Circuit de la Sarthe
The track, which was a triangle from
Le Mans down south to Mulsanne, northwest to Arnage, and back north
to Le Mans, has undergone many modifications over the years, with CIRCUIT
N° 15 being in use since 2014. Even with the modifications put in
place over the years, the Sarthe circuit is still known for being very fast,
with prototype cars achieving average speeds in excess of 230 km/h
(140 mph).
In the 1920s, the cars drove from the
present pits on Rue de Laigné straight into the city, and
after a sharp right-hand corner near the river Sarthe Pontlieue
bridge (a hairpin permanently removed from the circuit in 1929), before exiting
the city again on the rather straight section now named Avenue Georges
Durand after the race's founder. Then 17.261 kilometres
(10.725 mi) long and unpaved, a bypass within the city shortened the track
in 1929, but only in 1932 the city was bypassed when the section from the pits
via the Dunlop Bridge and the Esses to Tertre Rouge was added. This
classic configuration was 8.369 miles (13.469 km) long and remained almost
unaltered even after the 1955 tragedy. Its frighteningly narrow pit
straight was narrowed off to make room for the pits and was part of the road
itself, without the road becoming wider just for the pits. The pit straight was
about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide (the pit straight was widened in 1956) and the
race track and pits were not separated for another 15 years. The pit area was
modified at a cost of 300 million francs, the signalling area was even
moved to the exit of the slow Mulsanne corner, and the track was resurfaced.
Car speeds increased dramatically in
the 1960s, pushing the limits of the "classic circuit" and sparking
criticism of the track as being unsafe, after several trials related fatalities
occurred. Since 1965, a smaller but permanent Bugatti CircuitFord chicane was added before the pits to
slow down the cars. The circuit was fitted with Armco for the 1969 race. The "Maison
Blanche" kink was particularly harrowing, claiming many cars over the
years (including three Ferrari 512 variants) and several lives, including the
legendary John Woolfe in 1969 behind the wheel of a 917 Porsche .
The circuit was modified ten more
times—in 1971 (a year where the prototypes were averaging over 240 km/h
(150 mph), and was also the last year the classic circuit was used). Armco
was added to the pit straight to separate the track from the pits, and in 1972,
the last part of the race track was revamped considerably with the addition of
the quick Porsche curves bypassing "Maison
Blanche" and part of the first straight and all of the second straight
between the pits and Maison Blanche
In 1979, due to the construction of a
new public road, the profile of "Tertre Rouge" had to be changed.
This redesign led to a faster double-apex corner and saw the removal of the
second Dunlop Bridge. In 1986, construction of a new roundabout at the Mulsanne
corner demanded the addition a new portion of track in order to avoid the
roundabout. This created a right hand kink prior to Mulsanne corner. In 1987, a
chicane was added to the very fast Dunlop curve where cars would go under the
Dunlop bridge at 180 mph (290 km/h), now they would be slowed to
110 mph (180 km/h).
In 1990, two chicanes were added onto
the Mulsanne Straight (explained in more detail below), and in 1994,
the Dunlop chicane was tightened. In 2002, the run to the Esses was
reconfigured in the wake of renovations to the Bugatti Circuit. The Le Mans
circuit was changed between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses, with the straight now
becoming a set of fast sweeping turns. This layout allowed for a better
transition from the Le Mans circuit to the Bugatti circuit. This layout change
would also require the track's infamous carnival to be relocated near the Porsche
curves, and in 2006, the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and
Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area,
while also turning the Dunlop Chicane into a larger set of turns. As part of
the development, a new extended pit lane exit was created for the Bugatti
Circuit. This second pit exit re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop
Chicane and before the Dunlop Bridge.
The track, which was a triangle from
Le Mans down south to Mulsanne, northwest to Arnage, and back north
to Le Mans, has undergone many modifications over the years, with CIRCUIT
N° 15 being in use since 2014. Even with the modifications put in
place over the years, the Sarthe circuit is still known for being very fast,
with prototype cars achieving average speeds in excess of 230 km/h
(140 mph).
In the 1920s, the cars drove from the
present pits on Rue de Laigné straight into the city, and
after a sharp right-hand corner near the river Sarthe Pontlieue
bridge (a hairpin permanently removed from the circuit in 1929), before exiting
the city again on the rather straight section now named Avenue Georges
Durand after the race's founder. Then 17.261 kilometres
(10.725 mi) long and unpaved, a bypass within the city shortened the track
in 1929, but only in 1932 the city was bypassed when the section from the pits
via the Dunlop Bridge and the Esses to Tertre Rouge was added. This
classic configuration was 8.369 miles (13.469 km) long and remained almost
unaltered even after the 1955 tragedy. Its frighteningly narrow pit
straight was narrowed off to make room for the pits and was part of the road
itself, without the road becoming wider just for the pits. The pit straight was
about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide (the pit straight was widened in 1956) and the
race track and pits were not separated for another 15 years. The pit area was
modified at a cost of 300 million francs, the signalling area was even
moved to the exit of the slow Mulsanne corner, and the track was resurfaced.
Car speeds increased dramatically in
the 1960s, pushing the limits of the "classic circuit" and sparking
criticism of the track as being unsafe, after several trials related fatalities
occurred. Since 1965, a smaller but permanent Bugatti CircuitFord chicane was added before the pits to
slow down the cars. The circuit was fitted with Armco for the 1969 race. The "Maison
Blanche" kink was particularly harrowing, claiming many cars over the
years (including three Ferrari 512 variants) and several lives, including the
legendary John Woolfe in 1969 behind the wheel of a 917 Porsche .
The circuit was modified ten more
times—in 1971 (a year where the prototypes were averaging over 240 km/h
(150 mph), and was also the last year the classic circuit was used). Armco
was added to the pit straight to separate the track from the pits, and in 1972,
the last part of the race track was revamped considerably with the addition of
the quick Porsche curves bypassing "Maison
Blanche" and part of the first straight and all of the second straight
between the pits and Maison Blanche
In 1979, due to the construction of a
new public road, the profile of "Tertre Rouge" had to be changed.
This redesign led to a faster double-apex corner and saw the removal of the
second Dunlop Bridge. In 1986, construction of a new roundabout at the Mulsanne
corner demanded the addition a new portion of track in order to avoid the
roundabout. This created a right hand kink prior to Mulsanne corner. In 1987, a
chicane was added to the very fast Dunlop curve where cars would go under the
Dunlop bridge at 180 mph (290 km/h), now they would be slowed to
110 mph (180 km/h).
In 1990, two chicanes were added onto
the Mulsanne Straight (explained in more detail below), and in 1994,
the Dunlop chicane was tightened. In 2002, the run to the Esses was
reconfigured in the wake of renovations to the Bugatti Circuit. The Le Mans
circuit was changed between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses, with the straight now
becoming a set of fast sweeping turns. This layout allowed for a better
transition from the Le Mans circuit to the Bugatti circuit. This layout change
would also require the track's infamous carnival to be relocated near the Porsche
curves, and in 2006, the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and
Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area,
while also turning the Dunlop Chicane into a larger set of turns. As part of
the development, a new extended pit lane exit was created for the Bugatti
Circuit. This second pit exit re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop
Chicane and before the Dunlop Bridge.
Following the fatal crash of Danish
driver Allan Simonsen at the 2013 race at the exit of Tertre Rouge
into D338, Tertre Rouge was re-profiled again. The radius will be moved in
approximately 200m for safety reasons with new tyre barriers at the exit
Le Mans was most famous for its
6 km (3.7 mi) long straight, called Ligne Droite des
Hunaudières, a part of the route départementale (for
the Sarthe département) D338 (formerly Route
NationaleN138). As the Hunaudières leads to the village of Mulsanne, it is
often called the Mulsanne Straight in English, even though the
proper Route du Mulsanne is the one from or to Arnage.
After exiting the Tertre Rouge
corner, cars spent almost half of the lap at full throttle, before braking for
Mulsanne Corner. The Porsche 917 long tail, used from 1969 to 1971,
had reached 362 km/h (225 mph),.[4] After engine size was limited,
the top speed dropped until powerful turbo engines were allowed, like in the
1978 Porsche 935 which was clocked at 367 km/h (228 mph).Speeds
on the straight by the Group C prototypes reached over 400 km/h
(250 mph) during the late 1980s. At the beginning of the 1988 24
Hours of Le Mans race, Roger Dorchy driving for Welter
Racing in a "Project 400" car, which sacrificed reliability for
speed, was clocked by radar travelling at 405 kilometres per hour
(252 mph). Fatal high speed accidents in the 1980s happened
to Jean-Louis Lafosse in 1981 and to Jo Gartner in 1986.
As the combination of high speed and
high downforce caused tyre and engine failures, two roughly equally
spaced chicaneswere consequently added to the straight before the
1990 race to limit the achievable maximum speed.The chicanes were added
also because the FIA decreed it would no longer sanction a circuit
which had a straight longer than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).,which is roughly
the length of the Döttinger Höhe straight at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The fastest qualifying lap average
speed dropped only from 249.826 to 243.329 km/h (155.235 to
151.198 mph) in 1992, and it rose up to a record 251.882 km/h
(156.512 mph) in 2017, beating the previous all-time of 250.069 and
251.815 km/h (155.386 and 156.471 mph) set by the Porsche 917 and
962, respectively. Regarding the lap record in the race itself, 2015saw
the fastest ever, thanks to turbos and hybrid power.
Bugatti Circuit is a permanent race
track located within Circuit des 24 Heures, named after Ettore Bugatti.
The circuit uses a part of the larger circuit and a separate, purpose-built
section. The sections of track on the Bugatti Circuit that are on the Circuit
des 24 Heures include the Ford Chicane at the end of the lap, the pit complex,
and the straight where the Dunlop Tyres bridge is located.
At this point in the overlapping
section of the tracks there is a left right sweep that was added for motorcycle
safety in 2002. Vehicles turning to the left continue onto the Circuit des 24
Heures, toward Tertre Rouge and Mulsanne, vehicles turning to the right at La
Chapelle will continue the Bugatti Circuit. The infield section features Garage
Vert, a back straight, the 'S' du Garage Bleu, and Raccordement, which joins
back at the Ford chacane.
The track was home base
for Pescarolo Sport, founded by famous French driver Henri Pescarolo.
The circuit also hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race, and a round of
the MotoGP Championship. The circuit also holds French motor club races
and in the past has hosted rounds of the International Formula 3000
Championship and DTM (German Touring Car series).
As well as motor racing it is the
venue for the 24 rollers, a 24h race on inline skates or quads.
The Bugatti Circuit was used for
the 1967 French Grand Prix, though it would prove to be the only time
the Formula OneWorld Championship would use the circuit, and is the
current host of the French motorcycle Grand Prix. It also forms the final
round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, and was part of
the World Series by Renault and 1988 Superbike World
Championship seasons.
After exiting the Tertre Rouge
corner, cars spent almost half of the lap at full throttle, before braking for
Mulsanne Corner. The Porsche 917 long tail, used from 1969 to 1971,
had reached 362 km/h (225 mph),.[4] After engine size was limited,
the top speed dropped until powerful turbo engines were allowed, like in the
1978 Porsche 935 which was clocked at 367 km/h (228 mph).Speeds
on the straight by the Group C prototypes reached over 400 km/h
(250 mph) during the late 1980s. At the beginning of the 1988 24
Hours of Le Mans race, Roger Dorchy driving for Welter
Racing in a "Project 400" car, which sacrificed reliability for
speed, was clocked by radar travelling at 405 kilometres per hour
(252 mph). Fatal high speed accidents in the 1980s happened
to Jean-Louis Lafosse in 1981 and to Jo Gartner in 1986.
As the combination of high speed and
high downforce caused tyre and engine failures, two roughly equally
spaced chicaneswere consequently added to the straight before the
1990 race to limit the achievable maximum speed.The chicanes were added
also because the FIA decreed it would no longer sanction a circuit
which had a straight longer than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).,which is roughly
the length of the Döttinger Höhe straight at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The fastest qualifying lap average
speed dropped only from 249.826 to 243.329 km/h (155.235 to
151.198 mph) in 1992, and it rose up to a record 251.882 km/h
(156.512 mph) in 2017, beating the previous all-time of 250.069 and
251.815 km/h (155.386 and 156.471 mph) set by the Porsche 917 and
962, respectively. Regarding the lap record in the race itself, 2015saw
the fastest ever, thanks to turbos and hybrid power.
Bugatti Circuit is a permanent race
track located within Circuit des 24 Heures, named after Ettore Bugatti.
The circuit uses a part of the larger circuit and a separate, purpose-built
section. The sections of track on the Bugatti Circuit that are on the Circuit
des 24 Heures include the Ford Chicane at the end of the lap, the pit complex,
and the straight where the Dunlop Tyres bridge is located.
At this point in the overlapping
section of the tracks there is a left right sweep that was added for motorcycle
safety in 2002. Vehicles turning to the left continue onto the Circuit des 24
Heures, toward Tertre Rouge and Mulsanne, vehicles turning to the right at La
Chapelle will continue the Bugatti Circuit. The infield section features Garage
Vert, a back straight, the 'S' du Garage Bleu, and Raccordement, which joins
back at the Ford chacane.
The track was home base
for Pescarolo Sport, founded by famous French driver Henri Pescarolo.
The circuit also hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race, and a round of
the MotoGP Championship. The circuit also holds French motor club races
and in the past has hosted rounds of the International Formula 3000
Championship and DTM (German Touring Car series).
As well as motor racing it is the
venue for the 24 rollers, a 24h race on inline skates or quads.
The Bugatti Circuit was used for
the 1967 French Grand Prix, though it would prove to be the only time
the Formula OneWorld Championship would use the circuit, and is the
current host of the French motorcycle Grand Prix. It also forms the final
round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, and was part of
the World Series by Renault and 1988 Superbike World
Championship seasons.
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