One of the icons of Le Mans 24 Hours, the BMW M1 is currently on display at the Festival Automobile International in Paris and at the Artcurial auction at the R

At the age of 36, Kévin Estre has added the Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship trophy, shared with Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer, to a cabinet already crammed with GT awards. A satisfying conclusion to the season thanks to outstanding teamwork and dogged determination to maximise the potential of the Porsche 963 in the face of stiff competition.

<h2>Performance through collective endeavour</h2>

&ldquo;We have done a lot of work together,&rdquo; Estre says, when prompted to lift the lid on this memorable season. &ldquo;There were a few changes within the team and we also benefited from a year&rsquo;s experience with the 963,&rdquo; he adds. The season&rsquo;s opener in Qatar gave an immediate indication of what lay in store with a Porsche 963 already showing greater performance. The team has continued to improve race after race, backed by top-drawer engineers and stimulated by technical choices that have boosted the car&rsquo;s capabilities.

<h2>Natural complicity and strong bonds</h2>

On top of the technical preparation, the alchemy between the three drivers has been a decisive factor. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a strongly bonded crew,&rdquo; Estre stresses. &ldquo;We all have the same ideas about endurance. No-one looked to step into the limelight because, above all, we complemented one another,&rdquo; he adds. With such solidarity and complementarity, strategic decisions to get the best out of every situation could be reached without any risk of friction. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve never put anyone&#39;s nose out of joint due to the choice of setup, tyres or strategy. We&rsquo;ve always kept an open mind and there has never been a need to tread carefully to avoid stepping on anyone&rsquo;s toes.&rdquo;

This ability to optimise performance was crucial in winning the title. &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t the quickest, but we managed to pick up more points than our rivals,&rdquo; Estre points out. Although the Frenchman and his two teammates brilliantly won two key races in Qatar and at Fuji, they especially showed remarkable consistency. Where others made mistakes, the trio of Vanthoor/Lotterer/Estre managed to fight their way onto the podium despite a lack of pure speed. &ldquo;When our performance perhaps merited a Top 5 position, we succeeded in climbing onto the podium. We always struck while the iron was hot, whereas others sometimes missed opportunities.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

<h2>A major title to crown an unforgettable season</h2>

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re world champions. It&rsquo;s my biggest title and we&#39;ve seen off some mind-blowing competition too,&rdquo; Estre insists, aware of the scale of the achievement. This season, where the competition has never been so ferocious, will remain etched in the racer&rsquo;s memory. Now a two-time world champion after adding the Hypercar title to his GT success, Estre looks to the future with determination. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright &ndash; his dream since starting out in endurance in 2015 &ndash; is still his goal.

In 2025, he will defend his title alongside de Vanthoor, with Matt Campbell joining the pair for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The schedule will be intense as it will also include the showpieces of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship such as Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. 
Estre and his teammates have shown this season that cohesion and consistency in this discipline are as precious as pure speed. Their exemplary 2024 campaign marks a new page in the history of international endurance.

&nbsp;

Kevin Estre (Porsche Penske Motorsport): “We always struck while the iron was hot”

Le Mans, Ignite your Senses | The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an exhilarating experience that stimulates all of the senses. To accompany the stunning sight of the cars on track, spectators are also treated to an amazing soundtrack. Every race resonates with a blend of sounds that together produce an unmistakable concerto. Get set for a journey through the distinctive soundscape that gives the race its unique identity.

Sunday 9 June 2024, 10&nbsp;am at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. The Gibson engine of the Cool Racing #37 Oreca&nbsp;07 gives off a roar as the car leaves the pitlane. The LMP2 makes its debut on track at Test Day. A crowd of fans has congregated nearby to savour the first thunderous revs that fill the circuit. The sound of these snarling engines stays with the spectators long after the event and is a distinctive feature of the world&rsquo;s greatest endurance race.

Beyond their looks, certain cars have become iconic for their unique sound profile. One that springs to mind is the rotary engine of the&nbsp;Mazda&nbsp;787B, which won the race in 1991. It produced a shrill, high-pitched sound, almost like a mechanical scream, and left a lasting sonic impression on racegoers.

Cars of the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: the Mazda 787B

Les voitures de la légende des 24 Heures du Mans : la Mazda 787B

Or how about the&nbsp;Porsche&nbsp;917, which triumphed in 1970 and 1971? Its flat-12 engine delivered raw power accompanied by a deep, throaty sound that veteran fans are unlikely to forget. The diesel engine on the&nbsp;Audi&nbsp;R10 TDi&nbsp;turned out to be much quieter than its petrol-powered rivals. Yet its low, muffled tone, amplified by its power, still resonates in the minds of racing enthusiasts. These engines exemplify cutting-edge technology, while contributing to the signature sound that defines each era of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.&nbsp;

<h2>The air guns set the tempo in the pits</h2>

In the pits, there&rsquo;s another trademark sound to be heard every time the car is refuelled: the dry, repetitive noise of the tyre guns. Their characteristic whirr is a measure of the speed and precision of the mechanics. The mechanical, almost clinical sound contrasts with the powerful engine noise, but is just as fundamental to racing success. The meticulous rhythm of the tyre guns during pit stops evokes a well-orchestrated ballet, where every movement is perfectly coordinated. For spectators, this sound is a reminder the battle that is also fought off the track, where every second counts.

During a tyre change, the cars are lifted using hydraulic jacks. Time seems to stand still for a brief instant, until the sharp hiss of the jacks being released signals the car&rsquo;s return to the track.

<div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1943643587%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-qwHMPllSWgX&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>

<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-85419638" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="24 Heures du Mans">24 Heures du Mans</a> &middot; <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-85419638/24-heures-du-mans-2024-ford-mustang-lmgt3-proton-competition-pitstop/s-qwHMPllSWgX" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="24 Heures du Mans 2024 - Ford Mustang LMGT3 Proton Competition Pitstop">24 Heures du Mans 2024 - Ford Mustang LMGT3 Proton Competition Pitstop</a></div>
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<h2>The race commentator: the voice of Le Mans</h2>

There&rsquo;s another sound you can&rsquo;t miss at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 24 Hours, and it offers&nbsp;a distinctly human touch&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;the voice of the official commentator, Bruno Vandestick. He keeps spectators up to date with what&rsquo;s happening on and off track, from Test Day right up to the end of the race. He has a knack for conveying the excitement felt whenever a driver overtakes or something unexpected happens, making him an essential component of the 24 Hours audio experience. His spirited and enthusiastic style, paired with his detailed commentary, add to the spectators&rsquo; enjoyment.

<div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1943611695%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-l9BdGnzOIvA&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true&amp;visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>

<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-85419638" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="24 Heures du Mans">24 Heures du Mans</a> &middot; <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-85419638/le-depart-des-24-heures-du-mans-2024-avec-bruno-vandestick-speaker-officiel/s-l9BdGnzOIvA" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Le départ des 24 Heures du Mans 2024 avec Bruno Vandestick, speaker officiel">Le d&eacute;part des 24 Heures du Mans 2024 avec Bruno Vandestick, speaker officiel</a></div>
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<h2>How do the sounds of the race shape the drivers&rsquo; experience?</h2>

Drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans have to deal with more than just speed and tiredness. They also need to contend with the extreme noise levels, which can affect their concentration and how they feel.

Paul-Loup Chatin, driver of the Alpine Endurance Team #35 Alpine&nbsp;A424 says that the constant engine noise is part and parcel of the race and you get used to it.&nbsp;&ldquo;Over a 24-hour race, when we do a series of stints, you can feel a buzzing in your ear when you get out of the car, and that can give you a headache. It doesn&rsquo;t affect our concentration though.&rdquo;&nbsp;The drivers wear an earpiece to communicate with their team in the garage. It also filters out a lot of background noise.&nbsp;&ldquo;When the earpiece is poorly positioned, we may hear unfamiliar noises and that can affect our concentration. In the final hour of the race, when we become more anxious about mechanical failure,&nbsp;we&nbsp;may start to hear noises that we hadn&rsquo;t noticed before. So we pick up on every little sound, instead of being fulling focused on our driving,&rdquo;&nbsp;Chatin adds.

Being attuned to the specific sound of their engine thus helps the drivers to anticipate a mechanical fault.&nbsp;&rdquo;Sometimes, a sound can provide an early warning, even before we notice any changes in the drive,&rdquo;&nbsp;explains the French driver, who has ten Le Mans start to his credit. The timely detection of mechanical issues can help avoid critical loss of time during the race. However, if the engineers don&rsquo;t find anything amiss with the telemetry readings, the drivers often choose to carry on racing instead of stopping to investigate the strange noise.

.

Chatin also tells us that the sounds heard in the pitlane are important in helping drivers stay coordinated during a pitstop. &ldquo;The sound of the refuelling gun sets the tempo for me.&nbsp;When I hear it, I know how much time I have left to strap myself in.&nbsp;We hear it, we don&rsquo;t need to see it.&nbsp;The auditory cues are key to the pitstop routine,&rdquo; states Chatin. On the sound of the Alpine&nbsp;A424, he claims,&nbsp;&ldquo;Our Hypercar sounds better than the rest. I really like it. The single turbo adds something special. Our car doesn&rsquo;t make a deafening noise, but it definitely sounds good.&rdquo;

The roar of the cars, the captivating choreography in the pitlane, the commentator&rsquo;s voice&hellip; these auditory elements combine to create&nbsp;a concerto of machinery and human interaction that resonates far beyond the circuit.&nbsp;These sounds are all very different yet so perfectly matched. Arranged together in a symphony, they produce the extraordinary soundtrack of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, helping make the race such a memorable experience for generations of fans.

See you at the circuit from 11-15 June 2025 to hear it for yourself!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-24-hours-of-le-mans-ticket-office-opens-on-wednesday-13-november-59028" target="_blank">Tickets for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans</a>&nbsp; will go on sale to the public on Wednesday 13 November.

A journey through the 24 Hours of Le Mans soundscape

BrightLoop, a specialist in high-performance DC-DC converters with a decade's experience in motorsport, has joined the MissionH24 program. As a technical partner, BrightLoop shares the strategy of decarbonization, and more sustainable racing pursued by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project.

The MissionH24 program, a collaboration between the Automobile Club de l&#39;Ouest and H24Project to promote hydrogen in racing,&nbsp;has a new member, who is also a stakeholder in the brand-new H24EVO prototype. 
BrightLoop, a leading supplier of advanced power conversion solutions, specializing in high-performance DC-DC converters for a variety of industries, will be equipping the H24EVO fuel cell prototype. 
The company offers adaptable converters capable of managing all power flows, both AC and DC, positioning itself as a key partner for players in the energy transition. 
The technology developed by BrightLoop enables intelligent management of power flows while offering unmatched compactness and power density, thereby optimizing space, energy efficiency, and control. 
This specification corresponds in every respect to the expectations of the operating team of the future H24EVO. 
Prior to its involvement in hydrogen racing, BrightLoop gained experience in the unusual world of motor racing, offering DC-DC converters of unique size (power density) and modularity to teams competing in Formula E, IndyCar and Extreme E... Performance, reliability and innovation are necessary values shared by MissionH24 and BrightLoop. 
&nbsp; 
This technical partnership will see members of BrightLoop integrated into MissionH24 for the first test sessions of the H24EVO.

BrightLoop, technical partner of MissionH24

Théo Pourchaire was given the chance to drive the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 at the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain. It was a chance for him to get a taste of the gruelling world of endurance racing. The former Formula 2 champion shares his thoughts on this remarkable experience, the transition to a closed cockpit and the technical discussions he had with the engineers. He also reveals his ambition to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What were your first impressions at the wheel of the Peugeot 9X8?

&ldquo;The Peugeot&nbsp;9X8 and the Hypercars are very fast, powerful cars. Their braking and aerodynamics are very different from anything I&rsquo;ve known in the past. Nonetheless, it was a superb experience. It felt amazing. The team were very welcoming and it was a fantastic opportunity. It was a chance to show the World Endurance Championship who I am. It was my first experience in the discipline and in a closed cockpit, it made a real change!&rdquo;

Were you surprised by any aspect of the car?

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great mix of the various classes. You have plenty of power at your disposal. The hybrid system is similar to what you see in Formula&nbsp;1. Still, you can feel that the car is built for long races. The brakes are less powerful but they last longer. I also had to get used to the traction control. The Peugeot&nbsp;9X8 Hypercar is a great drive.&rdquo;

It was the first time for you in a closed cockpit. How did you adapt to that?

&ldquo;I used the Peugeot Sport simulator to gear up for the Rookie Test. In a closed cockpit, the visibility and heat are very different. Physically, the 9X8 is not the hardest car to drive, but you have to get used to the heat and to breaking out in a sweat! The simulator proved to be a great help in that respect. It&rsquo;s very realistic so I was able to settle in right from the first few laps.&rdquo;

What was the most important kind of the feedback for you and the team?

&ldquo;I shared my impressions with the team&rsquo;s engineers and for them, feedback from drivers from other classes is invaluable. I&rsquo;ve driven some fast cars over my career, all very different from one another, so I&rsquo;m able to provide relevant technical feedback. What impressed me most was the brakes&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;you have to dose your braking very precisely to keep the wheels from locking. My comments therefore focused on that, so that the engineers can explore solutions to make things easier for the regular drivers.&rdquo;

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a goal for many drivers. Does the race appeal to you?

&quot;Yes, definitely! It would be a dream to win the race. At the wheel of the 9X8, I thought how amazing it would be to drive the car at Le Mans, with the grandstands packed with spectators. Competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship would be incredible too. The standard of driving is very high and the manufacturers really fight to the nearest thousandth of a second. 
I attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans a few years ago. I took a helicopter flight over the race and have great memories of it. What amazed me most was the atmosphere among the fans. It&rsquo;s similar to the vibe at the Indy&nbsp;500. The drivers must feel it too. And it must be really cool to drive on that circuit. It&rsquo;s definitely one for my list!&rdquo;

How would it feel to represent France in such an illustrious race, at the wheel of a car like the Peugeot 9X8?

&ldquo;It would be extraordinary and competing for a French marque would make it all the more special. I can&rsquo;t wait to see what the future has in store for me. Peugeot is an emblematic brand for me. I grew up watching and admiring the battles between Peugeot and Audi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.&rdquo;

Are there any endurance drivers or teams that inspire you?

&ldquo;I know Lo&iuml;c Duval well, he&rsquo;s had an amazing career in endurance. We talked a lot in Bahrain. Tom Kristensen is another iconic driver. He has always remained very humble with regard to the race. I try and support French teams. What&rsquo;s great about endurance is the team spirit. The drivers and the technical staff all have to work together and encourage one another if they want to win. I&rsquo;d like to experience that.&rdquo;

Finally, do you have any memories to share about your experience at the 2023 GP Explorer event?

&ldquo;It was a great experience. There was a lot of excitement, a great atmosphere. I watched the first edition on my phone in my gym! I really wanted to be a part of it the following year. So I did a demonstration with ART Grand Prix and I think it really pleased the spectators who were there.&rdquo;

Théo Pourchaire : "The Peugeot 9X8 hypercar is a great drive"

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