Circuit de la Sarthe

Circuit des 24 Heures
Circuit de la Sarthe

LocationLe Mans, Pays de la Loire, France
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
CEST (DST)
Coordinates47°56′N 0°14′E / 47.933°N 0.233°E / 47.933; 0.233
FIA Grade2 (Endurance)
OwnerAutomobile Club de l'Ouest
Ville du Mans
OperatorAutomobile Club de l'Ouest
Opened26 May 1923; 101 years ago (1923-05-26)
Major eventsCurrent:
FIA WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans (1923–1935, 1937–1939, 1949–present)
Former:
Le Mans Classic (intermittently 2002–2018, 2021–2023, 2025)
World Sportscar Championship (1953–1955, 1957–1974, 1980–1989, 1991–1992)
Websitehttp://www.lemans.org/en/
Circuit de la Sarthe (2018–present)
SurfaceTarmac
Length13.626 km (8.467 miles)
Turns38
Race lap record3:17.297 (United Kingdom Mike Conway, Toyota TS050 Hybrid, 2019, LMP1)

The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans,[1] also known as Circuit de la Sarthe[2] (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. Comprising private, race-specific sections of track in addition to public roads which remain accessible most of the year, its present configuration is 13.626 km (8.467 mi) long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world. The capacity of the race stadium, where the short Bugatti Circuit is situated, is 100,000. The Musée des 24 Heures du Mans is a motorsport museum located at the main entrance of the venue.

Up to 85% of the lap time is spent on full throttle, putting immense stress on engine and drivetrain components.[citation needed] Additionally, the times spent reaching maximum speed also mean tremendous wear on the brakes and suspension as cars must slow from over 322 km/h (200 mph) to around 100 km/h (62 mph) for the sharp corner at the village of Mulsanne.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Official rules for 2016 Archived 2016-06-17 at the Wayback Machine 3.1.2 24 HEURES DU MANS ... La course se déroule les samedi 18 et dimanche 19 juin 2016 sur le circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. Longueur du circuit : 13,629 km
  2. ^ "ACO Homepage 24 Heures". ACO. Archived from the original on 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2011-07-05.