24h Le Mans
Vincent Beaumesnil, Sporting Director at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), reviews the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans, covering areas such as the event format, the race and the return of spectators to the Circuit.
SPECTATORS RETURN
“That’s what I’ll remember about this year’s race. After holding the event behind closed doors in 2020, we welcomed fans back to the Circuit this year. We were delighted to see them – they are what make the 24 Hours. I must applaud the amazing efforts made by the ACO staff, and our volunteers and service providers. Given the health situation, organising this year’s event was no easy task, but the outcome was pretty good!”
THE RACE FORMAT
“Holding Test Day a week before the race was a good thing. We’ll now think things through before we decide about the coming years. It helped teams keep their costs down. The organisation protocol presented and adopted by the authorities only allowed spectators to attend from Wednesday 18 August onwards. Next year, if scrutineering returns to the town centre, we’ll need to coordinate those two key moments so that they continue to appeal to fans but remain workable for everyone involved.
During Race Week, we had a more conventional schedule for the teams but not for our staff at the circuit because it was non-stop for five days. That required huge efforts for ACO staff. We’ll be looking at how to establish a more balanced format.”
COVID-19 PROCEDURE
“Overall, this year’s race was more complicated to organise than last year’s. The ACO had to cover three key issues with regard to the Covid situation. The first was enabling foreign visitors to come. We provided support for everyone coming from amber and red-listed countries, most notably Great Britain. We worked hard to facilitate their arrival in France and rolled out special measures so they could comply with their mandatory quarantine period in a special “bubble” at the Circuit. The second issue was the protocol for accredited personnel. It was a huge challenge to establish strict health and safety rules across the paddock, home to 5,000 people for two weeks. The health protocol wasn’t necessarily simple but it was pragmatic and there were no sticking points. We carried out 12,000 tests at the health centre set up at the Circuit for accredited personnel, and there were no clusters. The third point was opening up to the public. There were multiple discussions with the authorities to come up with the necessary arrangements, and it worked well. The limit of 50,000 spectators was right, as it helped us keep control of things. It took six months’ work and we were regularly required to review the arrangements as the health and regulatory situation evolved constantly. So it was a challenge.”
“This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans saw the debut of the Hypercar class, the new premier league in Endurance racing. It was a crucial year to see how the cars performed and how reliable they were. It was a very fine balance to establish, and we can congratulate ourselves on the result. The cars performed well and the three marques (Toyota, Alpine and Glickenhaus) remained close to one another throughout. That proves that the concept is a good one. Toyota’s experience made all the difference. The team is now a benchmark in Endurance. They know how to deal with the unexpected.”
“Toyota was in command for overall victory. We have huge respect for the work done by Glickenhaus and Alpine. Both teams prepared for the 24 Hours extremely well. Le Mans is a learning curve and they demonstrated excellent qualities.
The LMP2 class produced a magnificent battle. Hats off to Team WRT, which quickly established itself as a key player in Endurance this year. They have clearly found the right set-up to be competitive from the outset. The level in LMP2 is fantastic.
There was also some outstanding action and a very close race in LMGTE Pro. And in LMGTE Am, the “gentlemen drivers” again proved that they have their rightful place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They are part of our history and the best among them were here this year. This class also helps young drivers get a foothold in the discipline. It is still an excellent springboard.”
“This entry was the outcome of several years’ hard work and it’s an incredible exploit. After competing in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans himself, Frédéric Sausset, the first quadri-amputee driver to finish the race, had further ambitions. He set up his own team to help other drivers do what he did. After three years spent developing the project’s ecosystem, the #84 Oreca 07-Gibson was entered in the Innovative Car class, and made it to the chequered flag after a highly respectable race. Their performance conveys the message that motor racing is open to people with disabilities and that we will always provide the necessary support. Frédéric is part of the ACO family and his drivers have made history. We’re extremely proud to have seen them in our race.”
“The day after the race, we held a debriefing session with the team managers, the first step towards 2022. We don’t know what the health situation will be next year. However, we’ve already got plenty of information to work with. 2020 and 2021 have forced us to review everything. We were pushed to the limit, which forced us to be creative and make big changes to the 24 Hours. We will come out of this somewhat different and no doubt stronger.”
