24h Le Mans
Le Mans Classic Legend is underway! At 4 pm, three-time world skiing champion Alexis Pinturault flagged off this year’s event under a bright sunshine. The five racing series and supporting races will run one after the other until 4 pm on Sunday, before giving way to podium ceremonies and other celebrations.
Whilst yesterday was dedicated to the qualifiers, both Saturday and Sunday are reserved for racing. Over the course of a full day, competitors in grids 6 to 10 will battle it out, day and night, with three races per grid. Of course, support races are also part of the program, as are spectacular parades featuring club cars, Supercars, Gordon Murray’s road cars and prototypes, Porsches and BMWs. The second appearance of the legendary Mazda 787B at 6.05 pm was not to be missed; once again, the unique sound of its rotary engine left no one unmoved.
Shortly before 2 pm, the crowd was treated to a magnificent spectacle; in keeping with tradition, the young participants from Little Big Mans took part in a Le Mans-style start, before taking to the track for a timeless moment in their miniature replicas of the Ford GT40, AC Cobra and Lamborghini Countach. No fewer than 45 children ran from one end of the court to the other when Matthew Knoesen, the wheelchair tennis prodigy, uttered these words: “On your marks… go!”. As usual, everyone was captivated by this deeply touching scene. This spectacle has a unique impact that cannot be found anywhere else.
Grid 6 kicks off this first edition of Le Mans Classic Legend. Following the mass start led by Alexis Pinturault, the 1976 TOJ SC304 #22 driven by Yves SCEMAMA/Richard MILLE and the 1976 Lola T286 #1 driven by Maxime GUENAT immediately pulled clear. Jan MAGNUSSEN’s 1973 Lola T292 #70 distinguished itself in third place with some remarkable overtakes, but lost ground on the straights due to its less powerful engine. Whilst the top two were locked in a fierce battle, Yves SCEMAMA made a mistake coming out of the second Mulsanne Straight chicane, leaving the field open for Maxime GUENAT and his Lola. GUENAT won this first race, ahead of Jamie CONSTABLE in the 1974 Chevron B26 #199. Jan MAGNUSSEN was handed a one lap penalty for failing to pit at the correct time. Tony SINCLAIR, Sam YATES and their 1973 Lola T292 #85 therefore took third place.
Off the track, there’s still a lot of things to do. You simply can’t miss the M24 – Motorsport Museum – and its collections, which cover the entire history of motorsports and more, all housed in a stunning new venue that opened less than two months ago. Film buffs can treat themselves to a good film at the MK2 Drive-In, which screens movies with a motoring theme, such as Taxi 2 or C’était un rendez-vous. There’s also an exhibition of iconic cars featured in films, including the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future and the Ford Mustang ‘Eleanor’ from Gone in 60 seconds. Between the arcade zone, the ‘Spirit of Speed’ motorbike exhibition and all the car clubs, there’s something to please young and old alike.
The atmosphere at Le Mans Classic Legend leaves no one out; everyone is invited to take part in this celebration of motor racing. In the village, which is also bustling with activity, you can extend the experience by hunting for the last few diecast models missing from your collection, or finding rare items linked to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As darkness falls, the atmosphere changes; Le Mans takes on a more intimate feel. No doubt many fans will be supporting France tonight against Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match planned at 11 pm will, of course, be shown at the circuit’s venue, providing an opportunity to share in this major sporting event. To go with this very special moment, three concerts are on the program. At 8 pm, Baccus takes to the decks, before handing the main stage over to Superbus for an exceptional show starting at 10.30 pm. Finally, at midnight, the french band Bon Entendeur will keep the party going until the early hours.
On the track, the first support races produced the following results. All that remains is the Berlinetta Challenge race, which takes place this evening from 7.45 pm.
The first race, held on Saturday morning, saw competitors in the GT3 Revival Series go head-to-head to mark the 20th anniversary of the GT3 category’s creation. Thanks to a superb start, Heiko NEUMANN, in his #65 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, quickly pulled away, but Alvaro PARENTE, at the wheel of the #47 Audi R8 LMS Ultra were not having any of it. It was a spectacular battle, but NEUMANN held on to the lead.
A mandatory pit stop was required. Whilst slowing down to enter the pits, PARENTE, caught off guard, crashed into NEUMANN from behind. Both cars sustained fairly significant cosmetic damage, and whilst the Mercedes-Benz was able to get back on track fairly quickly, the Audi R8 was held up in the pit lane for some time. Benjamin RICCI, in the #10 Ferrari 458 GT3 Evo, took advantage of the situation to take the lead, which he held until the checkered flag was waved. This highly eventful first race left no one unmoved. Heiko NEUMANN finished second, ahead of Jonathan MITCHELL and his #007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.
The Porsche Classic Cup sees Porsche Cup cars from all generations competing against one another, from the 944 Turbo to the 996 GT3. This series, which continues to uphold the German manufacturer’s legacy through one-make championships organized around the world, is being celebrated today at Le Mans Classic Legend. In the first race, Ivan REGGIANI (1999 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup #196) got the better of his rivals and kept Henrik BOLLERSLEV (2004 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup #76) at a safe distance.
After a flurry of pit stops, Andrew JORDAN (2002 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup #10) pulled away and overtook Henrik BOLLERSLEV to take second place. Following the race leader’s pit stop, JORDAN even took the lead. Andrew shared the driving duties with his father Mike; the pair secured a fairly comfortable victory, having dominated qualifying the day before. Mike and Andrew JORDAN took the win, ahead of Henrik BOLLERSLEV and the duo of Charles KAUFFMAN and Ivan REGGIANI in the #996.
The first race of the HSR NASCAR Classic by Goodyear was eagerly awaited by all the fans at the venue. Fittingly, the first NASCAR race at Le Mans took place on the 250th anniversary of the United States. The drivers put on a spectacular show for the occasion, led by the 2004 series champion, Kurt BUSCH, in the #1A 2020 Chevrolet Camaro NASCAR, who launched a series of attacks. Andrew JORDAN (2011 Toyota Camry #15A) and Joe NEMECHECK (2010 Toyota Camry #47) also distinguished themselves at the top of the standings.
Whilst Andrew JORDAN pulled away, David ROBERTS (2012 Dodge Charger CoT NASCAR #2) and Joe NEMECHECK were locked in a titanic battle for second place. Kurt BUSCH remained in the running, until he made a second mistake at Mulsanne. Meanwhile, Joe NEMECHECK, who was also challenging at the front, suffered a double puncture whilst braking into Mulsanne Straight’s second chicane. Then, late in the race, BUSCH, ROBERTS and JORDAN – who had led from the very first lap – all encountered successive problems. An incredible turnaround allowed JC France, in the #24A 2014 Chevrolet Camaro NASCAR, to edge out Nigel ARMSTRONG (the #44 2007 NASCAR CoT Toyota Camry) by less than a second. Ryan GEMMELL crossed the line in third place at the wheel of his #55 2002 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
