On May 26th and 27th 1923 took place the first edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Chenard and Walcker at both first places. An hundred years later, on June 10th and 11th 2023, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has made things big (traditional Le Mans start with legendary drivers and cars the day before, Mika’s concert, fireworks…) to celebrate this special edition that has kept all its promises on the track for the 325,000 spectators (beating the previous record of 263,500 spectators in 2015).
After the first hectic hours due to localized thunderstorms during which each Hypercar team has led the race at a moment, the Toyota #7 had to give up after being involved in a crash with two other cars in the late evening, then the Ferrai #50 dropped out in the heart of the night. The Ferrari 499P #51 driven by Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi, after a duel with the Totoya #8 during Sunday morning, eventually won the centenary edition, fifty eight years after the last victory of the Scuderia in the Sarthe (Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt on a 250 LM).
Throwback on this epic night in a few photos.
La Chapelle area
The Village
The pits
Mulsanne, Indianapolis and Arnage bends
Photos credits : @elegantinparis
Elégances Parisiennes 