Track
Le mans is one of the most historic tracks in motorsport. The circuit is roughly 13.6km long and drivers can reach a speed up to 366 kph.
The track hosted it’s first race in 1923 and it is the worlds oldest active going endurance event.
Througout history there has been a total of 90 24hr endurance races at the circuit.
The track has been rebuilt several times because of safety reasons.
The Lemans Start
A Le Mans-style start was used for many years in various types of motor racing. When the start flag dropped, drivers had to run across the track to their cars which were parked on the other side, climb in, start the car, and drive away to begin the race.
Such starts were very unsafe, with drivers possibly rushing the process of fastening their safety equipment. Britain's RAC prohibited the use of the Le Mans start in English racing in late summer 1962 precisely for this reason. In 1969, Jacky Ickx, who always considered this type of start to be dangerous, decided to walk to his car instead of running. Taking the time to secure everything made him effectively start in the last position but nevertheless, he went on to win the race.
This staged protest, and the death of John Woolfe in the first lap, at the Maison Blanche curve, precisely because he didn't fasten his seat belt, led to the running start be abolished the following year.
