MAIN Sports Car Racing Le Mans

Can they go the distance for 24 hours?

Non-stop??

At 24 Hours of Le Mans, automotive expertise and determination combine to provide a showcase for technological achievement as well as plain, old-fashioned race car thrills.

2012 marks Le Mans' 80th anniversary, which takes place from Saturday, June 16 - to Sunday, June 17, 2012 and by all estimates will be watched by an audience of millions on 100 TV networks around the world.

Motors TV is available in 32 European countries beaming all the action into 16 million homes in four languages with more than 48 hours of live television coverage during the 2-day racing marathon.

In the U.S., SPEED TV traditionally featurs 24 Hours of Le Mans on demand at their Web site and on cable beginning Saturday morning.

2011 Le Mans 24 Hours recap

This year's race featured two spectacular crashes on Day 1, involving Allan McNish in what has been called "the miracle of Le Mans" as the Scots driver miraculously survived a 170mph crash just an hour into the race. As night fell, the second crash involved another Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller who lost control of his car in an another enormous crash, but was otherwise reported alright.

Despite losing two of is R18 TDIs to crashes, Team Audi's remaining car passed Peugeot to win the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans marathon race, giving Audi its 10th Le Mans victory.

All about Le Mans racing

Begun in 1923, the historic race is annually sponsored by Automobile Club de l'Ouest and takes place at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France.

Today, qualifying races which take place on Europe's most prestigious circuits help to determine which cars are selected for 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Le Mans 24 Hours has proven to be a very popular export with the rise of the American Le Mans Series, and the Japan Le Mans Series, both which help sustain the ideals of endurance and technological achievement in their respective national equivalents.

On the Web, find out more about the classic race in pictures, video clips, news & updates, profiles on car manufacturers & racers, interesting facts, trivia, and lots of history that continues to fuel the prestige and glamour behind the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans ...

More about Le Mans racing around the Web:

Le Mans 24 Hours - The official site including the latest news & updates, complete entry list, related history including a searchable database of results and times dating back to 1923 plus additional photos, video and multimedia presentations available with paid membership.

Le Mans Series - The complete racing calendar throughout the year, related information & map of the test circuit, current times & qualifiers, breaking news & photo gallery.

24 Hours of Le Mans - Wikipedia entry with a detailed history including pop culture references, facts & information on the famous 1955 Le Mans disaster, an overview of the circuit, a complete list of winners, pictures, related links.

24 Hours in Le Mans - Fan site with exceptional images as a result of a marathon photo shoot in 2005.

Le Mans - The cult classic starring Steve McQueen that used actual footage of 24 Hours of Le Mans, including site fan forum, lots of interesting behind-the-scenes factoids, photo gallery & memorable movie quotes from the Internet Movie Database.

Also see in Travel -> France Tourist Attractions