The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of three races in motorsport’s triple crown.
Alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is regarded as one of the most prestigious races to win anywhere in the world.
It mightn’t have the glitz and glamour of Monaco or the pomp of Indianapolis, but it has star power attraction for its history and sheer volume of racing.
Stan Sport is the only place to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All the action streaming ad free, live and on demand
This year, the twice-around-the-clock race will feature some of sport’s most famous names and iconic actors.
LeBron James will be the official starter for the centenary celebration of racing at the Sarthe circuit.
‘King James’ will wave the French flag to start the 91st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and unleash the 62-car field on the 13.6km circuit.
READ MORE: Greg Norman kept in dark before LIV bombshell
READ MORE: The Cleary replacement Maroons icons fear most
READ MORE: Ex-Origin star’s monster ban for ‘unacceptable’ act
“There’s nothing like seeing and experiencing sports at their highest level,” said James.
“It’s an honour for me to be part of this historic moment in motorsport and help celebrate the Centenary of one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
“I look forward to kicking off this iconic race and watching its world-class drivers compete on Le Mans’ global stage.”
James isn’t the only famous sporting name linked to the race.
NFL legend Tom Brady will be represented on the grid by way of Jota Sport, who will race a brand-new Porsche 963 driven by Antonio Felix Da Costa, Will Stevens, and Yifei Ye.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner will have his ‘Brady’ apparel brand don the gold Hypercar.
Upon revealing their machine earlier this year, Brady said he has been a “big fan of motor racing for a long time”
Most know Patrick Dempsey as Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd of Grey’s Anatomy fame, perhaps not as a 24 Hour of Le Mans winner.
Dempsey has raced since the early 2000s, piloting sports cars across North America and Europe.
He made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2009 and by 2013 had his own team in the race, co-owned then by Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero.
In his fourth and final attempt as a driver, Dempsey finally stood on the podium – finishing second with American countryman Patrick Long and Marco Seefried of Germany.
After vacating the cockpit, his team finally won the race in 2018 with Australian Matt Campbell, Germany’s Christian Ried, and Julien Andlauer of France.
Dempsey will be entered in this year’s race with Christian Ried (Germany), Mikkel Pedersen (Denmark), and Julien Andlauer (France), in a Porsche in the GTE-Am class.
Indeed, it was Dempsey who tipped Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender into a fast-paced life on track.
The star of X-Men and other famous films has raced since 2017 and made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2022.
He’ll return this year with the same team, driving a Porsche 911 RSR alongside Martin Rump (Estoneia) and Richard Lietz (Austria).
24 HOURS OF LE MANS CLASSES
There are three classes in the race; Hypercar, LMP2, and GTE-Am.
Hypercar or LMH, which replaced LMP1 in 2022, features the fastest sports car in the world. Most cars are hybrid-powered and reach speeds upwards of 330km/h.
Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche, and Cadillac (pictured above) are the big-name entries in Hypercar with lesser-known manufacturers like Glickenhaus and Vanwall entered too.
The Hypercar field features 16 cars.
LMP2 is made up entirely of V8-powered sports car built by French manufacturer Oreca.
The 24-car field is split into Pro and Pro-Am of which there are 15 and nine entries respectively.
With everyone in the same machinery, the playing field is levelled and provides some of the best racing in the event.
GTE-Am features the slowest cars – although ‘slow’ is a loose term.
While the cars are just over 30 seconds slower over the course of the 13km lap, they are still capable of break-neck speeds.
The 21-car grid features iconic cars like the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin Vantage as well as the new Ferrari 488 and Corvette C8.
Like LMP2, the fight for GTE-Am honours is one of the most intensely fought.
In each class, drivers must complete at least six hours of the race but no more than 14 hours, all told.
Drivers must also not drive for more than four hours within any six-hour period, otherwise, they will be penalised.
WHAT IS NASCAR DOING AT LE MANS?
Each year since 2012, a spot is kept empty on the grid for an “innovative car” that takes Garage 56.
In years past, there have been innovations like the Deltawing and a car with hand controls for a quadriplegic.
Now, NASCAR is seeing if a car can complete the full 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Hendrick Motorsport has been tasked with building and developing a Chevrolet Camaro, which will be raced by 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button, seven-time NASCAR winner Jimmie Johnson, and 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.
Although an unprecedented move in the modern era, it’s not the first time NASCAR has had a presence at Le Mans, however.
In 1976, a Dodge Challenger and Ford Torino contested the race as part of the celebration of the bicentenary of the American Declaration of Independence.
It’s been 47 years since then, and on the centenary of the 24 Hour of Le Mans, NASCAR is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
24 HOUR OF LE MANS LAP RECORDS
All-time LMP1 qualifying record: Kamui Kobayashi – 3:14.791s – Toyota TS050 Hybrid – 2017
All-time LMP1 race record: Mike Conway – 3:17.297s – Toyota TS050 Hybrid – 2019
LMH: Brendon Hartley – 3:27.607s – Toyota GR010 Hybrid – 2021
LMP2: Nathanael Berthon – 3:27.200s – Oreca 07 – 2018
GTE: Alexander Sims – 3:47.501s – Porsche 911 RSR – 2021
WHEN IS THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
The event takes place across June 7-11.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS?
Live, ad-free, and exclusive coverage of the even is on Stan Sport.
WEDNESDAY STAN SPORT SCHEDULE
9:45pm – Practice 1 – 2 hours
THURSDAY STAN SPORT SCHEDULE
2:45am – Qualifying – 2 hours
5:45am – Practice 2 – 2 hours
10:45pm – Practice 3 – 3 hours
FRIDAY STAN SPORT SCHEDULE
3:45am – Hyperpole – 30 minutes
5:45am – Practice 4 – 60 minutes
SATURDAY STAN SPORT SCHEDULE
7:45pm – Warm up – 15 minutes
11:00pm – Race – 24 hours
EX-F1 DRIVERS IN THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
(LMH) Sebastien Bourdais – No.2 Cadillac (with Renger Van Der Zande and Scott Dixon)
(LMH) Andre Lotterer – No.6 Porsche (with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor)
(LMH) Kamui Kobayashi – No.7 Toyota (with Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez)
(LMH) Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley – No.8 Toyota (with Ryo Hirawaka)
(LMH) William Stevens – No.38 Porsche (with Antonio Felix Da Costa and Yifei Ye)
(LMH) Antonio Giovanazzi – No.51 Ferrari (with Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado)
(LMH) Felipe Nasr – No.75 Porsche (with Mathieu Jaminet and Nicholas Tandy)
(LMH) Paul Di Resta and Jean-Eric Vergen – No.93 Peugeot (with Mikkel Jensen)
(LMH) Jack Aitken – No.311 Cadillac (with Luis Felipe Derani and Alexander Sims)
(LMP2) Pietro Fittipaldi – No.28 Oreca (with David Heinemeier Hansson and Oliver Rasmussen)
(LMP2) Jan Magnussen – No.32 Oreca (with Mark Kvamme and Anders Fjordbach)
(LMP2) Giedo van der Garde – No.39 Oreca (with Roberto Lacorte and Patrick Pilet)
(LMP2) Robert Kubica – No.41 Oreca (with Rui Andrade and Louis Deletraz)
(LMP2) Daniil Kvyat – No.63 Oreca (with Doriane Pin and Mirko Bortolotti)
(GARAGE 56) Jenson Button – No.24 Chevrolet (with Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller)
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Sons-of-speed: The second and third-generation racers following in the footsteps of Australia’s legends
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
