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The number 1 Porsche 919 Hybrid on track at Le Mans during the 2016 event, with red rear lights glowing against the dark circuit.

HISTORY · LE MANS 24 HOURS

Le Mans.
A century measured through the night.

The roads, engineering and shared victories that turn twenty-four hours into an enduring racing story.

Photo: Kevin Decherf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

By Does Your Duck Quack

At a glance

Le Mans is a contest of sustained speed, shared responsibility and keeping a car competitive for a full day. Its history begins with a test of road-going machinery in 1923 and extends through Bentley, Jaguar, Ford, Porsche, Audi, Toyota and the Hypercar era. The most useful way into the story is to follow what each generation was trying to make last. ACO archive

The first race ran on 26–27 May 1923 and was won by André Lagache and René Léonard in a Chenard & Walcker. By the end of 2025, 93 editions had been held. The centenary in 2023 marked a hundred years since the beginning; the number of completed races follows a different count because the event had interruptions. ACO archive · ACO archive

For a first visit from Britain, learn the three classes used in 2025: Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3. Cars from all three compete on the same circuit, producing overlapping contests and traffic. Follow one entry in each class and the race becomes much easier to understand. An apparently isolated car may be deeply involved in its own fight. 2025 classes

The result belongs to the car and its crew. The winner covers the greatest distance by the chequered flag, subject to classification requirements. Modern Le Mans crews share the driving; the three drivers in Ferrari’s 2025 cars also had to agree a set-up that worked for their different styles. ACO archive · Endurance teamwork

This history freezes results and records at the end of 2025. It follows the 24-hour race on the long Circuit des 24 Heures, listed by the FIA WEC at 13.626 kilometres for that year. The separate visitor guide turns that substantial circuit into a manageable trip, with time for viewing, moving around and sleeping. FIA WEC circuit

Origins

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest created an endurance event that would test passenger cars’ strength and reliability. Georges Durand, Charles Faroux and Émile Coquille were central to the idea. Running through a complete day and night made lights, mechanical durability and the ability to keep operating part of the challenge. A car needed an effective whole package to deliver a convincing performance. ACO archive

The inaugural entry contained 33 cars. Chenard & Walcker entered three, which finished first, second and seventh. The cars retained road-going equipment, including headlights and bodywork features associated with ordinary motoring. Those requirements give the first race its meaning: manufacturers were demonstrating useful qualities of a complete vehicle through competition. It is an important thread to carry into later stories about brakes, engines and fuel use. ACO archive

The roads were part of the experiment. ACO’s account of the public-road tradition describes loose stones and mud troubling the early production cars, with work on the Mulsanne Straight’s surface following in 1924 and 1925. The race helped focus attention on road quality as well as on cars. That relationship between a sporting event and everyday transport belongs to Le Mans from the beginning. Public-road history

Bentley supplied the first major British chapter. John Duff and Frank Clement finished fourth in 1923 and won the following year. Bentley then took four successive victories from 1927 to 1930. Its early success established a durable connection between a British manufacturer and a French endurance race, with the Bentley Boys becoming an enduring part of the event’s identity. ACO archive

Continuity also required recovery. The race was cancelled in 1936 and did not take place from 1940 to 1948, returning in 1949. The archive therefore contains gaps as well as winners. This explains why an anniversary and a race number can differ: one measures elapsed years, while the other counts the occasions on which the event actually happened. Race interruptions

How the circuit has changed

Le Mans combines permanent racing sections with roads used by ordinary traffic outside the event. That mixed character helps explain both the circuit’s scale and the work required to create the race each year. A corner photograph can show a permanent piece of racing infrastructure, while another part of the same lap follows a road with a separate everyday purpose. Public-road history

Early changes pulled the route away from the city. In 1929 a link bypassed the Pontlieue hairpin; in 1932 another major alteration introduced the route through Dunlop and Tertre Rouge. The latter brought the lap to 13.492 kilometres. The shorter route added corners, demonstrating that shortening a circuit and increasing its average speed do not necessarily follow together. Circuit evolution

The 1955 race was marked by a fatal accident involving spectators. The ACO’s circuit history records the subsequent review of spectator safety. It is an essential part of understanding the venue’s development and deserves a respectful place in the story. The physical relationship between racing cars, pit activity and public viewing areas had consequences far beyond the result. Circuit landmarks

The Ford Chicanes were added in 1968 to slow cars approaching the pit straight. In 1972 the Porsche, Pont and Karting curves replaced the old Maison Blanche section, with a new connecting section forming part of the same redevelopment. These changes created some of the flowing corners now associated with Le Mans while addressing the demands of increasing performance. Circuit landmarks

Two chicanes divided the Mulsanne Straight in 1990. They introduced repeated braking and acceleration into a stretch previously associated with exceptionally prolonged high-speed running. A driver now had more transitions to manage along the road to Mulsanne. When looking at older film, notice the uninterrupted straight before comparing the apparent speeds with a modern onboard lap. Circuit evolution

The starting procedure changed too. Drivers ran across to their cars from 1925 to 1969; in 1970 they began seated in stationary cars, and a rolling start followed in 1971. A familiar black-and-white image therefore belongs to a specific period. The modern start still concentrates anticipation on the pit straight, with a procedure shaped by the event’s experience. Starting procedures

Great races and moments

1953: stopping becomes a winning technology

Jaguar’s C-Type, driven by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton, won in 1953 using disc brakes. The technology connects directly to the original endurance purpose: repeatable stopping mattered across many hours of competition. Think about the braking at Mulsanne or Arnage when reading this chapter. A car’s ability to slow consistently can be as significant to its distance covered as the power available on the straight. ACO archive

1966 and 1969: Ford’s victories take different forms

Ford filled the podium in 1966, with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon the winning pair. The close, staged finish created its own controversy over the final order. The result introduced a run of four consecutive Ford victories, but the routes to those successes changed. Le Mans can reward overwhelming manufacturer strength in one year and a tightly fought late contest in another. ACO archive

In 1969 Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver won in a Ford GT40, while David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood brought another Ford home third. Ickx’s decision to walk to his car at the start has become part of the event’s memory. Place it beside the following changes to the starting procedure and the race becomes a chapter in how competitors questioned an established tradition. ACO archive · Starting procedures

1970 and 1988: Porsche arrives, Jaguar returns

Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood gave Porsche its first overall Le Mans victory in 1970 with the 917 K. The winning car began a formidable manufacturer record. Attwood’s presence also illustrates how often the British story runs through an overseas marque. Following the driver, entrant and manufacturer separately reveals more connections than reading a badge alone. ACO archive

Jaguar’s 1988 win belonged to Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries and Andy Wallace in the XJR-9. A further victory followed in 1990 with John Nielsen, Price Cobb and Martin Brundle in the XJR-12. The long interval since Jaguar’s 1950s successes makes these returns especially meaningful. They joined an older name to a new generation of prototype racing and a new set of drivers. ACO archive

1991 and 1995: distinctive machinery prevails

Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win overall in 1991, with Johnny Herbert, Bertrand Gachot and Volker Weidler. Its rotary-engined 787B gave the result a technical identity as well as a national one. The victory belongs to a long development story: Mazda had already competed with rotary power and achieved class successes before reaching the leading overall result. ACO archive

McLaren’s F1 GTR won on its Le Mans debut in 1995, with Yannick Dalmas, JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya. Rain rewarded the car’s agility, and four more F1 GTRs finished, including the cars in third, fourth and fifth. The result is a particularly useful illustration of endurance competition across different kinds of machinery: achieving the best complete race can carry more weight than a simple expectation about prototype speed. ACO archive

2000–12: Audi builds an era

Audi’s first victory came in 2000, followed by a series that reached 13 wins in 18 appearances from 1999 to 2016. Two milestones changed the technical story: the first diesel-powered win in 2006 and the first hybrid victory in 2012. The recurring name on the trophy concealed considerable development in how the cars produced and used their power. ACO archive

Porsche had already won with turbo power in 1976; Audi’s diesel and hybrid successes extended the race’s history as a place to demonstrate engineering choices. These changes give the cars a context beyond their silhouettes. When the sound, acceleration or appearance differs between archive clips, ask what the regulations and the manufacturer were trying to achieve. ACO archive

2016 and 2018: Toyota’s long route to victory

Toyota’s leading number 5 car lost power in the final minutes of the 2016 race. Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima had been close to victory; the restarted car completed its final lap too slowly to be classified. The sister Toyota finished second, while Porsche won. The sequence explains why finishing the endurance task remains a sporting requirement even after almost a full day of excellent work. Toyota’s race report

In 2018 Toyota finally won overall at its twentieth attempt. Buemi, Nakajima and Fernando Alonso shared the winning number 8 TS050 Hybrid, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López second in the other Toyota. The result joined a manufacturer breakthrough to the collective work of two crews. Reading it after the 2016 report makes the satisfaction comprehensible without pretending the intervening effort was inevitable. Toyota’s first win

2023 and 2025: Ferrari’s renewed chapter

Ferrari’s number 51 499P won the centenary race in 2023 with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi. It was Ferrari’s first overall win since 1965, achieved on its return to the top category after fifty years away. Ferrari’s GT programme had continued throughout that absence from the leading class. ACO archive · ACO archive

By 2025 Ferrari had taken three consecutive overall wins. The third belonged to the customer AF Corse number 83, shared by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson. It finished 14.084 seconds ahead of the number 6 Porsche after 387 laps. A day-long race had left a margin small enough to understand at a glance, with a different Ferrari entry taking the leading result. Official classification · 2025 race statistics

The British story at Le Mans

British success includes manufacturers, private teams and drivers competing for international crews. Ecurie Ecosse won with Jaguar D-Types in 1956 and 1957: Ron Flockhart shared the first with Ninian Sanderson and the second with Ivor Bueb. The Scottish team’s results show how a marque’s story can continue through an independent entrant, supported by preparation and accumulated understanding of the machinery. ACO archive

Aston Martin’s 1959 victory paired Roy Salvadori with Carroll Shelby in the DBR1, followed by a second Aston Martin for Paul Frère and Maurice Trintignant. For a British visitor, the one-two sits alongside the Bentley and Jaguar chapters as a distinct achievement. Different teams and cars supplied different solutions to the same twenty-four-hour question. ACO archive

Derek Bell’s five overall wins came in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987. His record spans different cars and partnerships, including repeated success with Jacky Ickx. Bell also finished third in 1995 in a McLaren shared with his son Justin and Andy Wallace. The combination of an exceptional winning record and a family podium gives his Le Mans story several points of entry. Bell’s record

Bentley’s return culminated in a 2003 one-two. Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Guy Smith won ahead of Johnny Herbert, David Brabham and Mark Blundell. The 73-year interval since Bentley’s previous overall win made the result a bridge between the earliest British stories and contemporary prototype racing. Several British drivers contributed across the two cars, within an international line-up. ACO archive

Nick Tandy joined Nico Hülkenberg and Earl Bamber for Porsche’s 2015 win. Calado shared Ferrari’s 2023 success, and Hanson added an overall victory in 2025 after winning LMP2 in 2020. Their paths show the value of following class racing as well as the outright lead. A driver’s earlier class achievement can be an important part of understanding a later Hypercar win. ACO archive · Hanson’s class history · ACO archive

Records and numbers

All records here are frozen after the 2025 race. “Overall” identifies the leading result across the whole field; class victories belong to their own category records. The distinction is essential at an event where several winning crews are celebrated. A manufacturer’s overall tally and its total of class successes answer different questions.

MeasureRecord through 2025
Completed editions93, beginning in 1923.
Most overall driver winsTom Kristensen, nine.
Leading British driverDerek Bell, five overall wins.
Most overall manufacturer winsPorsche, 19; Audi, 13; Ferrari, 12.
Greatest winning distance5,410.713 km, Audi, 2010.

Kristensen won on his first appearance in 1997 and took six consecutive victories from 2000 to 2005. His final win came in 2013. The record is an achievement shared with different team-mates and machinery across many years, which makes it especially appropriate to endurance racing. ACO archive

The distance record belongs to the Audi driven by Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller in 2010. Distance depends on conditions and interruptions as well as speed, so it measures a complete race. Porsche’s 19 overall wins, Audi’s 13 and Ferrari’s 12 are the manufacturer totals after 2025. Distance-record check · 2025 race statistics · Overall roll of honour

A timeline

  1. 1923 The first twenty-four-hour race is won by Lagache and Léonard’s Chenard & Walcker. ACO archive
  2. 1924–30 Bentley establishes its early record with five victories across this period. ACO archive
  3. 1932 Dunlop and Tertre Rouge become part of a substantially shortened route. Circuit evolution
  4. 1949 Racing resumes after the wartime and post-war interruption. Race interruptions
  5. 1953 Jaguar’s disc-braked C-Type wins with Rolt and Hamilton. ACO archive
  6. 1966–69 Ford wins four successive editions, using different cars and entrants. ACO archive
  7. 1970–72 Porsche wins overall, the rolling start arrives, and the circuit gains its new curves. ACO archive · Starting procedures · Circuit landmarks
  8. 1990 Two chicanes divide the Mulsanne Straight. Circuit evolution
  9. 1991–95 Mazda and McLaren each achieve a landmark first overall victory. ACO archive · ACO archive
  10. 2006–12 Audi wins first with diesel power and later with a hybrid. ACO archive
  11. 2018 Toyota converts its twentieth attempt into its first overall win. Toyota’s first win
  12. 2023–25 Ferrari wins the centenary and completes a run of three consecutive victories. ACO archive

See it for yourself

Use the Le Mans 24 Hours visitor guide to plan your trip. Balance the start, a spell of darkness and the finish with rest. Staying comfortable helps you understand the closing hours. Agree a realistic rhythm with your travelling companions before committing to an ambitious circuit itinerary.

Learn the event map and match each planned viewing area to the access included in your ticket. For the history, compare a view near the pits with a corner where you can watch the cars settle under braking or change direction. The public-road sections explain the scale of Le Mans, while the permanent sections reveal the purpose-built work that has shaped the modern lap.

Choose a small set of car numbers to follow, including at least one class entry away from the overall lead. Record the driver changes and pit visits, then check the class order when you return to a screen. Endurance makes much more sense when you can distinguish a normal stop, a delayed car and a change of driver.

The site’s Brits abroad guide supports the overseas preparation, while the visitor page covers Le Mans-specific travel choices. Keep some unplanned time available for watching. The history comes alive in the accumulated detail: several drivers adapting to one car, mechanics preparing for its return and the same corner looking different as daylight changes.

Smart move

Before a night beside the Sarthe, use the race weekend packing guide to prepare layers and hearing protection. Compare reserved seating with open viewing through our grandstand and general admission guide, checking the Le Mans ticket’s own access rules.

FAQs

When did the 24 Hours of Le Mans begin?

The first race took place on 26–27 May 1923. André Lagache and René Léonard won in a Chenard & Walcker, in an event created to test the strength and reliability of road-going cars.

Why does Le Mans use public roads?

The race developed around roads south of Le Mans, including the route towards Mulsanne. The full circuit combines permanent racing sections with roads used by everyday traffic outside the event, preserving an important link with its original motoring purpose.

Who holds the record for overall Le Mans wins?

At the end-of-2025 cutoff, Tom Kristensen held the driver record with nine overall victories, ahead of Jacky Ickx with six. Derek Bell was the leading British driver with five overall wins.

Why was 2025 the 93rd race if Le Mans began in 1923?

The race did not take place in 1936 or from 1940 to 1948. Those interruptions mean the edition number counts completed races while the centenary celebrated the years since the first event.

How should a first-timer follow the different classes?

Begin with one car number in each class and check its class position as well as its overall position. The 2025 field comprised Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 entries, all racing on the same circuit with their own competitive orders.

Sources