24 Hours of Le Mans
Races don’t come much more famous than the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held annually in France. A grueling endurance competition, Le Mans is often called the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency” by people in the racing world. Held each year since 1924, Le Mans is known as one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport—the others being the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix. The 24 Hours of Le Mans runs on the Circuit de la Sarthe in the town of Le Mans, France, and the course is comprised of a mix of closed public roads and specialist racing circuits.
Teams that participate have to balance speed with their car’s ability to race for 24 hours without suffering a mechanical breakdown. With fatigue a factor, there have been many accidents and deaths at Le Mans over the years. The worst incident occurred in 1955 when more than 80 spectators and driver Pierre Levegh were killed in a single crash.
