Circuit de la Sarthe
The Circuit de la Sarthe: 13.626 km mixing a permanent track and public roads, home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923.
The Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, is where the 24 Hours of Le Mans is run, one of the most famous endurance races in the world. In its present configuration for the race, it is 13.626 kilometres long.[3],[4]
It is unusual in one way: a large part of the lap is not a permanent track but local roads, open to traffic the rest of the year and closed for the race. The long Hunaudières straight, for example, is part of the D338 road.[3],[4]
At a glance
| Town | Le Mans, Sarthe département[3] |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Layout | 24 Hours Circuit |
| Endurance series | WEC, Le Mans 24 Hours (historic) |
| Period | 1923-present |
| Length (24 Hours configuration) | 13.626 km[3],[4] |
| First 24 Hours race | 26 and 27 May 1923 (33 cars at the start)[1],[5] |
| Nature of the track | Permanent track and public roads closed for the race[3],[4] |
Landmarks of the circuit
- The Hunaudières straight
- About six kilometres long, it made Le Mans famous for top speeds. Since 1990 it has been broken up by two chicanes, added to limit speeds: the international federation no longer wanted to approve a straight longer than two kilometres.[3],[4]
- The Porsche Curves
- Built in 1972, they replaced the very fast Maison Blanche section. Safety work at the end of 2017 added a run-off area there and shortened the lap by three metres.[3],[4]
- The Dunlop Bridge and the Dunlop curve
- The Dunlop curve, with its footbridge, was reworked several times: a chicane was added there in 1987, then tightened in 1994 and again in 2006.[3],[4]
- The Ford chicanes
- A Ford chicane was added before the pit area for the 1968 race.[3]
Key dates
- 26-27 May 1923 — First 24 Hours of Le Mans, run in the rain. There was no official winner that year: the race was a three-year trial for the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, and a car had to reach a target distance three times to win it.[1],[2],[5]
- 1972 — The Porsche Curves are built in place of the Maison Blanche section.[3],[4]
- 1990 — Two chicanes are installed in the Hunaudières straight to limit speeds.[3],[4]
- Since 2018 — The lap is 13.626 km in its present form, after safety work at the exit of the Porsche Curves.[3],[4]
In the game
This circuit is part of the Circuit game: a heavily zoomed photo of one of its landmarks that you have to recognise. Play Circuit
Sources
The numbers in brackets refer to the sources listed at the bottom of the page.