The Sarthe Endurance Photos competition is run jointly by the ACO, Sarthe Council, the French sports journalists union, Auto Hebdo magazine and Le Maine Libre newspaper. The competition is open to amateur photographers, who are invited to record the story of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) races or Le Mans Classic, from the truly magical moments to the tiniest fleeting details.

Henri Pescarolo chaired the panel of judges, which included several other names from the world of endurance racing. They had the difficult task of choosing the best images from more than 1,000 entries. Two special jury prizes were also awarded. Below, some of the winning images from the ninth Sarthe Endurance Photos competition:

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Sarthe Endurance Photos competition, there will be a free, open-air “24 Hours” exhibition on the railings outside the Hôtel du Département (the main council offices) in Le Mans, from 7 June onwards, when a selection of winning images from the competition will go on show. Meanwhile, Sarthe Council and French railway operator SNCF will also be displaying some large-format photographs in Le Mans station.

There will be a few changes for the 10th Sarthe Endurance Photos competition, with double the chances of winning!

• There will be an Instagram competition, spanning the full 24 Hours of Le Mans fortnight, with three winners for each key moment of the 24 Hours (Test Day, Scrutineering, Qualifying and the Race).
• The Sarthe Endurance Photo competition will also continue in its usual format, with images to be submitted via the website until mid-July. There will be a few new categories, such as best daytime/night-time photograph and best atmospheric image.

PHOTO: Eric Le Galliot won first prize in the Sarthe Endurance Photos competition for his image, “Night Magic”.