Over the last half-century, the circuit’s outright lap record has only topped the 250 kph mark three times: in 1971 when Jackie Oliver (Porsche 917) clocked 3:13.6 during initial testing, and then again in qualifying to take pole position, in 1985 when Hans Joachim Stuck (Porsche 962 C) recorded 3:14.88 (251.712 kph), and in 2017 when Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota TS050 HYBRID) achieved 3:14.791 (251.882 kph).

Alongside this outright record, the fastest race lap is another important indicator of how things change at the 24 Hours. It depends on three factors: the regulations, which limit the cars’ power, the outline of the circuit, and how fierce the battle for victory is.

Over a hundred years, the circuit has changed quite a lot. The long straight sections of the original 17.252 km layout have gradually been adapted to form a circuit that still features some impressive straights but also includes plenty of corners, the most recent of which are the chicanes at the Dunlop Curve and on the Mulsanne Straight.

In 1923, Frank Clement’s Bentley recorded the fastest lap at 9:39 and an incredible average speed of 107 kph. The next year, the Chenard & Walcker driven by André Lagache took 20 seconds off the lap time, clocking 9:19 and an average of 111.168 kph. In 1927, Frank Clement and his Bentley became the first to record a time of under 9 minutes (8:46), and in 1928 Tim Birkin’s Bentley exceeded the 120 kph mark (with an average 127.6 kph).

However, in 1929, for organisational reasons, a road was built to avoid the Pontlieue hairpin. That cut the circuit’s length down to 16.360 km. In 1930, the lap record was brought below 7 minutes by Tim Birkin in another Bentley. The average speed then exceeded 140 kph (144.362 kph).

There was another change to the circuit in 1932. As it was increasingly complicated to venture into the urban area of Le Mans, the ACO created a slip road between the road to Laigné and the Tours road, which is still used today. This made the track shorter at 13.492 km, but slower due to the new corners (Dunlop and Tertre Rouge). The first lap record for this layout was set by the Alfa Romeo 8C driven by Nando Minia with a time of 5:41 at an average 142.437 kph. 

In 1937, the record was broken again: The previous year, the race had been cancelled due to strikes, and Jean-Pierre Wimille celebrated its return in style by taking victory with co-driver Robert Benoist in the Bugatti 57 G, and clocking a time of 5:13.0, exceeding the 150 kph mark (155.179 kph). Robert Mazaud then claimed the record in 1939, pushing his Delahaye round the track in 5:12, or an average 155.627 kph. 

The Second World War then brought motor racing to a halt. 

The 24 Hours only resumed in 1949. The same circuit was used and a new record was set in 1950 when Louis Rosier and his Talbot Lago T26 GS brought the time below the 5-minute mark (4:53.5), pushing the average over the 160 kph threshold (165.49 kph). After that, the record was broken every year, first by Stirling Moss in 1951, then by Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953. The latter year, the lap average exceeded the 180 kph mark for the first time (181.642). The first peak speeds were measured on the Mulsanne Straight and a Cunningham C5-R came close to 250 kph (249.135 kph). 

In 1955, there was the formidable battle between Jaguar and Mercedes, which saw Mike Hawthorn exceed 190 kph and come close to an average lap speed of 200 kph (196.963 kph). 

That milestone was reached two years later, on a circuit that had been modified in the pit section after the horrific accident in 1955, reducing it to a length of 13.461 km. Hawthorn then smashed both records: the 4-minute barrier with a time of 3:58.7 and 200 kph lap average, with 203.015 kph.

When engine capacity was reduced to three litres, speeds also dropped and the lap record wasn’t beaten again until 1962. With a time of 3:57.3 and an average lap speed of 204.202 kph, Phil Hill claimed the last lap record for a front-engined car, the Ferrari 330 TRI/LM. The honours were then passed to John Surtees in 1963, with another Ferrari, the mid-engined 250 P with a time of 3:53.3 and an average 207.714 kph.

From 1964 to 1967, the Ford vs. Ferrari rivalry fuelled passions further. That latter year, Mario Andretti clocked a record-breaking 3:23.6 and an average 238.014 with a peak speed of 343 kph.

To bring an end to the escalating competition, there was a change in the regulations and a chicane was introduced before the pits to slow the cars down. That set the circuit length at 13.469 km. However, the arrival of the Porsche 917 in 1969 saw the records smashed once again. Jackie Oliver’s 917 LH, boosted by a peak speed of over 380 km/h, recorded a lap of 3:18.4 or an average 244.38 kph in 1971.

The regulations were further tightened (prototypes limited to a capacity of 3 litres) and a new series of bends introduced to avoid Maison Blanche. On a circuit now measuring 13.640 km, Gijs van Lennep’s Lola T280 brought the average lap speed down by to 3:46.9 or an average 216.423 kph, i.e. 28 seconds faster than the previous record! François Cevert improved that further the next year, dropping below the 3:40 mark during an epic tussle between Matra and Ferrari. From 1976 to 1978, the duel was between Alpine and Porsche. Jean-Pierre Jabouille remained the fastest man on the track with a time of 3:34.2 and a top speed of 362 kph. 

Changes made to the Tertre Rouge section cut a few metres off the circuit length, taking it to 13.626 km. However, it was only with the arrival of the Group C regulation prototypes (Porsche 956 and 962 C, Jaguar XJR 9 and 12) that the race for the fastest lap resumed. In 1988, Hans Joachim Stuck clocked 3:22.5 and in 1989 Alain Ferté recorded 3:21.3, exceeding the 240 km/h mark for the average lap. In 1988 came the stunning 405 kph recorded by the WM P88 driven along the Mulsanne Straight by Roger Dorchy. That record still stands because two chicanes were created on the straight in 1990, adding 20 seconds to the lap time. However, the clash between Peugeot and Toyota led to a new record of 3:27.5 (235.9 kpm), set by Eddie Irvine in a TS10 in 1993

When another chicane was added at Dunlop in 1997 (13.605 km), the lap average fell to 223 kph. After a final modification to the corner before the Forest Esses in 2007 (13.629 km), the average continued to improve throughout the Audi area, until Peugeot came to challenge the German marque’s supremacy. In 2010, the fastest time for a diesel car was recorded at 3:19.241 by the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. This was almost on a par with the performance of the Porsche 917, but on a more winding circuit. 

Since then, the regulations have continued to influence performance: the Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and now the Hypercar have been designed to keep to a 3:30 lap time. The final record for the LMP1s was set by Mike Conway in the Toyota TS050 HYBRID at 3:17.297 (just under 250 kph). The record for the fastest race lap of the Hypercar era is currently 3:27.749, a time clocked by Kamui Kobayashi in his Toyota. With so many manufacturers lining up for the Centenary race, will a new race lap record be set? We’ll find out on 10-11 June next year!

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS – TOP TO BOTTOM (COPYRIGHT: ACO ARCHIVES):
- holder of the outright circuit record at the 24 Hours since 2017, Kamui Kobayashi has achieved four pole positions at Le Mans, and won the race in 2021;-
- although forced to retire early in 1930, Tim Birkin’s Bentley Blower was the fastest car in that race;
- after returning to Ferrari, in 1957 Mike Hawthorn became the first driver to exceed the 200 kph mark for average lap speed at the wheel of the 335 S he shared with Italy’s Luigi Musso;
- the Porsche 917 LH driven by Jackie Oliver and Pedro Rodriguez was the car that broke all the records in 1971, but unfortunately had to retire early;
- in 2019, at the wheel of this Toyota TS050 HYBRID, Mike Conway set the current race lap record early in the race, before finishing second with co-drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez.