The 24th week of the year – The 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place in the month of June, coinciding with the 24th week of the year. In 2014, it will be the week of June 9th-15th. But some competitions on the international sports calendar can cause this cardinal rule to be broken. Such was the case in 1998 when the race was moved up to June 6th and 7th for the World Cup set in France. Three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans did not take place in June: in 1923 for the first edition (May 26th and 27th), in 1956 (July 28th and 29th, for the extensive work done to the circuit after the June 11, 1955 accident) and in 1968 (September 29th and 30th, following the May political and social demonstrations).

The number 24 in the race – To this day, no car sporting the number 24 has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The best race result was a second place finish in 1963 by the 250 GTO, one of the most famous Ferraris in history. Entered by the Equipe Nationale Belge of Jacques Swaters, first Ferrari importer in Europe, it was driven by Gérald Langlois von Ophem and Jean Blaton, entered under the pseudonym "Beurlys". That year, the marque finished in the top six spots of a race won by the Italian duo Ludovico Scarfiotti-Lorenzo Bandini, with the presence of two other GTOs in fourth and sixth positions.

The number 24 in 2014 – After another second place finish in the LM P2 class in 2013 with the Morgan-Nissan of David Heinemeier Hansson-Alex Brundle-Olivier Pla (Oak Racing), a debuting team at the 24 Hours will wear the number 24 this year: the nine-time Rally World Champion, Sébastien Loeb, who entered an Oreca-Nissan driven by Jan Charouz, René Rast and Vincent Capillaire. Even though Sébastien Loeb himself will not be at the wheel (his last participation at Le Mans goes back to 2006 when he finished second), his car will undoubtedly be one of the most closely followed by the French public.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, FRIDAY MAY 31st 2014, SCRUTINEERING OF THE TEST DAY. This year, the number 24 was given to the team founded by Sébastien Loeb, one of the most titled drivers in the history of French motorsports.