24h Le Mans
To honour the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest organised an extraordinary ceremony on Friday 9 June in the pit straight in front of packed grandstands.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest chose Friday 9 June to give the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary a deserving celebration. Several events were organised for the historic occasion, including a stunning Centenary auction at RM Sotheby’s. Twenty-one authentic cars from the 24 Hours of Le Mans were on offer, among them a 1955 Ferrari 121 LM that sold for 5.7 million euros. The French flag used to give the start of the race in 1965 went for 330,000 euros (greatly surpassing an estimate between 30,000 and 35,000 euros).
Then, ticket-holding spectators were able to experience an exceptional moment by hitting the track, from Tertre Rouge to the Porsche Curves by foot, bike, scooter or rollerblades.
Tribute was then paid to members of the massive 24 Hours of Le Mans family (track marshals, Club ACO volunteers, ACO staff and more) in the pit straight. The marshals, true guardian angels of the competitors, received a warm ovation from the public. Then, all eyes were raised to the sky for three flyovers by the Patrouille de France.
A selection of legendary cars from the Grand Centenary Exhibition made an appearance on the pit straight: the 1925 Chenard & Walcker "Tank," the 1950 Cadillac Spyder "Monster," the 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 established the speed record in the Mulsanne Straight at 405 kph, the 1991 Mazda 787 B, the 2006 Audi R10 TDi and the 2021 Toyota GR010 Hybrid first Hypercar to win the race. The cars were entrusted to a number of star drivers of the 24 Hours, like nine-time winner Tom Kristensen, six-time winner Jacky Ickx, five-time winner Derek Bell, Alexander Wurz, Rinaldo Capello and Kazuki Nakajima. Kristensen reunited with the Audi R8 with which he won five of his nine victories between 2000 and 2005, and Ickx retook the wheel of his Porsche 936.
The ceremony came to a masterful close in a nod to the race's history with a Le Mans-style start.
Spectators then headed to the Pop Art Concert Fan Zone to attend a set by French electronic music producer and D.J. Bob Sinclar followed by a breathtaking nighttime light show.
Iconic cars from the Grand Centenary Exhibition appeared on the grandstands straight during an unforgettable ceremony, then completed two laps of the circuit to the thrill and delight of spectators.
