Ryder Notes: Races You Must See Before You Die # 2: Le Mans 24 Hours
by Julian Ryder
Sunday, October 27, 2024
(2003)
Endurance racing is a particularly French affair—they seem to go in for these lengthy efforts—the Tour de France cycle race lasts three weeks and there are 24-hour races for everything from powerboats to lawnmowers. Motorcycle endurance is much the same--with the notable exception of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
The World Endurance Championship is now a shadow of its former self, visiting places like Albacete and Oschersleben rather than Circuit Paul Ricard and Le Mans. However, the three great 24-hour races still go ahead outside of the official Championship and retain all their allure.
Unfortunately, since Mr. B. Ecclestone bought Paul Ricard that nice end-of-season excursion to the Mediterranean coast has been replaced by a trip to a particularly charmless circuit in France's equivalent of the Midwest. Which leaves us two truly great 24-hour races: Le Mans and Spa. The quick ones among you will have noticed that Spa is in fact in Belgium--but you can still practice your French there. Le Mans is the first of the classics and you can usually guarantee to get cold and wet for part of it and sometimes for all of it. Traditionally, the massive crowd will watch the start and the first hour (which is live on TV and therefore important to the factories) before dispersing to the varied delights of the fun fair, makeshift restaurants and bars. Twenty-three hours later they all come back for the last hour and invade the track before the race officially finishes. It's tradition.
There are three massive campsites within walking distance of the circuit and these play host to what can only be described as some lively parties. Usually they start on Friday night and just go right on through to Sunday afternoon. Given the climate in Northern France, the campsites normally resemble a full scale reconstruction of a World War I battlefield by Saturday night.
Naturally, this means the police like to keep frisky fans either in the circuit or on the campsites and have been known to discourage gatherings in town with a whiff of teargas and the odd baton charge from the para-military CRS riot police. This is considered normal in France, which must be the most political nation on earth. The Le Mans 24 Hours is the only race at which I've seen a political banner in the crowd - asking the president what happened to his promises. This is the country where a hairy-arsed bikers organization set-up its own insurance company 20 years ago - and it's still doing business.
Unlike the crowd down South at Paul Ricard in the old days who were there for a seaside holiday, the Le Mans crowd always has an edge to it. Maybe it's all the Parisians who only have to ride for a couple of hours to get there. The town itself is a pleasant, medium sized industrial conurbation with a charming medieval centre but not a place you'd travel far too see.
The track used for the bikes (GP and endurance) is the Bugatti Circuit, the short circuit contained wholly with in the circuit walls. The famous car 24-hours only uses the front straight and the first turn before spearing of into the countryside. You can drive or ride round the big circuit because all but that start/finish straight is on public roads, and it's obligatory to try and look as cool as Steve McQueen in the film while doing so. You won't of course, but you've got to try.
Like any endurance race, it's the things that go with the racing that make it an event: the parties, the fair, the sheer lunacy of what is going on on track in the middle of the night.
If you have objections to going to France or maybe you've seen the Le Mans GP on TV and aren't impressed with the track may I recommend European racing's unsung gem? The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This is where Barry Sheene won a GP at an average speed of over 134mph, the fastest ever. The track has been modified since then but is still fearsome, and the great thing about a 24-hour race is that you have time to walk all the way round it.
Start on the downhill right-hand bend that is the front 'straight', go through the flip/flop of Eau Rouge and climb up to the top of the circuit. At the end of the top straight you can sit on a rocky bank with the track just behind you then watch the riders appear a few seconds later over 100 feet below you. And it's fast, very fast. The lap ends with a silly 'bus-stop' chicane and then La Source, a walking-pace hairpin. You can sit in the bar at La Source and sample some very acceptable Belgian beer while watching. Peckish? Belgians appear to live on frites (that's French fries) and dozens of outlets will sell you a cone of the local delicacy and they'll put a dollop of mayonnaise on them if you don't stop them. You can spot the first-time tourists by the mayo stains on the back of their hands ...
Only time for one 24 hour race in your life? Go to Spa and when it gets dark go to the outside of the track just up the hill from Eau Rouge.
It'll redefine your ideas about motorcycle racing.
Endurance racing is a particularly French affair—they seem to go in for these lengthy efforts—the Tour de France cycle race lasts three weeks and there are 24-hour races for everything from powerboats to lawnmowers. Motorcycle endurance is much the same--with the notable exception of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
The World Endurance Championship is now a shadow of its former self, visiting places like Albacete and Oschersleben rather than Circuit Paul Ricard and Le Mans. However, the three great 24-hour races still go ahead outside of the official Championship and retain all their allure.
Unfortunately, since Mr. B. Ecclestone bought Paul Ricard that nice end-of-season excursion to the Mediterranean coast has been replaced by a trip to a particularly charmless circuit in France's equivalent of the Midwest. Which leaves us two truly great 24-hour races: Le Mans and Spa. The quick ones among you will have noticed that Spa is in fact in Belgium--but you can still practice your French there. Le Mans is the first of the classics and you can usually guarantee to get cold and wet for part of it and sometimes for all of it. Traditionally, the massive crowd will watch the start and the first hour (which is live on TV and therefore important to the factories) before dispersing to the varied delights of the fun fair, makeshift restaurants and bars. Twenty-three hours later they all come back for the last hour and invade the track before the race officially finishes. It's tradition.
There are three massive campsites within walking distance of the circuit and these play host to what can only be described as some lively parties. Usually they start on Friday night and just go right on through to Sunday afternoon. Given the climate in Northern France, the campsites normally resemble a full scale reconstruction of a World War I battlefield by Saturday night.
Naturally, this means the police like to keep frisky fans either in the circuit or on the campsites and have been known to discourage gatherings in town with a whiff of teargas and the odd baton charge from the para-military CRS riot police. This is considered normal in France, which must be the most political nation on earth. The Le Mans 24 Hours is the only race at which I've seen a political banner in the crowd - asking the president what happened to his promises. This is the country where a hairy-arsed bikers organization set-up its own insurance company 20 years ago - and it's still doing business.
Unlike the crowd down South at Paul Ricard in the old days who were there for a seaside holiday, the Le Mans crowd always has an edge to it. Maybe it's all the Parisians who only have to ride for a couple of hours to get there. The town itself is a pleasant, medium sized industrial conurbation with a charming medieval centre but not a place you'd travel far too see.
The track used for the bikes (GP and endurance) is the Bugatti Circuit, the short circuit contained wholly with in the circuit walls. The famous car 24-hours only uses the front straight and the first turn before spearing of into the countryside. You can drive or ride round the big circuit because all but that start/finish straight is on public roads, and it's obligatory to try and look as cool as Steve McQueen in the film while doing so. You won't of course, but you've got to try.
Like any endurance race, it's the things that go with the racing that make it an event: the parties, the fair, the sheer lunacy of what is going on on track in the middle of the night.
If you have objections to going to France or maybe you've seen the Le Mans GP on TV and aren't impressed with the track may I recommend European racing's unsung gem? The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This is where Barry Sheene won a GP at an average speed of over 134mph, the fastest ever. The track has been modified since then but is still fearsome, and the great thing about a 24-hour race is that you have time to walk all the way round it.
Start on the downhill right-hand bend that is the front 'straight', go through the flip/flop of Eau Rouge and climb up to the top of the circuit. At the end of the top straight you can sit on a rocky bank with the track just behind you then watch the riders appear a few seconds later over 100 feet below you. And it's fast, very fast. The lap ends with a silly 'bus-stop' chicane and then La Source, a walking-pace hairpin. You can sit in the bar at La Source and sample some very acceptable Belgian beer while watching. Peckish? Belgians appear to live on frites (that's French fries) and dozens of outlets will sell you a cone of the local delicacy and they'll put a dollop of mayonnaise on them if you don't stop them. You can spot the first-time tourists by the mayo stains on the back of their hands ...
Only time for one 24 hour race in your life? Go to Spa and when it gets dark go to the outside of the track just up the hill from Eau Rouge.
It'll redefine your ideas about motorcycle racing.
— ends —