24h Le Mans
Le Mans, Ignite your Senses | The 24 Hours of the Le Mans is eye-candy for spectators. The world’s greatest endurance race is a unique experience, where the backdrop changes hour by hour. Fine-tuned racing cars take turns to outshine each other as their drivers’ eyes adjust to the visibility levels.
Cars competing in the Hypercar class (the top tier at the 24 Hours of Le Mans) are designed for looks as well as as performance. With millions of eyes agog, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota harness their designers’ ingenuity as they seek to make their mark on the race and the automotive world in general. In 2025, Aston Martin willl be joining the field with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, bringing British elegance to the already spectacular scene. The line-up for the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025) could be part of the catwalk season! Forget Milan, the real prima donnas are at Le Mans!
As winner of the last two races, the Ferrari 499P is a star of the show. The car perfectly combines the ferocity and refinement of Ferrari. Its fiery red livery and distinctive headlamps play on the heartstrings of the brand’s tifosi and other longstanding admirers of the prancing horse.
Meanwhile, the Cadillac V-Series.R represents the essence of American grit. Its imposing stature and unique visual signature are matched by its hallmark growl. More about that later in the series.
Then there’s the Peugeot 9X8, with its clever claw-shaped headlights a nod to its famous Lion logo. Its eye-catching elegance is a credit to French style.
However, the Hypercars don’t get all the fans’ attention. The GT contingent is just as fascinating to behold. Luxurious yet feisty, the Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 sports spectacular aerodynamics. True to its Muscle Car moniker, the Ford Mustang LMGT3 exudes power. Drawing on its American heritage, its aggressive headlamps and angular shape spell brute force. The distinctive shape of the Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 is equally in keeping with brand legacy. Rounded headlamps and smooth aerodynamics are tell-tale signs. Resonant of the roadbound 911, this model is built to race.
But it isn’t all about the cars. At nightfall, the circuit becomes a light show. Glares, flashes and gleams dance before many an eye in a kaleidoscope of colour. The circuit takes on a luminescent glow, the streaks of headlamps like waving wands working the magic of Le Mans. The mesmerising dance draws crowds to the circuit year after year.
They come in thousands to take their fill of the feast for the eyes where each car is a masterpiece in motion.
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For drivers of course, the switch from day to night (and back) isn’t just a change of scenery. It can be a huge challenge. Varying degrees of brightness affect visibility: a key element of anticipation when travelling at speed.
To Norman Nato, driver of the #12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963, instinct comes into play: “It’s best to be at the wheel as the light changes. That way your eyes adjust gradually.” At night, speed is perceived differently: “You have the impression you’re driving faster than you really are, especially during the first night practice. Braking distances are harder to assess.”
Stoffel Vandoorne of Team Peugeot TotalEnergies describes accelerating with the #94 Peugeot 9X8: “After dark, it’s trickier. Everything seems faster and you have less visibility on corners.” It’s harder to gauge distance in the rear-view mirror too: “All you can really see behind you are headlights. It can be unsettling, especially when there’s lots of overtaking going on.”
The two drivers employ different tactics when it comes to driving gear. Norman Nato doesn’t use a tinted visor or special glasses. Stoffel Vandoorne keeps his helmet visor up at night. “During the day, I lower it if it’s sunny, but at night I prefer to keep it open.”
Vision fatigue isn’t a key issue for either driver. As Norman Nato stresses: “Our tiredness isn’t visual, it’s more physical and mental because of stress and lack of sleep.” Vandoorne agrees. “The human body adjusts to light, which can make night driving difficult.” To counter that problem, drivers undergo physical and mental training and perform stimulating wake-up routines before returning to the wheel after a rest.
Adjusting to light and dark is crucial to performance and the day-night element of the 24 hours of Le Mans makes the race as dazzling as it is demanding.
All in all, whether you come for the machinery, the beauty or both, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a unique visual experience. Changing backdrops, slick moves, sleek lines, streams of light: this is more than a motor race, it’s a festival! It’s a live performance, a work of art, a show like no other.
General sale tickets for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans can be purchased from Wednesday 13 November. ACO Members have an earlier presale period from Wednesday 6 November.
