The Le Mans 24-Hours test day will take place this coming weekend Sunday 4th June and will be a be a full-scale general rehearsal for the teams entered for the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It will also give the spectators a foretaste of the party that will begin on 11th June.
The Le Mans 24-Hours week will kick off on Sunday 11th and Monday 12th June with the traditional scrutineering ceremony on Place de la République in the town centre of Le Mans. Over a day and a half the 180 drivers and 60 cars entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours will go through scrutineering and administrative checks in public. It is very popular with the spectators as it provides a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with the drivers.
After two days partying in the centre of Le Mans drivers, teams, cars and spectators will meet up at the circuit. At 17:00 on Tuesday 13th June the pit lane will be transformed into a huge pedestrian boulevard for the traditional autograph session. It’s always very popular with the spectators as they see the drivers entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours up close and talk to them.
When the village opens on Wednesday 14th June everybody can discover all the activities and entertainment devised by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and its partners.
For the third year running the ACO is installing a venue devoted to women and the motor car, the Women’s Pavilion. This area with a garden provides a glamorous relaxing break for the female public.
As the partnership with the French air force has been renewed this elite corps will install several venues in the village, and the fan zone will give the crowd the opportunity to discover this universe and slip into the skin of a fighter pilot thanks to numerous simulators.
The HUB ACO, a venue devoted to the ACO in which all the club’s activities, actions and facilities will be presented, will also welcome spectators. They will be able to discover the MyACO, 24 On Site and 24 H Le Mans applications as well relaxing for a moment to read the Spirit of Le Mans, the magazine dedicated to endurance.
For this year’s event the ACO and Microsoft are creating a buzz by organising the esports Le Mans 24 Hours, the R Elite final of the Forza Racing Championship (ForzaRC) Season 3: The Porsche Cup which will take place in the context of the mythical course. Many gamers are expected and they will be welcomed by an innovative facility in order to create an unprecedented event that will be a milestone.
In addition to the official Le Mans 24-Hours village with its many exhibitors, stalls and boutiques, a Fan Zone will be installed in a dedicated space above the main village. It will host the children’s village with numerous activities, a crèche, the Criterium du Jeune Conducteur, a connected pavilion with numerous simulators and activities for people to have fun.
One of the major innovations in 2017 is that all holders of a general enclosure ticket can visit the Le Mans 24 Hours museum free of charge. They will be able to see the traditional historic exhibition on the theme of the Formula 1 Grand Prix on the Bugatti circuit in 1967 (Le Mans 67 – an exceptional Grand Prix) as well as the exceptional cars in the ACO Collections.
The three big concert soirees are always eagerly-awaited by the Le Mans 24-Hours public. It’s a real music festival and the two practice evenings will throb to the beat of the 2016 French revelation of the year, Amir, on Wednesday followed by the Celtic Social Club on Thursday. The legendary Kool & The Gang will take over the Le Mans 24-Hours stage on Saturday race day and their greatest hits will resound all round the circuit.
Between all these artists and the warm-up acts eight musical groups will perform on the stage near the Dunlop Footbridge.
The Le Mans Fun fair is again installed in the Raccordement on the grandstand side of the track with the traditional Big Wheel that offers an exceptional panoramic view of the circuit.
On Friday 16th June the day before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours spectators can visit the pits from 10:00 to 20:00. They will be able to walk along the mythical track as far as the Dunlop footbridge. They can talk to the drivers and the mechanics who are fine-tuning the final setups on the cars that will start the race the next day. This year for the 60th anniversary of the Criterium du Jeune Conducteur, a tool to raise awareness about driving for youngsters from seven upwards created by the ACO, the children can take to the track and drive along the pits straight.
The towns near Le Mans are also organising festivities like Ruaudin and its R’Hunaudières on Tuesday 13th June, Arnage, which is paying homage to Henri Pescarolo on 15th June with Arnage in the race, Mulsanne and its famous village will highlight Jaguar on Friday 16th June, and at the Classic British Welcome in Saint-Saturnin English constructor Marcos will hold centre stage.
One of the ACO’s priority aims is to welcome its public in the best possible conditions, and the application 24 On Site will enable them to enjoy the event to the full and miss none of the activities thanks to its rich content and numerous functions. To go even further in enhancing comfort for the public the ACO in partnership with Zenbus has added a function which helps people find the nearest spectator shuttle to go to the different points of the circuit and avoid having to wait for too long. 24 On Site will be available for downloading on 11th June and is the indispensable tool not to miss a moment of the party.
Thanks to the ACO and its partners the Le Mans 24-Hours public can enjoy the hectic Le Mans 24-Hours week to the full. Between the race and the numerous activities the 85th staging of the Sarthe Classsic has all the makings of a thrilling festive event!
Detailed day-by-day programme