The 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a sports car race that began in 1923. It is an endurance race that takes place on a track as well as on the streets in the town of Le Mans, France. This past year I was able to attend this very race and see what all the hype was about. At 3 o’clock, the pack of 56 cars took the track at the start of the race. This race stood out from the rest because not only do the drivers race into the night around the twists and turns of the Circuit de la Sarthe, but the atmosphere at the track is like no other. Around midnight the amount of people tripled from the start of the race. Next to turns 1 and 2 there was a concert stage where bands and DJs performed throughout the night. This race was just as much about the party and the experience as it was about the race itself.
One of the best parts about my experience was I stayed in an RV in the track. Falling asleep to the sound of the Porsche and Corvette’s going around the track. Being inside the track for the entire weekend, I was able to wake up at 5, walk to the front straight and watch the cars go under the Dunlop Bridge at 5 am as the sun came up. The battle was fierce with the Porsche’s starting first, second and third, with the three Audi’s trailing behind. It wasn’t long after the start that the Audi’s were able to over take the Porsche’s. However this race is not about who is the fastest out of the gate but about whose car is the most reliable and can last through the entire 24 hours and in the end the Porsche’s were victorious as the Audi’s fell out of the lead due to mechanical problems with their hybrid systems but still able to take home third.
