24h Le Mans
24 Hours competitors will not be hitting the track today. It's finally time for Centenary celebrations and festivities, as well as the fan-favourite Drivers' Parade in the Le Mans city centre! Road to Le Mans, Porsche Carrera Cup and Ferrari Challenge support race events are scheduled at the circuit.
Three of this year's four support races will take the track this morning: first, the Porsche Carrera Cup qualifying session from 09:00 to 09:45, then the Ferrari Challenge qualifying from 10:15 to 11:00 and lastly, the 55-minute Road to Le Mans Race 2 starting at 11:30.
The grand 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary exhibition will be open to the public every day of Race Week. The installation highlights 86 outstanding cars: 65 winners and 21 cars that otherwise made history at the 24 Hours. Organised in collaboration with Peter Auto, the exhibition takes visitors through 100 years of history including the evolution of the circuit, records set and major events that marked the race.
Spectators will be given the chance to enjoy a truly exceptional experience walking the circuit between 15:00 and 20:00. General Enclosure access is granted with a 24 Hours of Le Mans entry pass, while the other key sites (from the Tertre Rouge to the Porsche Curves) are free and accessible to anyone using a soft mode of transportation: on foot, by bike, on a scooter or on rollerblades.
The 27th Drivers' Parade in the Le Mans city centre will thrill fans as all the drivers entered in the Centenary slowly move along on board vintage vehicles. The organiser, Classic Automotive, in partnership with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, has ensured an exciting and memorable show all along the route in the streets of Le Mans. Note: the parade is earlier this year, starting at 14:00 and ending at 16:30.
To attend the 21st edition of this Race Week highlight event, head to the town of Saint-Saturnin between 09:00 and 17:00. This year's theme is nine-time Le Mans winner Ferrari back at the race in the head class after a 50-year absence. Tribute will also be paid to the French marque Chenard & Walcker, winner of the very first running of the 24 Hours in 1923. This event is sponsored by Gérard Larrousse who triumphed in 1973 and 1974 with Matra.
From 09:00 to 17:00, Val de Vray cultural centre in the town of Saint-Saturnin, free entry.
This year marks a milestone for the association that organises this event each year at the Mulsanne Corner. It's the 10th edition! Peugeot will be spotlighted as one of the most important French marques in the history of the 24 Hours. An exhibitor village is planned and a staggering 800 cars will be on the scene.
From 14:00 to 20:00, 2 avenue François Mitterrand in the town of Mulsanne, free entry.
A spectacular auction has been organised in honour of the Centenary by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and RM Sotheby's between 15:00 and 18:30. Twenty-one extraordinary cars that have taken the start in the 24 Hours will hit the track for the auction. Among them, an Aston Martin LM8 from 1932, a Ferrari 121 LM from 1955, an Alpine A210 from 1967, a Lancia LC2 from 1984 and a Chrysler Viper GTS-R from 1997.
To give the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans the celebration it deserves, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has put together an outstanding programme with an official ceremony on the pit straight kicking off at 19:00 to honour all those involved in the iconic race. Then, the cars displayed in the 24 Hours Museum's Centenary exhibition will line up at 19:30 for a demonstration at 20:45 of the unforgettable Le Mans-style start when drivers ran to their cars at the start of the race. Spectators in the grandstands should keep their eyes peeled to catch a specially embroidered T-shirt and win a helicopter ride or lap of the track with a racing driver. A stunning one-hour air show with a flypast by the Patrouille de France air force acrobatics team will begin at 19:15. The festivities are all planned on the pit straight between 19:00 and 21:00.
A French electronic music producer and DJ, Christophe Le Friant is better known as Bob Sinclar. He put French house music on the map internationally from the late 1990s to the 2000s and his songs Western Dream, Soundz of Freedom and Born in '69 were certified gold in France. In 2005, Sinclair's tune Love Generation topped the charts all over the world and he was nominated for a Grammy the following year for the track World, Hold On (Children of the Sky) featuring Steve Edwards. Sinclair will take the stage at the Pop Art Concert Fan Zone at 20:00.
The 24 Hours Centenary festivities will come to a close with a nighttime extravaganza including a breathtaking fireworks display and a show using 400 drones! Make sure to be at the Pop Art Concert Fan Zone at 23:00 on the dot for the start of this unforgettable spectacle.
09:00 – 20:00 : 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary Exhibition (Museum)
09:00 – 17:00 : Classic British Welcome at Saint-Saturnin
09:00 – 09:45 : Porsche Carrera Cup | Qualifying
10:15 – 11:00 : Ferrari Challenge | Qualifying
11:30 – 12:25 : Road to Le Mans | Race 2
14:00 – 16:00 : Drivers' Parade in Le Mans city centre
14:00 – 20:00 : Mulsanne Corner
15:00 – 18:30 : Centenary Auction
15:00 – 20:00 : Track Open to the Public
19:00 – 21:00 : Official Centenary Celebrations
20:00 – TBD : Bob Sinclar Concert
23:00 – TBD : Nighttime Centenary Show
