Your Ultimate 2018 Le Mans Guide is Right Here!
If you want to know who to watch, where to watch, and what to do during the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, look no further.
For many of us, the 24 Hours of Le Mans–or, to appease the purists, the 24 Heures du Mans–is the sole remaining test of willpower and machine still worthy of attention. This year marks the race’s 86th running. And, as it has for the past number of years, will utilize the Circuit de la Sarthe, and the high-speed roads of Le Mans, France this weekend, June 16-17. While other races exist that span the distance of twice around a clock, there’s something about Le Mans that always draws us back in. In a way, it’s the Triple Crown of motorsport that many try to achieve. Monaco’s Grand Prix, Indianapolis’ 500 mile race and the Le Mans have all been at the epicenter of every motorsport fan’s enthusiasm.
Things for 2018 have changed a bit at the sharp end of the field. With Porsche out from the LMP1 category, Toyota might finally get the shot at an overall victory that they have been chasing for a number of years. Issues had plagued their past two attempts, calling some to call it a curse. And while it might look like a clear shot this year as the only factory-backed LMP1 entry, that’s not exactly the case. Eight other entries will start along side Toyota’s pair of TS050 hybrids racers, although those are gasoline powered entries, not hybrids. Toyota has shown the fastest pace so far, and a victory for Toyota would return an overall victory to Japan for the first time since 1991.
As is the usual case, the GT field is large and diverse, consisting of 30 starting entries. GT cars are split between GTE Pro and GTE Am, with just a few more Pro entries in the factory-backed cars. Porsche is sporting an entire quartet of 911’s in GTE Pro, with two entries from Porsche’s US racing division, and two more from the home-grown German side. Ford’s all out assault on Le Mans continues with four GT’s as they had last year. Corvette has returned again with their usual pair of bright yellow C7.Rs, Aston Martin rounds things up with a pair of Vantage GTEs. AF Corse will have a trio of Ferrari 488s and BMW returns with two M8 racers after a seven-year absence.
The GTE Am field is quite a bit less diverse in comparison, as privateer teams have found there’s pretty much two cars to choose from in that class. Of the 13 cars to take the start, almost all of them will either be a Porsche 911 RSR or a Ferrari 488, with the only outlier being one privately entered Aston Martin Vantage, and another one from the Aston Martin team itself.
For us, we’ll be keeping an eye on the 911 RSRs in LM GTE Pro. The German backed factory team will be sporting throwback liveries on the cars, with one in the style of the Truffelhunter or Pink Pig, and the other in vintage Rothmans blue and white. The US backed entries will wear a combo of white/black/red/grey. Between the Pro and Am classes, ten 911 RSR’s will compete.
Balance of performance hasn’t really favored Porsche in the past, but an endurance race such as this one isn’t won by all out speed. One small issue could lose you 20 minutes of race time, if not more.
Here’s a gallery to highlight the differences between LMP1, LMP2, LM GTE Pro, and LM GTE Am categories:
For those who want to see the full 60 car entry list, a PDF spotters guide is available here.
Race Schedule
Friday, June 15
- Drivers parade
Saturday, June 16
- 9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. local (3 a.m. – 3:45 a.m. ET / Midnight – 12:45 a.m. PT): Warm-up
- 3 p.m. local (9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT): Race Start
Sunday, June 17
- 3 pm local (9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT): Race Finish
How to Catch the Action
Now, you need to know where to watch it. In the U.S. the Velocity Network will broadcast the race in its entirety, check out their website for information. A live stream is also going to be available on the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) official Le Mans website, as well as their YouTube channel. Motor Trend has an On Demand app where you can check in on the action. If you’d rather just listen in or don’t have the ability to watch, Radio LeMans is a great option. FiA’s World Endurance Chanpionship (WEC) website will have live timing and scoring.
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