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| 24 Hours of Le Mans |
What?
Circuit de la Sarthe isn’t a traditional autodrome, because it’s being more than 13 km. and more than 6 km. in length of Mulsanne (1988 before FIA new rules about 2 km. stages).
Original speed record – 405 km/h by Roger Dorchy
Original name – Bugatti au Mans (1965)
When?
Since 1923 it’s considered one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world and has been called the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency“.
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| Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency 1st. race 1923 |
Original name – Grand Prix de Vitesse et d’Endurance or Grand Prix of Speed and Endurance
First time race – 26 – 27 May 1923 (33 cars started and 30 finished)
First winners – Andre Lagache and Rene Leonard drove 2209,536 km with average speed – 92 km/h.
All winners 1923 – 2018
1936 because of the workers ‘ strike in France
1940 – 1948 World war II
Why Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency is?
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| Jacques Bernard |
Jacky Ickx (Jacques Bernard ) held the record at six, scoring victories between 1969 and 1982, earning him honorary citizenship to the town of Le Mans.
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| Tom Kristensen |
Dane Tom Kristensen has beaten this record with nine wins between 1997 and 2013, including six in a row.
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| Graham Hill |
Norman Graham Hill is the only driver ever to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport—the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.
What’s a record?
33 starts for Henri Pescarolo. He won the race four times, and holds the record for the most Le Mans appearances at 33! Tom Kristensen had 18 for example.
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| Louis Rosier 1950 |
During the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the third hour of racing, Pierre Levegh’s car launched into the air, striking high on a retaining wall, disintegrating and scattering components into the crowd. Levegh was killed when he was thrown from the car and his skull crushed by the impact. The flammable magnesium body of the Mercedes quickly ignited in the accident; the combination of the fire and flying car parts killed 83 spectators with over 100 injured.
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans |
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans |
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans |
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| Michael Schumacher on Le Mans |
In 1991 younger Michael Schumacher took fifth place with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner on Mercedes-Benz C11 by Sauber Team.
Le Mans was the venue for the first televised instance of a winning driver celebrating by spraying champagne instead of drinking it. When Dan Gurney won the 1967 race with co-driver A. J. Foyt, the two drivers mounted the victory podium and Gurney was handed a magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo. Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby. Gurney autographed and gave the bottle of champagne to Life photographer Flip Schulke, who used it as a lamp for years before returning it to Gurney. It was the first-time champagne shower tradition.
What?
A lot of specific cars of Le Mans races. There were seriously absurd among them and were real beauties. Top Gear published a top of the most beautiful cars of Le Mans at all time.
How?
There are various long-standing traditions at Le Mans, including the waving of the French tricolor to start the race. This is usually followed by a fly-over featuring jets trailing blue, white and red smoke. A similar flag tradition is the waving of safety flags during the final lap of the race by track marshals, congratulating the winners and other finishers.
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| By Motorsport.com |
When?
15 – 16 June 2019 at 15:00.