For those who do not know or are unsure, Le Mans is a high-end race that lasts 24 hours and is a brutal test of endurance between man and machine, according to caranddriver.com.
History
Le Mans is regarded as one of the hardest races because it takes place on country roads. It is based on the 24 hours of pushing a car by not only running but taking hard turns and doing high speeds as well, pushing their drivers to their limits with grueling hours and other unstable drivers. It is only natural that a race like this has a history. For example, even the site of the race is held at a historic location, where the Wright brothers made their first flight, according to fiawec.com.
The course is rough and sometimes drivers have to drive through rain, so most drivers count in their heads when a corner is coming because driving in the rain at night on a road with no lights while also defending your car from other drivers is an arduous task, according to fiawec.com.
That classic champagne shower after a victory tradition came from a winner of a Le Mans race. Dan Gurney, an American driver who also won the previous year of Le Mans, a bottle of champagne that's cork popped onto onlookers. He wanted to spray himself rather than the poor onlookers, according to fiawec.com.
Last Season
At the 92nd race, Ferrari won for the second year in a row this year, almost losing to Toyota. On a wet track and almost out of fuel, Denmark’s Nicklas Nielson got the checkered flag in the 499P Ferrari hypercar shared with Italian Antonio Fuoco and Spaniard Miguel Molina. The hybrid Toyota GR010 finished just 14.22 seconds after Ferrari, with the Toyota being driven by drivers Jose Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries. The 499P finished with only two percent of its fuel left. This small amount of gas played into Ferrari’s hands with such a small amount of fuel left meant less weight for the car to carry. Both drivers had issues with their cars near the end, with the 499P having a door that would not close, demanding a pit stop one hour until the race was over. The GR010 spun out on the Dunlap curve, 30 minutes away from finishing, locking Toyota in second place, according to espn.com.
Future season
So far the next Le Mans is on the 14-15 of June 2025 with car company giants Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lamborghini, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota all trying for the trophy. Aston Martin, a British car company, announced the development of a new car that would be hitting the racing line in time for the 2025 Le Mans. Several Formula One drivers who drove in Le Mans have often stated how the cars used in Le Mans are more technically advanced than the cars they would use in F1, according to 24h-lemans.com.
