24h Le Mans
Every team participating in the 87th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June is paying close attention to the weather forecasts. To form the proper race strategy, they take advantage of detailed forecasts given by Météo France Sport, meteorological partner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Météo France Sports works throughout the season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, with particular focus given to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During race week, every team entered in the legendary race, as well its Race Direction, benefit from "increasingly precise and frequent weather forecasts," explains Mariane Lyon-Caen, the head of Météo France Sports, the subsidiairy of Météo France responsible for covering all major international and national sporting events. A high-powered mobile radar detects precipitation and deduces the direction of the rain in the coming half hour, and an observation station takes conventional measurements (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction, etc.). With this data, teams are able to form their race strategies.
Predicting the weather at a 13.626 km-circuit is a real challenge. It can be raining at the Mulsanne corner when the sun is shining at the pit straight! "It isn't difficult for us because it's something we can anticipate thanks to our observational means and software," explains Caen before adding, "our forecasters are consulted by Race Direction on certain decisions and must relate their forecasts. Like the drivers, our forecasters give their all, which is extremely useful." Working with the 24 Hours of Le Mans is also an opportunity for Météo France to develop skills and technologies for more accurate forecasts for the general public.
Though most teams have their fingers crossed for pleasant weather for the race, some may welcome a rain shower or two, like Aston Martin Racing fielding two Aston Martin Vantage AMRs in the LMGTE Pro class. The car - currently participating in its first FIA WEC season - won the 6 Hours of Fuji and Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the rain (and even snow in Belgium).
So, what kind of weather can we expect for the race? Caen says: "We'll know more on Sunday (9 June, Ed.). 10-day forecasts are available, but they can be unreliable when the weather is stable."
PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS. While the teams benefit from detailed forecasts given by Météo France Sports, they also utilise their own tools to factor in the weather.
