Latest news with #LeMansCircuit
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
What is 24 Hours of Le Mans?
Le Mans is an iconic and challenging 24-hour endurance race which tests the limits of drivers and year's event - the 93rd edition - begins on Saturday at 15:00 BST. It's held at the semi-permanent Circuit de la Sarthe, located in Le Mans, France. The track is 8.5 miles (13.6km) long with 38 turns and a mix of high-speed sections and slower 2025 grid consists of 62 teams, 186 drivers and 13 manufacturers. Ferrari, in the top-tier Hypercar category, are aiming for a third consecutive victory. The two other car classes are LMP2 and LMGT3. All three categories run on the track at the same time. Le Mans forms part of the motorsport triple crown - the prestigious, but notoriously difficult, achievement of winning the 24-hour race, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1. Graham Hill - the 1962 and 1968 F1 world champion - is the only driver to win all three. Who are the big names? Ex-Formula 1 drivers competing this year include 2009 world champion Jenson Button, making his fourth apearance, Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, who won Le Mans in 2023 with Ferrari, and former Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher. Britain's Jamie Chadwick, the three-time W Series champion, is one of five female racers taking part and runs in the in LMP2 class. MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, driving in the LMGT3 category, is participating in his second Le Mans having made his debut in the endurance classic last year. This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. How does it work? Each team consists of three drivers who will alternate driving over the 24 hours. Rotation allows drivers to take breaks and ensure they have maximum performance over the full racing team that covers the most distance or completes the most laps will win the race.A driver cannot be in the car for longer than 14 hours in are three classes of cars, which have different specifications that can impact which has 21 cars, is reserved for professional drivers. Le Man Prototype Two (LMP2) has 17 cars and Le Mans Grand Touring Three (LMGT3) has 24, driven by both professional and amateur of each team are categorised into four sections - platinum, gold, silver and are four practice sessions, qualifying and has its own sessions for qualifying and hyperpole, while LMP2 and LMGT3 contribute in the same qualifying, drivers set out to record the fastest lap. The six fastest cars in each class then take part in the hyperpole - where they will aim to perform the fastest lap, which will be their ranking for the has eight manufacturers - Aston Martin, Porsche, Toyota, Cadillac, BMW, Alpine, Ferrari and Peugeot and uses Michelin LMP2 entries will use Oreca 07 cars, with Goodyear cars also use Goodyear tyres and have nine manufacturers including Corvette, Ford, Lexus, McLaren and Mercedes. What is Ask Me Anything? Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio. More questions answered... What are penalty points in F1 and how do they work?How does F1 measure photo finishes?
Forbes
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Jamie Chadwick Makes LMP2 Debut At Legendary 24 Hours Of Le Mans
Jamie Chadwick is set to make her highly anticipated debut this weekend at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking on one of the greatest challenges in motorsport. The British driver is no stranger to breaking new ground. In May 2025, Chadwick became the first woman to secure an overall victory in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, driving for IDEC Sport. She had already made history earlier by winning her LMP2 debut at the 4 Hours of Barcelona, becoming the first woman to win in that class within the series. In 2024, she also made headlines as the first woman to win an INDY NXT race on a road course, dominating Road America by leading every lap from pole position. For Chadwick, standing on the grid at Le Mans feels almost surreal. 'Honestly, excited,' she says with a grin. 'It's a bit of a pinch-me moment just to be here and competing. It's funny because you're initially just thrilled to arrive, you're laughing and soaking it all in. But then, quite quickly, you shift into performance mode. You're not satisfied with just being here, you want to get the best result possible.' Chadwick will compete with IDEC Sport in the LMP2 class at the 93rd running of the world's most prestigious endurance race. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is held at the historic Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, a demanding track that combines permanent racing sections with public roads. The race is a grueling test of both speed and stamina, requiring teams to not only push their machines to the limit but also carefully manage their drivers across the full day and night of racing. Teams at the 24 Hours of Le Mans must rotate through three drivers, with no individual allowed more than 14 hours behind the wheel. Stints can range anywhere from 45 minutes to four hours depending on strategy, weather, and race conditions. It is a format that demands as much focus on teamwork and endurance as outright pace. Chadwick's debut comes on the heels of a record-setting season in the European Le Mans Series, where she became the first woman to win an overall race in the championship's history. Those victories at Catalunya and Le Castellet, alongside teammates André Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert, have given the squad strong momentum heading into the 24-hour test. 'Obviously, really good momentum,' Chadwick says. 'Slightly unexpected in some regards for the two races, but at the same time, they were four-hour races in the ELMS. Now we come into a 24-hour race, a completely different challenge, a different beast. But we're excited. I think it's going to be a challenge in every sense. You can't make mistakes, no one can make mistakes, and that's one of the beauties of Le Mans.' The magnitude of Le Mans cannot be overstated. More than just speed, this race demands endurance, precision, and flawless teamwork over an entire day and night of running. Last year, IDEC Sport claimed its first-ever podium finish at Le Mans. This time, the team has its sights set even higher. 'Honestly, the goal is to try and finish the race, that's an achievement in itself here,' Chadwick admits. 'But yeah, for sure, you don't come to Le Mans without dreaming. I think we dream of being on that podium, and ultimately we dream of being on the top step. Whether that's a realistic goal or not, we need to reassess properly after 24 hours, but we're still going to aim high.' IDEC Sport's driver lineup is one of the most promising in the LMP2 field. Andre Lotterer, a three-time Le Mans winner, brings invaluable knowledge and experience, while Mathys Jaubert, a young French talent, has shown impressive pace. 'We're so lucky to have André joining us, he's got a wealth of experience. He's been incredibly valuable to the team already, but also valuable to us as drivers,' Chadwick says. 'He's as good as you're going to get around this track. And then Mathys is a teammate that I've raced with in other series, and he's great as well. A young guy, a bit of a diamond we've found, super fast. He's French, so it's kind of a local race for him in a way. Yeah, we're all excited to see what we can do.' Chadwick is quick to point out how different endurance racing is from the single-seater world where she built much of her career. 'It's a different experience, but I'm really enjoying it,' she says. 'So many things need to fall into place. Everyone needs to do their specific job within the team, and I think the combination of all that coming together is what ends up in a result. The feeling is almost even greater sometimes when we do get a result because it's such a team effort.' That collective spirit is what has drawn Chadwick into the endurance racing world. '24 hours, it's tough. It's tough on the mind, tough on the body,' she reflects. 'So there's an achievement in itself just getting through a lot of these events and these races, which is a very different kind of thing from what I've done before. But at the same time, it's a really cool experience to be a part of. It's very much a team game, and I really enjoy that bit.' As the 93rd running of Le Mans approaches, Chadwick's excitement is balanced by focus and determination. She knows that simply surviving the race is an accomplishment, but her sights are set higher. 'It's obviously very cool. It's a very special event, a special race. A bit of a dream come true to be able to debut and race this weekend,' she says. 'Incredible.' 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin on Saturday, June 14th at 4 p.m. local time in France, 10 a.m. Eastern Time. The 24-hour marathon will conclude on Sunday, June 15th at the same time.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MotoGP French GP: Fabio Quartararo delights home fans with Le Mans pole
Fabio Quartararo set himself up for a perfect home race weekend by snatching a second consecutive MotoGP pole position from Marc Marquez at Le Mans on Saturday morning. The Yamaha rider repeated his Jerez performance by defeating the factory Ducati fair and square in Q2. Advertisement Alex Marquez will start third for Gresini Ducati, while Francesco Bagnaia could only manage sixth on the second factory Ducati. Earlier, Q1 was interrupted after five minutes when Ai Ogura's stricken Aprilia proved tough to retrieve from the gravel trap at Chemin aux Boeufs, where the Japanese rider had fallen. While he was unharmed and departed the scene fast, his engine stayed running despite the bike lying on its side. Ogura was in fact back in the garage before his bike was cleared! That left 10 minutes on the clock when the session restarted. This was effectively only enough time for one qualifying run, so most riders waited a couple more minutes before heading out for their single attack. The home fans breathed a sigh of relief when Johann Zarco hit the top of the timing screens with three minutes to go. The French LCR Honda rider had missed out on direct passage into Q2 following a late fall in practice on Friday. The 34-year-old was able to hold his position atop the leaderboard until the end of the session and ensure he would join countryman Quartararo in the battle for pole. Advertisement Joining him in Q2 was an unexpected companion in Raul Fernandez. Ogura's team-mate has had a wretched 2025 thus far but had shown signs of a breakthrough on Friday. This was confirmed in Q1 as the Spaniard got within three hundredths of Zarco to claim second-fastest time ahead of more fancied candidates, including the factory Hondas of Joan Mir and Luca Marini, VR46 Ducati rider Fabio di Giannantonio and KTM's Brad Binder. As at Jerez two weeks ago, Marc Marquez threw down the gauntlet in the first part of Q2. His 1m29.442s lap shattered the new lap record he had set on Friday – and the best initial response was more than three-tenths away from Marc's mark. This came from Quartararo, who led Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer as the riders returned to the pits to grab fresh soft rears for the final run. At this point, Bagnaia was down in 11th, over a second off the pace despite no obviously visible issue. But in another repeat of Jerez, Quartararo was able to better Marquez's early benchmark with a remarkable pole lap in the second phase. The home hero hit the front with his last tour of the session, and Marquez was unable to improve on the one flying lap he had remaining. Advertisement Aldeguer popped ahead of Alex Marquez early in the final phase but then fell at the first corner of his next flying lap, allowing his Gresini team-mate to reclaim third position and return to the front row after missing it for the first time in 2025 at Jerez. Bagnaia was able to stage only a limited recovery in the final part of qualifying, landing up in sixth place. The Italian was more than seven tenths away from pole position. Between Aldeguer and Bagnaia on row two will be Maverick Vinales, who continues to lead the KTM attack. Row three will be made up of three riders who went against the grain and set their times on hard front tyres: Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) and Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati). Advertisement While the Le Mans faithful had one Frenchman to celebrate at the very top of the leaderboard, they were to be disappointed by Zarco. The Cannes native had another fall in Q2 and could only manage 11th. Zarco will line up between Fernandez and Pedro Acosta (KTM) on the fourth row. French Grand Prix Q2 results To read more articles visit our website.
CNA
10-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Quartararo breaks lap record on home soil to take French GP pole
LE MANS, France :Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo smashed the lap record in front of a sellout crowd at Le Mans on Saturday as the Frenchman snatched pole position from Ducati's Marc Marquez for the French Grand Prix. Having broken the lap record at the circuit in Friday's practice, Marquez went even faster early in the second qualifying session to set the tone for Q2. Quartararo, however, managed to complete one more lap to clock one minute 29.324 seconds as the home crowd erupted and sang "La Marseillaise", the country's national anthem, even as the Frenchman urged them to calm down. "It was amazing to get this pole position, thanks to all the fans supporting us. It's a really important pole position but we need to get the points later and on Sunday," Quartararo said. It also marked the first time since his championship-winning season in 2021 that he had clinched back-to-back pole positions having gone fastest at the Spanish Grand Prix. "Fabio rode in an incredible way, he deserves this pole position in front of his fans. He was doing a superb job in Jerez (at the Spanish Grand Prix) too," Marquez said. "But I'm happy with my pace and starting on the front row was my main target." World championship leader Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing was third fastest and his team mate Fermin Aldeguer will start on the second row alongside KTM Tech3's Maverick Vinales and Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia.
