CENTURY OF ENDURANCE

We celebrate a 100 years of man and machine being pushed to the absolute limit

- GAURAV DAVARE

In the world of motorsport, a worthy pinnacle of four-wheel racing in terms of outright speed around a circuit undisputedly belongs to Formula One. However, there’s one crown jewel that is still held in high regard not only in the racing world but in the automotive industry in general. We’re talking about the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the ultimate test of endurance between man and machine that no other race on the planet has managed to live up to. And this year, it celebrates 100 years of existence!

The story behind the world’s most legendary race begins all the way back in 1906, where the Circuit de le Sarthe, in France saw its first ever race take place with the circuit being a mix of public and track roads that saw 34 cars race for a gruelling 12 hours. But it wasn’t until 1923, that the game completely changed as George Durand, then head of the French Automobile Club conceptualised something crazy. A race that would go all day and all night long with the winners being determined by ground covered, not lap times. So, on March 26, 1923, 33 drivers took on this gruelling endurance with French duo Andre Lagache and Rene Leonard being the first victors at Le Mans, piloting a Chenard Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport. A cool novelty till 1969 was sprint starts. Basically, drivers would stand on the opposite side of the track to their vehicles and when the starting pistol was shot, they would run to their cars and start their engines. Of course, this was eventually canned due to safety concerns.