Le Mans is the world's most famous race, with the 24-hour event captivating both the sport of motoring and the wider general public.

The first Le Mans race took place back in 1923, making it the world's oldest endurance race.

Originally, the plan was for the event to take place over the course of a three-year period and the team that was able to travel the furthest distance around Le Mans would be crowned the winner. However, that idea was abandoned in 1928 and instead the winner was the team to travel the furthest in a set 24-hour period.

The beauty of Le Mans is the unique challenge it poses to racing teams, who must compete to make their cars as reliable as possible, in order to avoid damaging repair delays whilst maintaining the fastest possible speeds to cover the greatest distances.

When the World Sportscar Championship was launched in 1953, Le Mans became increasingly competitive and it was during this period that the race won a lot of attention. Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Jaguar and Aston Martin were among the huge names from the world of motoring to send multiple cars to compete in the 24-hour race, sending its profile through the roof.

Extreme Speeds

The 1970s were a key period for the Le Mans race as teams pursued ever more extreme speeds in a bid to win the event. Production cars were still entering the race at this time but the vogue was now for prototype race cars that were purpose-built for the event.

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Porsche 917

This era was dominated by the Porsche 917, 935, and 936 and there is no doubt that Porsche is one of the most successful manufacturers in Le Mans history.

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Porsche 962C

Porsche's 16 overall wins mark it out as by far the most dominant manufacturer in Le Mans history, once winning seven in a row, although Audi's recent victories have enabled the German company to catch up.

Unlike in most other motor-based sports, the cars are the stars of Le Mans, rather than the drivers, and Audi's wins in recent years have come in a sadly diminished field, with many top manufacturers pulling out due to the high cost of entering a car into the Le Mans event.

Le Mans 2015

Things however are on the up, with four big name manufactures entering in this years race. Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Nissan are all vying for a place on the top step of the podium. All of these manufacturers are using four wheel drive hybrid technology but most interestingly, all in different ways. Nissan have chosen to try something a little radical by producing a car that is predominantly front wheel drive, as opposed to the more conventional rear wheel drive biased configurations. With such different approaches to building their cars, it’ll be fascinating to see who will rise to the top. The 2015 race is shaping-up to be one to remember. The race starts at 15:00 on Saturday 10th June 2015.

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