24 Hours of Le Mans

Rare card · No. 17801

The 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 24 Heures du Mans; French pronunciation: [vɛ̃t.katʁ‿œʁ dy mɑ̃]) is an endurance sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. First run in 1923, it is the oldest active endurance racing event in the world and is widely considered one of the world's most prestigious races. It is part of two informal "Triple Crown" series: the Triple Crown of Motorsport (with the F1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500) and the Triple Crown of endurance racing (with the Florida-based 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring). Unlike fixed-distance races whose winner is determined by minimum time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. The cars on this track are able to achieve speeds of 366 km/h (227 mph), and reached 407 km/h (253 mph) on the main straight in 1988 – instigating the addition of more chicanes to the track to reduce speed reached. Racing teams must balance the demands of speed with...

Read on Wikipedia · Image ™/®Automobile Club de l'Ouest, Public domain