In a prologue to the karting 24 hours, there will be the third running of 'Kart Legend' to remind us of all who took part in the very first kart race in France in 1960 half a century ago. These fans of classic karting old and young, from England, the Netherlands and of course France will show that the passion for racing is still alive both in themselves and their machines!

The first kart races in France took place 50 years ago. The 'kart' arrived in France at a boat show held in late 1959. Two karts were sent from the USA directly to the McCulloch stand to the amazement of assembled visitors. This did not go unnoticed by Auto Journal magazine led by Jean Marie Balestre (who created the magazine Special Karting the following year. After testing this machine, the first article was published on 1st December of that year entitled "Go kart, competition for everyone". The kart had been launched in France...

In the prologue to the 24 hours, the circuit Alain Prost pays tribute to our illustrious karting heritage. Vintage karting is very popular these days, and owes much of its reputation to Le Mans. We can admire these machines in a demonstration race. The "grandpas" of the kart world will be coming from all over France but also Great Britain and Holland, where enthusiasm for the sport is very strong.

Three categories:

Vintage kart 1956-1966
History kart 1967-1977
Classic kart 1978-1988