The first US patent for a traffic light system was issued to Ernest E. Sirrine on this day, 29 November, in 1910. At Le Mans however, the pit lane signal lights were added in 1971, enabling drivers to exit the pit lane safely. A red light will show if all three safety cars are on track.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Legendes

24 Heures du Mans

Historique

With a few hours to go before the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the support fixtures have reached the chequered flag. The Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil and the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli took the track for their respective Race 2. As usual, both were action-packed.

<h2>Dylan Medler Adds another win to his collection</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Pietro Fantin does the job in Porsche Carrera Cup BrAsil</h2>

<p>&nbsp;
<p><strong>Top 3 of Race 2:</strong></p>
</p>

<p>1. Pietro Fantin (#117)<br />
2. Antonella Bassani (#72)&nbsp; + 1.723<br />
3. Miguel Paludo (#7)&nbsp; + 2.524</p>

2026 Support Races: Ferrari and Porsche in 24 Hours of Le Mans prelude.

From afar, at 300 kph, a Hypercar tyre looks like a black circle. But tyres are the subject of much research and development. Michelin has introduced a major change with the Pilot Sport Endurance 2026: render visible what is usually beneath the surface. The spectacular design that highlights the revolutionary sustainability improvements under way concerning Hypercar tyres.

<p>On the 24 Hours of Le Mans pit straight, the tyres are the only point of contact between car and asphalt. They transmit power, cushion shocks and aid driver performance for hours on end, rain or shine. This year, <strong>Michelin</strong> has shifted up a gear. In addition to competitive strength, the French manufacturer is telling the story of tyre technology in their design. It&rsquo;s a way of showing that innovation shapes endurance.</p>

<h2>Design reveals all</h2>

<p>It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine when you look at a Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tyre, just how much technology is behind it. The banal, black circle of rubber masks <strong>a huge amount of research and development</strong>.</p>

<p>Michelin has set out to change that perception with its 2026 Hypercar range. The goal is to <strong>make technological innovation visible</strong>. Design is used as a language, to narrate the advancement in terms of renewable and recyclable materials.</p>

<p>The most impressive hallmark of the new-generation range is the <strong>patented micro-velvet finish</strong>. It&rsquo;s striking to look at. Light reflects differently on the tyre tread, creating a texture previously unseen in racing.</p>

<p>The finish is obtained thanks to a thin layer of special coating &ndash; thin as in a few <strong>hundredths of a micron</strong>. Its role is only visual. It has no influence on tyre performance but it makes them highly recognisable.</p>

<p>As it always has, since 1923, <strong>the 24 Hours of Le Mans serves as a testing ground</strong>. The FIA World Endurance Championship offers Michelin a field of experimentation to develop new processes to inspire future tyre design.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>A tyre made up of 50% renewable, recycled materials</h2>

<p>The Pilot Sport Endurance 2026 marks a turning point in the French manufacturer&rsquo;s strategy. It is made of 50% renewable, recycled materials.</p>

<p>They include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Carbon black from old tyres;</li>
	<li>Oil from biowaste;</li>
	<li>Recycled steel;</li>
	<li>Resins from biowaste;</li>
	<li>Silica from biowaste;</li>
	<li>Natural rubber from hevea.</li>
</ul>

<p>The new composition in no way compromises performance. On the contrary, Michelin has announced <strong>improvements in terms of warm-up, consistency and handling</strong>.</p>

<p>This progress perfectly illustrates 24 Hours of Le Mans philosophy: to drive innovation to the very highest level to influence tomorrow&rsquo;s mobility. The project is in line with Michelin&rsquo;s intention to <strong>develop an airless, connected, rechargeable, completely sustainable tyre by 2050</strong>.</p>

<h2>The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race that foretells the future</h2>

<p>Spectators often come to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to admire the Hypercars, hear <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-trackside-symphony-music-to-our-ears-57608">the sound of engines</a> and experience the adrenaline-filled atmosphere of the great endurance race. But, behind the most visible elements of the race hide incredible changes.</p>

<p>With its eye-catching patterned tread Michelin&rsquo;s Pilot Sport Endurance range is attracting attention to tyre technology and the manufacturer&rsquo;s intention to <strong>push the boundaries of performance AND contribute to a more sustainable future</strong>.</p>

The secret of the new 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar tyre design

It's finally the big day! At 16:00, the start of the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, third round of the 2026 FIA WEC, will be given. Official starter Mark Cavendish will wave the French flag to release the competitors for 24 nonstop hours of adrenaline-fuelled racing. Who among Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota will take home the coveted trophy? Find out tomorrow at 16:00 local time!

<h2>Start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans</h2>

<p>It&rsquo;s the moment we&rsquo;ve all been waiting for. The one we&rsquo;ve been imagining for months now.</p>

<p>At 16:00 on the dot, the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin. Official starter Mark Cavendish will wave the French flag to release the competitors engaged in the third round of the FIA WEC.</p>

<p>In the minutes before the start, time stands still. The grid is full. The teams are ready. Glances are exchanged. Then the strains of La Marseillaise, and thousands of voices sing as one. The tension mounts.</p>

<p>And suddenly, the power is released. The Hypercars &ndash; Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot et Toyota set off for 24 hours of jostling for position, followed closely by 19 LMP2s and 25 LMGT3s. At that moment in time, nothing else exists. Just the sound, the speed and the legend of Le Mans.</p>

<h2>24 Hours of le&nbsp;Mans warm-up</h2>

<p>Before the start, teams have one last chance to adjust their set-up.</p>

<p>The warm-up session takes place from 12:00 to 12:15. Fifteen precious minutes. Fifteen minute to check the latest settings, get a feel for how the track has changed, check the weather and adapt the car to the conditions of the day.</p>

<h2>Ferrari Challenge</h2>

<p>From 09:15 the Ferrari Challenge competitors take the track for the second race of the weekend. Those who shone in the first leg will be looking to do the same. The others will be hoping for a shake-up in what is always an intense race, with the amazing soundtrack of a fleet of Ferraris flying around the track.</p>

<h2>Porsche Carrera Cup BraSil</h2>

<p>From 10:30 to 11:15 it&#39;s time for the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil to stage a last battle on the Le Mans circuit before passing over to the headline act.</p>

<h2>Magic System and&nbsp;Mosimann concerts</h2>

<p>Magic System have been filling the world&rsquo;s dance floors for over 25 years. Their first big hit Premier Gaou introduced the French-speaking public to the Ivorian group of friends. A symbol of the cultural ties between the Ivory Coast and France, Magic System are known for their high-energy performances and positive messages. The year 2024 was an exceptional one for the group when the single Magic in the Air was certified triple diamond in France. This year&rsquo;s jubilatory tour is an opportunity to perform old favourites and new tracks. Expect a festive show that communicates togethernes, joy and unity.</p>

<p>DJ, singer, producer and remixer (Quentin) Mosimann is part of a generation of all-rounder artists. His performances are a blend of house music, techno and electro-pop. Ranked among the world&rsquo;s top 100 DJs, Mosimann has mixed at the most famous clubs and festivals &ndash; each appearance a live performance. Saturday&rsquo;s grand finale act is bound to be electrifying!</p>

<h2>24 Hours of le&nbsp;Mans show</h2>

<p>The breathtaking 24 Hours of Le Mans Show has been wowing spectators since&nbsp;2023 and this year it&#39;s going to be even more spectacular!</p>

<p>After celebrating the legenary race&rsquo;s centenary, exploring endurance racing on a global scale&nbsp;and taking the audience on an immersive &quot;24h on board&quot; journey, this show is delving even futher into the realm of adrenaline-fuelled&nbsp;imagination.</p>

<p>The invitation sent out into&nbsp;the sky&nbsp;above Le Mans in 2025 has traveled across the stars. This year, other galaxies are answering the call. Drone pilots from afar and their extraordinary machines are converging on the stage of the 24 Hours to challenge our planet&rsquo;s champions. Yet here,&nbsp;one thing never changes: you must learn the art of endurance, master the night&nbsp;and conquer time itself.&nbsp;</p>

<p><u><strong>Saturday 13 June Programme</strong></u></p>

<p>09:00 &ndash; 02:00 | M24 &ndash; Motorsport Museum open<br />
09:00 &ndash; 15:00 | Fan Zone and Kids Zone open<br />
09:15 &ndash; 10:00 | Ferrari Challenge Race 2<br />
10:00 &ndash; 00:00 | Hydrogen ACO H2 and Constructors Villages open<br />
10:30 &ndash; 11:15 | Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil Race 2<br />
12:00 &ndash; 12:15 | 24 Hours of Le Mans Warm-Up<br />
12:30 | Hydrogen Prototype Demonstration<br />
15:00 &ndash; 15:45 | Official Start Ceremony<br />
16:00 | 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans Start<br />
20:50 &ndash; 21:20 | Magic System Concert<br />
22:15 &ndash; 23:55 | Mosimann Concert<br />
23:55 | 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans Show</p>

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans – Saturday 13/06 Programme

Five different Hypercar manufacturers took the lead in at least one session this week, which proves that this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is wide open. The same goes for LMGT3 and LMP2, where gaps are so small that any of the teams could win. After a nailbiting Hyperpole session, BMW takes pole position at 16:00 CET tomorrow, for the first time ever in the history of the race.

<p><strong>The starting grid is decided on a moment in time</strong>. The Hyperpole session enables the perfect lap, with new tyres, an empty tank, on a cool evening. A far cry from the long stints of the free practice sessions &ndash; when you really get a feel for race pace. Read on for the lowdown on a hierarchy determined by a sprint, after a week of mounting tension.</p>

<h2>Hypercar: BMW on pole in a very even class</h2>

<p>The timesheets have had a different name at the top at almost every session this week. First, Aston Martin on Test Day. Then Cadillac dominated Free Practice 1, Toyota Free Practice 2, then Alpine edged ahead in Qualifying. BMW took over for Free Practice 3, and confirmed the performance in Hyperpole. So far, no supremacy.</p>

<p>The two BMWs (#15 and #20) in first and fourth place have begun the assault. But they&rsquo;re not alone. The new Hyperpole format requires each crew member to take the wheel. The first one does the groundwork in Wednesday&rsquo;s qualifying session, the second builds on the foundations in Hyperpole 1, and the third adds the finishing touch in the twilight Hyperpole 2 session. <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/bmw-take-first-hypercar-era-le-mans-pole-after-cadillac-penalty-60771">Dries Vanthoor</a>&rsquo;s 3:22.564 broke the Hypercar course record set by Jack Aitken last year (3:22.742). It&rsquo;s the first BMW pole position, not just in the Hypercar era, but in the entire history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. <strong>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m delighted to be on pole position at Le Mans! It&rsquo;s an event. It&rsquo;s great to be out front and to give the team what the deserve. But our aim remains to win the race! We&rsquo;re going to have to run clean for 24 hours to be in with a chance on Sunday&rdquo;</strong>, says Vanthoor.</p>

<p>The #38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac set the pole-winning time by a hair&rsquo;s breadth, but the lap was discounted, Jack Aitken having entered the pit lane too early, anticipating the instruction from race control. In fact, Cadillac placed three cars in the top 10. The #12 has been in the top five all week, with track temperatures ranging from 20 to 38&deg;C and air from 14.9 to 21.4&deg;C. Unrivalled consistency.</p>

<p>The #38&rsquo;s tenth place on the grid relatively little importance in a 24-hour race. Unless you&rsquo;re superstitious. Jean Rondeau and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud are the only pair to have triumphed having started in P10 (with the M379B in 1980). On the other hand, 13 of the last 63 winners started in pole position (20.63%).</p>

<p><strong>&ldquo;Unfortunately, the lap was cancelled due to a procedure error. It still shows that we have fantastic pace, because we clocked the best time and the third best time, and that all three Cadillacs qualified for Hyperpole 2. And you know, even if we don&rsquo;t start in pole position, we&rsquo;re still going to fight hard all weekend. We&rsquo;ve proved what we can do. The car seemed really, really good. The guys have done an incredible job bringing it on gradually in the last few days. Sure, a lap like that is always a bit special. Even more so on a circuit like this one. So I really enjoyed the 20 minutes when I was the pole sitter&rdquo;</strong>, says Jack Aitken.</p>

<p>Ferrari and Toyota seem to be lurking in the shadows this week. Preparing for a major race quietly in their corner.Five-time winner Toyota will start in P14 and 15. The Ferrari #83, defending champion, languishes in P17, with the #51 P8 and the #51 P12. A disappointing result? <strong>These Hypercars are already primed for performance, are already winners</strong>. The race pace is there. They may be discrete so far, but they could shine in the long run. Both the Italians and the Japanese (who share the last eight editions of Le Mans between them) know how the run-up to the race works, and the importance of getting to grips with the track and how it behaves.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Alpine, who would dearly love to score a win for France, pulled out all the stops this week to that end: best qualifying time, third on the grid and admirable consistency &ndash; always in the top 7. Rather than a sudden flash of inspiration, this is<strong> the result of patient hard work, and expertise developed over the last two years</strong>. The make that won the race in 1978 and triumphed in a WEC race last year (Fuji) has probably never been as prepared for victory as now.</p>

<p>Si les 9X8 #93 et #94 ferment la marche des Hypercars, 16ᵉ et 18ᵉ, le d&eacute;but de saison permet d&rsquo;esp&eacute;rer que le visage de la course sera diff&eacute;rent. Pour la 94e &eacute;dition, un succ&egrave;s de la #94 serait un symbole !</p>

<p><strong>And then there&rsquo;s the revelation of the week, from Korea</strong>. At its d&eacute;but Le Mans <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2026-24-hours-of-le-mans-the-low-down-on-the-genesis-magma-racing-hypercar-60714">Genesis has qualified both GMR-001s</a> for Hyperpole 2: the #19 will start in sixth place and the #17 in ninth. <strong>Mathys Jaubert</strong> (21), the only Silver driver in the class even clocked his fastest lap in Hyperpole 1 without any display on his screen due to a technical issue. You have to respect that. As usual, the long stints will prove decisive. The potential is there, but the race has yet to be run.</p>

<p>As for Aston Martin, dominant on Test Day, they have moved down the ranks as their opponents found their feet and start the race discretely in P7 for the #009 and P11 for the #007. Which just goes to show that <strong>Thursday evening&rsquo;s photographic instant cannot predict the twists and turns of the plot in the 24-hour film we are about to watch.</strong></p>

<h2>LMP2: youth or experience?</h2>

<p>In LMP2, there are a little over two seconds between the first and the tenth. In the hotly contested class, the best time recorded by Forestier Racing by Panis&rsquo;s 21-year-old Esteban Masson (#29) did not earn him first place as he incurred a penalty for obstruction. The car starts in P2, behind the #28 IDEC Sport. The race will be decided on execution: misread traffic, a mounted kerb, or a muddled pit stop.</p>

<p>Youth abounds in this class, especially in the Cool Racing #37 Oreca 07-Gibson crew. <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/adrien-closmenil-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-at-19-years-old-60690">Adrien Clomesnil</a>, <strong>Ian Aguilera</strong> and <strong>Theodor Jensen</strong> average nineteen years old! Yet there&rsquo;s plenty of experience too. The #43 Inter Europol Competition (P4) may not have shined yet this week, but they won in 2023 and 2025. <strong>You don&rsquo;t win Le Mans on Thursday night, in LMP2 or in any class.</strong></p>

<p>A notable detail on this grid: four Pro/Am teams, including the #4 Crowdstrike (with Laurin Heinrich in Hyperpole 2) and the #14 of TDS Racing (with K&eacute;vin Estre in Hyperpole 2) were in the top 10. Some amateur drivers are teamed with factory drivers, making for flattering, perhaps over-optimistic qualifying times. Success in the 24-hour race often depends on the performance of the least-experienced driver. Thursday&rsquo;s ranking does not reflect the immense challenge to come, nor the importance of teamwork in sustaining pace over time.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>LMGT3: the battle of the constructors is on</h2>

<p>If ever a ranking were to be taken with a pinch of salt, it&rsquo;s this one. This week, six makes have finished the session in first place: <strong>Ferrari</strong>, <strong>Lexus</strong>,<strong> BMW</strong>, <strong>Aston Martin</strong>,<strong> Ford</strong>, then <strong>Corvette</strong>. <strong>It&rsquo;s so tight. Nine manufacturers are within a hair&rsquo;s breadth of each other.</strong></p>

<p>The pole-winning time of <strong>Mattia Drudi</strong> (#27 Heart Of Racing, new record with 3:52.433) is the work of an expert. For the second year running, he claimed the LMGT3 Hyperpole, handing Aston Martin their 71st pole position in the history of the FIA WEC (since 2012). Better still, <strong>the make is the first to clinch five Hyperpoles since the introduction of the LMGT3 class in 2024</strong>. Drudi joins a select club of drivers who have put their names to at least two class pole positions.</p>

<p>It should be emphasised that regulations require a bronze-rated driver in each team (who took the wheel in Wednesday&rsquo;s qualifying session). Those stints will prove important over the duration of the race. Therein lies the strength of Le Mans. It rewards collective performance.</p>

<p><strong>The question on the lips of the LMGT3 experts is, who can knock Porsche off the perch? </strong>The German manufacturer fields two cars, one of which is unbeaten in LMGT3. Richard Lietz, Yasser Shahin and Morris Schuring won in 2024, with the #91, then Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz (again) and Riccardo Pera in 2025 with the #92. <strong>Can Porsche continue the reign?</strong></p>

<h3>The 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans starting grid</h3>

Our preview of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans starting grid

24 Heures du Mans 1971

<p>The new signals accompanied the installation of the separation wall between the pit lane and the pit straight. Since then, drivers have been required to wait for the green light before joining the track. As with all rules, penalties apply in case of infringement.</p>

<p><strong>Photo (D.R. Archives ACO): The #15 Matra, 1972 winner, flies past the pit lane. Note the height and thickness of the separation wall!</strong></p>

Today’s Photo Story - Signal lights installed at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans in 1971

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