24h Le Mans
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest pulled out all the stops for the official celebration of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary. The ceremony, held on the pit straight in front of a packed grandstand created a palpable feeling of being part of something very special.
The whole family of the 24 Hours gathered on the track to capture the moment: track marshals, ACO Club and event volunteers, ACO employees and service providers, teams and drivers. As the drivers’ guardian angels, the marshals received a rapturous standing ovation from the public. Then, eyes filled with wonder were raised to the sky to admire the three flybys performed by the Patrouille de France.
Next, acclaim was lavished on the other stars of the show, the beauties that bring together the teams and fans of the world’s greatest endurance race . A selection of iconic cars from the Grand Centenary Exhibition made their entrance. The spectacular collection, which is on display at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum until 2 July, was a sight to behold. Among them, the 1925 Chenard & Walcker “Tank”, the 1950 Cadillac Spyder, dubbed the Monster, Ford GT40s from 1968 and 1969, the 1970 Porsche 917 K, the 1972 Matra MS670, the 1980 Rondeau M379 B, the 1988 WM P88 that set the speed record of 405 kph on the Mulsanne Straight, the 1991 Mazda 787 B, the 2006 Audi R10 TDi and the 2021 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, the first Hypercar to win the Le Mans Classic.
The car line-up was as legendary inside as out, with drivers including nine-time winner Tom Kristensen, six-time winner Jacky Ickx, and five-time winner Derek Bell, as well as Alexander Wurz, Rinaldo Capello and Kazuki Nakajima. Iconic pairs were reunited for the occasion: Tom Kristensen was back in the Audi R8 he raced for five of his nine victories between 2000 and 2005 and Jacky Ickx took the wheel of his Porsche 936.
The ceremony ended on a high with a final nod to the past and an emblematic Le Mans-style herringbone start. The cars returned to the 24 Hours Museum for the night, but will be parading on track again today between 12:30 and 13:25. The festivities continued for the spectators at the Pop Art Concert Fan Zone where French electro DJ Bob Sinclar kept the party going until the end of the night.
See the events from the official ceremony in the photo gallery below. Don’t miss the track action at 16:00 today when the Centenary race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway.
