News
24-hour trial returns to Le Mans
17 April 2007
Trials of endurance don't come much more gruelling than the 24 hours the drivers of the annual Le Mans race spend behind the wheel.
Cutting through historic France and skirting round Versailles' famous seventeenth-century palace, the route winds from the centre of metropolitan Paris to sunny Le Mans in the western Loire valley.
The epic drive began in 1923 when the Le Mans automobile club decided to commemorate Amedee Bollee's intrepid foray from Paris to Le Mans in the days when automobiles were much slower and the risks of breakdown acute.
Today, both cars and drivers are put through their paces as they struggle to keep performance constant through the 1,440 minutes they are on the road.
On a test day before the full race is run, the 55 teams selected are subjected to rigorous road-testing to make sure they can take the heat.
But for spectators, the day is a rather more leisurely one positioned at any point along the track, they can catch a glimpse of competitors including elegant Aston Martins, Corvettes and Lamborghinis cruising by.
This year's race, the 75th, will be held on June 16th to 17th.
© Adfero Ltd
Cutting through historic France and skirting round Versailles' famous seventeenth-century palace, the route winds from the centre of metropolitan Paris to sunny Le Mans in the western Loire valley.
The epic drive began in 1923 when the Le Mans automobile club decided to commemorate Amedee Bollee's intrepid foray from Paris to Le Mans in the days when automobiles were much slower and the risks of breakdown acute.
Today, both cars and drivers are put through their paces as they struggle to keep performance constant through the 1,440 minutes they are on the road.
On a test day before the full race is run, the 55 teams selected are subjected to rigorous road-testing to make sure they can take the heat.
But for spectators, the day is a rather more leisurely one positioned at any point along the track, they can catch a glimpse of competitors including elegant Aston Martins, Corvettes and Lamborghinis cruising by.
This year's race, the 75th, will be held on June 16th to 17th.
© Adfero Ltd
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