The 74 albums in the Michel Vaillant collection are a mine of information on how the Le Mans 24 Hours has changed over the years, in terms of race regulations, cars, atmosphere, circuit layout and infrastructure. But that’s not all! Some of the hero’s most memorable adventures have taken place at Le Mans.

- In La 24e heure (1957), a youthful Vaillant furiously digs his stranded car out of a bank of earth after leaving the track, before storming back up through the field to second place. Shrewd observers at the finish line commented, “that kid will be World Champion one day!”

- In Le 13 est au départ (1961), the reader is taken to the Place des Jacobins to where the scrutineering formalities take place before being whisked off on a double-page tour of the 24-Hour circuit, including a view of the signalling pits at Mulsanne Corner and another of Maison Blanche.

- The 1966 album Concerto pour pilotes tells the tale of a surprising yet breathtaking encounter between Vaillant, his American buddy Steve Warson, and the pilots of the US Air Force demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds! Warson decides to give Lt Morgan a baptism of fire as he takes him on a thrilling drive around the 24-Hour circuit aboard a prototype. The expressions on the Thunderbird’s face make for two of the most hilarious strips in the album.

- Le fantôme des 24 Heures (1968) offers one of the finest sequences in the entire Michel Vaillant saga – a night-time rendezvous in the press box with his eternal rival, the enigmatic Leader.

- In Sa plus belle victoire (1979), Vaillant learns that he has become a father during the race as a board at Mulsanne Corner announces the news: “Patrick, 2.50 pm, 3.9 kg”.

- In Un pilote a disparu (1980), Michel Vaillant boards a single-engined aircraft with 1978 24-Hours winner Didier Pironi as they set off in pursuit of the abductors of his teammate Gabrièle Spangenberg. Aerobatics over the circuit keep the reader on tenterhooks!

- Six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx is a great friend of Vaillant, yet the pair have never teamed up for the 24 Hours. Ickx’s daughter Vanina, on the other hand, drove a Vaillante prototype as part of an all-female crew in 24 Heures sous influence (2007).

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO
Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 22 & SUNDAY 23 JUNE 1957. In 1957, Jean Graton created La 24e heure, the first story featuring Michel Vaillant at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That same year, Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb bagged the Jaguar D-Type’s third consecutive win. This was the British manufacturer’s fifth victory since 1951.