24h Le Mans
One of the distinguishing features of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is that the cars take to local roads, open to the public the rest of the year. A tradition that has been part of the race since its inception a century ago. The full circuit is not therefore a permanent fixture and merely brought to life for a few days each year – just long enough to crown its champion. But why is this?
To answer this question, we need to delve into the past. In 1906, the founders of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) were tasked with organising the first French Grand Prix on a long circuit using the roads of La Sarthe, to the east of Le Mans. This first race was a success and its organisers obtained the rights to the French GP again in 1911, but this time a different route was chosen.
Georges Durand, General Secretary of the ACO, wanted to send competitors towards the south of the city, including a long straight road from the outskirts of Le Mans to the small town of Mulsanne. Why? Because in 1908, aviation pioneers the Wright brothers chose this exact spot to test their Flyer. The stretch that would later become the legendary Mulsanne Straight was already acquiring a reputation among the innovators of the time. It is the kind of race track section that pushes the cars to their limits, one of the aims of the ACO’s founders.
Over the years, Le Mans became a permanent fixture on the French motor racing scene. In 1923, the celebrated 24-hour Grand Prix d’Endurance was launched, using a 17-kilometre circuit winding through the village of Les Hunaudières to Mulsanne before climbing back up to Arnage, similar to the route still followed.
However, none of this explains why the 24 Hours has continued to be held on public roads to this day. Although similar road-based race tracks were quite common at the end of the 1910s, the next decade saw a surge in the construction of purpose-built, permanent circuits. Monza was built in 1922, Montlhéry in 1924 and the Nürburgring opened in 1927. Yet Le Mans continued to race on public roads.
Ultimately, the explanation is quite simple. Since the earliest days of the race, the ACO has sought to serve everyday motorists, not only by encouraging manufacturers to innovate and test their new developments in the race, but also by campaigning for better roads. By the end of the First World War, much of the French road network had been destroyed. Many roads were unusable, which had a significant impact on society. This posed a challenge that no one seemed prepared to tackle, the authorities included. However, Georges Durand and Charles Faroux, two of the founders of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, took things in hand.
During the Endurance Grand Prix, the condition of the road was crucial. At the first ever race in 1923, the production cars struggled with the quantity of loose stones and mud. In 1924 and 1925, the ACO announced that it would be working with the road authorities and reinforced the surface on the Mulsanne Straight, which had already become a landmark.
A permanent circuit is undoubtedly easier to maintain, but it does not serve the everyday motorist. In 1925, Georges Durand made use of his considerable political clout to voice his disappointment with the government’s efforts to repair France’s national roads. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was here to stay and together with Charles Faroux and other associates, Durand leveraged the prestige of the twice-round-the-clock race to get his point across.
In 1926, the ACO took on a new challenge. This time, the road was involved in a contest of its own at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Three different road surfaces were applied around the circuit, with one simple aim: to inspect the different surfaces after the race and compare them to see which one had best withstood the unrelenting traffic. Rather than simply banging on the table, this helped the race organisers form a tangible proposal they could put forward to the government. Within just a few years, the Mulsanne Straight had become a recognised testing ground for innovative road surfaces, and its reputation continued to grow.
Given the event’s success, certain sections were eventually reserved exclusively for the race. In 1932, the ACO proudly unveiled a brand-new section of track. Until then, the drivers set course for the Pontlieue hairpin, then drove into the town of Le Mans before turning south towards Mulsanne via Les Hunaudières. From then on, there was a right turn after the start, followed by a winding section and then a bend that joined the straight , a route that today translates as the Dunlop curve, the Forest Esses and Tertre Rouge. The race organiser were keen to see how the surface of this new section would perform. It was an instant success.
Over the 1930s, the ACO continued to work closely with the relevant authorities and local road services. With each new innovation, the French road network began to recover. After the Second World War, work was done to restore the Le Mans circuit, preserving the emblematic road section.
For safety reasons, the proportion of public roads that make up the full circuit has dwindled over time. However, you can still drive along sections of the Circuit de la Sarthe, most notably the Mulsanne Straight when visiting the town – though you’ll have to stick to the speed limits, of course!
These roads have become landmarks, setting the French endurance classic apart from other prestigious races. A symbol that serves to remind us of the boldness and innovation championed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for over one hundred years.
