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For all

#IMPACT
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been a step ahead of the game. Going as far back as 1935, ten women lined up for the start of the world’s greatest endurance race.
  • INCLUSION
    There are not many sporting events where women and men compete on equal footing. Since 1923, 64 women of 15 nationalities have started the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including 26 all-female line-ups. Odette Siko and Marguerite Mareuse were the pioneers when they took to the grid in 1930. In 2021, for the first time, the World Endurance Championship welcomed two all-women line-ups. There were two mixed driver crews and one all-female line-up on the grid of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Young French driver Lilou Wadoux sharing the wheel with two men: eight-time World Rally Drivers’ champion Sébastien Ogier and Charles Milesi. At ACO events, the flag bearers are a mixed troupe.

    Of course, this commitment to parity goes beyond the racetrack. The ACO has signed a corporate agreement to promote gender equality in the workplace. Its index in 2020 was 99/100. This year we hosted the FIA Women in Motorsport forum.

    WOMEN
    AT LE MANS

  • mecenat
    The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been helping raise funds for the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque charity for over ten years. This charity, which was set up in 1996 by Professor Francine Leca, brings children with heart malformations to France for operations when they cannot be treated in their home country due to a lack of funding or facilities.

    Since 2009, 100 children have undergone life-saving surgery thanks to this partnership. Many fund-raising operations are held throughout the year, including a tombola, the sale of charity merchandise, and the 24-hour “Heart-a-thon”, to aid this worthy cause. The 2021 Valentine’s Day heart-a-thon won a prize for event publicization.

    MÉCÉNAT
    CHIRURGIE
    CARDIAQUE

  • ECONOMIE CIRCULAIRE
    Since 2018, the Le Mans 24 Hours motorcycle race has played host to the Cœur De Pilote association. Founded in 2016, Cœur De Pilote’s patron is SERT Team Manager, Damien Saulnier. It invites children with serious diseases to enjoy some amazing experiences, such as a ride around the track, a day behind the scenes with a team, and so on.

    CŒUR DE
    PILOTE

  • Ukraine
    Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Études et Chantiers, which began in 1995, we have built an insertion programme for the long-term unemployed, helping some 600 people reintegrate the workplace. In 2021, 34 people were trained in technical and green space maintenance.

    The ACO also works closely with ESAT Le Circuit. Founded in 1964, this establishment promotes the integration of people with disabilities into working environments. The ACO works with the establishment all year round, however. For example, our Christmas chocolates are made at ESAT Le Circuit!

    INCLUSION

  • ACCESSIBILITY
    Frédéric Sausset. In 2016, he became the first quadruple amputee to take part and finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2021, he returned as Manager of a team comprising two drivers with disabilities. Sausset and the ACO have also set up a partnership within the scope of the “Critérium du Jeune Conducteur” initiative to promote access to road safety training for youngsters with disabilities. A car has been specially designed for children with mobility disabilities.

    Since 2017 the disability cause has also been taken up on two wheels with the International Bridgestone Handy Race. This competition is reserved for riders with disabilities and will be held as a curtain-raiser to the 24H Motos in 2021.

    Spectators have not been forgotten either. Since 2010, the ACO has been active in making access to the racetrack and its infrastructures easier for people with reduced mobility. We shall continue striving to give visitors with disabilities the best possible race experience.

    ACCESSIBILITY
    & DISABILITY

  • Formation
    The Automobile Club de l’Ouest organises a wide variety of driver training courses including modules on ecodriving. Our aim is to train drivers to act responsibly by protecting the environment, by the value attributed to their journeys and also during those journeys through the ecodriving techniques taught. We put over 40 years of experience into our training sessions to teach thousands of learners every year all about ecodriving and prevention.

    The “Critérium du Jeune Conducteur”, created in 1957, is a fun learning programme designed to teach children aged 7 to 14 the basic rules of road safety. The ACO is a major player when it comes to raising awareness of road safety issues and fostering responsible attitudes among youngsters from an early age.

    DRIVER
    TRAINING

  • benevoles
    The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans was made possible thanks to the 3,200 volunteers present. Track marshals, medical staff and car park attendants, to name but a few of the roles, are all hugely appreciated. They receive due acknowledgement of their work by way of a volunteer pack, and we are particularly attentive to their requirements. This year, local company Bordeau Chesnel organised a special “thank you” campaign for the event volunteers.

    VOLUNTEERS

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News
Making a Difference locally

A look back at the Centenary: an unforgettable experience for 200 students
24h Le Mans18/12/2023

A look back at the Centenary: an unforgettable experience for 200 students

During race week at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, two Team Peugeot TotalEnergies drivers shared a wonderful experience with 200 children, illustrating the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s commitment to enriching today's youth.

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24 Hours Centenary – Embracing hydrogen in the near future
24h Le Mans02/06/2023

24 Hours Centenary – Embracing hydrogen in the near future

24 HOURS CENTENARY – PERPETUAL INNOVATION ⎮ With the current status of climate change, it is imperative to imagine new technologies to power cars while reducing CO2 emissions. The ACO is fully committed to this goal at the 24 Hours which has always represented a crucial test bed for technologies of the future.

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MissionH24 at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans
24h Le Mans11/01/2023

MissionH24 at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans

MissionH24 is ready to launch the 2023 season with the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14–15 January. The joint venture headed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT to promote the use of hydrogen for zero-carbon racing targets the whole motorsport world, and beyond.

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