24h Le Mans
Le Mans Classic Legend is underway! On Thursday, the public had the chance to experience the atmosphere of this new event and, above all, to see the cars lined up in the paddocks. Whilst the first day was marked by entertainment and exhibitions, Friday was all about the on track action, with qualifying sessions for all the categories as well as support races.
From Thursday, the opening day of the village, spectators were able to soak up the event’s unique atmosphere. The public had the chance to explore the exhibitions, such as the one held in honour of the famous engineer Gordon Murray, but also to relax whilst taking a trip back thirty years in time in the arcade zone, the scene of fierce competitions on pinball machines and other iconic fairground games. Film enthusiasts were already able to admire iconic cars from the silver screen in an exhibition featuring, amongst others, the Peugeot 406 from Taxi and the BMW 750iL driven by James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies. Since Friday, the drive-in MK2 cinema is also open, screening timeless films with a motoring theme, such as C’était un rendez-vous and Herbie Goes Bananas.
The M24 – Motorsport Museum is an unmissable stop on this year’s Le Mans Classic Legend itinerary. This sanctuary dedicated to the history of all motorsports is open to the public every day, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the universe celebrated by Le Mans Classic Legend. Between activities and explorations, visitors find themselves searching for diecast models or rare finds in the bustling aisles of the village, pausing to enjoy a bite to eat at the many venues set up in the area.
The track opened to competitors in the first support races on Friday at 9.20 am. Following the parades by the various clubs gathered around the circuit, the entrants in the Porsche Classic Cup took part in their first practice session. This category brings together 30 Porsche Cup cars from different generations, ranging from front-engined Type 944 Turbo Cup from the late 1980s to Type 996 GT3 Cup 911s from the early 2000s. In the session, Mike and Andrew JORDAN, in the #10 2003 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup, came out on top, just ahead of Henrik BOLLERSLEV’s #76 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup and the #25 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup driven by Piers MASARATI and Elliott MUMFORD.
Next up was the GT3 Revival Series, which showcases GT3 cars 20 years after the category’s inception. It was an opportunity to rediscover the iconic models that made this era legendary. Jérôme POLICAND, with 13 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to his name, distinguished himself in the #87 Ferrari 458 GT3 Evo along with his teammate Jean-Luc BEAUBELIQUE. Will NUTHALL and Stephan JOEBSTL, in the #52 Ferrari 458 GT3 Evo, finished second, ahead of Heiko NEUMANN and his Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
After this came the Berlinetta Challenge, a field comprising Ferrari Challenge cars from various generations, ranging from the 1993 348s to the 2011 458 Italia. The Ferrari Challenge championship, which was in fact created in 1993, is a one-make series that is now successful all over the world, with series in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia/South-East Asia. Joe MACARI, drawing on his experience from two appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set the fastest time in the qualifying session in his #12 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge, ahead of Olivier MARKARIAN in his #42 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge and Jan BOT in a #355 1996 Ferrari F355 Challenge.
The first qualifying sessions for categories 6 to 10 began at 1.00 pm and concluded at 5.40 pm. These grids cover the bulk of modern endurance racing, with cars ranging from 1972 to 2020.
Here are the first qualifiers in each of the six categories:
Several parades left their mark on this year’s Le Mans Classic Legend. At 2 pm on Friday, the Mazda 787B made its appearance. As the first Japanese car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991, this car went down in history for its looks, its track record, but also – and above all – its distinctive sound: its rotary engine gives it a sound unlike any other, which no enthusiast could fail to notice as it passed by. At 7 pm, it was the turn of the Porsche 917s. Created in two versions (K for ‘short’ and LH for ‘long tail’), the 917 won two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971 – Porsche’s first two overall victories. This parade showcased various 917s on display in Village 5, offering spectators a truly memorable moment.
Alongside the action on the track, two concerts will set the tone for the night in Le Mans starting this evening at 8 pm. Contrecœur (8 pm), Polo & Pan (10:30 pm) and Étienne de Crécy (midnight) will perform on the main stage to keep the party going late into the night.
The second qualifying sessions will continue until 2 am. This gives the drivers the chance to get used to the darkness at Le Mans, which has also helped make the 24 Hours a legendary event. Action will resume on Saturday at 8 am with the club practice sessions; the day will, of course, be marked by the grand start of the Le Mans Classic Legend, which takes place at 4 pm.
Follow the festivities from this special edition on live and on video on the Peter Auto YouTube channel on Saturday and Sunday starting at 9 a.m.!
