Heat is a key influence at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although there have been exceptions and temperatures can drop quite drastically during the night, the sun makes an appearance most years. But what if the race were in winter? For an expert opinion on the matter, we turned to Thierry Perrier, VdeV Endurance Series driver who has driven the Le Mans 24 Hours twelve times.

I have memories of some very cold races, with conditions that made the track almost unusable. That happened once in a round of the VdeV Endurance Series at Magny-Cours. I remember going over the hump at pit out at 50kph and finding myself right in the middle of the track, to the right, with no way of countering it.

Would a winter Le Mans 24 Hours make any difference from the driver’s point of view?

It would make some parts of the race a lot more difficult. Especially the first lap. Tyres work best at 80°C. It would take a while to get them up to temperature so the first corner and the first braking points, especially on the Mulsanne Straight, would be tricky. But you have to remember there are other laps like that, not just the beginning of the race: every time you leave the pits or whenever the race is under safety car or red flag. As soon as you slow down, the tyres cool off.

However, driving in winter or in cooler temperatures can be beneficial to the engine. Often the fastest laps in the 24 Hours of Le Mans are at daybreak, when it is still cool and the track is perfect. Could a distance record be broken in good winter conditions?

No. Engines perform well at certain times, but with all the warm-up issues we’ve talked about, it would be difficult to break a distance record. A great lap time would be possible, but then the whole idea is to last 24 hours. On top of that, any freezing fog or rain and the track would be treacherous. Racing cars don’t have heated windscreens.

The only advantage of staging the 24 Hours of Le Mans in winter would be for the driver’s comfort, is that right?

A cooler cockpit would mean less fatigue. That said, getting out of the car all hot and sweaty and being hit with cold air is the best way to catch a cold. And you have to remember that the mechanics and everyone else in the pits would have to work in the cold. I wouldn’t want to do that.

So, all in all, June is the perfect time to hold the 24 Hours of Le Mans. June has average conditions for a temperate climate, with a few heatwaves and some chillier periods. It’s just the right test for the average use. In fact, it is probably the best test there is, given that parts have to stand up to speeds of 300kph!

Geoffroy Barre, with thanks to Thierry Perrier, General Secretary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Drivers’ Club and Vice-Chairman of the ASA ACO Paris.

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, THURSDAY 10 JUIN 2009, QUALIFYING. Thierry Perrier in his role as Endurance Asia Team manager with a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in GT2.