Rounding a tight corner at high speed at night in one of the world's greatest races requires perfect timing. When Andre Lotterer powered an Audi R18 TDI Le Mans prototype across a thin checkered line in the French countryside to win the premier LMP1 Class at this year's 24 Heures du Mans, he was just 13 seconds ahead of the next three cars, all Peugeot 908 factory racers.
Such a close finish is a testament to the way Le Mans compresses and distills time.
The race takes place on the 13.629km Circuit de la Sarthe and the course combines racetrack surfaces and closed public roads. Le Mans is an event like no other as it's a coming together of steeped tradition and modern technological wonder. The race requires split-second accuracy, years of preparation and patience, and requires plenty of stamina and courage, giving participants an amazing rush of adrenaline.
'Le Mans is one of the most important races in the world. You can nearly cover the distance of an entire Formula One season on a single weekend with the same car without any technical modifications. It makes the race so special,' says Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport.
Most car races run for less than an hour, sometimes only 15 to 30 minutes, and Formula One events that last for one to two hours are exhausting for the driver, machine and team. An endurance race is considered the ultimate test, as machines need to last the equivalent of lifetimes of use and abuse, and drivers need to work round the clock in shifts and teams. They have to be awake, alert and able for much more than the 24 hours of race time.
The first 24 Heures Du Mans was held in 1923 and went on to inspire the endurance event called the Le Mans Series, with many teams and drivers focusing specifically on this type of car race. 'There are anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 parts that make up the racing car. So, mechanical reliability [and] mechanical excellence attract the major carmakers, attracts tyre manufacturers, and attracts component makers. You get such a conglomeration of specialists who are the best in the world, and I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from it,' says three-time world Formula One champion Jackie Stewart.
Racing at Le Mans presents far different challenges from Formula One. For one thing, a good portion of the race is run in the dark. Driving into the rising or setting sun every few minutes also takes its toll. Long straights allow drivers to flex their fingers for a moment if no one is on their tail, or to speak with the crew just to help them stay alert.
