24h Le Mans
Today’s the day! The 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, gets underway at 16:00! Official starter Zinedine Zidane will wave the French flag, unleashing the competitors for a nail-biting 24-hour race with Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot, Alpine, Lamborghini, BMW and Isotta Fraschini all vying for the prestigious win
Prior to the official start at 16:00, there is a series of rituals. The cars line up diagonally, a helicopter delivers the French flag, there is a stirring rendition of the Marseillaise (French national anthem) with the crowd joining in, and the Patrouille de France aerobatics team performs a flypast. As the minutes tick by, the tension rises among the drivers. When the race director gives the nod to release the 62 cars, the adrenalin really kicks in and the competitors embark on a relentless 24-hour battle.
Before the start of the race, the runners and riders benefit from the Warm-up, a final track session to ensure they’re well and truly ready. During this 15 minutes’ free practice, the cars are tweaked and tuned to adapt to the day’s weather conditions.
The second Road to Le Mans race will be held from 10:00 to 10:55. This support race is the third of six rounds in the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup, a championship reserved for LMP3 and GT3 cars.
Simple Minds have enjoyed a remarkable career since the release of their début album Life in a Day in 1979. Their musical style has evolved over the years, but their catchy choruses and atmospheric sound soon earned them icon status in the 1980s. Along the way, they’ve had five chart-topping albums and a host of No. 1 singles on both sides of the Atlantic, sold over 60 million albums and filled stadiums around the world. After the huge success of their 40 Years of Hits tour in 2022, a sell-out at La Seine Musicale in Paris and in Lille, Bordeaux and Lyon, they’re back on the road in France for a leg of their new Global Tour 2024, stopping off at the Zénith venues in Paris, Nantes, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Dijon!
At last year’s Centenary event, spectators were wowed by the fireworks and drone display and now the show is back with a new story to tell – the rivalry between the big manufacturers. Electro duo Synapson will provide the musical backdrop to the spectacular show that combines drones, light, video and pyrotechnics.
10:00-10.55: Race 2, Road To Le Mans
12.00-12.15: 24 Hours of Le Mans warm-up
13:35-15:00: Gridwalk
15.30-15.50: Official starting ceremony
16:00: Start of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans
20:00-23:55: Concerts by No Money Kids and Simple Minds
23:20-00:30: 24 Hours of Le Mans Show
