eacute;dine Zidane was able to discover aboard the Alpine Alpenglow. 
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In January, in Birmingham, the H24 began a tour of Europe, for various benchmark events in motorsport or mobility. In May at Spa in Belgium, the H24 took to the track while being at the heart of a Hydrogen forum organized with Hydrogen Europe.&nbsp;During the summer, the H24EVO participated in&nbsp;the crucial system set up in Dreux by Toyota&nbsp;on sustainable mobility 
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In Brussels, in November, it joined members of the Hydrogen ecosystem at the&nbsp;European Hydrogen Week. Find these great 2024 moments on video...And see you in 2025 for other surprises!

2024: a lively year for MissionH24

2024, une année animée pour MissionH24

Genesis, Hyundai's luxury line, intends to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship in Hypercar in 2026. The carmaker's ambitious programme is supported by a strategic partnership with the French team IDEC Sport recognised for its expertise in the LMP2 category.

<a href="https://www.idecsport.com/en/" target="_blank">IDEC Sport</a>&nbsp;has evolved into a key player in endurance racing since its&nbsp;formation&nbsp;in 2015. On the back of several successes, including a title in the 2019&nbsp;European Le Mans Series, two&nbsp;pole positions in&nbsp;LMP2 at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans (2018 and&nbsp;2023) and a third place finish this year, Patrice Lafargue&#39;s team has continued to give&nbsp;the top competitors in the field a run for their money. The outfit&#39;s results demonstrate technical competence and strategey, both major advantages&nbsp;in supporting Genesis in its move&nbsp;into the Hypercar category.

Patrice Lafargue, IDEC Sport president: &quot;...seeing a marque&nbsp;like Genesis rely on our expertise is proof we&rsquo;ve been doing things the right way.&quot;&nbsp;This recognition is both a mark of confidence and a springboard towards new horizons for the French team.

<h2>First on the Agenda: LMP2 in the&nbsp;European Le Mans Series&nbsp;</h2>

Above and beyond its&nbsp;success in competition, IDEC Sport stands out for its focus on human relations. Lafargue: &quot;I&rsquo;ve always prioritised the human element, and I continue to believe it&rsquo;s the most important aspect.&quot;&nbsp;This philosophy&nbsp;aligns&nbsp;with the values ​​of Genesis, known for&nbsp;developing its talents internally, and was&nbsp;a determining factor in solidifying the&nbsp;partnership.

The objective is clear: provide Genesis Magma Racing with an environment conducive to team learning. IDEC Sport will play a guiding role in mentoring Genesis&rsquo; young talents so they are primed&nbsp;to take on the challenges of the Hypercar category.

Genesis has opted for a progressive strategy in its preparation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-takes-the-wraps-of-its-gmr-001-hypercar-59196" target="_blank">to enter the highest level of endurance racing</a>. In 2025,&nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing will make its debut in the&nbsp;European Le Mans Series alongside IDEC Sport with two ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibsons. That rookie&nbsp;season will be a crucial step in training drivers, engineers and mechanics for the demands of endurance racing.

Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport president: &quot;We have exceptional partners in this programme with ORECA Motorsport&nbsp;and IDEC Sport, both well-established names in endurance racing, as well as an exciting lineup of drivers.&quot;&nbsp;The recruiting of&nbsp;Logan Sargeant, Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert reflects the&nbsp;desire to build a strong and promising team for the future.

<h2>Customised Support for Genesis Magma Racing</h2>

IDEC Sport&#39;s expertise isn&#39;t limited simply to race management. The French team has also been entrusted to develop the&nbsp;key skills of Genesis crew, from its engineers to its technicians. Nicolas Minassian, IDEC Sport team principal: &quot;Our&nbsp;mission will be to give them the benefit of our expertise so&nbsp;they are ready for 2026. We have started work, and I can&rsquo;t wait&nbsp;to see the cars on the starting grid for the first race of the 2025.&quot;

The&nbsp;second car will be driven by&nbsp;Lafargue, Job van Uitert (who joined the team this year)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Paul-Loup Chatin (Alpine&nbsp;Hypercar driver).

IDEC Sport will celebrate&nbsp;its 10th anniversary in 2025 by writing a new chapter in its history. For&nbsp;Genesis, this&nbsp;is an opportunity to draw on tried-and-true&nbsp;expertise and prepare its crews for success on an international level.

<h2>FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About the collaboration Between&nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing and&nbsp;IDEC Sport in endurance Racing</h2>

Why has Genesis Magma Racing decided to partner up with&nbsp;IDEC Sport for its involvement in endurance racing?

Genesis Magma Racing has selected IDEC Sport for its proven endurance expertise, state-of-the-art infrastructure and success&nbsp;at Le Mans. This collaboration guarantees optimal technical and strategic support for entry into competition.

What is IDEC Sport&#39;s track record in endurance racing?

IDEC Sport is an iconic team, renowned for its performances in the European Le Mans Series and&nbsp;eight participations in the 24 Hours. It has built a solid reputation thanks to a rigorous approach and significant results.

What are&nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing&#39;s goals in the endurance discipline?

The team is looking to hold its own against the best in&nbsp;Hypercar&nbsp;by&nbsp;capitalising on IDEC Sport&#39;s expertise and&nbsp;developing quickly to go after&nbsp;podiums and wins in the FIA WEC, and especially at Le&nbsp;Mans.

Which car will Genesis Magma Racing field in Hypercar?

Genesis will field two&nbsp;Hypercars in the&nbsp;FIA WEC starting in&nbsp;2026. The&nbsp;Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar was unveiled on&nbsp;4 December and is compliant with LMDh regulations. ORECA will build the chassis and the car was developed by&nbsp;Genesis Design Europe.

Why Genesis Magma Racing chose IDEC Sport for its future in endurance racing

24 Heures du Mans 2023

Employees from Ferrari Factory Museum in&nbsp;Maranello,&nbsp;Italy and hundreds of fans have welcomed home the #51&nbsp;499P that <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ferrari-wins-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-centenary-57668" target="_blank">won the 24 Hours&nbsp;Centenary</a>. The Centenary&nbsp;Trophy designed by&nbsp;Monnaie de Paris with support from Rolex arrived to take its well-earned spot among the Italian manufacturer&#39;s countless&nbsp;other trophies and awards. The #50 499P that finished fifth at the race was also on the scene.

Tuesday&nbsp;20 June 2023 will forever remain special to&nbsp;Ferrari fans as the day when these two 499Ps emerged from the marque&#39;s&nbsp;headquarters to parade through&nbsp;the town, first in Scuderia Ferrari&#39;s&nbsp;Attivit&agrave; Sportive GT zone, then in the streets of the Maranello city centre, by way of several iconic locations&nbsp;including the museum dedicated to Ferrari. It was the perfect chance for fans to admire the two&nbsp;Hypercars who triumphed in France.

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans – The winning #51 Ferrari 499P celebrated in Maranello

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