Like Glastonbury with engines, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is less a race and more a full-body experience—loud, chaotic, muddy, and impossible to forget. As 62 cars prepare to take on 24 hours of relentless racing this June, The European’s motoring editor, Mark G Whitchurch, explores the grit, the glory, and the reason fans keep coming back, year after year
Formula 1 may be the sport that never sleeps, but let’s be honest—it often feels like a soap opera on wheels. Paddock politics, team orders, dramatic radio messages… and somewhere in between, there’s a race.
For something a little less stage-managed, there’s Le Mans.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is racing stripped back to its essentials. Man, machine, and a relentless ticking clock. No gimmicks. No grid-side celebs trying to get into shot. Just pure endurance and engineering brilliance played out over 13.6km of French tarmac.
It’s not a race you watch. It’s a race you feel. You can sit at home and stream it, sure. But that’s like listening to Glastonbury on the radio—technically possible, but you’re missing the mud, the madness, and the mayhem. Le Mans is best experienced in the flesh, ideally with a tent, earplugs, and a few like-minded souls in tow.
The 93rd edition, set for 14–15 June 2025, is shaping up nicely. 62 cars will roll across the start line at 4pm on Saturday, gunning for class or outright victory by Sunday afternoon. Some of them even look like road cars. Others are barely distinguishable from fighter jets with headlights.
From the moment the flag drops, it’s full-throttle mayhem. The start-finish straight becomes a tunnel of noise, echoing with the kind of raw, mechanical violence F1 has long since polished out. No tyre-saving, no lift-and-coast. Just drivers wringing every last ounce out of their machines—for 24 hours straight.
Yes, there’s drama—gearboxes give up, strategy goes wrong, drivers push a little too hard into the night. But it’s drama born of competition, not a director’s storyboard. And you’ll recognise plenty of the names behind the wheel: ex-F1 drivers, rising stars, endurance veterans.
This year’s grid is split into three categories: Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3.
Hypercar: The Main Event
21 Hypercars will lead the field in 2025, gunning for outright glory. The manufacturers’ list reads like a dream garage: Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Aston Martin, Peugeot, Alpine, BMW, and Cadillac.
Ferrari have won the last two editions with their 499Ps and are bringing three cars in a bid for a hat-trick. Toyota, winners five times in a row before that, are sticking with their tried-and-tested GR010 Hybrids and driver line-ups, aiming to retake the crown.
Porsche, the most successful marque in Le Mans history, are back with four entries—including one car featuring reigning Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein, Felipe Nasr, and Le Mans veteran Nick Tandy in the Porsche 963.
Aston Martin has teamed up with Heart Racing to enter two Valkyrie-based Hypercars, eyeing a podium finish with a strong driver roster. Cadillac will be shaking things up with four cars across Hertz Team Jota and Wayne Taylor Racing.
It’s a heavyweight fight. And yes, my loyalties are split—Ferrari’s push for a twelfth victory or Porsche edging further ahead in the history books? Either would be a joy to witness.
LMP2: One Car, Many Stories
This class is all about driver talent. Every one of the 17 LMP2 entries will run the Oreca 07 – Gibson, producing 603bhp from a naturally aspirated V8. The class is split into two sub-groups: eight cars driven entirely by professionals, and nine by pro-am pairings (the “am” being a relative term—these are still highly skilled racers).
One debut to watch: Jamie Chadwick, double W Series champion, joins Logan Sargeant and Mathys Jaubert in car 18 for IDEC Sport. A team with talent and plenty of buzz around it.
LMGT3: The Spirit of the Showroom
24 cars make up this year’s LMGT3 grid, featuring machines that still look like their road-going siblings—just a little louder, lower, and angrier.
The Ferrari 296 LMGT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R are the dominant players, but there’s plenty of variety. Aston Martin is fielding two Vantage AMR LMGT3s. Mercedes-Benz is well represented with three AMG GT3s from Team Iron Lynx. There’s a lone Lexus RCF, a brutish Ford Mustang, and two McLaren 720S GT3s from United Autosports, fronted by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
Last year’s winners, Manthey EMA, return with their Porsche and a fresh victory in the 2025 Asian Le Mans Series—momentum is firmly on their side. Keep an eye too on Zippo Sport Tempesta and their Ferrari 296 LMGT3, who’ve been quietly impressive.
For many fans, this is the heart of Le Mans. The class where the cars look like they could’ve rocked up via the nearest A-road, won a trophy, then cruised home again. It’s not just romanticism either—30 years ago, McLaren did exactly that. In 1995, their F1 GTR, a Gordon Murray-designed supercar with only mild race modifications, beat the lot. Yannick Dalmas, Derek Bell and Masanori Sekiya completed 352 laps and made history.
The Long Road to La Sarthe
For many fans, getting to Le Mans is just as important as the race itself—crossing the Channel in convoy, winding through French backroads, and arriving to find the place already buzzing like a motorsport Glastonbury.
By the time you reach the circuit, it’s a temporary city of tents, tarpaulin, and unmistakable campfire smoke. The atmosphere is half music festival, half motorsport museum. Villages nearby turn into party zones with live music, barbecues, and a heady Anglo-French buzz.
Pack for all seasons—sunburn and downpours are equally likely—and don’t forget an eye mask and earplugs. Sleep is rare. The cars don’t stop, and neither do the fans.
There’s something deeply rooted about racing in this part of France. Le Mans was the scene of the first Grand Prix in 1906. The 24-hour race began in 1923—won by a Chenard-Walcker, no less. A French marque, a French circuit, and a legacy that’s only grown stronger with each passing decade.
And If You’re Staying Home…
That’s fine too. But be warned—once you start watching, you might find yourself browsing ferry timetables and tent reviews for 2026.
There’s nothing polished about Le Mans. It’s noisy, chaotic, and sometimes soaking wet—but that’s half the charm. At 3am, engines still scream down Mulsanne while someone’s setting fire to sausages on a disposable barbecue. You’ll hear basslines thudding from a forest clearing, cheers as a battered GT car crawls back to the pits, and laughter from campsites that haven’t slept since Friday.
It’s petrol, rain, beer, and brake dust—and it stays with you. In your nostrils. In your tent. In your bloodstream.
Le Mans Fact File: What You Need to Know
What is it?
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest active endurance race, first run in 1923. Held annually near the town of Le Mans in north-west France, it’s considered the ultimate test of racing durability, teamwork, and engineering.
How long is the circuit?
The Circuit de la Sarthe is a 13.626 km (8.467 mile) mix of public roads and permanent track. It features long straights like the famous Mulsanne Straight, fast sweeping corners, and technical chicanes—all built to challenge drivers and machines over time.
How does it work?
Each car is shared by three drivers, rotating through stints across the full 24 hours.
Stints usually last 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on fuel strategy and regulations.
Drivers must rest between stints—FIA rules limit consecutive driving time and enforce minimum rest periods.
The car that completes the most laps in 24 hours wins its class (or the race overall in the Hypercar category).
Pit stops and strategy
Teams plan for fuel stops, tyre changes, brake swaps, and full-service checks—usually every 11–13 laps for Hypercars. Night-time brings cooler temperatures and different grip levels, so teams adjust strategy as conditions change.
How many cars race?
In 2025, the grid will consist of 62 cars split into three classes:
Hypercar (top-tier prototypes, competing for outright victory)
LMP2 (identical chassis, mix of pro and pro-am teams)
LMGT3 (based on production sports cars)
How much does it cost to enter?
A lot. Entry fees vary by class, but here’s a rough breakdown:
Hypercar: £1.5–3 million per car for the full season, with Le Mans being the most expensive round
LMP2: £600,000–£900,000
LMGT3: £450,000–£750,000
That doesn’t include the actual car, testing, or logistics. Top Hypercar teams spend upwards of £15–20 million a year.
How to get tickets
Tickets for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, scheduled for 14–15 June 2025, can be purchased through the official ticketing website: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 Tickets. Options range from general admission to grandstand packages, with various camping and hospitality choices available.
If this is your first time, I recommend the services of 1st Tickets. They’re ABTA members and official ticket partners for the event, offering everything from basic entry to full travel support and glamping-style accommodation in their Pistonheads campsite.
Mark G. Whitchurch is a seasoned motoring journalist whose work—covering road tests, launch reports, scenic drives, major races, and event reviews—has appeared in The Observer, Daily Telegraph, Bristol Evening Post, Classic & Sports Car Magazine, Mini Magazine, Classic Car Weekly, AutoCar Magazine, and the Western Daily Press, among others. He won the Tourism Malaysia Regional Travel Writer of the Year in 2003 and is a member The Guild of Motoring Writers.
Images, courtesy Loek Fernengel and Alexis Breton/Pexels
